Category Archives: 3 hearts

Early Review: Asking for More by Lilah Pace

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Asking for More by Lilah Pace

Asking for More by Lilah Pace
Series: Asking for It #2.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 15th 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The incendiary author of Begging for It and Asking for It again plunges readers into the shadowy depths of love, pain, pleasure and peril…

How far is too far?

Finally sure of each other’s strength and love, Jonah and Vivienne continue to explore their darkest fantasies together. However, what should be a night of ecstasy takes a dangerous turn, injuring Vivienne. She shrugs off the incident, but Jonah is haunted by it, particularly by the fear that others may believe he abuses her, or even glimpse the truth of their erotic obsession.

Then Jonah receives a call from his younger sister, Rebecca, who’s dealing with trouble of her own in South America. When Vivienne travels with him to aid Rebecca, she learns yet more about his tortured history—and Jonah opens up to Vivienne as never before.

Can Vivienne help Jonah cast off the shadows of his past forever?

Asking for More is a follow-up novella to the Asking for It series. Jonah and Vivienne are back – I loved them in Asking for It, was sadly disappointed with them in Begging for It, but I was still excited nonetheless for this novella. I was hoping Asking for More would answer some questions that I still had when I finished Begging for It, but this novella reads more like a recap of the previous two books than anything. There’s not much new information, so while I loved Lilah Pace’s gorgeous writing, I didn’t really see a point to this novella.

We do not love the desire we share. But we love each other, and together we’re learning how to own this—our rape fantasies—so that they will never again own us.

Vivienne and Jonah are working through the ins and outs of their new relationship, but an accident that leaves Vivienne injured takes them two steps back. Jonah still carries hang-ups over their games, and this accident only stresses out him and their relationship. Add in his sister getting mugged, and Vivienne and Jonah aren’t quite at their HEA just yet.

This novella didn’t really add much to the series. There are some hot sex scenes, but they’re not as intense as the ones in the previous books, Jonah still carries guilt, and there is a LOT of rehash. It almost felt like this novella was meant for someone who hasn’t read the series yet, there’s so much summary and recap. I did enjoy reading this – it was quick and sexy, but there wasn’t much else going for it. If you loved Begging for It and the way that book played out, then I feel like you’d like this novella, but otherwise, Asking for More isn’t a follow-up that’s necessary to read.

“You’ve changed me. You’ve saved me.”

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Asking for It series

Asking for It by Lilah Pace Begging for It by Lilah Pace Asking for More by Lilah Pace

#1 ~ Asking for It: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Begging for It: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Asking for More: Ebook • Goodreads (March 15, 2016)

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Review: Begging for It by Lilah Pace

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Begging for It by Lilah Pace

Begging for It by Lilah Pace
Series: Asking for It #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

The provocative author of Asking for It once again explores the dark side of erotic obsession, and the secrets that make it as dangerous as it is irresistible.

Some secrets should only be shared in the dark.

Jonah and Vivienne’s erotic bond—living out raw scenarios of captivity and force—began as no-strings sex between strangers who shared the same desires. Now the intimacy between them is turning into love, but it’s a love built on fantasies so extreme that exploring them makes guilt inescapable. But the risks they’re taking are far more dangerous than they’d imagined.

A stalker is terrorizing the city, and one of Jonah’s ex-lovers names him as a potential suspect to the police. Standing by a man under suspicion could cost Vivienne everything. But when Jonah’s stepfather takes advantage of the scandal to seize control of the Marks family fortune, Vivienne is drawn into her lover’s broken family and twisted past. Only then will she learn how dark the truth really is…

After loving Asking for It, I’d been eagerly awaiting to read Begging for It, but I never got the chance to until now. Sadly, Begging for It didn’t live up to its incredible predecessor. I was blown away by Vivienne and Jonah in the first book, but there was just something missing when I read about them in this sequel. I grew bored most of the time while reading, mainly because I was waiting for something to happen, some development to show, but nothing ever did. I’m sad to say I’m pretty disappointed with Begging for It, and even the stunning writing wasn’t enough to make me love it.

I’m ashamed of what I want.
I want it anyway.

Begging for It picks up right where Asking for It leaves off, with Vivienne and Jonah separated and unhappy. Vivienne tries to make Jonah see that what they have together is special, even if it is messed up. The rape fantasies they have and play out are a dark, essential part of them, but Jonah can’t reconcile playing their ‘games’ with an actual rape victim, understandably. But Vivienne leaves him with an ultimatum – either they’re together and they have to play their fantasies, or it’s completely over between them.

Our problem isn’t a lack of attraction. Merely being in the same room together sets us each on fire.
Our problem is that this fire could burn us both down.

Vivienne comes off as selfish and manipulative, and it’s not just because of the ultimatum. I didn’t like her AT ALL in this book, which was disappointing because I adored her in Asking for It. She’s continually selfish and only wants things her way throughout the novel, completely disregarding Jonah’s feelings most of the time. I didn’t like that she couldn’t see Jonah’s side of things, that she couldn’t accept him not wanting to act out their fantasies anymore because she has it so into her head that they NEED their ‘games.’ I also found myself skimming a lot of the introspective parts of the book that were repetitive – while I understand Vivienne’s shame and guilt over needing the fantasies, it got tiring to read about that over and over.

Vivienne and Jonah are messed up people. But the thing is, they never really try to resolve their problems. Jonah gives it a go, since he’s not the one who can’t orgasm without acting out the fantasy, but he gives in easily to Vivienne. I liked Jonah more than Vivienne in Begging for It, but I can’t say that I liked him as much as I did in Asking for It. He just wasn’t as appealing or compelling in this sequel, sadly. But I did enjoy the way his and Vivienne’s love and romance progressed – it was everything else I had problems with.

“You and I, what we have together, it’s more than this. And yet this is a part of us. It always will be.”

There are a ton of things going on in this novel, but the things that I wanted the story to focus on never really get a concise ending. Vivienne doesn’t receive closure with her family or her rapist. The plot involving Jonah and his sadistic, evil stepfather felt incomplete. The stalker/rapist terrorizing the school campus plot was predictable. With the way things ended, this book could’ve been so much shorter – there was just too much filler and secondary character plots that felt unnecessary.

I probably would’ve given this 2-2.5 hearts, if not for the gorgeous writing. I didn’t hate this book, but it didn’t live up to my expectations. That being said, I still did love the first book and all its brilliant intensity and grittiness. And because I adore the writing, I’ll more than likely read more of Lilah Pace’s upcoming books. Hopefully if you loved Asking for It, you’ll enjoy Begging for It more than I did.

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Asking for It series

Asking for It by Lilah Pace Begging for It by Lilah Pace Asking for More by Lilah Pace

#1 ~ Asking for It: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Begging for It: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Asking for More: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads

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Early Review: Hawke by Sawyer Bennett

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Hawke by Sawyer Bennett

Hawke by Sawyer Bennett
Series: Cold Fury Hockey #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 15th 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team proves that love is a power play. As Sawyer Bennett’s New York Times bestselling series continues, the league’s most notorious party animal gets blindsided by the one that got away.

Off the ice, elite defenseman Hawke Therrien enjoys his fair share of booze and good times. And why shouldn’t he? He’s worked his way up from the minor leagues and made himself a star. The only thing Hawke misses from that life is the pierced, tattooed free spirit who broke his heart without so much as an explanation. She’s almost unrecognizable when she walks back into his life seven years later—except for the look in her eyes that feels like a punch to the gut.

Vale Campbell isn’t the same girl she was at twenty. As crazy as she was about Hawke, her reckless behavior and out-of-control drinking were starting to scare her. She had to clean up her act, and that would never happen with Hawke around. Cutting him loose was the hardest thing Vale ever had to do—until now. Because she’s still crazy about Hawke. And if he could ever learn to forgive her, they just might have a future together.

Second chance romances are favorite kinds of romances to read, so when I heard Sawyer Bennett was going to have one in her Cold Fury Hockey series, I couldn’t wait! I adore this series – sexy hockey players get me every time. Hawke is the fifth book in the series, though it can be read as a standalone. Though this isn’t my favorite of the series, it’s still got that sweetness and sexiness that Sawyer Bennett excels at writing. If you enjoyed the previous books in the series, you’re sure to enjoy Hawke too.

I’m not prepared to see her at all because I’m not sure I can behave myself around her. I want her and yet I don’t want to want her.
And I mean I want her viciously.

Seven years ago, Hawke and Vale were twenty, volatile, and head over heels in love with each other. But when Vale breaks up with Hawke out of the blue right before he’s set to leave to play professional hockey, he’s understandably devastated and confused. The both of them move on and never once look back, until their lives collide again, now that Hawke is part of the Cold Fury team and Vale is working for the team as the assistant athletic trainer.

I wonder, had this one horrific event not occurred, would we have grown together over the years, or apart?
I’d like to think together, because despite the fact we were young and probably clueless as to what real commitment was like, there was something we had that I’ve never found again, and I’m pretty sure Vale hasn’t either.
And that was a tethering of our souls.

Hawke is… predictable. A fun predictable, but still, there just wasn’t anything about this story that popped out to me. I didn’t connect all that well with Vale or Hawke so I didn’t love this like I hoped to. I hate when miscommunication is the reason for a breakup, so I was a little disappointed that that was the reason for this couple’s fallout. Plus, I didn’t like that Hawke kept blaming everything that went wrong with their relationship on Vale. Yes, she has most of the blame, but he has some part in it too for not fighting for her. He got on my nerves more than a few times, honestly. But while I wasn’t a fan of Hawke’s character, I absolutely adored Vale. She’s so much more mature now than she was at twenty and she’s been working to the bone to help with her father’s sickness. It sucks when you like one main character over another, but sadly this was the case for me, so it was hard to fully love the story because of this.

This is definitely my least favorite of the series, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it at all, because there were still some fun, entertaining parts to this. Hawke is frustrating at times, but also sweet at others. And since it’s Sawyer Bennett, it’s also sexy as hell. I’m definitely looking forward to Max’s story now, and I hope it won’t be the last of the series!

3 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Cold Fury Hockey series

Alex by Sawyer Bennett Garrett by Sawyer Bennett
Zack by Sawyer Bennett Ryker by Sawyer Bennett Hawke by Sawyer Bennett

#1 ~ Alex: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Garrett: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Zack: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Ryker: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Hawke: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Max: Ebook • Goodreads (Dec. 13, 2016)

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Release Day Review: Rocked by Love by Christine Warren

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Rocked by Love by Christine Warren
Series: Gargoyles #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Bestselling author Christine Warren returns to the secret world of gargoyles-where legends come alive, and lovers are caught between a rock and a hard place…

Kylie Kramer knows that she’s putting her life in danger when she decides to investigate her friend’s mysterious death. What she doesn’t know is that she’s being watched over by a powerful protector. A legend in stone who has defended humanity throughout the ages. A rock-hard savior who swoops down from the sky, scoops Kylie into his impossibly strong arms, and draws her into a world that no mortal woman can imagine…or resist.

ROCKED BY LOVE

As the strongest of the gargoyles, Dag is sworn to destroy the demons that threaten Kylie’s world before returning to his stony slumber. But the burning desire she ignites in him is even harder to fight-an all-consuming force that, once unleashed, can never be tamed. As their passion grows, so do the ranks of a demonic army plotting to take over the earth. When the ultimate battle begins, Dag and Kylie must face some demons of their own-to carve out a love that’s stronger than time…

This is actually the first book I’ve read in the series, though it can be read completely as a standalone. I had no problems going into Rocked by Love without having read the previous books in the series, so if you’re planning to jump right into this at book 4 like I did, you can!

I’ve had Christine Warren’s Gargoyles series on my radar because, well, it’s about gargoyles! It’s something different and not what I’m used to, so I decided to give it a go. While I didn’t completely love this book, I still really enjoyed it and would definitely go back and read the rest of the series. The gargoyles in this world are fascinating – and the women they fall in love with are top-notch heroines I admire.

Kylie Kramer is a computer geek genius and has been using her skills to find out the reason why her best friend was mysteriously killed. But while walking one day she’s attacked, only to be saved by what she thought was a statue. Dag is the gargoyle statue brought to life, and he’s the fourth out of seven to awaken in order to defeat the seven demons and save mankind. Dag and Kylie may be meant for each other as Guardian and Warden, but they don’t exactly get along.

He wondered if he would ever get used to a human who questioned his every word or action simply on general principle. In the past, most of them cowered when they saw him, if they didn’t run screaming in terror. But not this female. She made him want to scream.

Kylie is probably my favorite part of this book – she’s so quirky and hilarious. She says the funniest things, and I couldn’t help myself cracking up every time she opened her mouth. Especially when she’s thrust into this new paranormal world and she can’t help herself but annoy her new gargoyle buddy. Dag and Kylie have some great banter together, and underlying chemistry between them is also a plus. I enjoyed their slowly growing feelings for each other and how the romance played out between them.

“You are precious to anyone who takes as much as a moment to get to know you, little one, because to know you is to see your true beauty.” His arms tightened around her and he nuzzled the soft, fragile skin at her temple. “You are very, very precious to me.”

The action in this book, however, wasn’t anything special. Not much happens actually for the majority of the book, so I kept waiting for something exciting to occur. The story lagged a bit during the middle and I found myself a little bored at times. The romance did keep me interested, but I really would’ve liked to see more action in this book.

Overall, I did still like Rocked by Love. The characters were fun and hilarious, and I enjoyed getting to know the other couples from the previous books. I liked that Kylie and Dag’s romance wrapped up, but the over-arcing storyline will continue on. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

3 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Gargoyles series

   

#1 ~ Heart of Stone: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stone Cold Lover: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Hard as a Rock: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Rocked by Love: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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Early Review: Bidding on the Billionaire by J.M. Stewart

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Bidding on the Billionaire by J.M. Stewart
Series: Seattle Bachelors #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Online, any fantasy is possible. But when virtual lovers decide to meet in real life, the temperature rises-and so do the stakes.

Safety. Anonymity. Invisibility. Those are just a few advantages of Internet “dating.” Even better, as far as Hannah Miller is concerned, is the fact that she can shed all inhibitions without worrying about what he thinks of her figure or her face. “He” is bikerboy357, the man who knows what Hannah likes, and wants her-every night-as much as she wants him. When he asks to meet, Hannah hesitates. But the temptation is too strong. And after one look into his sultry green eyes, there’s no turning back.

Cade MacKenzie’s never met a woman who wasn’t blinded by his billion-dollar net worth, but “JustAGurl456” knows neither his face nor his name. Her words are so smart, sweet, and scorchingly sexy that Cade’s willing to gamble she’ll be just as amazing in person. And she is. But even as every delicious encounter makes Cade want Hannah more, what he wants most is her trust. It’s something all his money can’t buy. And now, Cade will do anything to earn it . . .

I’m a sucker for the occasional billionaire book, so when I read the blurb for Bidding on the Billionaire, I had to read it! Plus, the premise about online lovers sounded amazing, so I was totally on board for this book. Overall, this was pretty much a quick, fun, sexy read, and though I didn’t particularly LOVE it, it’s a good read to pass the time.

Hannah Miller and Cade MacKenzie have been anonymous online lovers for a few months now, and more and more each day they become deeply involved with each other, even though they still haven’t revealed their real names. Hannah is a shy bookstore owner and Cade is a workaholic billionaire. They couldn’t be more different, but one phone call leads to an in-person meeting, and the chemistry between them in real life is just as hot as it is online. So they decide to let themselves indulge in one another for two weeks only – but what happens when they start to fall for each other and they’re both too scarred from their pasts to commit to a relationship?

I had a lot of fun with this book. I didn’t connect with Hannah or Cade, but I enjoyed their characters nonetheless. They’re both good people, but the exes in their lives have left them too emotionally hurt to ever want to put their hearts on the line again. I liked the way these two fell for one another, albeit quickly, and how they soothed each others’ hurts and started to believe in love again. I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something quick and easy with a hot billionaire hero. 😉

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Seattle Bachelors series

 

#1 ~ Bidding on the Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (March 1, 2016)
#2 ~ Winning the Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 14, 2016)

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