ARC Review: A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean
Series: Scandal & Scoundrel #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 30th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Lonesome Lily turned Scandalous Siren

Miss Lillian Hargrove has lived much of her life alone in a gilded cage, longing for love and companionship. When an artist offers her pretty promises and begs her to pose for a scandalous portrait, Lily doesn’t hesitate . . . until the lying libertine leaves her in disgrace. With the painting now public, Lily has no choice but to turn to the one man who might save her from ruin.

Highland Devil turned Halfhearted Duke

The Duke of Warnick loathes all things English, none more so than the aristocracy. It does not matter that the imposing Scotsman has inherited one of the most venerable dukedoms in Britain—he wants nothing to do with it, especially when he discovers that the unwanted title comes with a troublesome ward, one who is far too old and far too beautiful to be his problem.

Tartan Comes to Town

Warnick arrives in London with a single goal: get the chit married and see her become someone else’s problem, then return to a normal, quiet life in Scotland. It’s the perfect plan, until Lily declares she’ll only marry for love . . . and the Scot finds that there is one thing in England he likes far too much . . .

Sarah MacLean is probably my favorite historical romance author. I fell in love with her Rules of Scoundrels series and have been enjoying her spinoff, the Scandal & Scoundrel series. A Scot in the Dark is the second in the spinoff series, featuring an England-hating Scottish Duke and his new, scandalized ward. Their story is an emotional, angst-filled romance with a hero who believes he doesn’t deserve to be with the woman he loves. If you loved The Rogue Not Taken, then you will definitely love A Scot in the Dark!

Lily Hargrove has been alone all her life and dreams of finding love and a place to belong. She thinks she’s found that with a rising artist, but he ends up using her and betraying her in the end. Her reputation on the bridge of ruin, she’s reminded of just why she wants to leave London and never look back, but she needs the help of the Duke responsible for her to do so. Except when said Duke finds out about his scandalized ward, he makes plans to marry her off and be done with her.

“You forget yourself,” he said. “As my ward, your things are my things.”
Her gaze flew to his. “You beast.”
His lips pressed into a long straight line. “And you, the most beautiful woman in London,” he said, as though being beautiful was the most ugly thing she could be. “We make a fine match, Lovely Lily.”

The Scottish Duke of Warnick, Alec Stuart hates everything about London and its aristocracy, the same aristocracy that looked down on his when he was younger and caters to him now that he’s a Duke. He’s especially annoyed to find out he has a ward and has to go into the dreaded city to fix her reputation. But Lily turns out to be so much different than he expected and he finds himself unable to resist being around her and growing feelings for her. But he knows that she’s in a different league in him, not just in looks, but that she also deserves someone who will love and cherish her like she deserves, because that man can’t be him.

More. He’d thought he’d known what wanting felt like. What longing meant. And then he’d met Lillian Hargrove, and he’d realized the truth—that everything for which he’d ever hungered was nothing compared to her. There was nothing he would not pay. Nothing he would not do for another taste of her.
And that he was unworthy of her.

I really enjoyed the banter between Lily and Alec! I have to say it might be my favorite part of this book. To say these two don’t get along would be an understatement, which makes for some entertaining conversations between them. Plus, the underlying chemistry they have made the banter all the more fun. What did annoy me, though, was the back-and-forth between Alec’s feelings for Lily. He kept saying he didn’t deserve her but would take her for his own anyway, would go hot and cold so often it was a little frustrating. This ended up making the romance a little slower than I would’ve liked, but I could definitely feel the angst and emotional upheaval the characters were feeling themselves.

“I am yours, my love, body and soul. When I am old, I do not wish to think of you. I wish to be with you. I wish to love you.”

Despite the annoyances, Lily and Alec’s story was touching, romantic, and their love was definitely hard-earned. It had similar vibes to The Rogue Not Taken, so if you enjoyed that story, you will most likely enjoy this one too! Right now, I’m dying for the next Scandal & Scoundrel book – I love a good second chance romance, and The Day of the Duchess seems like there will be plenty of groveling too. I’m really hoping Sarah MacLean doesn’t disappoint (not that she ever does)!

lacey

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

Reading Order: Scandal & Scoundrel series

#1 ~ The Rogue Not Taken: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ A Scot in the Dark: Ebook • Paperback • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Day of the Duchess: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 27, 2017)

The Scandal & Scoundrel series is a spinoff of The Rules of Scoundrels series. You don’t have to read The Rules of Scoundrels prior to Scandal & Scoundrel, but I highly recommend the series! Here is the reading order if you’d like to start it:

Reading Order: The Rules of Scoundrels series

#1 ~ A Rogue by Any Other Name: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ One Good Earl Deserves a Lover: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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16Aug2016

Release Day Review: Sugar Rush by Sawyer Bennett

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Sugar Rush by Sawyer Bennett
Series: Sugar Bowl #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 16th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In the steamy and suspenseful sequel to Sugar Daddy (“A totally gripping take on romance and revenge!”—Lauren Blakely), a heartbreaking rift threatens to unravel a dangerous alliance . . . and a fragile new love.

After posing as an escort for the Sugar Bowl online dating service, Sela Halstead is looking for one thing: payback. She’s closing in on the site’s heartless founder, Jonathon Townsend, and she needs Beckett North, Townsend’s business partner and her lover, by her side. She’d thought that their intimate nights together had forged an unbreakable bond, but after a shocking betrayal, Sela begins to doubt the brilliant bad boy. When push comes to shove, can she trust Beck to do the right thing?

Now that he understands the truth, Beck will stop at nothing to secure the reckoning Sela deserves. But between his desire for her and his disgust for JT, Beck doesn’t exactly have a lot of control over his emotional state. Left with no other choice, he must summon all his discipline to maintain JT’s trust and pretend that they’re still friends. But how far will Beck go to prove his loyalty to Sela? He nearly lost her once. To keep her, Beck might have to kill for her.

Note: Sugar Rush ends on a cliffhanger. Sela and Beck’s story concludes in Sugar Free!

Sugar Rush is a fantastic follow-up to Sugar Daddy! To say I had high expectations would be an understatement – the cliffhanger ending in Sugar Daddy nearly killed me, so Sugar Rush became one of my top anticipated reads, and thankfully Sawyer Bennett didn’t disappoint. I’m so happy with the way things were handled in this book. If you enjoyed the first Sugar Bowl book, make sure to get your hands on this sequel – you need to continue on with Sela and Beck’s story!

I’m not going to spoil anything from the first book in case you haven’t read it yet, but at the end of Sugar Daddy, Beck knows he’s effed up. He’s got a ton to make up for – and while I would’ve loved a little more groveling than we got, I liked the way the author resolved this conflict. It’s not gratuitously dramatic and it’s handled with maturity and of course, love.

“I intend to spoil you, Sela,” he murmurs. “I want to give you the world.”

Sela continues to want revenge against the man who raped her, but her love for Beck is making her reconsider her plans by leaving her past in the past and moving on with the man of her dreams. JT is as vile and disgusting as ever though – Sawyer Bennett has really written a great antagonist in him.

The pacing is pretty slow, but I was still hooked on the pages and dying to see what would happen at the end. And of course, there’s another cliffhanger that has you salivating for the third and final book (which I’ve actually already read… 😉 ) I have to admit, I liked this sequel even more than I did the first – Sugar Rush is an intense, emotional, and suspenseful follow-up to Sela and Beck’s addicting story. If you love Sawyer Bennett, this is definitely a series you need to try out!

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

Reading Order: Sugar Bowl series

#1 ~ Sugar Daddy: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Sugar Rush: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Sugar Free: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Oct. 11, 2016)

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3Aug2016

ARC Review: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: August 2nd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all-too-human characters, It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

“Life is a funny thing. We only get so many years to live if, so we have to do everything we can to make sure those years are as full as they can be. We shouldn’t waste time on things that might happen someday, or maybe even never.”

It Ends with Us is probably Colleen Hoover’s most important book to date. It’s got such a powerful message within its pages – one everyone needs to hear. I’m keeping this review short and sweet, but I do want to stress that the theme of this novel deals with a heavy subject that may be a trigger to some people. That being said, I would still definitely recommend this book to everyone because the meaning behind the story is such an important one. This isn’t your typical love story – it’s so much more than that. I wouldn’t even say this is a romance at all – it’s just about love. It’s about all kinds of relationships and love and the loss of both. I really don’t have the words to describe this book justice – just read it for yourself!

Imagine all the people you meet in your life. There are so many. They come in like waves, trickling in and out with the tide. Some waves are much bigger and make more of an impact than others. Sometimes the waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those things tossed onto the shore. Imprints against the grains of sand that prove the waves had once been there, long after the tide recedes.

The first half of the book, I’ll admit, bored me to tears. I didn’t connect with the main characters (the only ones I liked were two of the secondary characters) and I wasn’t that into their blooming romance. But literally right at the halfway mark was when things EXPLODED, emotionally and psychologically. I could sort of see it coming, but the impact of it was something I couldn’t have predicted. The second half of the book left me raw and aching – I’d give this section of the book 5 stars alone. It was incredibly written and told, despite the delicate topic. Colleen Hoover’s writing seems to get better and better with each new release, and you can see that so clearly in It Ends with Us.

Did I love this book? Yes and no. I really don’t know how I feel about this – but I will say that I’d still highly recommend everyone read it. It Ends with Us is not a book to be missed – it’s like nothing CoHo has has written before, but it’s still got her kind of heart and humor that’s present in all her books. And if you’re worried about the slow pacing of the first half, just keep reading like I did! I promise, the end of the book will be so worth it (though a tear or two might be shed!).

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

Also by Colleen Hoover

Slammed: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Hopeless: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Maybe Someday: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Ugly Love: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Confess: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
November 9: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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2Aug2016

Review: Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Shirley

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally
Series: Hundred Oaks #7 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

There are no mistakes in love.

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor’s always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that’s what is expected of a senator’s daughter. But one impulsive decision—one lie to cover for her boyfriend—and Taylor’s kicked out of private school. Everything she’s worked so hard for is gone, and now she’s starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor’s escape from the pressures of school and family, but it’s hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. Taylor’s had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it’s hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

Can I first just say that I am a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally and it’s always inevitable that I end up falling in love with the main male character. Defending Taylor was no different, although the beginning was a bit too slow for my taste. However, the book was definitely nostalgic for me since it took place during the heroine’s senior year of high school as she goes through the process of applying to college.

Taylor is the perfect well-rounded student that all colleges want. She has straight A’s, is the captain of the soccer team, and is the daughter of a politician. Then she messes up and gets expelled. With her dad running a campaign at the same time, news of her expulsion makes a huge impact on his career. Already feeling guilty, Taylor doesn’t want to tell her parents the real cause of her expulsion. In comes Ezra, a total heartthrob, her childhood crush, and also her brother’s best friend, who helps her put her own life and decisions into perspective.

I’m a sucker for books like these, where the main character goes through a period of self-discovery and has no idea what she wants in life because HELLO *points at self*. I loved following Taylor through this journey of hers and literally reading about how she grows and accepts who she really is. When she discovers what she’s passionate about and what she actually wants to major in, I was there screaming “YESSS GIRL.” I had flashbacks of when I was applying to college… although I haven’t figured out the whole “what I want to do in life” part yet.

To be quite honest, I wanted to read this book because it seemed light and fun (like most of Kenneally’s books), so I didn’t think that I would actually learn so much about passion and self-love. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s going through something similar or if you’re just looking for a light read for the summer.

Reading Order: Hundred Oaks series

#1 ~ Catching Jordan: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stealing Parker: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Things I Can’t Forget: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Racing Savannah: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Breathe, Annie, Breathe: Lacey’s Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Jesse’s Girl: Lacey’s Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#7 ~ Defending Taylor: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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2Aug2016

ARC Review: Worked Up by Tessa Bailey

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Worked Up by Tessa Bailey
Series: Made in Jersey #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 1st 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Factory mechanic Duke Crawford just wants to watch SportsCenter in peace. Unfortunately, living with four divorcee sisters doesn’t provide much silence, nor does it change his stance on relationships. But when a fellow commitment-phobe stumbles into his life, getting him good and worked up, he can’t deny his protective instincts.

Samantha Waverly’s brother just put her in an impossible situation. The only way out? Marry huge, gruff, gladiator look-alike Duke—for show, of course. She doesn’t make promises—she knows too well how easily they can be broken—and this is no exception.

As the blistering attraction between them grows, the lines around the no-strings relationship blur. But Duke and Samantha’s marriage is only for show…or is it?

Does Tessa Bailey ever disappoint!? Since Worked Up is another fabulous read from her, that would be a resounding no. Tessa is the queen of dirty talk and alpha males, but this time she’s introduced us to the Pouty Man Bear (PMB) known as Duke Crawford. He’s big, burly, hairy, sexy, and likes to keep to himself… that is, until Samantha Waverly enters his life. I loved seeing this giant of a man turn to mush for a woman – and his dirty mouth was a plus too. If you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey, I don’t need to tell you to read this, because you probably will, but for those who haven’t experience the wonder that is a TB book, Worked Up will seriously get you worked. up.

Duke has no time for women when he’s got his four divorced sisters living in his home. He’s committed to being single for life, but when Samantha walks into the same bar he’s at, he suddenly can’t seem to focus on SportsCenter or his beer anymore. He feels the strange urge to protect her, to be around her more, but she’s a fellow commitment-phobe herself. Can the two of them ever have a relationship when neither of them imagined ever being in one?

“I see you, sweetheart. Now see the only man who’s going to give you everything in return.”

Samantha is utterly adorable, quirky, and awkward. She can’t help but make the corniest jokes and puns every time she opens her mouth, but luckily Duke likes that about her. She’s hilarious and endearing… and she’s got a problem only Duke can fix. Will Sam be able to keep her heart out of the equation when they’re forced in close proximity, or will this sexy PMB be able to change her stance on relationships?

“I was your warrior our first night, wasn’t I, Sam?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I’m going to be for the rest of my life. For you. Until you’re sure of me, I’ll go to battle and win my woman.”

Worked Up was so much FUN to read. The sweet, funny moments between Sam and Duke stole my heart and had me smiling like crazy. The chemistry between them had me on fire (obviously, it’s Tessa Bailey). Tessa’s dirty talk seems to only get dirtier and better (or is that the same thing?) with each book – I can’t even imagine what she’ll come up with in future books. Duke and Sam were a total win in this book – but what I’m excited for now is the next Made in Jersey, which will be Tessa’s first M/M romance. I can’t WAIT to get my hands on it!

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

Reading Order: Made in Jersey series

#1 ~ Crashed Out: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Rough Rhythm: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Thrown Down: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Worked Up: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Wound Tight: Goodreads (Dec. 5, 2016)

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Tag Archives: 4 hearts

ARC Review: A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean

Reading Order: Scandal & Scoundrel series

Reading Order: The Rules of Scoundrels series

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