Category Archives: 3 hearts

Early Review: Never Let Me Go by Monica Murphy

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Never Let You Go by Monica Murphy

Never Let Me Go by Monica Murphy
Series: Never Tear Us Apart #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 3rd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The second novel in this darkly sexy contemporary series from bestselling author Monica Murphy wraps up an emotionally powerful two-part tale of forbidden love.
 
The truth hurts, they say—and my pain cuts deep. While I was falling for Ethan, he was deceiving me the entire time. He held a huge secret, protected by his lies. When I discovered what he was hiding, the truth shook my world, threatening to ruin us forever. Ruin me. But I soon realized that what we share can’t be destroyed.

The connection between us is too strong. It always has been. I can’t deny him any longer. And I can’t deny my truth: I’m in love with Ethan.

I don’t want to let him go.

While we’re trying our best to make this relationship work, other forces are fighting against us. My family, who wants to keep me safe. The media obsessed with my tragic past. The public that feeds off of it. Even Ethan’s father—the man who nearly destroyed me all those years ago. He’s doing his best to finish the job.

Despite my love for Ethan, the doubts creep in, clouding my mind. Is he worth the pain? Will our love survive, or will we have no choice but to end it—end us—once and for all?

Never Let You Go was a highly anticipated release of mine – I was dying to read this book after the cliffhanger in Never Tear Us Apart!! Never Tear Us Apart (my review here) was a heart-pounding, intense, unique read, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it as much as the first book. I liked seeing how Katie and Ethan ended up, but overall, Never Let You Go was just an okay read. Monica Murphy’s writing is wonderful as usual, but the story just didn’t grip me like the first book did.

Katie finally knows the truth of who Ethan is – and with this betrayal of trust, she wants nothing to do with him. Ethan, on the other hand, only wants Katie to be happy, and though he’d rather her be happy with him, he’s backed off to give her time to herself. There’s a lot of this back-and-forth for Katie – one moment, she needs him, the next she’s pushing him away. I was amazed at the patience in Ethan, but I did get a little frustrated at this because the story didn’t move forward fast enough. Still, whenever Ethan and Katie are together, they’re so sweet and wonderful. If this book had nothing but their romance, I would’ve loved it so much more!

Being with Katie makes me feel complete. Whole. Comfortable in my own skin, when I’ve moved through my life uncomfortable as hell with just about everything I’ve ever done.

Tragic events put these two characters together at a young age, but it seems like the present is trying to tear them apart. The media won’t stop hounding Katie and Ethan, and they’re even accusing Ethan of being a part of Katie’s kidnapping, rather than being her savior. This part of book was a little too dramatic for my taste. The media is overwhelming at times, and it seemed to overshadow the main characters and their relationship. I wanted a little less of it, but I understand how the author wanted to use the media in conjunction with Ethan and Katie overcoming their past.

Still, even with my annoyances with the book, I really did enjoy seeing how Katie and Ethan’s relationship turned out. I was rooting for them from the very first book, so I was happy with the events in this conclusion. If you liked Never Tear Us Apart, hopefully you’ll enjoy this sequel! The romance is slow and sweet, but everything else is just a little mediocre compared to the first book.

The boy of my past. The man of my future. The one I can never, ever let go.

3 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Never Tear Us Apart series

Never Tear Us Apart by Monica Murphy Never Let You Go by Monica Murphy

#1 ~ Never Year Us Apart: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Never Let Me Go: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads (May 3, 2016)

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Early Review: Frozen by L.A. Casey

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Frozen by L.A. Casey
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: April 19th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

There’s one must-have toy this Christmas, and Neala Clarke has told her niece Charli she’ll get it for her. Never mind that she’s got less than a week and it looks like everywhere is sold out. She’s promised Charli a Fire Princess doll—and Neala is a woman of her word.

Darcy Hart is a people-pleaser. So when his adorable six-year-old nephew, Dustin, asks for a particular doll at the last minute, he says yes. Luckily for Darcy, there’s one left in stock at the local toy store. Unluckily for Darcy, he’s not the only person who wants it—and his rival is the one woman who’s immune to his charms.

Neala and Darcy have loved to hate each other since they were kids, and they’re both willing to do whatever it takes to get that doll. This can’t possibly end well for both of them…can it?

Frozen is a Christmas-themed standalone from L.A. Casey, and it’s a quick, humorous read for those who want to enjoy something light-hearted and fun. I didn’t particularly love it, but I can’t say it wasn’t entertaining. The antics Neala and Darcy get up to are hilarious – you definitely won’t be able to get through this book without cracking up a bit!

Neala and Darcy used to be childhood friends… until they weren’t. Now, fifteen years after they declared themselves enemies, these two are just as toxic and have never ceased their arguments. They have some wicked banter and lots of bickering, so much that sometimes their families, who are friends, become involved. This Christmas, Neala and Darcy are fighting over a toy that they want to give to their niece and nephew (respectively) – except there’s only one toy left in the store.

What ensues is a hilarious, over-the-top fight, basically a tug-of-war for the toy. It’s ridiculous and funny and seriously entertaining to read. Then, when Neala and Darcy are snowed in, they have to confront the feelings that that been brewing since they first met and are now finally being let out.

I didn’t care for Darcy much – he’s a clichéd player who messes up with Neala – but I adored Neala. I loved how she never gives in to Darcy and can hold her own against him. She’s strong and independent, and just a fantastic heroine. But put her and Darcy in the same room together, and it gets explosive between them, both verbally and physically.

Frozen is funny and over-the-top – it’s a great read to pass the time. This would be the perfect holiday read, so if you have the patience to wait a few more months to read this book, go for it!

3 hearts
lacey

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Review: The Professional by Kresley Cole

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The Professional by Kresley Cole

The Professional by Kresley Cole
Series: The Game Maker #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 6th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Meet the Professional.
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr “The Siberian” Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksandr will do anything to possess her as well–on his own wicked terms.

He makes the rules.
Grad student Natalie Porter has barely recovered from her first encounter with the dark and breathtaking Siberian when he whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

In the game of obsession, two players are better than one.
Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Aleksandr spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-rich in Paris, the two lovers tempt each other’s boundaries to discover whether their darkest–and most forbidden–fantasies really can come true….

I freaking LOVE Russian mafia books (and the HOT Russian men in them), but I was a bit disappointed with Kresley Cole’s The Professional. This is actually the first book I’ve read by KC, and I’d been so, so, so excited to read it, but it fell a bit short of my expectations. I was expecting to be swept away by the mafia story and a sexy, alpha-male Russian hero, but I wasn’t. I can see why people loved this book, but for me, The Professional was an okay read – it just missed the mark for what I was expecting to get in this book.

Natalie Porter thinks she’s just a regular grad student when she meets the gorgeous and mysterious Aleksandr Sevastyan, until he takes her away from all that she’s known and thrusts her into the dark world of the Russian mafia. Turns out she’s the long-lost daughter of a powerful boss, who has assigned his enforcer the task of bringing her home by any means necessary.

Dangerous, deadly, and powerful, Sevastyan is the loyal and dedicated enforcer of the Russian mafia. But of all the things to knock him off his feet, Natalie is the only person to make him crazed with lust and out of control. The intense and instant attraction between them is unexpected, but this alpha knows what he wants and he’ll do anything to have her.

“If you became mine, I wouldn’t let you go.” His words were clipped, as if he was biting back frenzy. “Understand me, if I’m your first lover—I will be your last.” The ringing tone of finality chilled me. “And I would kill any man who thought to touch what was mine.”

In between the fiery chemistry and hot sex in The Professional, we’re swept away to the mafia world in Russia. There’s action and suspense, and pretty much never a dull moment for Sevastyan and Natalie. So I’m pretty bummed out that I couldn’t love this book more. The premise of it had me in love, but as I kept reading, I just couldn’t really get into the story or the characters, mainly because of the ridiculous amount of kinky sex. This book pretty much made me realize that I’m not the biggest fan of BDSM, so sadly, the sex – while hot – just wasn’t my type of thing. Plus, it felt like Sevastyan used sex to manipulate Natalie, so that was a big no for me.

In all honesty though, I did enjoy the book for the most part. We have an obsessed alpha-male who’ll do anything for his woman, and the chemistry between them was well-written and off the charts. I liked the romance, minus all the crazy sex, and the mafia world was interesting. I just didn’t connect that well with the characters – but if you’re a fan of over-the-top heroes and BDSM, this book might be for you!

“Concerns beyond you no longer matter. You’re at the center of my life”—he frowned—“no, you are my life.”

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: The Game Maker series

The Professional by Kresley Cole The Master by Kresley Cole The Player by Kresley Cole

#1 ~ The Professional: Ebook • Paperback • Audible (Part One, Two, Three) • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Master: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Player: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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Release Day Review: Brave Enough by M. Leighton

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Brave Enough by M. Leighton

Brave Enough by M. Leighton
Series: Tall, Dark, and Dangerous #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Is she brave enough to give her heart to a man she only thought she knew?

He was the most charismatic man I’d ever met. Strong, tough, brave. Bold as hell. Something told me Tag Barton could have anything—anyone—he wanted…and he wanted me. It didn’t matter that he was wrong for me in practically every way possible. It didn’t matter that my father would hate it.

I couldn’t resist him. Even if I’d known who he really was and what he was really capable of.

When he suggested we pretend to be engaged, I thought he was the answer to all my problems. He wasn’t. And, in his wake, he left nothing but scorched earth and me, just another casualty of my father’s war.

Can I believe him now when he tells me he loves me?  Or is he nothing more than a beautiful, breathtaking lie?

Brave Enough is the third book in the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series, and it features Tag, who we’ve met in the previous two books. We don’t really know much about him other than his military connections with the previous heroes, but now we get to see the heart of him – and see him fall in love. I liked Brave Enough, but it’s definitely my least favorite of the series. If you love quick, hot reads, I would recommend this book, but otherwise, I’m sad to say there isn’t anything too special about it.

It’s been too long since I’ve been able to want somebody just because I want them and not because of how they may or may not fit into my life. Maybe it’s high time to go with my instincts. To go with someone who might be all wrong for me. To go with the passion. To throw caution to the wind.

Weatherly O’Neal has lived under her father’s thumb her whole life, but when she’s ordered to do the outrageous and marry a man nearly twice her age in order to save her father’s company, she refuses and escapes to the vineyard where she’s always found comfort in. But to her surprise, she finds one gorgeous Tag Barton working there, a man who sets her on fire like no other. And with him, she begins to think that maybe she doesn’t have to marry to further her family’s goals, but rather for the love and passion she’s wished to find in her life.

Tag Barton has been working in the vineyard to care for his ill mother and he lives a completely different life than the one he had when he was in the Special Forces. He’s gorgeous, charming, and a total player, but meeting Weatherly changes everything for him. She’s the one woman who’s managed to gain his attention and keep it, and he wants everything from her, including her heart. But when he’s hiding a secret that could tear them apart, can a relationship between them really work out?

What began as a hideaway became my burial ground. And the man who felt like my biggest blessing had now become my biggest curse.

The moment Tag and Weatherly meet, the connection between them is powerful and visceral. It’s a strong dose of insta-lust for these two – and the two of them are seriously HOT together. Brave Enough is filled with fiery chemistry and sexual tension that M. Leighton excels at writing. And she definitely writes a good alpha in Tag.

I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t love this book, because I know if the story and characters were fleshed out more, I would’ve enjoyed it so much. The book was just too short and fast for my taste, so I never really had the time to feel invested in Tag and Weatherly and their romance. And the passion and sex between them overshadowed any developing romance, so their love didn’t really feel all that believable. There was a good amount of angst, which was my favorite part about Brave Enough, but it wasn’t enough to make me like the book more. It’s sweet, sexy, but fairly predictable – overall it’s a good read, but it’s not M. Leighton’s best.

3 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series

Strong Enough by M. Leighton Tough Enough by M. Leighton Brave Enough by M. Leighton

#1 ~ Strong Enough: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Tough Enough: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Brave Enough: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Release Day Review: Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

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Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry
Series: Thunder Road #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 29th 2016
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

One moment of recklessness will change their worlds.

Smart. Responsible. That’s seventeen-year-old Breanna’s role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully’s line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas “Razor” Turner into her life.

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don’t belong. But when he learns she’s being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it’s time to step outside the rules.

And so they make a pact: he’ll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she’ll help him seek answers to the mystery that’s haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they’re both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they’re going from here.

The boy everyone sees but nobody knows is with the girl who everybody knows but nobody sees.

I absolutely love Katie McGarry, have ever since I first read Pushing the Limits, so it pains me to say that I didn’t particularly love Walk the Edge. Overall, it was just an okay read – I really wanted more out of it. I didn’t connect with the main characters all that well, and I got frustrated with the secondary characters. It’s well-written and definitely more on the mature side of YA, but that wasn’t enough to make me love this book. That being said, if you’ve read the previous Thunder Road book and loved it, hopefully you’ll enjoy Walk the Edge more than I did. I was sucked into the MC life just as much as I was in Nowhere But Here, but it was the characters I had problems with.

Breanna is sibling number 5 out of 9, and she’s always been the smart, responsible one that her family takes advantage of and never appreciates. She has a talent that she sees as a curse – she’s able to retain a lot of information in her brain, but she’s been seen as a freak because of it her whole life. It’s only when she starts talking to Thomas Turner, aka Razor of the Reign of Terror Motorcycle Club, that she begins to feel as brilliant as she really is. Breanna is sweet and an incredible girl, but I hated how she let her family walk all over her. I really felt for her character, in between her siblings nearly hating her and bullies at school, but it’s hard for her to stand up for herself, and all the antagonism against her got on my nerves.

Razor has never been the same since his mother’s death when he was a child, but ever since talking to an investigator, he suspects his mother never committed suicide and instead was murdered. Razor doesn’t trust easily, and when his club doesn’t offer the answers he knows they have, he begins to trust even less. But when he’s with Breanna, he can just be a regular boy, and not someone who has heaps of problems in his life.

She’s my girl now and I’ll do anything for her at any time. I’m in love with her.

Even though I didn’t connect very well with Razor or Breanna, I adored the way their romance developed. It’s the perfect bad boy/good girl story – so if you enjoy that trope, I would definitely recommend giving Walk the Edge a try. Hopefully you won’t be as annoyed as I was with all the secondary characters who cause problems in Razor and Breanna’s life. Even though I didn’t love Walk the Edge, I’m super excited for the sequel, Chevy and Violet’s book – I’ve been looking forward to them ever since meeting them in the first book of the series!

3 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Thunder Road series

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

#1 ~ Nowhere But Here: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Walk the Edge: Ebook • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads

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