Blog Tour + ARC Review: Losers Weepers by Nicole Williams

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

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Losers Weepers by Nicole Williams
Series: Lost and Found #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 24th 2015

If we didn’t know darkness, we couldn’t fully appreciate the light.

Garth Black’s more familiar with this concept than most people are. He hadn’t just lived in the dark for the majority of his life—he thrived in it. With a mom who’d bailed on him and a dad whose understanding of coddling started and ended with a bottle of whiskey, Garth had never been expected to rise to any sort of occasion other than following down the same dead-end paths.

That changed when he fell in love with Josie Gibson. After years of pulling each other closer before shoving the other way, they finally stopped shoving. Josie’s love is like nothing Garth’s ever experienced. He holds it close. He holds it sacred. He would do anything to preserve it and keep it from pollution, even if that means removing himself from the picture.

Garth might have been allowed a temporary furlough to bask in the light, but that pass has been revoked, and he’s been swallowed again by the dark. Will he revert to his old ways of hurting those he cares for most? Will he go back to the same destructive patterns . . . or will it be worse this time?

We can’t know light without first knowing dark . . . and Garth Black’s about to get acquainted with the dark in a whole new way.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes

Oh, how I’ve missed Garth and Josie, Jesse and Rowen!! I freaking adored the cast of characters from Nicole Williams’ Lost and Found series, and I am SO happy we’re getting more books from BOTH couples! Losers Weepers is Garth and Josie’s second book, and it was an utter joy to read. This book is full of Nicole Williams’ classic heart and humor – fans of the Lost and Found series definitely shouldn’t miss this!

“I get more things wrong than I get right, but there’s one thing I’m really damn good at, and that’s loving you.”

Garth Black!!!! I’ve miss you and your sardonic, sexy, cowboy self. In the previous books, Garth used to be very pessimistic and just plain angry at the world, but ever since falling in love with Josie Gibson and having her fall in love with him back? He feels like the happiest and luckiest guy in the world. Sure, he’s still got his asshole moments, but for the most part, you can’t help but love him and his sarcasm and dry-humor.

At the start of Losers Weepers, Garth is at the top of world – he’s got the love of his life and he’s at the height of his bull-riding career. But what happens when a terrifying accident threatens to take all that away?

My whole life, everything I’d been and everything I’ve wanted to become, was spiraling away from me. Fragments of the man I’d been and the man I’d wanted to become were gusting out of reach. My life as I’d known it was over. My life as I’d hoped it would be would never come to fruition.

I could feel the devastation and hopelessness Garth faces with because of his accident – it’s difficult to come to grips with what happened and he reverts to his old ways of hurting and pushing away the ones he loves most. Josie, Jesse, and Rowen are all there for him, they all want to be there for him, but Garth is stubborn and tries to refuse their help. Luckily, his girlfriend and friends are just as stubborn as he is and won’t let Garth fall back into his darkness.

I loved seeing Jesse and Rowen again! They have plenty of scenes in Losers Weepers, which I was so happy about! Jesse and Rowen stick by Garth no matter how much of a jerk he is, and they’re the type of friends who aren’t afraid to tell him to his face how much of a jerk he’s being. They also have their own little storyline within the book that I’m sure will be continuing and expanding in their next book!

Garth was pretty frustrating in this book. I get why he wanted to push people, namely Josie, away, but sometimes it did get tedious while I was reading. What made up for it was how tough and stubborn Josie was, never giving up on Garth. It’s so clear that she never stops loving him, and she won’t ever stop loving him no matter what he can or can’t do, and it takes a while for Garth to see this. But when he does, my heart was just bursting from happiness!

Neither space, time, nor situation would change that there was only one person in this godforsaken world for me. I could push her away and shove her away in my best attempts to save her from me, but nothing could change that Josie and I were bound to each other in such a way that nothing could sever the bond.

Losers Weepers is another deeply emotional, heartwarming read from Nicole Williams. If you haven’t started this series, I highly recommend it! It’s well-written with unforgettable characters – definitely a must read series!

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

Reading Order: Lost and Found series

#1 ~ Lost and Found: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Near and Far: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Finders Keepers: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Losers Weepers: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Heart and Soul: Goodreads (June 16, 2015)

I’m the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the CRASH series (HarperTeen, S&S UK), LOST & FOUND series, UP IN FLAMES (S&S UK), The EDEN TRILOGY, and a handful of others. I write stories about everyday kinds of people who find themselves in extraordinary kinds of situations. I tell love stories with happy endings because I believe in making the world a better place, and that’s one tiny way I can make it so. I’m one of those people who still believe in true love and soul mates, and would rather keep my head in the clouds any day over having my feet firmly on the ground.

Blog • Twitter • Facebook

24Feb2015

Release Day Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy…

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

I am so IN LOOOOVE with this book!!!! Seriously, I don’t know how some authors do it – I so do NOT relate to sports and athletes, and yet I keep falling in love with these sports romances, with these athlete heroes! Gah, this book. The Deal was perfection – it had me smiling and giggling so hard, my heart was just bursting from reading this book. It’s a pure, feel-good, heartwarming read that I think everyone will enjoy!

Hannah Wells has a crush. Buuut, that crush never seems to notice her. Enter Garrett Graham. He’s the star hockey player at their college, but he may no longer be able to play unless he improves his GPA. Lucky for him that Hannah is acing the class he’s failing in. So Garrett proposes a deal – if Hannah agrees to tutor Garrett, he’ll go out with her to improve her social status and make her crush, Justin, jealous.

Hannah shoots down this deal, hard. And what ensues is a hilarious, heartwarming game where Garrett tries to persuade Hannah to give their deal a chance. Garrett is annoying, in that cute, adorable way, as he is unrelenting in making Hannah cave. After some funny texts (and maybe some naughty ones), and getting to know each other better, Hannah finally agrees to their deal – but neither Hannah nor Garrett expected to find something more, something beautiful, deep, and profound with each other.

I never expected her. Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them. How you went about your day and hung out with your friends and fucked other people without having this one important person in your life.

From the get-go, I adored Hannah and Garrett. The Deal is told in dual POV, and both Hannah and Garrett are hilarious! They’re so easy to relate to, even though they’re vastly different characters. Hannah is shy and likes to keep to herself, while Garrett is the outgoing, sexy manwhore everybody loves. Both have their own painful pasts, which add more depth to their characters. I loved the way Hannah never let her past bring her down, and how she makes Garrett see the same. I loved them, I truly did.

Living well and being happy is how we get over the shit in our past.

The thing about this book is that even though these characters appear formulaic and nothing new on the surface, Elle Kennedy brings them to life, putting a spark in both Hannah and Garrett that made them shine to me. On the outside, they’re typical new adult main characters, but when you read this book, you see the gems in their characters through their thoughts, words, and actions. The blurb makes The Deal sound like any other typical new adult book, but it’s not. It’s well-written with exceptional characters who will grow in your heart. I was wholeheartedly charmed by this book – I loved it!

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

Reading Order: Off-Campus series

#1 ~ The Deal: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Mistake: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Score: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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23Feb2015

Early Review: Soulbound by Kristen Callihan

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Soulbound by Kristen Callihan
Series: Darkest London #6 (full reading order below)
Release Date: February 24th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Once two souls are joined . . .
When Adam’s soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled-and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone . . .

Their hearts will beat together forever
No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn’t stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted-by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam’s kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken . . .

Oh how I adored Adam and Eliza. I was highly anticipating their story after having read Evernight –everything about these two characters was just so intriguing! Adam, the seven-hundred-year-old “father” of the GIMs, has found his soul mate, the one person in the world who can end his curse. But Eliza, this fierce, stubborn woman, is not about to be chained to him or anyone else, so she rejects and escapes from Adam, essentially dooming him to his curse.

I love the Darkest London series – it’s well-written and fleshed-out, and it’s so easy to get sucked into the world and the characters. Soulbound is the sixth book in the series, and Kristen Callihan has yet to let me down. Soulbound is a fast-paced, intense, sensual book that fans of the series do not want to miss! This book will make you laugh, fall in love with the characters, and tug at your heartstrings. I enjoyed it so much!

Though Eliza and Adam are soul mates, they don’t exactly LIKE each other (not at first, anyway). But they do NEED each other. Adam needs Eliza to end his curse, and Eliza needs Adam to protect her from her dangerous fae relatives. So together they manage a deal – Adam will help protect Eliza in exchange for three weeks in which Adam has the opportunity to make Eliza fall in love with him and therefore end his curse.

I LOVE witty, tough heroines, and Eliza is definitely one. I adored her sarcasm, but what I really admired was the strength within her. Her freedom is the most important thing to her and she’ll do anything to keep it. She doesn’t believe she and Adam are soul mates and doesn’t want to be chained to him again, but what if falling for him isn’t being chained at all?

Adam stole my heart in this book. He’s all male and sensuality, but he has vulnerabilities that made him all the more endearing. He’ll do anything to make Eliza fall for him, and it doesn’t hurt that there’s an intense chemistry already between them.

“Trust, Eliza?”
She nodded, and he took a step closer. Beneath thick, straight brows his gaze burned. “In truth, I want you so badly, the mere thought of you is a hand around my cock.”

Hot!!!

“Whether you believe in soul mates or not, I think of you as my other half. The better half. And I am not whole unless I am with you.”

And sweet!!! Adam says the sweetest, most romantic things. Be still, my heart!

I’m such a fan of the way Kristen Callihan writes, because she balances the romance and action in Soulbound so well (though I wish there was a bit more romance at the end, because I’m a romantic sap). It’s not my favorite of the series (that’s a toss-up between Shadowdance and Evernight), but it’s still a highly entertaining read that had me hooked from start to finish. If you’ve been looking forward to Adam and Eliza’s book, you won’t be disappointed.

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

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: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ Forevermore: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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23Feb2015

Release Day Review: By Any Other Name by J.M. Darhower

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

By Any Other Name by J.M. Darhower
Series: Forbidden #1
Publication Date: February 23rd 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

A deadly rivalry.
Two families at war.
Nobody is safe, not even the innocent.
Especially the innocent.
Blood will be spilled.

Genevieve “Genna” Galante knows a thing or two about causing trouble. After all, it’s engrained in her DNA. As the only daughter of Primo Galante, notorious boss of the Galante crime family, her life is dictated by a certain set of rules… rules Genna was never very good at following.

Matteo “Matty” Barsanti never wanted anything to do with the family business, but as the first-born Barsanti son, certain things are expected of him. It’s his duty, according to his father, to help take down the enemy… even if that enemy means something to him.

A chance encounter on an elevator changes the course of lives, causing the biggest trouble of Genna’s young life. The only good Barsanti is a dead Barsanti. She’s heard it said time and time again. So what happens when she falls in love with one of them?

The story of star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of the biggest rivalry New York has ever seen, determined to make it… if only they can survive their parents’ feud.

It seems that every time I finish a book by J.M. Darhower, all I can feel or say is OH MY GOOOODDD!!! J.M. Darhower is one of the few authors I trust to give me a well-written, fleshed-out, and addictive mafia story, and she has yet to let me down. Her newest one, By Any Other Name, definitely lived up to my expectations. I freaking loved this book! If you haven’t read a mafia story based on Romeo and Juliet, you haven’t lived yet.

A deadly rivalry.
Two families at war.
Nobody is safe, not even the innocent.
Especially the innocent.
Blood will be spilled.

Seriously, I was nearly salivating at the thought of reading a mafia story with a forbidden love like Romeo and Juliet’s. Two rival mafia families whose children fall in love with each other? YES PLEASE!!

“The Prodigal Son and the Ice Princess, huh? Sounds like a terrible fairy tale. You know, the kind where the big bad wolf eats everybody at the end.”

The Barsantis and the Galantes are enemies. What used to be a friendship turned into a bloodthirsty rival, with too many deaths and murders between them for the two families to ever reconcile. Genna Galante’s older brother was killed by the Barsantis, so she grew up fearing and hating the Barsantis. I was very impressed by how the author was able to portray the hatred as a real, powerful thing between the families. It’s a frustrating kind of hatred that the families brought upon themselves, but, like the star-crossed main characters, I held onto the hope that the rivalry could end. But what exactly would it take to end their feud?

When Genna Galante and Matty Barsanti meet, they don’t know who they are to each other, so instead of hating each other on sight, they’re instantly attracted to one another. I didn’t connect with them very well in the beginning – they fell for each other too quickly for my taste, but I was able to forgive that as I kept reading. Their romance felt more genuine later on in the book, and my heart was aching for them once their identities were revealed. They were too deeply into each other at that point, so the only thing they could do was keep their relationship a secret.

He was a Barsanti…
…but maybe the Barsantis weren’t the enemy.

Oh, how I adored Genna and Matty. Once I got over the rough start with them, I was rooting for these star-crossed lovers to get their happy ever after. But every time it seemed like their relationship could work, their families got involved and tried to force them apart. I adored the tender way Matty and Genna were together – they make the sweetest couple ever, and it’s so obvious that these two are meant for each other. But how will they ever make their families see the same?

By Any Other Name was an unputdownable, heart-pounding read that had my on the edge of my seat! The suspense builds and builds, and this was one of the few books where I was terrified for the main characters. Genna and Matty’s love is caught in the middle of a dangerous feud, but theirs is a love that won’t go down without a fight. I grew attached to the main characters, as well as the secondary characters. The writing is impeccable and the story is seriously addicting. This is another thrilling, dangerous, romantic novel from J.M. Darhower! I cannot WAIT for the sequel!

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

17Feb2015

Release Day Review: Garrett by Sawyer Bennett

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Garrett by Sawyer Bennett
Series: Cold Fury Hockey #2 (full reading order below)
Release Date: February 17th 2015
Links: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

USA Today bestselling author Sawyer Bennett hits the ice with the story of a playboy athlete whose winning ways lead him to a beautiful woman with a lot to lose.

Carolina Cold Fury star Garrett Samuelson never wants to miss out on a single minute of fun. Whether he’s playing hockey, hanging out with friends, or walking the red carpet with a new date on his arm, he lives every day to the fullest. When he meets Olivia Case, he sees someone who’s exactly his type—confident, sexy, smart . . . his next fling. But the more he pursues her, the more Garrett shares a side of himself that other women don’t normally get to see.

Olivia has been keeping a secret. While Garrett lives for the next thrill, Olivia’s not sure she’ll live to see the next day. She’s undergoing treatment for some serious medical issues, and she doesn’t have time for a relationship with no guarantees—especially one with a hot-as-sin womanizer who won’t take no for an answer. But as she gets to know the real Garrett, Olivia can’t help falling for him . . . hard. To reveal the truth would mean risking everything—but you can’t score without taking the tough shots.

Okay, seriously… the Cold Fury Hockey series most definitely has the HOTTEST covers ever!!! I could look at them and drool all over them all day.

I love women and I love fucking them. But they take a backseat to hockey… my one true love.
Always have, always will.

I’m very picky about books with a hero who’s a manwhore, but Sawyer Bennett nails this one. Garrett was first introduced in Alex as the charming, lovable manwhore, and I was sooo looking forward to his story – and to him getting knocked on his ass when he fell in love. And oh my… when Garrett falls in love, he falls deep and hard. I adored how committed, how loving he was once he found the one woman in the world for him, who turns out to be Alex’s girlfriend’s cousin, Olivia. It’s easy to see how much Garrett cherishes Olivia… and all the more so when he finds out that Olivia might not live to see her next day.

Olivia, Sutton’s cousin, has cancer. She’s terrified that she might not live for very long. But she’s not a quitter, and she’s determined to live life to the fullest. Olivia was such a sweet, admirable heroine. Once she decided to live life to the fullest, she meant it. She tried hard not to let her illness get her down – and having the attention of a hot hunk of a guy certainly helped.

Garrett is determined to make Olivia give him – them – a chance. There’s so much chemistry between them… they are on fire together!! But what starts as a purely sexual relationship quickly turns into something more, something deeper, to Olivia’s reluctance. She doesn’t want to give Garrett hope that what they have will last, because she doesn’t know if she will last. But Garrett, who is amazing, funny, and so freaking GOOD to Olivia, makes Olivia see that what they have is worth it all.

“I love you, Olivia. I waited a long time to find this and there is nothing more important in my world than you. Don’t trivialize this. Accept it. You are it for me.”

The tender moments, sexy moments, and heartbreaking moments in Garrett all make for one highly entertaining read. I was rooting for Garrett and Olivia, who make the most adorable couple ever! Romance fans, especially sports romance fans, should definitely pick up this read!

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

Reading Order: Cold Fury Hockey series

#1 ~ Alex: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Garrett: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Zack: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Ryker: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Hawke: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Max: Ebook • Goodreads (Dec. 13, 2016)

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