Release Day Review: For Better or Worse by Lauren Layne

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

For Better or Worse by Lauren Layne
Series: The Wedding Belles #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 30th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Will a budding wedding planner and her bad boy neighbor stop banging heads and start hearing wedding bells in the sexy second novel in USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren Layne’s irresistible new series that marries Sex and the City with The Wedding Planner?

When small-town girl Heather Fowler finally gets promoted from assistant to actual wedding planner, she’s determined to make it as one of Manhattan’s elite Wedding Belles. Unfortunately, her first client demands an opulent black-tie affair at the Plaza…in five months’ time. Heather’s days quickly become a flurry of cake tastings, dress-fittings, RSVP cards, and bridal tantrums. But what she’s really losing sleep over is the live music blaring from her playboy neighbor’s apartment all night.

Five years ago, Josh Tanner was an up-and-comer on Wall Street, complete with the penthouse and the migraines. But a grim cancer diagnosis made him realize there is more to life than the corner office. If only he could convince his pretty, workaholic neighbor to let loose, too. As Heather lets down her guard, Josh is surprised when he starts falling for the sweet, vulnerable woman hiding beneath those power suits. Soon, it’s Heather’s turn to convince Josh to take the biggest risk of all: love.

I am falling more and more in love with Lauren Layne’s The Wedding Belles series with every new release! If you like wedding romances or sweet contemporary romance, this series – and honestly, this author – is a must read. The characters are adorable, the romance is swoony, and the wedding planning backdrop is perfect for a light-hearted, summery read!

Heather Fowler is living her life-long dream – to be a wedding planner living in NYC. Well, she’s almost living out the dream, since she’s currently only an assistant wedding planner. But her next wedding will make or break her career, since she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime to plan celebrity Danica Robinson’s wedding. But with the bride completely hands-off the wedding, the pressure and stress to get everything right and perfect starts to get to Heather… and it doesn’t help that her late nights become even more late thanks to a rowdy neighbor blasting music at inconsiderate times. She goes to confront the guy in 4A, but what she gets is something more, something better than she could have imagined.

Once again, it was this snotty, mouthy woman who’d managed to shake him out of his funk.
It was becoming increasingly clear that his intriguing new neighbor might be exactly what he needed to make him feel alive.

Josh Tanner is a cancer survivor who knows how short life can be and is living his life to the fullest… or is he? He threw away a job doing what he loved, and now he’s in a band making music and not having any worries. When the girl in 4C comes over to confront him about his late-night playing, he finds himself intrigued by her, and the more he gets to know her, the more he wants her – but only in bed, and not for a relationship. I’ll admit, I’m a little tired of heroes who are adamantly against having anything to do with love, but Josh is something else. He’s an adorable, frustrating, lovable man, with many layers to him that make him feel real and genuine. And he’s seriously the SWEETEST – with the things he says and does, how could Heather NOT fall for him!?

He was good.
He was the best.
He was everything.

I love when the MCs bring out the best in each other, and Heather and Josh do exactly that. Josh makes Heather realize there are other things to appreciate in life than a high-pressure job, and Heather makes Josh notice how he’s not exactly living the full life he expected to after surviving cancer. The two of them make the most adorable couple – I had a smile on my face practically the whole time I was reading their story! Their banter, their sweet moments, their inside joke with banana bread… all of it made for a fun, worthwhile read. For Better or Worse is a feel-good, slow romance with touches of meaningful moments that warmed my heart. I would definitely recommend this to those who loved the first book. And can I just say how freaking excited I am about the final book of the series!? I need To Love and to Cherish ASAP.

Reading Order: The Wedding Belles series

#0.5 ~ From This Day Forward: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ To Have and to Hold: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ For Better or Worse: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ To Love and to Cherish: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Oct. 18, 2016)

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10Aug2016

ARC Review: Burn Down the Night by M. O’Keefe

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Burn Down the Night by M. O’Keefe
Series: Everything I Left Unsaid #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 9th 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A battle for control turns explosive as a beautiful con woman takes a bad-boy biker hostage in this edgy, seductive novel set in the world of Everything I Left Unsaid (“Toe-curlingly sensual.”—Katy Evans) and The Truth About Him (“Absolutely one-click worthy”—J. Kenner).

The only thing that matters to me is rescuing my sister from the drug-cooking cult that once enslaved us both. I’ve run cons my whole life, and I’ll use my body to get whatever I need. Max Daniels is the last connection I have to that world, the one person reckless enough to get involved. Besides, now that his brothers have turned on him, he needs me too.

The deal was supposed to be simple: a place to hide in exchange for rescuing my sister. Now he’s my prisoner. Totally at my mercy. But I’m the one captivated. Enthralled. Doing everything he asks of me until I’m not sure who’s in control.

We both crave the heat. The more it hurts, the better. But what if Max wants a different life now, to leave the game . . . to love me? I thought I knew better than to get burned. Now I’m in too deep to pull away. And the crazy thing is . . . I don’t want to.

I really, really enjoyed the first two books in the Everything I Left Unsaid series, so I don’t know why I’m so shocked that I loved Burn Down the Night. I guess I just wasn’t expecting how gritty, intense, addicting, and freaking HOT this book would end up being. I loved the main characters – they’re a bit of anti-heroes, not good guys, but not as bad as they think they are either. The chemistry was seriously on fire between them, too. Can you tell how hooked I got onto Joan and Max’s story?

I needed Max Daniels. Not for Lagan. Not for my sister.
For me.
I saved his life so he could save mine.

If you’ve read the previous two books, then you know how Burn Down the Night starts – with Max unconscious and being kidnapped by Joan. Technically, Joan saves Max from being killed before she kidnaps him, but still, what a great start to a relationship, right? To say their romance is unconventional would be an understatement, to say the least. These two don’t particularly like each other, but they need each other – and they certainly want each other according to their bodies. Joan has Max handcuffed to a bed for the majority of the book, but that doesn’t stop them from getting up to some wicked things – and when I say wicked, I mean WICKED. My cheeks were nearly burning, that’s how hot this book was. If you like steam, you definitely need to experience Max and Joan’s.

“Save your act for other people. The lies and the show—I don’t want it. I want you. Fucked up and crazy. I want you.”

Joan and Max couldn’t be more ill-suited for one another – a con woman on the run, and a bad boy biker ex-leader? But somehow, they start to fall for one another in the time they spend together, and they grow to want more than just each others’ bodies. Their romance is a bit slow, but I felt it moved at the perfect pace for the two of them.

This is one of those books with characters who show themselves in all their raw honesty, which I loved about Joan and Max. They are unapologetic about who they are, the take-them-or-leave-them sort of people. I don’t usually come across these kinds of characters, so they were refreshing and unique to read about.

We’d burned down the night and our old lives with it.
But we’d built something so much better in its place.

Burn Down the Night was the perfect dark and gritty read to get me out of my slight book funk. I adored the main characters – they’re both so broken but still tough and tenacious. Survivors no matter what gets thrown their way. You definitely need to add this book to your TBRs if you like gritty and intense reads – once you’re hooked, you won’t want to put it down!

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

Reading Order: Everything I Left Unsaid series

#1 ~ Everything I Left Unsaid: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Truth About Him: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Burn Down the Night: Ebook • Goodreads

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2Aug2016

Release Day Review: Just What I Needed by Lorelei James

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Just What I Needed by Lorelei James
Series: Need You #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 2nd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The second sexy novel in the Need You series, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Mastered Series and the Blacktop Cowboys® Series.

Trinity Carlson might be having the worst day ever. And that was before she started drinking in a dive bar, right across from her ex and his new girlfriend. So when she finally decides enough is enough, she grabs hold of a hot, blond stranger and gives him the kiss of his life.

Walker Lund never expected that a chance at love would hit him right on the mouth. Since the moment his brother decided to settle down, Walker has been dodging his family’s hopes that he’ll do the same. He’s never been interested in following in anyone’s footsteps. But when he discovers his sexy assailant has given him a fake name and number he suddenly finds himself in the mood for a little hot pursuit…

Oh my gosh!!! I loved this book. LOVED! I was in the mood for a light-hearted, fun contemporary romance, and Lorelei James delivered perfectly. I really enjoyed the first book in the Need You series, but Just What I Needed is definitely my favorite of the series so far. The hero is swoony and perfect, the heroine is down-to-earth and quirky, and the romance between them is so freaking sweet! My heart was seriously so happy with this book. I highly recommend this one for those who love contemporary romances!

“From the moment I saw you, I felt that same unexplainable pull.”

Artist Trinity Carlson has just lost a commission and she’s turned to a dive bar to drown out her misery. But even there she can’t catch a break, because she spots her ex and the girl he was cheating on with. Things turn around when Trinity catches the eye of a gorgeous, bearded man – and she literally walks up to him to give this stranger a kiss. But once they sit down and start a conversation, they find out their connection isn’t just on a physical level, and she leaves him her number with hope for more.

I thought I was totally over the lumbersexual thing, but Lorelei James has proved me wrong with Walker Lund. This man is just… perfect! He’s sweet, patient, considerate – all things that mesh perfectly with an artist who has her ups and downs and will sometimes spend days in her artist zone. Walker considers himself the black sheep of the family since he doesn’t work at the Lunds’ billion-dollar company, even though he co-owns a construction company. He’s that rare type of hero who wants to find love, and he has hopes of creating a family of his own. He’s sexy as hell and very much determined to win over Trinity, the woman he wants to build a family with – I loved how single-minded he was about her!

You make me happier than anyone I’ve ever met. When I’m with you, for the first time in my life I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Trinity and Walker’s romance was heart-warming and had me entertained from start to finish. It’s a total feel-good read – I adored the main characters and the Lund family is such a hoot. I’m really hoping that we’ll get stories for the rest of the family (especially Jaxson!) because I don’t want to let go of them just yet! The only thing I wish there was more of? Steam. It’s pretty light in this book, even less than I feel like there was in the previous one. Still, the chemistry between the main characters is fantastically written, and I’d still recommend this book even if you like steamy reads like I do. It’s such a great romance – I loved it!

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

Reading Order: Need You series

#1 ~ What You Need: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Just What I Needed: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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1Aug2016

Release Day Review: Out of Bounds by R.S. Grey

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Out of Bounds by R.S. Grey
Series: The Summer Games #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 1st 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

I despise Erik Winter.

He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.

I’ve had to contend with gruff coaches in the past, but Erik is far worse. His stern demeanor complements a body built for intimidation, and his reprimands come from a mouth so cunning, I know it could strip me of my defenses—if I let it.

Though each of us would love to be rid of the other forever, we are bound to each other by need and necessity. I’m his rising star, his best shot at proving himself to his critics. And without a coach, I have zero chance of winning gold in Rio.

The easiest way forward would be to wave a white flag and make peace with the man I’ll be sharing close quarters with for the foreseeable future, but he is intent on war.

Fine. By. Me.

If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.

It’s almost time for the 2016 Olympics, and what better way to usher it in than by reading a sports romance about an Olympian? Out of Bounds is R.S. Grey’s HOTTEST book yet – it’s an incredible enemies-to-lovers/forbidden romance between an upcoming gymnastics Olympian and her coach. It’s my second favorite of her books, right after the first Summer Games book. It’s steamy – so, sooo steamy. The lust and hate come so clearly off the pages, it’s mind-blowing. If you don’t like heroes who act like complete asses and heroines who give as good as they get, this probably won’t be the book for you. But if you do love that intense chemistry that comes with hate, you NEED to get your hands on Out of Bounds!

She was fierce; she wanted to be seen, and not just for her gymnastics skills. No, she wanted to be desired. Coveted. Craved. Had anyone ever touched her the way she wanted to be touched? Had anyone ever ripped that bun out and tugged her long hair, tilting her head back to expose the creamy skin of her neck?

Brie Watson needs to win the gold so she can repay her mother for everything she sacrificed for her daughter to become the Olympian she is today. The prize money, the future endorsements, all of it will go into giving her and her mother a better life. So even though her original coach steps down due to health issues and his son takes his place, there’s nothing stopping Brie from giving her all during gymnastics training – not even a beautiful 29-year-old coach she loves to hate.

Erik Winter may not have asked for the position of gymnastics coach to Team USA, but he’s going to do what his father didn’t and lead the team to gold. But from the very first moment Brie steps into his life, it’s antagonism and lust and everything in between. To say Erik and Brie don’t get along would be an understatement – these two LIVE for getting under the other’s skin. They fight, argue, cock-block – if it’ll make the other annoyed, they’ll do it. There’s so much hate between them, but underneath it all is a burning lust, a fiery chemistry that can’t be denied. They want each other bad, no matter how much they hate each other.

But in between grueling practices and training, Brie and Erik get to understand each other on a deeper, more visceral level. They might not like each other, but they KNOW each other. Their connection is powerful and unlike anything they’ve ever experienced – so it’s only inevitable that feelings eventually get involved.

He and I weren’t supposed to fall in love. We’d been at war, fighting and pushing each other because it was a fun distraction, because I liked to get a reaction out of him, and because I just couldn’t help myself. It was the most shocking kind of love I’d ever experienced, the sort that hid itself behind the other edge of the blade—hate. I’d focused so much of my energy on hating Erik that when love appeared out of nowhere, it stole my breath.
I loved Erik.

This book… I couldn’t put it down from the moment I picked it up. Brie and Erik’s tumultuous, crazy hot romance gripped me and wouldn’t let me go. I mentioned this book was the author’s hottest one yet, right? Because the steam in this – holy GOD. The things that happen between Brie and Erik will make your panties melt and make you blush like crazy!

I do wish there was more of the forbidden love aspect of the story. Despite Erik being Brie’s coach, I never really felt like there were any possible consequences with them getting together. Most of everyone surrounding them approved of their relationship, so if they had that more developed dynamic of forbidden romance, this book would’ve been perfect.

“At the end of this, you’re mine.”

I love that R.S. Grey set the Summer Games series during the 2016 Olympics in Rio – this series has seriously gotten me so hyped up about the upcoming competitions! Also, with every book the author writes, her writing improves, and I have to say, I’m so impressed with her ability to create such lust/hate between her main characters. This series is one of the best sports romance series I’ve ever read, and if you love reading that genre, the Summer Games is a must read. Out of Bounds is such an amazing enemies-to-lovers romance. Just a fair warning before you start it though – you are going to be in such lust/hate with Erik right alongside Brie, you’ll need a fan as you read!

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

Reading Order: The Summer Games series

#1 ~ Settling the Score: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Out of Bounds: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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29Jun2016

ARC Review: The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From the internationally celebrated author of the Original Sinners series comes a brand-new tale of betrayal, revenge and a family scandal that bore a 150-year-old mystery

When Cooper McQueen wakes up from a night with a beautiful stranger, it’s to discover he’s been robbed. The only item stolen—a million-dollar bottle of bourbon. The thief, a mysterious woman named Paris, claims the bottle is rightfully hers. After all, the label itself says it’s property of the Maddox family who owned and operated Red Thread Bourbon distillery since the last days of the Civil War until the company went out of business for reasons no one knows… No one except Paris.

In the small hours of a Louisville morning, Paris unspools the lurid tale of Tamara Maddox, heiress to the distillery that became an empire. But the family tree is rooted in tainted soil and has borne rotten fruit. Theirs is a legacy of wealth and power, but also of lies, secrets and sins of omission. The Maddoxes have bourbon in their blood—and blood in their bourbon. Why Paris wants the bottle of Red Thread remains a secret until the truth of her identity is at last revealed, and the century-old vengeance Tamara vowed against her family can finally be completed.

Love what they destroyed.
Destroy what they loved.

Oh. My. God!!! Tiffany Reisz never ceases to amaze me with her way with words – The Bourbon Thief is a wild ride of a story from start to finish. It took me a little while to get into it, but once Reisz sucked me in, there was no going back for me. I practically devoured this book from 10% on. The suspense surrounding the mysterious Paris and her tale had me riveted and on the edge of my seat. Reisz has written an intricately woven story of love, lies, secrets, wealth, power, and bourbon – and it. was. amazing. It’s been a few days since I’ve finished The Bourbon Thief and I’m still stunned by this book. If you’re a fan of the author, this is a read you don’t want to miss.

“Of all the bars in all the world… you walked into mine to steal my bourbon. You know, stealing something worth a million dollars is a felony.”

Cooper McQueen finds himself robbed by the gorgeous woman he took home for the night – his million-dollar bottle of Red Thread bourbon, the last of its name, was stolen right from under his nose. Before he has her arrested though, the mysterious and seductive woman, Paris, tells him the origins of Red Thread, why it belongs to her – and why it needs to be destroyed. So begins the fascinating history of the Maddoxes, the creators of Red Thread, and one girl’s quest for revenge against her family.

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read, even Reisz’s Original Sinners series. It’s got a historical feel to it, since much of the book is set in the past; it’s got mystery and suspense; it’s got a plot for revenge; it’s got a sweet romance, one that I absolutely adored; and of course, it’s not Tiffany Reisz without some erotic taboo. There is just so much going on in this book, from Paris’s mysterious relation to Red Thread, to Tamara and Levi’s story set in the past. But the thing about Reisz’s writing and storytelling is that nothing feels gratuitous – every word matters to the story, and I totally got that feeling in The Bourbon Thief.

I really have no words to describe how I feel about this book, other than it blew my mind. The way Reisz connected all the puzzle pieces of the story was incredible. If you love the author, you’ll want to read this. It was truly an experience reading The Bourbon Thief, and I won’t be forgetting this story anytime soon, that’s for sure.

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

Also by Tiffany Reisz

The Original Sinners series

#1 ~ The Siren: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Angel: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Prince: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Mistress: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ The Saint: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ The King: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ The Virgin: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8 ~ The Queen: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Novella ~ The Mistress Files: Ebook • Goodreads
Collection ~ The Confessions: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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