Release Day Review: Beyond What is Given by Rebecca Yarros

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Beyond What is Given by Rebecca Yarros
Series: Flight & Glory #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 28th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Lt. Grayson Masters is focused on graduating the Apache helicopter course, and the last thing he needs is his gorgeous new roommate Samantha Fitzgerald distracting him. While her smart mouth and free spirit are irresistibly irritating, he can’t deny their off-the-charts chemistry, no matter how hard he tries.

Having just been expelled from college, Sam has no business digging for Grayson’s secrets while she’s hiding her own, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to tear down his walls. Each barrier she busts through drops one of her own, though, and she’s not prepared for the truth: another woman laid claim to Grayson’s heart long ago.

Falling in love is something neither Grayson nor Sam can afford, and when that line is crossed and secrets are exposed, they’ll learn that sometimes it’s the answered prayers that will put you through hell.

I fell so in love with Rebecca Yarros after reading and ADORING the first book in the Flight & Glory series, Full Measures (JOSH!! *heart eyes*). Beyond What is Given is the third standalone in the series and is Grayson and Samantha’s story, who we’ve met in the previous books. I was super excited for them because I was so curious about their characters – and while I ended up liking this book, it just didn’t grip me the way the other two books in the series did.

“There are broken people in the world, Samantha. But you’re not one of them. Dinged-up maybe, but not broken, and definitely not beyond repair.”

After getting expelled from college, Samantha wants a fresh start. She finds herself moving across the country and in with three guys, two of whom are good friends. The third roommate, Grayson, is absolutely gorgeous, but he and Sam get off to a rough start. Nevertheless, she sees beneath his gruff, stoic exterior a man who puts loyalty and duty above all else. I loved Sam, I completely, wholeheartedly did. She’s sassy, awesome, funny, and overall just a fantastic, flawed heroine I loved reading about. She’s in a rough situation with college, but despite the hot mess that she herself is, she takes it upon herself to discover Grayson’s past and get him to open up. What she doesn’t expect is for the chemistry between them to turn into something sweet, something treasured, something more.

“This is not a temporary thing between us. There is no deadline. I. Am. Always. Yours.”
He kissed me softly, his tongue tracing my lower lip. “So go ahead and fall. I’ve gotten really good at catching you.”

Grayson’s past is tragic and guilt-laden, and no matter what he does, he can’t escape it. He’s always got one foot in his present life as an Apache pilot, and the other foot back home in North Carolina, the source of all his demons. The one thing that makes him forget is Sam, her lightness wearing away his darkness. But when his secrets come out from the past to haunt his present, will he be able to keep Sam in his life without letting her drown beside him?

Beyond What is Given is no less emotional than the other two books, but there was a spark that was missing that prevented me from fully loving the book. While I completely adored Sam, connected with her straight from the start, Grayson I took a long while to warm up to. His past consumes him, so much so that at times I wasn’t sure he’d be able to get out of it. There were also parts about this book that annoyed the hell out of me. Grayson’s family is… god-awful. It was mostly his sister Parker who got on my last nerves. I HATED Parker. I honestly hated her so much. She’s a petty, mean, bully of a girl who does nothing but force more guilt onto Grayson, keep him drowning in the past, and create rifts between him and Sam. I would’ve enjoyed the book so much more if Parker didn’t exist… but she did, and her character sometimes made me want to throw my kindle at the wall in frustration.

I still love Rebecca Yarros though – she knows how to write, how to pack a punch with her words… but this book was not what I was expecting it to be. While the romance isn’t particularly slow, it was the whole overlying plot that dragged too much for my taste. The twist in the middle I was able to predict too, sadly. STILL – Sam and Grayson’s romance is sweet and heart-wrenching, the highlight of the book. Rebecca Yarros can write swoony characters SO well, and even when I wasn’t 100% sold on Grayson, my heart fluttered at some of the things he said.

“I’m in love with you, Samantha. You own me, body, heart, mind, soul, what there is to give, it’s yours.”

If you’re a fan of the series, I would suggest reading Beyond What is Given. I feel like it’s an it’s-me-not-you kind of book. I really did like it, but compared to the previous two books, I can’t really say it was as captivating or compelling. I will still be eagerly awaiting any else Rebecca Yarros has in the works – her writing is absolutely amazing and definitely worth the read!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Flight & Glory series

#1 ~ Full Measures: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Eyes Turned Skyward: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Beyond What is Given: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hallowed Ground: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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28Sep2015

Release Day Review: The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey
Series: The Allure #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 28th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

From: LilyNBlack@Gmail.com
To: JosephineKeller@VogueMagazine.com
Subject: You’re a flippin’ idiot

Good morning my dear, naive friend,

I hope you’re enjoying a breakfast of regret and sorrow.

Why?

Because you sent me to work for Dean Harper, aka a control freak in a tailor-made suit. Sure he owns the trendiest restaurants in NYC, but c’mon Jo, his ego makes Kanye West look like the Dalai Lama.

He’s the type of guy that only hears the word “no” when it’s followed by “don’t stop.”

Working for Dean Harper would be like selling my soul to the devil…and before you say anything, I don’t care if the devil has punch-you-in-the-gut brown eyes and an ass to match. My soul isn’t for sale.

Regretfully yours,
Lily

R.S. Grey writes the BEST rom-coms! I seriously adore her books so much. I totally enjoyed The Allure of Julian Lefray (my review), which meant that I was so, so, SO excited for The Allure of Dean Harper! And wow, what a fantastic, absolutely hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance!! It’s definitely new favorite from R.S. Grey. If you love your romances with endearing, witty characters, and tons of laugh-out-loud moments, then I highly recommend this book!

If only she and I could shut up for ten minutes, the sex would be the best of our lives. Angry. Hard. Fast. Not love. Not even close.
War.

When Lily and Dean first meet, it is full-on HATE between each other… and I loved it!! Dean is an ass, Lily is rude, and the scorching chemistry is hard to ignore. Lily has just moved to New York to follow her dreams of making something of herself in the food industry, and her best friend Josephine (from TAofJL) gets her a job at her friend Dean’s restaurant. Lily is making a killing at the restaurant’s bar, but when Dean comes in, he doesn’t like the way she’s taken over what belongs to him… and he doesn’t like the lustful feelings she sparks in him. So sparks fly, tensions run high, their game faces are on – Dean and Lily are two fantastic characters I adored reading about! You are really in for a treat when you pick up this book.

I’d been on the edge of the swim platform with Dean holding me up like a rag doll, and when I slipped, my face had hit his crotch with enough force to strip the paint off his bow, if you catch my drift. I was pretty sure I’d just broken Dean’s penis. Hello God? It’s me, Lily. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you have a shark jump out of the water and eat me? I’d really like to die a quick, painless death, preferably one that doesn’t involve my face colliding with Dean’s crotch any more.

Did I mention how freaking FUNNY this book is!? R.S. Grey has such a talent at writing fun-filled, hilarious stories that crack you up and you can’t help but enjoy. And in addition to the humor, there’s that sexy, electric TENSION between the main characters! This was a bit too light in terms of sexy-times for my taste, but that was forgivable, because I just loved the characters so much.

If I didn’t want to kill her, I wanted to possess her. I wanted to seduce her to the brink of madness so that for thirty minutes she could do nothing but moan in my arms, too lost in the moment to hate me.

I loved reading about these two, and I loved getting both their POVs. Lily and Dean are both head-strong, stubborn, and heavy on the attitude, so of course they can’t help but butt heads! Dean is tough on Lily, but she’s fierce and can handle going up against him, dishing out some of her own. It was the most entertaining thing to watch these two go head-to-head – if you’re a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you definitely don’t want to miss this book!

“There’s no one in the world better suited than the two of us. I can’t promise that we won’t fight–you know I’d be lying if I did–but I promise that no one will ever love you more than I do.”

I zipped through this book SO FAST – you know a book is good when you can’t put it down and it ends too quickly to your liking. And I have to say, I liked TAofDH even more than TAofJL! If you haven’t read R.S. Grey’s books, I wholeheartedly recommend you give them a try if you’re a fan of light-hearted reads with just the right amount of intensity to get your heart pumping.

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: The Allure series

#1 ~ The Allure of Julian Lefray: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Allure of Dean Harper: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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23Sep2015

Early Review: Playing with Fire by Kate Meader

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Playing with Fire by Kate Meader
Series: Hot in Chicago #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 29th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From popular romance author Kate Meader comes the second novel in Hot in Chicago, a brand-new, sizzling series that follows a group of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests!

As the only female firefighter at Engine Co. 6, Alexandra Dempsey gets it from all sides: the male coworkers who think she can’t do the job, the wives and girlfriends who see her as a threat to their firefighter men, and her overprotective foster brothers who want to shelter their baby sister at all costs. So when she single-handedly saves the life of Eli Cooper, Chicago’s devastatingly handsome mayor, she assumes the respect she’s longed for will finally come her way. But it seems Mr. Mayor has other ideas…

Eli Cooper’s mayoral ratings are plummeting, his chances at reelection dead in the water. When a sexy, curvaceous firefighter gives him the kiss of life, she does more than bring him back to the land of the living—she also breathes vitality into his campaign. Riding the wave of their feel-good story might prop up Eli’s flagging political fortunes, but the sizzling attraction between them can go nowhere; he’s her boss, and there are rules that must be obeyed. But you know what they say about rules: they’re made to be broken…

I loved reading Playing with Fire! It’s a solid, entertaining read that is just SO good. It’s also seriously hot and sexy – I was totally not expecting the hero, the mayor of Chicago, to be as smokin’ as he was! Kate Meader has written a fantastic enemies-to-lovers romance that I was seriously invested in.

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the fact that the heroine is a female firefighter. I don’t think I’ve ever read about one before, so I was super excited to read about Alex Dempsey. And I loved what I found in her – Alex is a tough, independent, strong woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone, least of all Mayor Eli Cooper. She does what she wants, but that’s not always a good thing… since she doesn’t always think about the consequences of her actions. So one anger-fueled incident lands her right in the lap of the man she loves to hate.

Oh, God, this sexy-hate thing between them was crazy. She felt an overwhelming urge to both punch him and hug him.

Eli Cooper is running for the second term of his mayorship (is that a word?) and he needs the backing of the firefighters, especially the Dempseys, to win the election. Eli is kind of a dick in the beginning of the book – he’s made sexist comments towards female firefighters (which is the first reason why Alex loves to hate him), and he blackmails Alex into pretending to date him for the media. But as I read more, I saw another, better side to Eli, one that’s not as cold and callous as he first seemed. And this change and redemption is all thanks to one fiery, passionate woman.

Eli has wanted Alex since he first saw her, but it seems that with every encounter, they only bring out the worst in each other. The banter, the sharp remarks, the glares – they all serve to light up the crazy-hot chemistry that’s been there from the start. I loved that Eli and Alex are such a perfect match for one another and that they’re able to go head-to-head with neither of them backing down. And oh. my. god. The sex between them is panty-melting H.O.T! Eli’s mouth is the dirtiest thing ever, and I loved it. I loved how alpha he is, how sensual and sexy and dominant he is in bed. You will seriously need a FAN when you read this book!

“I will fuck the ever-loving smart-assery out of you, Alexandra.” He got started on that, pumping in and out, in and out. Deeper, harder. “I’m going to fuck you so good the only word on your lips will be my name. The only answer to every question will be my name. Now say it.”

Eli also has to do some wooing to win the heart of the woman he’s fallen for, and I just about died at the way he goes about it. First he’s a dirty-talking alpha-male, and now he’s sweet and loving? My heart couldn’t handle it. I ended up falling so hard for his character. I loved Alex, but Eli was definitely my favorite character in this book.

“You’re a goddess and I’m not worthy to worship at your feet, but I’m happy to spend the rest of my life trying to be good enough for you.”

This review is littered with firefighter puns, but there’s no better way to describe Playing with Fire than a scorching hot romance you don’t want to miss. It’s a great, satisfying read with fantastic writing and a cast of characters I adore. I can’t wait for more from this series!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Hot in Chicago series

#1 ~ Flirting with Fire: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Melting Point: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Playing with Fire: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Sparking the Fire: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Sept. 27, 2016)

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23Sep2015

Blog Tour + Excerpt & Giveaway: Sins of Sevin by Penelope Ward

Posted in Blog Tours, Giveaways by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Sins of Sevin by Penelope Ward!

Sins of Sevin by Penelope Ward
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: September 21st 2015

What happens when the one you want is the only one you can’t have?

My name is Sevin.

Homeschooled and sheltered by my ultra-religious family, I was always taught that lust was a sin.

Elle was the girl who’d been carefully chosen for me.

After a long-distance courtship, I’d be moving into her family’s guesthouse so that we could get to know each other in the months before the wedding.

Boundaries were set: no inappropriate touching, no kissing, no sex before marriage.

I’d accepted those rules and my fate.

Until I met the one I wanted to sin with.

That was when restraint became a problem…especially since THE ONE wasn’t Elle.

It was her sister, Evangeline.

You know what they say about best laid plans.

My name is Sevin, and I have sinned.

Told in alternating points of view, Sins of Sevin is a full-length standalone novel. Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. Only appropriate for adult readers age 18+.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Amazon UK • iTunes • Kobo • B&N

Now here’s an excerpt from Sins of Sevin! ❤

He quietly followed me into the dining room, carrying the flatware. The tension in the air was thick as he walked behind me around the oval table, setting down silverware after each plate I’d put down. It was like some weird game of musical chairs where awkward silence replaced the music. The hairs on my back stiffened. We weren’t saying anything, but it was as if I could feel the weight of a thousand words along with the heat of his body so close behind me.

When I noticed he’d just put a fork where the spoon was supposed to go, I switched it. “The forks go on this side, actually.” My hand was shaking. I couldn’t believe how little control I had over myself.

Noticing my nerves, he suddenly placed his hand over mine and whispered, “Stop.”

Chills ran through me. My heart started to beat faster. My nipples hardened. I hated my body for responding to him with equal amounts of fear and lust.

I turned to him, his hand still over my knuckles. It felt like I couldn’t breathe as he just looked at me.

My mother’s footsteps caused Sevin to move his hand off mine with lightning speed.

Mama entered, and we continued setting the table as if our stolen moment hadn’t happened.

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.

Facebook • Website • Twitter • Instagram • Pinterest • Goodreads

$100 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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22Sep2015

Top Ten Tuesday {19}: Books on My Fall TBR

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lacey

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s theme is…

Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR

Ms. Manwhore (Manwhore #2.5) by Katy Evans (Oct 6) ~ This is Malcolm and Rachel’s final book! I’m going to be so sad when their story is over, because I absolutely LOVED them!
Rock Redemption (Rock Kiss #3) by Nalini Singh (Oct 6) ~ I love Nalini Singh, and I adore her rock star series! I have a feeling Rock Redemption is going to be a heavily emotional read – my favorite kind 😉
The House by Christina Lauren (Oct 6) ~ If you know me, then you know how much I love Christina Lauren. I will honestly read anything and everything by them, and can’t wait to read this YA book of theirs! It sounds fascinating!
Nuts (Hudson Valley #1) by Alice Clayton (Oct 20) ~ Alice Clayton writes the FUNNIEST books ever. Wallbanger will forever remain a top favorite, but I’m very excited for this new series to come out.
Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4) by K.A. Tucker (Oct 27) ~ K.A. Tucker writes some awesome romantic suspense – I’ve really enjoyed her Burying Water series, so I’m excited for this 4th book!
Slow Play (The Rules #3) by Monica Murphy (Nov 3) ~ I have a thing for bad boys, and I have a feeling Tristan is going to be my favorite bad boy of the Rules series.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover (Nov 10) ~ COHO. It’s been too long since her latest release, and I’ve been dying to get another fix of her books! CoHo is probably my all-time favorite author, so of course November 9 is at the top of my anticipated releases!
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer (Nov 10) ~ I don’t have much time for YA these days, but of course there are exceptions, and Marissa Meyer is one of them. I’ve loved the Lunar Chronicles from the very start, and cannot wait for this final book.
Reap (Scarred Souls #2) by Tillie Cole (Nov 10) ~ I totally LOVED Raze! Tillie Cole writes the best dark romances – so, of course, I have high hopes for Reap!
Corrupt by Penelope Douglas (Nov 17) ~ Corrupt is probably my MOST anticipated release of the year. I’ve been DYING for it ever since Penelope announced it. It’s supposed to be a little dark and twisted, and the teasers have been KILLING ME!

Click on the covers below to preorder!

What books are you excited for this fall?

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