If you remember Beau (how can you not? He’s amazing and stole the show, in my opinion) from Drops of Rain, he seemed like this very fun, carefree, teenage guy. Yes, he’s endured pain from the physical and emotional abuse, but to me, he always seemed not nearly as intense as Drew. With his quirky, never ending amount of trivia and what appeared to be a laid back kind of guy, you would expect his book to be more of that, right? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. We got a few glimpses of what was lying underneath the surface with Beau alone as well as his relationship with Leila, but you have no idea the depth of these two characters until you’ve experienced this book. Starless Nights lays it all out there, and it is quite the story to be told.
To say that I’ve been excited for Beau Hale’s book would be a massive understatement. I adored Drew and his “Love you”s in Drops of Rain, but I needed Beau’s book. You know what I mean. When you don’t just want it, but NEED it in your life. That was me. I can honestly say, I’m a bit surprised. It wasn’t what I expected from their story. It was just different. Different isn’t always bad, and that’s the case with Starless Nights.
If you remember Beau (how can you not? He’s amazing and stole the show, in my opinion) from Drops of Rain, he seemed like this very fun, carefree, teenage guy. Yes, he’s endured pain from the physical and emotional abuse, but to me, he always seemed not nearly as intense as Drew. With his quirky, never ending amount of trivia and what appeared to be a laid back kind of guy, you would expect his book to be more of that, right? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. We got a few glimpses of what was lying underneath the surface with Beau alone as well as his relationship with Leila, but you have no idea the depth of these two characters until you’ve experienced this book. Starless Nights lays it all out there, and it is quite the story to be told.
0 Comments
A Fighters Desire is made up of 2 novellas introducing the characters of full length books. And I have to say, they are hot. They are little snippets into a world that I can’t wait to dive more into. I’m going to warn you, these don’t end in a HEA. Those come in the full length books. And by the time you finish both of these, you’ll want to jump in to reading the full lengths. In part one, you meet very sexy twins Ryley and Camden. They are known to share their women. You get one night with one of them, the next night with the other and if all works out, the third night with both. But when Ashleigh comes into the picture, stuff changes. She doesn’t necessarily want all of that. But she is willing to try. Except, Camden is an ass. And Ryley is willing to give a whole lot more. And the instant attraction between Ryley and Ashleigh is explosive. There were parts that made me blush. And then when it ended, I wanted to scream. It left you wanting so much more. In part two, you see Gabriella, Ashleigh’s best friend, wanting what she shouldn’t want. Tyler Rushing. OMG Tyler is WOW. But she convinces Tyler to give her a night. Which turns into a weekend. It is a forbidden desire that they both have. And boy do they fulfill it. And once again you are left wanting more. Holy hell does Bella Jewel know how to write a book. She keeps you on the edge of your seat. The suspense is amazing. You know something is going to happen. And you know its going to happen soon because you’re coming to the end of the book. But what's going to happen. I honestly couldn’t really predict it. Marcus Tandem might be one of the biggest jackasses I’ve ever read. Seriously. He can switch moods to fit the situation and to mold it to his liking. He is a master manipulator. He can get you to believe anything he wants. Katia fell for all that Marcus put out there. Head of heels in love. Trusting him. But boy was she wrong to do that. And I can’t really fault her for that. I can’t really say she was naive. Thats how good Marcus is. As a reader, I believed Marcus a lot of the time. Especially from Katia’s point of view. He and Bella Jewel are that good. Til Death left off in a cliffhanger. You were warned about that in the synopsis. But I wasn’t expecting what happened. Bella Jewel has a way of giving you just enough and making you want to beg for more. And I want more. Today. ASAP. Write, women, write. ~Katie Before I read Mask, I read book 1 in the series, Dance. And I loved it. It was different than majority of the M/M books I had read. I connected to Jared and Fenix. And after reading Dance, I was very much looking forward to reading Mask. But I was a bit disappointed. I can’t pinpoint exactly why I didn’t love Mask. I can’t say I didn’t like it because I did. But I had issues connecting with Penn and Adam. Maybe because it was even more different than Mask was to what I’ve read in M/M before. Maybe because of the way it was written. I can’t figure out why I didn’t love it. At parts I forced myself to keep reading. At other parts I skimmed a bit. But then there were the parts that brought me in and kept me there. And I wish the entire book was that way. All in all, it was a 3.5 star book for me. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. Just kind of inbetween. And I hate that. But thats how it was for me. ~Katie Okay it’s time. I have to do it. I’ve been putting off writing this review for almost a week now, but I’m just gonna go for it and hope I can see clearly enough through the tears to type my name at the end. This probably won’t make a ton of sense. It probably won’t flow. I honestly don’t care if it’s my standard review, I just need to get it on paper. This book shattered me. You know that if you’ve heard anything about Bright Side. It’s an ugly cry, it’s emotional, so on and so forth. Until you’ve spent the time in Kate’s world, you’re not understanding the full impact. Yes, it is an ugly cry. Yes, it hurts. But hiding behind all of that pain is one of the most gorgeous stories I’ve ever read. Ever. Here come the tears… I’ve never had a book affect me like this one did. I won’t give anything away, although I’m sure we all sorta know what happens in the end, but this book is so much bigger than just one girl’s story. It’s inspiring, it’s hopeful, it’s motivational. It’s a life changer. It makes you step back and look at your life. You’ll learn to not take a single day for granted, because every single one counts. Live in the here and now, because it might be all you get. I sound like a damn motivational poster. I love Chelsea M. Cameron’s books. I do. But to me, For Now, isn’t her best work. I love the story idea but for some reason, it just didn’t work for me. For Now is the story of Javier and Hazel. We met them in the first book in the series, For Real. In For Real, we knew they were both were not into relationships. They slept around. They would flirt, but nothing would come of it. But in For Now, they decided to go for it. Have fun. Rock each others world. But then it all changes. Feelings become involved and those feelings go deep. As I said earlier, this book, to me isn’t Chelsea’s best. I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think part of it is because it was too easy. Too quick. Two people who weren’t relationship people immediately fall in love. And they don’t deny it to each other. Its kind of like, ok, the sex is awesome, we are in love, and we are going to declare it to the world. Way to easily wrapped up into a box with a pretty bow on it. It just didn’t work. ~Katie *After writing this review, I realized it wasn’t so much a formal review, but more like me talking to you, the reader.* First I feel I should say congratulations to Molly on the birth of her adorable daughter. But I really wanted to start this review with a string of profanities towards her. Because I feel like she deserves that for what she put me through for the last 24 hours. I read this alongside a friend, and I would love to put parts of our conversation along with this. But I can’t. Because there are strings of profanities. But what I will say is the rollercoaster is amazing. Twist and turns you don’t expect. The highs and lows you do and some that you don’t. Just by reading the blurb, you know what to expect. Or at least you think you do. And what you expect happens but there is so much more. This is a book that you absorb. I was seriously done within 24 hours. And that included sleeping, running kids around and then in order to finish, hiding in the bathroom, sitting on the floor. And while I’ve read a lot of books faster, this one wasn’t slow enough. You sit and you read and then you get to the end and think, what the hell did Molly just put me through. I think I felt almost every single emotion you can. And then it was over. And I cried. I seriously cried when I finished, while sitting on the bathroom floor. Eeek for Pace! Seriously, I need to take a second to just squeal over his story. I was so excited for Filthy Beautiful Lust, and for the most part, I’m very pleased with the outcome. There are a few tidbits that I’ll point out, but overall, I loved this emotional, easy read. Pace and Kylie make for a beautiful story of two people who are nothing alike, but change for the better and welcome each other into their oh so opposite worlds. I loved how easy this story was to get into. You’re kind of teased with Pace here and there throughout the first two books, but to finally dive head first into his world was exactly as I had hoped. He’s so very different from what you think, and I loved peeling back all of those layers to see the true Pace under the cocky, playboy. To see it from his eyes when he realizes what he needs and wants in life rather than one blonde after the next was…dare I say, heartwarming? Doesn’t seem like a very Pace-like description, but that’s exactly how he'll end up making you feel. He is one of the most likeable characters around, and I can’t get enough of him. I also love love LOVE Kylie. Love her. She’s strong and independent but knows that she needs more. A man’s touch, a male role model for her son whom she is raising alone, and a family for herself and Max. She was so easy to relate to and to connect with. But as much as I loved the characters separately, especially Pace, I loved the two of them together even more. The tension, the connection, the emotions. You can feel it all jumping off of the page, and you’ll eat it right up. The interactions between Pace, Kylie, and Max are absolutely perfect as well, and I enjoyed any scene where they all bonded. Max is obviously a very important part of Kylie’s life, and I loved seeing Pace embracing him and their world. Usually when I read the next in a series, I re-read the previous books, especially when it’s been a while since I read them. But with City of Champions, book 2, in Chloe T. Barlow’s Gateway to Love series, I didn’t re-read the first one. I just jumped right in. And I’m so glad I did. It felt a bit like coming home. Visiting with friends and remembering why I love them some much. I think one of the best things about this book is that it feels so real. Real problems. Real issues. Even Wyatt and his issues in football are very real. And very much in time with current events. And living in the Pittsburgh area, very much a Pittsburgh football player. The beginning of the book killed me. That prologue. Heartbreaking. But it definitely set up the rest of the book. It showed why Jenna is, the way she is. But to be 6 and go through all of that. And then to have more shit happen to her in high school. And turn out the way she is, amazing. She is so strong. She has gone through so much but has come out on top. Wyatt hasn’t had an easy life either. It was hard but in a different way than Jenna’s. He had a legacy to live up to and then he had to be the man of the house. And he still feels he needs to keep those roles. This book was really cute. I liked it. But I can’t say I loved it. Honestly, at times I felt it was predictable and sometimes cheesy. But other times I put my kindle down, my heart sped up and was thinking “Is this really happening?” A Hope and a Chance is a book about a couple that shouldn’t be together. Her dad and his sister and dating and eventually get married. But Hope and Chance got together before they really realized the connection. And it was immediate. That spark. That attraction. The want. And when they realized the connection and realized them being together was a bad thing, it was too late. Because to them, it was the right thing. Would I recommend this book? Yes. Its one of those that you read when you want something that you know ends it an awesome place, makes your heart speed up at parts and walk away from your kindle because you can’t believe some of the things you are reading. It’s a book that makes you happy. There is a bit of angst. There is a whole lot of love with some good cheese mixed in. ~Katie You know when you are looking for that book that takes you away from life for an afternoon? The quick, somewhat angsty but totally non put downable book? Thats #nerd. Rimmel is a nerd. Romeo is a jock. They each have their roles on the campus of their college. Rimmel keeps her head down, hair hanging in her face, wears baggy clothes. She wants to not be seen. Romeo is the starting quarterback. He can have any girl he wants. And he does. And then they are forced to be together when Rimmel is made to tutor Romeo. And from there, the rest is history. Just not easy. I totally loved this book. It had its super sweet moments. It had its angsty moments. It had a lot of stuff I love, all in one book. And I think the best thing is, there is more to come. This book is complete. It doesn’t leave off with a cliffhanger. It leaves you off wanting more of Rimmel and Romeo. And guess what, you will get more. And for that, I am so happy. ~Katie Disclaimer: JB Salsbury blew me so far away on this book, I can’t put words down. Really the only thing that needs to be said is “Read this book”. To me, not being able to put words down is a compliment. She left me speechless, so she wins. Continue to read to hear me stutter with words about Fighting the Fall. I’m finding it difficult to put words to paper about Fighting the Fall. I even slept on it. I love every single book in the Fighting series. Each one is better than the last. Including Fighting the Fall. This is JB Salsbury’s best book to date. Fighting the Fall gave me the ups and downs I want, the love, the angst, the suspense. I had tears of joy at one point. I also had tears of sadness. This book hit me hard. I wrote that paragraph a week ago, and I haven’t been able to finish this review. I’m having a hard time putting words down. I totally loved this book. It put me through an emotional wringer. I cried. I laughed. There are some parts of this book that just hit me so hard, I put down my iPad and walked away. I’ll say the same thing I just said to the author of Shiver – I couldn’t love this book more if I tried. Just saying that I was swept away, or how emotional it is isn’t going to cut it this time. This went above and beyond for me, and will easily rank in my top 5 for the year. It’s one of those books that will make you step back and reevaluate. I just…I loved it. Loved it. The thing I loved the most about this book, by far, is how she split it. We’re all used to the romance novels that end with nice little happily ever after’s all tied up with a bow. Right? Maybe an epilogue showing a few years down the road. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and normally, it’s everything I hoped it would be. But what about after the warm and fuzzy endings? That’s where Shiver is different and will leave its mark on you. The first 70% of the book is written as a sweet tale. Ethan and Lissa have their up’s and down’s. They have the angst, the fights, the making up, and the unexpected events. It’s all there. Honestly, the first 70% could stand by itself and be amazing. I would LOVE just to read Ethan and Lissa’s story. But then it changes… and man, does it change. Ahh I love being surprised by the greatness of a book. I love feeling stressed about having a review due, only to forget all about that little detail because I was SO wrapped up in a story. I expected your run of the mill romance, and am now sitting here head over heels in love with this creative, fun story. It was just a blast to read. So, two friends who claim to hate each other try out a bit of a fling as sort of a rebound from Brynn's breakup. Sounds like a fantastic story in itself, yes? God, it just gets better and better with every page though. I'm sure you can guess where it goes, but even knowing that, it was still so enjoyable. It has the sexy, delicious scenes mixed with so much angst. Ahh, the angst! It will eat you alive, but goodness, I loved it. Plus, under it all, it's so dang sweet. I seriously couldn't get enough. Maybe I'm totally out of the loop. In fact, I'm nearly positive I am. But I hadn't heard of Lauren Layne and was surprised to find 16 books on Goodreads. Now I'm sitting here shaking my head, asking, "Where have I been?!" She's so talented! Every word. Every piece of dialogue, every overwhelmingly emotional punch, every gorgeously described situation. I'm a fan, plain and simple. My Kindle needs to own those other 15 books asap! |
April 2016
|