Tag Archives: 3 stars

ARC Review: Hell Breaks Loose by Sophie Jordan

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Hell Breaks Loose by Sophie Jordan
Series: Devil’s Rock #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 26th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Hell hath no hunger like a man let out of a cage . . .

Shy and awkward, First Daughter Grace Reeves has always done what she’s told. Tired of taking orders, she escapes her security detail for a rare moment of peace. Except her worst nightmare comes to life when a ruthless gang of criminals abducts her. Her only choice is to place her trust in Reid Allister, an escaped convict whose piercing gaze awakens something deep inside her. Reid is nothing like her other captors.

He’s tougher, smarter…and one blistering look from him makes her hotter than any man ever has.

Reid spent years plotting escape and revenge . . .years without a woman in his bed. For this hardened felon, Grace Reeves isn’t just out of his league—she’s from another planet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her. Escaping Devil’s Rock was tough, but resisting this woman could be the end of him. For a man with nothing to lose, protecting her . . . claiming her as his own, becomes more necessary than his next breath.

I’d been excited for Hell Breaks Loose since I really enjoyed the first Devil’s Rock book, All Chained Up! While I didn’t like this second book quite as much as the first, it’s still a fairly good suspenseful, action-filled steamy romance. I love the idea of the heroes being ex-convicts – although technically, Reid is still a convict… just an escaped one. 😉

Grace Reeves is the daughter of the President, and her life with her political father has been anything but fun. She has no freedom and no social life – so one day, she decides to escape it all. But she must have terrible luck, because instead of freedom, she finds herself kidnapped and held hostage by a gang.

When Reid Allister escapes prison and is on the run to find his younger brother, the last thing he expects is for his brother and the bad gang he got involved with to have kidnapped the President’s daughter. Prison may have tainted his soul, but Reid would never hurt a woman, and somehow finds himself to be Grace’s protecter, unbeknownst to the gang. They think Reid will be delivering her to their boss, but Reid will make sure that no harm comes to her.

The chemistry between Reid and Grace is definitely my favorite part of the story. From the moment they meet, they feel a connection with each other, despite their reluctance. Grace doesn’t want to fall for her dark and dangerous kidnapper, and Reid doesn’t want to fall for anyone, much less the President’s daughter. But while I liked the passion they have for each other, I did feel that the romance was a bit too Stockholm Syndrome-y for my taste.

One other problem I had with this book was that it was really, really slow. I grew a little bored at times and had to skim to parts with more action or romance. If you have a lot of patience with your romances or you love slow-burn, you’ll probably enjoy this more, but I think I just wasn’t in the mood for something slow when I read Hell Breaks Loose. Nonetheless, I did enjoy some parts of it, and if you were a fan of the first book in the Devil’s Rock series, you’ll probably enjoy this too.

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Devil’s Rock series

 

#1 ~ All Chained Up: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Hell Breaks Loose: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Audiobook Review: Shattered by You by Nashoda Rose

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Shattered by You by Nashoda Rose
Series: Tear Asunder #3 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: June 21st 2016
Length: 9 hours and 54 minutes
Narrated by: Stella Bloom & Kas Vadim
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

From New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Nashoda Rose comes a full-length friends-to-lovers romance.

What started out as a deal quickly became a friendship that conquered monsters.

I killed, but I escaped hell. Emotionless. Disconnected. Cold. A mannequin. It’s what I’d become in order to survive the years held in captivity. I was able to endure the abuse and devastating loss as long as I remained detached.

But he wouldn’t let me. Crisis, the bass guitarist in my brother’s rock band, Tear Asunder. He’s cocky, rude, a total man-whore. But the rock star has far more beneath the surface of his inked skin, and he’s determined to make me laugh again. He made me a “deal”, but really it was blackmail.

His terms were simple. Until his playful honesty became the building blocks to something unexpected. Something strong enough to pull me from the eye of the storm. Because even though I escaped years of abuse, it didn’t mean I was free.

For mature audiences only – 18+. Listener discretion is advised. Dark elements.

I’m a big fan of the first few Tear Asunder books, so I was excited when I had the chance to listen to the Shattered by You audiobook. It’s also a friends-to-lovers romance, one of my favorite tropes, so this audiobook should’ve been perfect for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the story or characters like I wish I could’ve, and the narrators were pretty average to me. I’ve listened to Stella Bloom before and loved her narration in Sebring (my review here), but for some reason, her voice just didn’t mesh as Haven. I didn’t love listening to Shattered by You, but I did enjoy some aspects of the story. If you’re a fan of friends-to-lovers and dark, intense reads, you still might enjoy this book!

After being freed from mental and physical hell, Haven might not be a captive anymore, but nowhere near is she free of her demons. She’s back in her twin brother’s life, who thought she was dead, but she’s not the girl she once was. Forced drugs and sexual abuse have turned her into a shell of a woman, and it doesn’t seem possible to become whole again… that is, until she meets Crisis.

Part of Tear Asunder and Haven’s twin’s bandmate, Crisis is the most light-hearted of the guys. He comes off as a jokester and a player, but once he sees Haven, there’s nothing and no one else for him. He’s the only one who doesn’t see her as the broken girl she is, and he stands by her side everyday, not pushing her to heal, but just being there to support her. I loved this part of the story, the build up of Haven and Crisis’s friendship. They grow to mean so much to each other, but while Crisis wants more, he knows Haven isn’t ready yet, but he’ll wait forever if he has to for her.

It took me a long while to finish listening to Shattered by You because I just wasn’t fully invested in the story or characters. I adored the friendship and romance, but it does take a while for anything to happen between the main characters. Stella Bloom and Kas Vadim were good narrators, though not the best. I definitely feel like you should read/listen to the other books in the series before starting this one. If you’re a fan of the series and you’re all caught up, hopefully you’ll enjoy this book more than I did!

SHATTERED BY YOU is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/29M1Ylg

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Tear Asunder series

 
  

#0.5 ~ With You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1 ~ Torn from You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Overwhelmed by You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Shattered by You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Kept from You: Goodreads (Dec. 5, 2016)

Here’s an audio excerpt from Shattered by You!

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Early Review: His Royal Secret by Lilah Pace

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His Royal Secret by Lilah Pace
Series: His Royal Secret #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 19th 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The first in an enchanting new male/male romantic duology from Lilah Pace, author of Asking for More and Begging for It ….

James, the handsome, cosmopolitan Prince of Wales, is used to being in the public eye. But he’s keeping a king-sized secret…James, next in line for the throne, is gay.

He’s been able to hide his sexual orientation with the help of his best friend and beard, Lady Cassandra. Sometimes he feels like a coward for not coming out, but he daren’t risk losing the crown. If he did, the succession would fall on his deeply troubled younger sister, Princess Amelia. To protect her, James is willing to live a lie.

While on holiday, he meets Benjamin Dahan—a rugged international reporter with a globe-trotting, unattached life—who catches far more than James’s eye. And when Ben is transferred to London, it seems fate may finally be smiling on James.

But what began as a torrid fling grows into something far more intimate and powerful. Soon James will have to decide who he is, what he wants from life and love, and what he’s willing to sacrifice for the truth…

Last year, I loved Lilah Pace’s debut novel and fell in love with her writing, so when I heard she’d be writing a new series, and an M/M one at that, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Everything about His Royal Secret sounded amazing – a secretly gay Prince of Wales, a reporter he falls for, a clandestine relationship – so much goodness right there! I ended up not quite loving His Royal Secret, but enjoying it nonetheless. It’s a good start to James and Ben’s story, and I’m excited for their finale. If you’re in the mood for a sexy M/M romance with a unique twist to it, I’d say you should definitely give this book a try. Just know, it’s a duology, and the sequel releases in a month!

James is the heir to the British throne, but the thing is, he’s also gay. As modern as the world is, the monarchy is still pretty conservative, and there are a ton of other legitimate reasons why James hasn’t come out. He also keeps low in relationships, obviously, but one road trip to Africa changes things when he meets Benjamin Dahan, a reporter – with morals – James instantly forms an attraction to.

I’m taking this. One stolen hour in my entire bloody life–it’s mine, he’s mine, and no one else ever has to know.

Since neither of them believe they’ll ever see each other again, they fall into temptation and a night of passion… but when Ben is reassigned to England, they reunite and begin a secret, sex-only affair. How long will they be able to keep up their relationship before they get caught? And can they keep their feelings out of the equation?

I really enjoyed James and Ben’s characters. They’re so sweet and adorable together, especially when they both try to believe that they’re not falling for each other. Their romance moved a bit slow, despite the short length of the book, and I honestly would’ve rather read their full story in one longer book. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the third person POV, so that spark in Lilah Pace’s writing that I loved in her debut was missing for me. The main characters were mainly the highlight of this book for me, and I’m hoping we get to focus on their relationship much more in the next book.

“If the world finds out we’re together, my life is ruined. But my life is ruined if I lose you. So I’m pretty well fucked either way.”

I’m not dying to read the sequel, but I am looking forward to it and what will happen after the consequences of the ending in His Royal Secret. Ben and James are such great characters – they’re interesting, unique, and they’ve got insane chemistry together. Hopefully, they’ll be just as wonderful in His Royal Favorite!

3 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: His Royal Secret series

 

#1 ~ His Royal Secret: Ebook • Goodreads (July 19, 2016)
#2 ~ His Royal Favorite: Ebook • Goodreads (Aug. 16, 2016)

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Release Day Review: Forevermore by Kristen Callihan

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Forevermore by Kristen Callihan
Series: Darkest London #7 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Isolated and alone, Sin Evernight is one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in heaven and on earth. As an angel of vengeance, he hunts down the darkest evil, but when his long-lost friend, Layla Starling, needs him, he vows to become her protector. Even though she will be horrified by the man he has become.

Now a famous singer and the toast of London, Layla believes that Sin is only here to guard her from rabid fans and ardent suitors. However, the truth is far more sinister. Desperate to avoid losing Layla a second time, Sin will face a test of all his powers to defeat an unstoppable foe – and win an eternity with the woman he loves.

Forevermore is the seventh and final book of the Darkest London series! I’m sad to see the series end, because I’ve really enjoyed reading it. This mystical, fascinating, paranormal world Kristen Callihan has created is well-written and highly addicted to read. While I didn’t love Forevermore as much as I would’ve like to, I still loved being back in this world and seeing all the previous characters again. If you’re a fan of the series, you probably won’t want to miss this finale!

Sin Evernight is a character whose book I’ve been dying for ever since he was first introduced. He’s a complex hero, and I was ready to know everything about his story. And I absolutely loved that is romance is a friends-to-lovers one. His childhood friend Layla Starling was everything to him until she moved away, though he never forgot her. Now, as a powerful Judgment angel in charge of people’s souls, he’s tasked with protecting Layla as she comes into her newfound powers and paranormal abilities.

Layla thought she was just a normal girl raised by Augustus, her immortal guardian, until sinister things started to happen to her. Turns out she’s so much more than she thought, and as she navigates through this new paranormal world, she’s also reunited by her first friend and love Sin. We get to know her and Sin as childhood friends (which was adorable) and now we also get to know them as they fall in love all over again.

I didn’t particularly connect with Sin or Layla, but I adored their romance. It’s sweet and heartwarming, despite all the craziness that’s happening around them. The main thing that really prevented me from loving Forevermore (which I’m so bummed about, because I loved all the previous books) is that I felt a little lost as I was reading. I think it might’ve been a little too long since the last time I read a Darkest London book, because the plot kind of went over my head, and I couldn’t really catch up to the hows and whys of things going on.

There’s one thing I really did love about Forevermore, however, which was the love story between Augustus, Layla’s guardian and Sin’s mentor, and Lena, Layla’s mother. I found myself utterly hooked onto their star-crossed love – they’re soulmates who are on opposite sides of a war and haven’t been together for centuries. I thought it was a nice touch including their romance, and it definitely made this book more enjoyable.

It’s a bittersweet end for Forevermore, but for fans of the series, it’s an end you don’t want to miss. There are a ton of cameos from previous characters and a pretty epic battle near the end. All in all, it was a good ending to the series, despite my disappointment with not loving it more. And looking at other reviews, this is totally my fault, so if you’re wondering whether to read Forevermore, I say go for it!

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Darkest London series

  
  
  

#0.5 ~ Ember: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ Firelight: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Moonglow: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Winterblaze: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Entwined: Ebook • Goodreads
#4 ~ Shadowdance: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Evernight: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Soulbound: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ Forevermore: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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ARC Review: Stealing His Thunder by Sparrow Beckett

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Stealing His Thunder by Sparrow Beckett
Series: Masters of Adrenaline #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 21st 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From the author of the Masters Unleashed series, Sparrow Beckett revs things up with two lovers on a collision course in the first Masters of Adrenaline novel.

Nothing gives Addison Kennedy a rush like stealing cars. The Lexus was the perfect target, but before she can get its engine purring, she’s cold-cocked unconscious. When she comes to, she finds herself on a bed with a blonde, tattooed god standing over her.

Fox Larson is shocked to discover the thief he knocked out is actually a hot girl. Bringing her home may not have been the smartest move, but he wasn’t about to leave an unconscious and defenseless woman in a parking garage. Besides, if she’s part of an auto theft crew infringing on his territory, he needs to pump her for information.

However, Addison has personal drive that won’t be denied and she’s desperate to prove Fox’s group needs her skills. Submitting to his kinks in the bedroom is a hot yet complicated bonus. When a big job goes bad, and Addison finally gets her chance, will she succeed in stealing his thunder?

I recently binged on the Original Sinners series, so I’d been in a BDSM mood when I picked up Stealing His Thunder. This is the first book I’ve read by Sparrow Beckett, and I don’t usually pick up new-to-me authors these days unless they’re highly recommended to me, but I’d been excited to read Stealing His Thunder nonetheless. It ended up being a good read, though not anything particularly special or unique. It’s a surprisingly light-hearted read, given the BDSM and car-stealing theme – so if you’re in the mood for something quick and hot, I’d recommend giving this book a try.

Addison is just a normal girl going to college… except for her extracurricular activity of stealing cars. She’s new at it but incredibly skilled, until one night she’s knocked unconscious and wakes up in an unfamiliar man’s bed. That man is Fox, and it turns out she was stealing a car HE was meant to steal. Fox is the leader of a ring of car thieves – stealing cars is his livelihood, and now Addison wants in so she can support her parents and grandparents. If there’s a hot chemistry between them, well, that’s an added bonus. So begins a dance of taunts and flirts and dares as Addison and Fox play with the attraction between them and enter an erotic relationship.

Addison and Fox felt pretty one dimensional to me. The attraction was hot, sure, but I never really connected with their characters, nor did I feel anything as their romance played out. The kink was fun, but nothing I’d never read before. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, with Addison meeting Fox and getting to know him and his car-stealing ways, but things flatlined a bit when sex was involved, because then it became ALL about the sex. I had to skim over quite a bit of the sex scenes because the story just wasn’t moving forward fast enough for me. I really wish that we could’ve focused more on the story and romance rather than the kink and lust.

All in all, Stealing His Thunder wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t something I fell in love with either. I probably wouldn’t continue with the series, but that’s not to say no one would enjoy the series either. Again, if you’re looking for something chock-full of steam and not too serious, then Stealing His Thunder just might be for you!

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Masters of Adrenaline series

 

#1 ~ Stealing His Thunder: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Fueling His Hunger: Ebook • Goodreads (Oct. 18, 2016)

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