Category Archives: 4 hearts

Audiobook Review: Heaven and Hell by Kristen Ashley

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Heaven and Hell by Kristen Ashley
Series: Standalone
Audiobook Publication Date: February 2nd 2016
Length: 19 hours and 45 minutes
Narrated by: Felicity Munroe
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

After making a bad decision when she was very young, Kia Clementine finds herself in hell. Then, suddenly, within the time it takes for a shotgun to blast, her hell changes. Completely. Then out-of-the-blue she sees Sampson Cooper, her celebrity crush. A man the whole world knows is decent. A man the world knows is loyal. A man the world knows is good. All of these very unlike her now dead husband.

He’s sitting at a table right next to hers. And she catches his eye.

Terrified of the interest Sam shows in her, Kia finds the courage to go out with him. Not long after, she shares her dark secrets and Sam shares that he’ll stop at nothing to gain her trust.

As Sam leads Kia to heaven, Kia realizes that Sam is living his own hell. But although he gives her beauty and she gives him everything, he withholds his trust.

Even with all the beauty Sam shows her, Kia wants it all. But Sam forces Kia to make a heartbreaking decision and only she can decide. It’s all or nothing.

If you’re a romance fan and you’re looking for an audiobook to listen to, I can’t recommend Kristen Ashley enough. Her stories are always so satisfying and long – her books are more than worth the credit. Heaven and Hell is another excellent audiobook of hers, with a romance that will sweep you away and a fantastic narration from Felicity Munroe.

Kia Clementine has been living in hell with her abusive husband, but a tragedy and blessing in disguise leaves Kia free and with lots of cash. So she decides to spoil herself with the things she never had when she was married and travel the world – but mostly, she sets off to find the person she lost during her years of being in an abusive marriage. And in the midst of rediscovering herself, Kia meets former all-star athlete and soldier Sampson Cooper – her celebrity crush. Never in a million years would Kia expect the gorgeous, perfect, alpha-male Sam to notice her, but he does, and with him, she gets a second chance at love and romance.

Kia and Sam are heavenly together. Kia’s a little shy and innocent, but Sam’s honesty and gruffness are able to draw her out and just let her be who she’s really meant to be. And Kia breaks down Sam’s walls and discovers the real him behind the celebrity crush. Kia truly has found heaven with Sam, but when she finds herself giving all of her to him and not getting all of him in return, things get a little rocky. She has to make a choice between having only parts of the man she loves, or having it all at the risk of losing him.

Once again, Kristen Ashley delivers a powerful romance that you won’t be able to put down. Kia and Sam are wonderful characters you can’t help but adore and root for. Felicity Munroe narrates Kia’s voice perfectly with her light southern accent, and she also does a great job with voicing the male dialogue. I would definitely listen to another audiobook with her narration. Heaven and Hell is a worthwhile listen and I highly recommend the audio version of it!

4 hearts
lacey

Here’s an audio excerpt from Heaven and Hell!

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Blog Tour + ARC Review: A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by

A Thousand Boy Kisses tour

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole!

A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
Series: Standalone
Release Date: March 15th 2015
Add to Goodreads

One kiss lasts a moment.
But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.
One girl.
A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.
A bond that neither time nor distance can break.
A bond that will last forever.
Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?

Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

Standalone Young Adult Tearjerker Romance.
For ages 14 and up.

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon CA • iTunes • Kobo

review button

I don’t know how Tillie Cole does it, but she’s always able to write books that are so sad yet happy at the same time. They’re gut-wrenching and heart-melting, they hurt my heart and uplift it, and her latest release, A Thousand Boy Kisses, takes all of that to the max. This book is a lovely, lovely coming of age story, and I truly enjoyed reading about Poppy and Rune.

“Poppy and Rune. Two halves of the same whole.”

A Thousand Boy Kisses is definitely the kind of book that you want to go in blind. I do want to warn you that it’s not exactly the most light-hearted of books, despite what you might think of the adorable cover. There are times in this novel that my heart felt so heavy, my emotions were shot, and I was hurting for Poppy and Rune – but I promise, the journey and the end are totally worth all the emotional upheaval.

This is a young adult, coming of age story, and it’s also a mix of friends to lovers and a second chance romance. Poppy and Rune are high school students, so they’re not the usual sort of characters Tillie Cole has written in the past, but they’re very mature for their age. I adored these two together – their love is that once-in-a-lifetime love that anyone can only pray to find, and they find it at such a young age. Poppy and Rune love each other so deeply and tenderly, they made my heart swoon. Tillie Cole always writes the BEST love stories, and Poppy and Rune’s is one of her best yet.

Closing his eyes, Rune took my mouth in a kiss. And in this kiss I felt his outpouring of love. I felt a love, that at seventeen, I was blessed to have received.
A love that knew no boundaries.
The kind of love that inspired music that lasts through the ages.
A love that should be felt and meant and treasured.

It gets a little too sappy and cheesy at times, but for the most part, A Thousand Boy Kisses is poignant and heartfelt. I felt all of the emotions in this book deeply, both the good ones and the bad. It’s unique and gorgeously written, and I highly recommend it for those who love powerful love stories. I definitely won’t be forgetting Poppy and Rune’s romance anytime soon!

4 hearts
lacey

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

about the author button

Tillie ColeAmazon & USA Today Best Selling Author, Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother — a farmer’s daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Instagram

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Release Day Review: Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: March 14th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Chloe Madison. That’s me. A former NYU princess who fell from grace, right off my pampered Manhattan throne and onto the unforgiving steps of Nicole Brantley, socialite and queen bitch. Now, I walked her dog and mixed her smoothies. Tried to navigate my own problems while fixing all of hers.

I wanted what every New York girl wanted. A career, an apartment, and true love, preferably in a smoking hot package.

It turned out … I’d have to fight for all of it.

I originally read Chloe’s story as part of the Bedroom Blog over on Cosmo, so when I heard that Alessandra Torre would be making it a full-length novel, I was excited! I adored Chloe in the serial, and I adored her even more in Love, Chloe. If you’ve read the serial, most of this full-length novel is the same, just put together in a more cohesive way. If you haven’t read the serial, Love, Chloe is a fun and flirty read that is endlessly entertaining. It reads more like a chick-lit novel than a contemporary romance and focuses on Chloe’s journey more than anything. If you’re looking for a book that’s funny, light-hearted, yet meaningful, I highly recommend Love, Chloe!

I’d spent my whole life trying to impress people. Maybe that was the start of my fall, the last two decades one plush float into the depths of shallow, insecure, hell.
All I know is that when I hit the bottom, I hit hard.

Chloe Madison used to be at the top of the world, a spoiled socialite with more money than she needed. But when she finds out all that money her family has is dirty money stolen by her parents from other people, she becomes homeless and bankrupt. Desperate for money to pay for her NYU tuition to get her diploma, she finds a job as an assistant to Nicole, a condom heiress. But it turns out assistant is basically another word for dog sitter – and Chloe’s pride and ego could not get any lower at this point.

The Chloe of the working class struggles, and struggles hard. In between working for the slave driver Nicole, saving money to afford rent to her new apartment, and staying away from an ex who broke her heart and won’t leave her alone, Chloe experiences a new sort of life where she has to work for what she’s got, and work even harder to keep it. I loved this growth and development to her character – Chloe isn’t without flaws, but she’s a relatable sort of heroine, and you can’t help but connect with her and cheer her on in her journey of self-discovery.

There’s also a bit of romance going on for Chloe – and thankfully it’s not with the ex who cheated on her. Vic was a part of Chloe’s world pre-bankruptcy, and as tempting as it is for her to fall back into that rich, spoiled life with him, Chloe finds the strength in herself not to. On the way of finding herself, she also discovers the kind of man she deserves, and the super of her new apartment just might fit that bill…

I needed to embrace my relationship with Carter and stop being a wimp. Whether I’d told him so or not, I loved him. He made me realize how empty my old life had been. And in his eyes, I saw a future that I wanted more of, a future where I was a better person.
Wow. I might have just become a grown-up.

I really wish we could’ve gotten more of Carter and Chloe, because I adored them together! The story focused a bit too much on Vic and Chloe’s past, so I didn’t feel like we got to know Carter all that well, but I did enjoy the way their relationship developed. And I loved that even though there is romance, Love, Chloe is still very much Chloe’s story, a journey of self-discovery, friendships, financial struggles, and so much more. Alessandra Torre did a fantastic job balancing the hardships of life along with the fairy tale of love, and I couldn’t be more proud of how Chloe is by the end of the novel.

I seriously enjoyed this book. It’s fast-paced, endearing, and so much fun to read. Chloe’s heart-warming story of self-discovery is definitely a must-read!

4 hearts
lacey

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

Also by Alessandra Torre

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre
Tight by Alessandra Torre Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre 

Black Lies: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Sex Love Repeat: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Tight: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Hollywood Dirt: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Moonshot: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Early Review: Out of Frame by Megan Erickson

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Out of Frame by Megan Erickson
Series: In Focus #3 (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

Romance trades the open road for the high seas in the latest from the author of Focus on Me and Trust the Focus…

Perpetually shy, Quinn Mathers is content to remain in the shadow of his brash best friend Jess Hartman. But before their college graduation, he and Jess have planned one last hurrah: a spring break Caribbean cruise.

And it won’t be just any cruise. On board are members of the reality show Trip League, which follows young twenty-somethings on adventures around the world. Since the show’s beginning, Quinn has been fascinated by J. R. Butler, with his amazing body, warm eyes, and killer grin. Unfortunately, he’s straight—or so the world thinks.

At nineteen, J. R. signed a contract to play straight for the show, and there’s no way to get out of it now. Yet with each passing day, Quinn and J. R. find it harder to keep their hands off each other and to keep out of the camera’s frame. But when the lens finally focuses on them, J. R. must decide if he’s willing to risk his career by admitting his bisexuality, and Quinn must determine if he’s bold enough to stand in the spotlight with the man of his dreams…

I adore Megan Erickson, but Out of Frame is actually the first book in the In Focus series I’ve read. From how much I enjoyed this one, I’ll definitely need to go back and read the previous books in the series! Quinn and J.R.’s story is a quick read, but it’s full of all the FEELS, and even though it was a bit too short for me taste, I absolutely adored it. Megan Erickson characterizes what it means to be a new adult SO well in her books. I love the way she’s able to balance the humor and heart with the painful and raw emotions – if you’re looking for a well-rounded, well-written new adult novel, Out of Frame is for you!

Quinn Mathers and his best friend Jess are spending the spring break of their last year of college on a Caribbean cruise. Sounds like the perfect college spring break right? It’s the chance for Quinn to finally let loose and have some fun in his life when all he’s known is order and staying within the lines. Maybe he’ll even meet a guy and have a little fling with him… except the moment Quinn meets reality show star J.R. Butler, his spring break gets a whole lot more complicated.

He treated me like . . . a normal guy. In the last couple years, people did one of two things when they met me—picked a fight to get on TV, or kissed my ass to get on TV. It was never about me. As a person. With Quinn, I felt almost human.

All J.R. Butler wants is to be an actor and be able to support his sick brother, so when he was first cast in the reality show Trip League, he thought it was the right decision. Now? Not so much. He’s had to hide his bisexuality and become the clichéd angry black man for the show – he’s never truly able to share who he is to anyone. But with Quinn, he’s different, because he can share who he is and he can just be. Of course, there’s a hot hot HOT chemistry going on between them that had me fanning myself. J.R. and Quinn want each other bad, and the fact that they could get caught by the cameras is scary and a little titillating.

“I want you. Like I haven’t wanted anyone in a long time.”

Quinn and J.R. only have a week together on the cruise before they go their separate ways, but with emotions running high, is it possible to have… more? I loved the way Megan Erickson played out their romance, the way these two were so freaking sweet and adorable at the same time they were sexy as hell together. And even better, the individual journeys of these two men were just as meaningful. Quinn and J.R. both help each other discover and grow into the men they’re meant to be, and I found this the most beautiful aspect of Out of Frame.

“It’s not even just about wanting to be with Quinn, or another guy. This is about me. It’s about being black and queer and compromising because that’s all I’ve ever done in my fucking life, you know?”

Megan Erickson captures the beginnings of a newfound relationship so perfectly – everything about J.R. and Quinn and their romance felt genuine and real. Thankfully, Out of Frame can be read completely as a standalone, since I haven’t read the previous books, but the other couples from the series do make their appearances. I would’ve loved if this book were longer, if we had more time with Quinn and J.R., but otherwise, this book was pretty freaking wonderful. I’m so excited to read the rest of the series!

4 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: In Focus series

  

#1 ~ Trust the Focus: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Focus on Me: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Out of Frame: Ebook • Goodreads (March 15, 2016)
#4 ~ Overexposed: Ebook • Goodreads (Sept. 20, 2016)

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Release Blast + Early Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Ignite by Karen Erickson

Posted in 4 hearts, Giveaways, Reviews, Spotlight by

Ignite release

Ignite by Karen Erickson
Series: Wildwood #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 15th 2016
Add to Goodreads

Weston Gallagher is falling hard—for the wrong woman.
One night of passion has haunted him for years.
Now he’s got a second chance to get the girl of his dreams…but there’s just one problem:
She hates him.

Eight years after he stormed out of Wildwood, California, West has returned to his hometown as a firefighter. His friends and family are thrilled he’s back—with the exception of Harper Hill. His sister’s best friend is all grown up and in all the right ways. He knows she’s going to do everything she can to protect her heart and keep him at arm’s length, but West has other ideas.

He will win the girl that got away. No matter what it takes…

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo • Google Play

review button

I love a good man-in-uniform romance, and I also love the older brother’s best friend trope, so Ignite was right up my alley! This book surprisingly turned out to be more sweet than anything, so if you love light-hearted, small-town, drama-free reads, this is for you!

“I’ve had a thing for you for too damn long, Harper. Always wondered what it would be like if you were mine.”

One night eight years ago, West and Harper shared the best kiss of their lives – but then West hightailed it out of town the next day, leaving Harper brokenhearted and bitter. West has never felt like he belonged in Wildwood, but now he’s back as a mature, hard worker and sexy firefighter… and the first person he sees would be the girl he left behind.

Harper has always been the good girl of their town, but seeing West again seems to bring out the worst in her. With him, she’s a little rude, blunt, emotional, but most of all, she’s passionate. She’s currently in a relationship with a steady guy, but what she feels for him has nothing on the feelings she holds for West. So she has to decide whether to take a leap of faith on West, the boy-turned-man who’s always had her heart, or continue a safe life with no passion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was sexy, fun, and uncomplicated. It’s a little slow in the beginning, but once West makes the decision to fight for Harper and what they have, the pace becomes a lot more enjoyable. Ignite is a wonderful introduction to the Wildwood series, and I definitely recommend it to those who want something fun to pass the time.

West was the beloved bad boy who was now doing good. And Harper had always been Wildwood’s good girl—who’d suddenly gone a little bad.
And being bad with West had never felt so good.

I’m actually SUPER excited for the next book now, which features West’s brother Lane and Harper’s friend Delilah! You get a little glimpse of how these two characters interact in Ignite, and to say I’m intrigued is an understatement. I can’t wait for their book to release!

4 hearts
lacey

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

Now here’s an excerpt from Ignite! ❤

excerpt button

His knees felt a little wobbly.

Harper was even more beautiful up close. Long hair the color of the sun riding low in the sky, reds and golden browns and strands of blonde that waved past her slim shoulders, with that cute little pert nose sprinkled with freckles. Freckles she’d always hated.

That one night, his last in his hometown, he’d done his damnedest to kiss every single one.

Her dark brown eyes flashed at him and those perfect, delicious, bee-stung lips didn’t slide up in that natural sunny smile of hers. Harper Hill was friendly. Beyond friendly. The entire Hill family had a reputation to uphold in this town and Harper was just as cheerful as all the rest of them. She had a natural way about her, drawing people in, always surrounded by friends—by people who wanted to be her friend, like it was a privilege to bask in her glory.

Right now though, she looked like she wanted to draw and quarter West. Maybe hang him up by his toes so he dangled above the ground, much like he remembered his dad and grandpa doing when they caught a buck during hunting season.

Yeah. He’d never been one for blood sport as a kid or an adult. Harper though? She appeared ready to shoot him dead with just the look in her pretty brown eyes.

Reading Order: Wildwood series

  

#1 ~ Ignite: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Smolder: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Torch: Ebook • Goodreads (Aug. 16, 2016)

about the author button

USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson writes what she loves to read – sexy contemporary romance. Published since 2006, she’s a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children.

She also writes new adult romance as NYT & USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Newsletter

giveaway button

Karen’s publisher is giving away a $25 gift card (Amazon, B&N or iBooks) to one randomly chosen winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.