Release Day Review: The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson #9 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 12th 2016
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In a small village in New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she’s more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around.

But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn’t help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she’s lost. That will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way.

The Charley Davidson series is one of my all-time favorite paranormal/urban fantasy series. I know every time I pick up a book from the series, I’m guaranteed laugh-out-loud humor from our dear heroine Charley, some hot sexiness from her now-husband Reyes, and a well-written mystery from Darynda Jones. I adored this latest installment to the series – it picks up right where Eighth Grave After Dark left off, with Charley having lost her memory and is now living as Janey Doerr (because Jane Doe is so overrated).

The latest books in the series have all been fast-paced and densely plot-filled, so the reprieve that The Dirt on Ninth Grave gives from all the craziness is a nice change. We get to rediscover Charley and the rest of the gang all over again, now that she has amnesia. But even though Charley has no idea who she is, the essence of her is still the exact same – she’s still the same hilarious, sassy, troublemaker heroine I’ve loved since the very start of the series.

What I loved most about this book is that we get to fall in love with Reyes alongside Charley all over again. Only this time, we know so much more about him, so every action he makes in The Dirt on Ninth Grave is so clearly filled with love. He is definitely the most romantic he’s ever been in the series, and I couldn’t help but swoon like crazy because of the love and utter devotion he has for Charley, amnesia or not.

His gaze rested on my mouth before making its way to my eyes again.
“You could ask for the world, and then where would civilization be when I conquered it and laid it at your feet?”

Even though the over-arcing plot has slowed down, that doesn’t mean that nothing happens in this book. Charley is a magnet for trouble and there are plenty of mysteries, ghost-filled and not, surrounding her. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Charley and her fun-filled craziness. She is a one-of-a-kind heroine and definitely the funniest I’ve ever read. If you’re a fan the series, The Dirt on Ninth Grave won’t be quite what you expect, but if you love and trust in Charley, you’ll no doubt enjoy this book as much as I did, if not more.

“I’ve loved her for centuries,” he said. “And I will love her until the stars burn out.”

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

Reading Order: Charley Davidson series

#1 ~ First Grave on the Right: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Second Grave on the Left: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Third Grave Dead Ahead: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Fifth Grave Past the Light: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Sixth Grave on the Edge: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ Seventh Grave and No Body: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8 ~ Eighth Grave After Dark: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8.5 ~ Brighter Than the Sun: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads (Reyes’ POV novella)
#9 ~ The Dirt on Ninth Grave: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#10 ~ The Curse of Tenth Grave: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#11 ~ Eleventh Grave in Moonlight: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads (Jan. 24, 2017)

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7Jan2016

Blog Tour + Review & Giveaway: Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer

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

Click the banner to follow the tour.

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer!

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: December 29th 2015

On his own

Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect.

Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.

The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.

Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden…

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Google Play

I’m a huge fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, so I was excited at the thought of reading a new book of hers! Thicker Than Water is a little different than the Elemental series, since it reads like a contemporary book right until near the end. It’s a fantastic, well-written story with relatable characters and a suspenseful mystery surrounding them. I really enjoyed this new book of Brigid Kemmerer’s and I’m hoping there will be more!

Thomas Bellweather and his newlywed mother have only moved to a new town for a short while before Thomas’s mother ends up murdered… and everyone thinks Thomas did it. Even at his mother’s funeral, there are glares and accusing looks at Thomas, especially from the police. It seems like everyone’s out against him, all but Charlotte Rooker, who he meets at the funeral. She doesn’t seem to suspect him like everyone else, but with her three cop brothers, Thomas needs to stay away from her, no matter how pretty and relatable she seems to be.

I felt so bad for Thomas – my heart went out to him from the very first page. Not only is he devastated over his mother’s death, the only family member he had, but he’s also accused of her murder. He just can’t catch a break, and the only time he feels calm is with Charlotte, but even she brings trouble with her overprotective cop family. I really liked Thomas’s character (Brigid Kemmerer writes the male POV SO well) but Charlotte took me a while to warm up to. I didn’t like how her family kind of walked all over her and she didn’t really do anything about it. She does grow to have a spine, so I eventually grew to like her more.

The mystery in this book was so well-written! I had no idea what to expect, and the plot was unpredictable. You can really feel the suspense in this novel as Thomas and Charlotte find clues and information regarding the murder. There was also a little romance in the book, but the main focus was definitely the mystery.

Thicker Than Water is written in both Thomas and Charlotte’s POV, and I have to say again, the author’s writing is fantastic. It’s compelling and the way she writes her characters makes them feel authentic and understandable to the reader. I would definitely recommend this for the writing, and if you’re a fan of Brigid Kemmerer, you don’t want to miss this new release. Now I’m very much hoping for a sequel, because the ending left me curious for more!

Brigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)

Brigid writes anywhere she can find a place to sit down (and she’s embarrassed to say a great many pages of The Elemental Series were written while sitting on the floor in the basement of a hotel while she was attending a writers’ conference). Most writers enjoy peace and quiet while writing, but Brigid prefers pandemonium. A good thing, considering she has three boys in the house, ranging in age from an infant to a teenager.

While writing STORM, it’s ironic to note that Brigid’s personal life was plagued by water problems: her basement flooded three times, her roof leaked, her kitchen faucet broke, causing the cabinet underneath to be destroyed by water, the wall in her son’s room had to be torn down because water had crept into the wall, and her bedroom wall recently developed a minor leak. Considering SPARK, book 2 in the series, is about the brother who controls fire, Brigid is currently making sure all the smoke detectors in her house have batteries.

Brigid loves hearing from people, and she probably won’t refer to herself in the third person like this if you actually correspond with her. She has a smartphone surgically attached to her person nearby at all times, and email is the best way to reach her. Her email address is brigidmary@gmail.com.

Website • Goodreads • Twitter • Facebook

2 – copies of Thicker Than Water (US/CAN)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

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6Jan2016

Release Day Review: Big Rock by Lauren Blakely

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Big Rock by Lauren Blakely
Series: Big Rock Standalone (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 6th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

It’s not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It’s definitely the SIZE of the boat too.

And I’ve got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c&$k.

You might think I’m an as%*$le. I sound like one, don’t I? I’m hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse.

Guess what? You haven’t heard my story before. Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind.

The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels. So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock.

And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets.

But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.

What the hell have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?

This was the sweetest book ever! I was hoping to get something better than a typical manwhore hero story, and Lauren Blakely certainly delivered. This is actually the first book I’ve read by her, but it won’t be my last. I adored this romantic comedy of a book – if you’re looking for something light, quick, sexy, and sweet, I highly recommend Big Rock.

I love, love, looove friends to lovers romances, so I just couldn’t resist reading Big Rock. I was a little hesitant about Spencer being a manwhore, but his character got rid of my doubts quickly and I absolutely loved him from the start. Even as he has his fun with women, he respects them and treats them well. But the number of women he’s slept with is getting him into trouble for the first time – so what does he do? Pretends he’s engaged to his best friend and business partner, Charlotte.

Spencer and Charlotte have never crossed the friendship line, but with this fake engagement, the chemistry between them skyrockets until all Spencer can see is Charlotte. This gorgeous, funny, incredible woman has been right under his nose the whole time, and now Spencer can’t help but want more between them.

My heart trips over itself in a race to get closer to her.
Something is happening. Something strange and completely foreign. My heart is speaking a language I don’t understand as it tries to fling itself at Charlotte.
Great. Now, that’s two organs I have to do battle with every day.

This is the perfect light-hearted read if you’re in the mood for it. Big Rock is written entirely in Spencer’s POV, which I loved. He’s so funny and charming, you can’t help but love him. Charlotte is perfect with him – you can tell that even when they’re faking an engagement, the two of them are meant to be together for real. Their romance was a delight to read and I highly recommend it for romcom lovers!

I’ve broken the biggest ground rule of all.
I’ve fallen in love with my best friend.

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

Reading Order: Big Rock series

Each book can be read as a standalone.

#1 ~ Big Rock: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Mister O: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Well Hung: Goodreads (Sept. 12, 2016)
#4 ~ Full Package: Goodreads (May 23, 2017)

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5Jan2016

Release Day Review + Giveaway: An Ounce of Hope by Sophie Jackson

Posted in 4 hearts, Giveaways, Reviews by Lacey

An Ounce of Hope by Sophie Jackson
Series: A Pound of Flesh #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From the fanfic phenom whose debut A Pound of Flesh had over 4.5 million reads, this sequel, An Ounce of Hope, tells the passionate love story of Carter’s best friend, Max.

Max O’Hare can’t seem to let go of his past: his drug habit, the end of his relationship with Lizzie Jordan, the woman he knows he’ll never get over, and the loss of their unborn son.

After successfully completing rehab and learning to explore his deepest fears and dreams through painting, Max meets Grace Brooks. With her innate optimism, and her love of art and photography, Grace appears to be the perfect girl. Yet no one knows where she came from, or why she keeps her past so closely guarded. Over time, Max and Grace gradually allow each other in—but will he ever be able to fully let go of his past? Or will his heart remain closed forever?

I absolutely loved Sophie Jackson’s A Pound of Flesh last year (my review here), so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on more of the series! An Ounce of Hope is Max’s story, Carter’s best friend and a cocaine addict. I wasn’t particularly a fan of his in APoF, but I found myself rooting for him and hurting for him so much in his book. An Ounce of Hope is an intense, emotional romance between two broken people as they struggle to heal and build a new life for themselves. It was a little slow at times, but overall, it’s another stunning read from Sophie Jackson.

“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
Max shook his head fervently. “I’d rather not know—”
“I see a man who wants so much to be better, who regrets the decisions he made, who wants to make amends and move on with his life. I see a man terrified to take a chance, to trust, but desperate to do so. I see a man who’s fractured, but trying, I see hope.”

The death of his unborn baby and loss of his fiancé had Max spiraling down into a dangerous coke addiction, but with the help of his best friend, Max is finally entering rehab and on the way to recovery. And with his therapist and art, Max has found a way to curb his addiction and rebuild his life once more. His heart is still broken over Lizzie, but when he meets Grace after leaving rehab, she seems to breathe life into him, even if he won’t allow himself to go through such heartbreak again.

Grace had an abusive ex-husband who left her physically and emotionally scarred. She’s terrified of men, unsure of so many things in her life, but the one exception seems to be Max. With Max, Grace can open up her bruised heart and see herself creating a new, better life for herself. The two of them become close friends, but when their relationship crosses over into something sexual, feelings start to develop – but can Max reciprocate them and be the kind of man Grace needs?

An Ounce of Hope is an emotionally exhausting story. It’s a tough journey for both Max and Grace, but you have high hopes for the both of them, because these are the kind of characters who deserve something good in their lives. They’ve been through such difficult times, but they come out of it even stronger. I really enjoyed their romance – it wasn’t easy to read, and sometimes it dragged it bit, but Sophie Jackson has woven a fantastic story about loss, healing, and recovery that I really recommend.

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

Reading Order: A Pound of Flesh series

#1 ~ A Pound of Flesh: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Love and Always: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ An Ounce of Hope: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Fate and Forever: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ A Measure of Love: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 21, 2016)

Paperback of An Ounce of Hope (US ONLY)

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5Jan2016

Release Day Review: Never Tear Us Apart by Monica Murphy

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Never Tear Us Apart by Monica Murphy
Series: Never Tear Us Apart #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Perfect for readers of Colleen Hoover, Jay Crownover, and K. A. Tucker, the first novel in this darkly sexy contemporary series from bestselling author Monica Murphy kicks off an emotionally powerful two-part tale of forbidden love.

Crazy how eight years can disappear in an instant. One look at Katie Watts, and I’m a fifteen-year-old again–the one who risked everything to save a terrified girl from her twisted kidnapper. She’s grown-up now–beautiful, quiet, composed–and telling her story to the world. A story that involves me in more ways than you can imagine. She used to call me her guardian angel. Sure, I risked my life, but she was worth dying for.

I need to make contact with her. Just to ensure that she’s safe.

Somehow we reconnect. We become friends . . . but I want more. I want to make her mine. And she wants me too. Does she know who I am? Has she figured me out? Not yet. But she will. In the meantime, I need to make sure that whatever hold that animal had on her is gone.

So, yeah, I’m stealing these moments with her. Savoring them. Knowing, dreading, that she’ll soon find out who I really am. And everything will fall apart. All because of that twisted, perverted monster sitting on death row. Her kidnapper. A convicted serial killer.

My father.

Oh. My. God. What an emotional read! This story is one of the most intriguing I’ve ever read, and it’s nothing like what Monica Murphy has previously written. It’s intense. Gritty. Raw. Captivating. Heartbreaking. It’s a story of innocence lost and hearts reconnecting. I’m pretty stunned at what Monica Murphy has created in Katie and Ethan’s story – this might be my favorite book of hers yet.

But I’m none of those things. Confident. Strong. Carefree. Those words belong to the old me. Once innocence is lost, you can never get it back. That’s my problem. I lost my innocence at the age of twelve, far too early. And the man who stole it from me will haunt me forever.

Eight years ago, when Katie Watts was twelve, she was kidnapped and raped by a serial killer. She’s a survivor, but for the past eight years, she’s lived in silence, a shell of herself, but no longer. Now, hoping to free herself of her past, she’s ready to tell her story of her abduction, and of the boy who saved her – her hero, her guardian angel… her kidnapper/rapist’s son.

Will Monroe, now Ethan Williams, has never forgotten the girl he saved. She haunts his dreams as his father haunts his nightmares, and now that Ethan has found Katie again, he can’t walk away from her a second time. The powerful connection that existed when they met all those years ago has never truly gone away, and Ethan is now compelled to be there for Katie, to be her hero and savior once more. The only problem is that when Ethan enters Katie’s life again, he doesn’t tell her the truth of who he is and hides behind his Ethan persona. So what happens when past is dying to be free and Ethan can’t hide who he is anymore?

I wanted her, body and soul, as much a part of me as breathing.

If you’re worried about how Monica Murphy portrays Katie’s kidnapping and rape, don’t be. The author does not romanticize what happens to Katie. She doesn’t write it in some gentler light, but neither does she go into all the details, all of which I appreciated.

Never Tear Us Apart is brilliantly written, told in Katie and Ethan’s past and present POVs. Monica Murphy had me feeling like I was experiencing every heart-wrenching feeling right alongside these characters. What was interesting to me was that the past wasn’t told in a consecutive timeline, and instead jumped around a bit, which threw me off sometimes. Ethan did weird me out in the beginning when he got a little too intense with his feelings for Katie, but otherwise, I was hooked onto this unputdownable story. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s different, and if you’re looking for something intriguing and unique, I highly recommend this book. Be forewarned though, this is a two-book series, so Never Tear Us Apart does end in a cliffhanger, but the cliffie is definitely worth the read.

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

Reading Order: Never Tear Us Apart series

#1 ~ Never Year Us Apart: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Never Let Me Go: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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