Blog Tour + ARC Review: Uncivilized by Sawyer Bennett

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for UNCIVILIZED by Sawyer Bennett!
You can follow the tour here.

Uncivilized by Sawyer Bennett
Series: Uncivilized #1 (full reading order below)
Release Date: September 8th 2014

**Warning: This book is a wild, sexy beast of a read. 18+**

Putting a woman on her knees before me is what really makes my cock hard. I fuck with dominant force and absolute control. I demand complete surrender from my conquests.

Savage man, loner, warrior… I am dangerous at my core. I have lived amidst the untamed wild of the rainforest, in a society that reveres me and where every woman falls before me in subjugation.

Now I’ve been discovered. Forced to return to a world that I have forgotten about and to a culture that is only vaguely familiar to my senses.

Dr. Moira Reed is an anthropologist who has been hired to help me transition back into modern society. It’s her job to smooth away my rough edges… to teach me how to navigate properly through this new life of mine. She wants to tame me.

She’ll never win.

I am wild, free and raw, and the only thing I want from the beautiful Moira Reed is to fuck her into submission.

She wants it, I am certain.

I will give it to her soon.

Yes, very soon, I will become the teacher and she will become my student. And when I am finished showing her body pleasure like no other, she’ll know what it feels like to be claimed by an uncivilized man.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback • B&N • iTunes • Google Play

Holy hell. This is my first time reading a book by Sawyer Bennett, but it certainly will NOT be my last!

“I learned that you… Zacharias Easton… are an uncivilized man.”

Okay – first off, that blurb right there. It had me hooked the second I read it! I had to know who this dominant, uncivilized man was. And WOW, I was not disappointed with Zach and Moira’s story. Uncivilized is one of the hottest books I’ve ever read – well, I should say that Zach is one of the hottest male characters I’ve ever read. I am in total awe of him – so just a fair warning, make sure to bring a fan with you while you read this book!

Zacharias Easton has been living in the jungle with the Caraican tribe for the past eighteen years since he was seven years old. His parents died on a mission trip, leaving Zach to the care of the Caraicans. So Zach lived these eighteen years as a primitive, though intelligent, man. Zach is the epitome of an alpha-male – he is dominant and possessive, but add in a little wildness from the jungle, and you get a character that I absolutely loved to read about.

“Oh, baby… I’m going to teach you how good it’s going to feel to be fucked into submission by an uncivilized man.”

Hot damn, I really just CANNOT get over how HOT this book was.

Dr. Moira Reed is an anthropologist who has been hired to take on the job of assimilating Zach back into modern civilization. She’s smart, witty, and a very independent woman. She owns herself, which I admired about her. She shows compassion towards Zach, never forcing him to assimilate, always ready to help him. Moira and Zach have an undeniable chemistry between them, which Moira tries to ignore and which fascinates Zach. But even as fascinated as Zach is with Moira, he is very resistant to assimilating to the modern American culture. He believes that he belongs with the Caraicans, but he gives Moira some time to try to show him the ways of modern society.

I look across the table at Moira and am humbled at the way that she gets me. I first thought that she would try to change me into something I’m not capable of but, instead, she celebrates my diversity from this life.
She appreciates it.

I loved the relationship that Moira and Zach form. Yes, it is an intensely sexual one, but on a much deeper level, these two learn so much about themselves from each other, Zach especially. Zach finds himself at a loss as his feelings for Moira grow deeper each day he stays with her. He’s torn between his home with the Caraicans and Moira, who is fast becoming his home as well. I loved the tender feelings Zach and Moira grew to feel for each other, because while the sex was ridiculously on fire, it was the emotional bond that formed between them that really made the story for me.

His eyes more into me with utter seriousness and purpose. “I’ll be your everything if you want me to.”

It may seem like Uncivilized is a slightly dark romance, but it’s not. Which I was really glad about because I just wasn’t in the mood to read one. Zach is dominant, yes, but Moira not a submissive – at least, not all the time. She gives up control to him, but only when she wants to, which is not too often. Uncivilized is also told in both Moira and Zach’s POVs, which I definitely appreciated. Like I said before, I will definitely be reading more Sawyer Bennett books, because the writing in Uncivilized was fantastic. I was swept away by these two characters, and I was hooked to every page from start to finish.

4 hearts! An utterly addicting read!

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

Reading Order: Uncivilized series

#1 ~ Uncivilized: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Love: Uncivilized: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads

USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

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1Sep2014

Early Review: Screwdrivered by Alice Clayton

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Screwdrivered by Alice Clayton
Series: Cocktail #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Gallery Books) in exchange for an honest review

Readers back for a third round of the bestselling Cocktail series will enjoy a madcap romantic comedy about bodice ripping and chest heaving, fiery passion and love everlasting. Plus a dash of paperwork filing and horseshi—wait, what?

By day, Viv Franklin is a tough-as-nails software engineer who designs programs and loves hospital corners. By night, Vivian’s a secret romance-novel junkie who longs for a knight in shining armor, or a cowboy on a wild stallion, or a strapping firefighter to sweep her off her feet. And she gets to wear the bodice—don’t forget the bodice.

When a phone call brings news that she’s inherited a beautiful old home in Mendocino, California from a long-forgotten aunt, she moves her entire life across the country to embark on what she sees as a great, romance-novel-worthy adventure. But romance novels always have a twist, don’t they?

There’s a cowboy, one that ignites her loins. Because Cowboy Hank is totally loin-ignition worthy. But there’s also a librarian, Clark Barrow. And he calls her Vivian. Can tweed jackets and elbow patches compete with chaps and spurs? You bet your sweet cow pie.

In Screwdrivered, Alice Clayton pits Superman against Clark in a hilarious and hot battle that delights a swooning Viv/Vivian. Also within this book, an answer to the question of the ages: Why ride a cowboy when you can ride a librarian?

Why ride a cowboy when you can ride a librarian?

Holy hot dirty talkin’ librarians!

I loooove Alice Clayton. She is one of my favorite go-to authors, because I never fail to enjoy her books, and they always make me laugh so hard. Plus, she wrote the gem that is Wallbanger, one of my FAVORITE books ever, which I’ve reread countless times, so what’s not to love about Alice Clayton?

This latest book in the Cocktail series is another fabulous, delightful read from this author. Though I didn’t love Screwdrivered as much as the previous two books (I honestly don’t think anyone can match up to Simon and Caroline), I still loved Alice Clayton’s classic humor and writing. Fans of Wallbanger definitely shouldn’t miss this next installment of the series!

Our heroine, Viv Franklin, was first introduced as a friend of Simon’s from high school in Rusty Nailed. She’s an adorable heroine—she’s sassy and feisty, a total girly girl, a complete computer geek, and daydreams all the time about starring in her own raunchy romance novel. She’ll literally drift off and imagine a hunky man sweeping her off her feet and ravishing her—after all, that’s not so much to ask, right? But unfortunately for Viv, she hasn’t quite found THE ONE who’ll satisfy all her dirty romance book cravings.

So Viv is pretty bored with her life. That is, until a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes, and she gets the chance to move across the country to Mendocino, California. (Guess who else lives in California? SIMON AND CAROLINE!)

It’s there at her aunt’s home that she inherited that Viv meets the hot cowboy Hank….

“I see by your buckle your name’s Hunk. I mean, Hunk. I mean, fuck, Hank. Crap.”

So yeah… Viv becomes a total dork around ~~Hunk~~ Hank, and he basically doesn’t give her the time of day.

But then… when Viv decides to remodel her aunt’s home, she meets the town librarian, Clark Barrow, who is very much like all those boring men Viv tried dating. Right? Well, not exactly. While ~~Hunk~~ Hank fires up Viv’s loins, Clark fires her up in different ways…

“Impossible woman,” he muttered, straightening his tie and picking up the picture that had brought him here the first place.
“Impossible woman,” I mimicked in a tone I hadn’t used since third grade. I accompanied it with a face I also hadn’t made since the third grade. Honestly.

Clark and Vic DO NOT get along, which makes their romance all the better. I went from laughing at their banter (which is just SO GOOD) to wanting them to just freaking kiss already!! It takes a while for Viv to realize that a certain librarian may be more than she first thought he was, and that she might be falling for him.

“Hiya, Clark,” I said, slowly straightening and turning to lean against my car. I smiled as I saw his gaze drop down to my legs, as it often did, and slowly rise up my body. I don’t know if all librarians ogled the way this one did, but he had it down to an art form. He took his time, leaving no curve unseen. Did I arch my back when his gaze finally made it to my chest? Of course I did. And was rewarded with a nostril flare, the equivalent of a facial boner.

Screwdrivered is a very slow paced book. I honestly wished it was much faster paced, but I trusted Alice Clayton not to disappoint me when the time came for Viv and Clark go be together. Viv had to first rediscover herself before she could form any real relationship. And I loved that this book was about self-discovery as well as a love story (an adorably hilarious one at that).

And Clark!! Oh my word, I don’t think I’ve ever found a librarian so attractive before! Clark definitely made me swoon and sigh. He’s cute, awkward, quirky, funny, and just a plain ole good man, and I adored him.

Screwdrivered was just an adorably fun book to read. I was smiling the whole way through. That’s what I love about Alice Clayton’s books—they never fail to make me smile! And I definitely recommend Viv’s story for those who want to have a good time while reading.

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

Reading Order: Cocktail series

#1 ~ Wallbanger: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Rusty Nailed: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Screwdrivered: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Mai Tai’d Up: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Last Call: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

30Aug2014

Review: Uncovered by Emily Snow

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Uncovered by Emily Snow
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: August 8th 2014
Purchase: Ebook

My name is Lizzie Connelly, and I have it all. The gorgeous apartment. The new job most women would rip out their own souls for—working for Margaret Emerson at Emerson & Taylor. I have one of those lives you’ve always dreamt about, the kind you only see on HBO. But, the thing is, that life is a lie. A façade.

It all started with one call. “Everything you know about your story—your father’s story—is a lie. It’s up to you to uncover everything.” One call, and I turned my world upside down to dig my way into Margaret’s life—the woman who I’d never laid eyes on until recently. My stepmother who took everything after my father died fourteen years ago.

The plan was simple—figure out what role she played in my father’s death and expose her to the world.

But here’s another thing: simplicity doesn’t exist, and my plans are flawed from the beginning because I never anticipated Oliver. Sexy, too smart for his own goddamn good, and infuriating, he’s the one person who could blow my plans to uncover Margaret. She’s his mother, and in another life, that would have made him my stepbrother.

I want to pretend that none of that matters, that I can simply finish what I came to do without sparing him a second glance and another thought.

Like I said, though, there’s no such thing as simplicity.

My real name is Gemma Emerson.

And this is my story.

I was in the perfect mood for Uncovered. I wanted a book I could get hooked onto that had some some hot tension and some excitement and thrills, and Emily Snow gave me all that and more! I was pleasantly surprised by Uncovered, actually. I was intrigued by the synopsis–it sounded sooo good, and I was crossing my fingers that the inside would be just as good. And it definitely was! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Uncovered–it was the perfect combination of sexy and suspenseful.

“Everything you’ve been told about your story, your father’s story, is a lie. It’s up to you to uncover the truth.”

Gemma Emerson receives a mysterious phone call one day that changes her life. She’s told that her father’s death years ago wasn’t as simple as a heart attack killing him. There was more involved in his death, and more to the fact that Gemma was left nothing in her father’s will. Gemma was left to struggle with money, especially after her mother died shortly after her father. She reached out to her stepmother, her father’s second wife, but was shot down, told that her father didn’t leave any money for her–and instead, all of her father’s possessions were instead handed over to Gemma’s stepmother. Even devastated by the loss of her parents, and by the hurt that she didn’t mean anything to her father, Gemma was able to move on and carve a life for herself. She wanted nothing to do with her stepmother ever again, but that one phone call collides her past and present.

Gemma becomes Lizzie Connelly, a fake identity she uses to uncover the truth surrounding her father’s death and will. Lizzie works at Emerson & Taylor for Margaret Emerson, the stepmother that Gemma’s father left everything to. Lizzie’s job is to infiltrate Margaret’s life and expose the truth, but Lizzie never factored in Oliver Manning, Margaret’s son–and Gemma’s stepbrother.

Oliver Manning is sex-on-a-stick. He’s charming, he oozes sexuality, and he very much wants Lizzie. He doesn’t recognize her as Gemma, to her relief, but Gemma’s attraction to him is something she loves and hates. He fires her up like no other, but their chemistry is never something she factored in on her plan to uncover the truth.

I totally adored Oliver. I didn’t LOVE him with all my heart, but he definitely made me swoon a couple times throughout the book. He and Gemma easily heat up the pages, and I loved the slightly taboo aspect of their relationship–of Gemma falling for her sexy stepbrother.

“I didn’t plan on bringing you up here. But when I saw you–” Pausing, he let out a laugh that was just a touch remorseful. “–nobody else in that room existed.”

Sexy and full of twists and turns, Uncovered had me hooked from start to finish. As I read, I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next–some things shocked me, some things were predictable, but overall, Emily Snow wrote an addicting story in Uncovered. 4 hearts!

26Aug2014

Blog Tour + ARC Review & Giveaway: Debt Inheritance by Pepper Winters

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the DEBT INHERITANCE tour! DEBT INHERITANCE is the first book in the INDEBTED series, and for Pepper Winters fans, it shouldn’t be missed!

Debt Inheritance by Pepper Winters
Series: Indebted #1
Release date: August 18th 2014

“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.

She is no longer free.

Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.

There are no rules. Only payments.

A modern day Dark Erotic Romance

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

Holy shit!! I honestly have no idea what I just read, but it was dark, delicious, and I was utterly addicted to it. Debt Inheritance completely lives up to Pepper Winters standards, so fans definitely should not miss this.

My twenty-ninth birthday gave me a pet. A toy.
A responsibility I didn’t want.
Debts I had to extract from unwilling flesh.
A job to uphold our family honour.
Nila Weaver.

So that right there says it all. The Weaver family owes a debt to the Hawk family, and every generation, the first-born Weaver daughter is given to the first-born Hawk son to fulfill that debt. For the past few centuries, this debt has been paid, and Nila Weaver is the next payment.

Nila is a fashion designer living her dream. She’s showcasing her designs in Milan, her beloved family is there with her to celebrate, when her world turns upside-down.

Turned out, I was never an individual; I was a possession to trade.
I was never unique; someone had lived my life many times before, never free, never whole.
My life was never mine.
My destiny was already written.
My story began the night he came for me.

Nila has been sheltered by her father all her life; she has little experience with men, so when a mysterious, handsome man named Jethro Hawk approaches her at her fashion show, she jumps at the chance to go out with him. But though Jethro may come off as a gentleman, elegant and charming, underneath it all is a lethal, dangerous force. And he unleashes that force onto Nila and takes her away from everything she’s ever known.

Told in alternating POVs, this first installment of the Indebted series is fast-paced, dark, and gritty. We have Nila’s POV, an innocent girl thrust into her very own nightmare. She’s become someone’s possession, but there’s still a fire within her, a fire that intrigues her ‘owner.’ And we have Jethro’s POV, in which we discover what kind of man he is, how he came to be this powerful, sensual, harsh man, and whether he is worth redeeming.

This series holds so much potential–I can’t wait to see where Pepper Winters will take this story and these characters.

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

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her Dark Erotica books include:
Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)
Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)

Her Grey Romance books include:
Destroyed

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest

Signed Swag Pack (2 Winners)
ebook of Debt Inheritance (5 Winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

25Aug2014

Early Review: The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
Series: Broken Destiny #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 26th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Harlequin) in exchange for an honest review

In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate.

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who’s bound by an ancient legacy to betray her.

Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn’t mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn’t: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between…

I’m a HUGE fan of Jeaniene Frost–she does paranormal like no other. And when I found out she was writing a new paranormal series that was also NEW ADULT? I totally jumped for joy! I loved her Night Huntress series, so of course I had to read this new series. Plus, there aren’t that many new adult books that dab in the paranormal genre, but what better way to be introduced to this genre than with Jeaniene Frost?

I really, really liked The Beautiful Ashes. It wasn’t perfect, but I enjoyed myself the whole time reading this. We have our heroine, Ivy, who sees visions of different realms. She doesn’t know if what she sees is real, or why she sees them, or even how, but she mainly ignores it to keep her insanity intact. But when her sister gets kidnapped, her whole world is turned upside down, because those visions? They’re real.

“Well, Ivy. I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, you’re not crazy. The bad news is, everything you’ve seen is real, and now, it’ll be coming for you.”

In the midst of finding out about all this craziness–demons, angels, and parallel realms are totally real and they totally exist–the one thing Ivy can focus on is saving her sister. And the one person who can help Ivy is Adrian, a man that sparks something in her she’s never felt before, a man who is destined to become her enemy.

I have to say, even though I didn’t fall for Adrian as much as I wanted to, I can see myself wholeheartedly loving him in the upcoming books in the series. I’m not even sure why I didn’t LOVE Adrian from the start–he’s a total badass, he’s mysterious, he protects Ivy with everything he’s got, and there’s a delicious tension between him and Ivy I lapped up. Adrian and Ivy are destined to be enemies, which makes their attraction to each other all the better.

“You’re the light I can never have… and I’m the darkness you’ll never succumb to.”

Ivy herself is a good heroine–I could connect with her, but up to a point. Still, I liked her well enough, but Ivy and Adrian together is what made the story for me. As Ivy and Adrian search for a relic to save her sister, they grow closer together. I really enjoyed watching their relationship slowly develop–the scenes I loved reading were always the ones with the two of them together.

There’s excitement, action, and intrigue, as well as a little humor here and there that is typical from Jeaniene Frost. The Beautiful Ashes met my expectations, but… it didn’t surpass it. I wanted to love it, but my only problem was that the world building fell a bit flat for me. It felt like I, along with Ivy, was thrust into this world too quickly without knowing anything. It gave me a ton of information without letting me have the time to process it. I like being given bits and pieces of a world so I can map it out myself, but it was difficult to do with this book.

The main thing about The Beautiful Ashes is that it holds potential. I honestly can’t wait to see what Jeaniene Frost has in store for us with the rest of the series. Now that we’ve got the world-building over and done with, I’m so excited to see this potential grow into so much more.

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

Reading Order: Broken Destiny series

#1 ~ The Beautiful Ashes: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Sweetest Burn: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads

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