Joint Review: Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Breaking the Rules Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #1.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 8th 2014
Purchase: Ebook

A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry.

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so… different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who’s never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything — except the one thing Echo’s just not ready for.

But when the source of Echo’s constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants — even as foster kid Noah’s search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah’s more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he’d be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn… seriously epic.

Oh god, OH GOD!! Katie McGarry, I truly believe there isn’t a book you could write that I wouldn’t love. I would read every single book you publish. But the fact THIS book is about Noah and Echo? I couldn’t be happier! I fell SO. HARD. for Noah and Echo when I first read Pushing the Limits. PTL is still one of my all-time FAVORITE books ever. It was the first book to make me ugly cry, and that’s saying something, because I’m the type of reader who NEVER cries. So getting another book about Noah and Echo was like a dream come true!

Breaking the Rules begins near the end of the road trip Echo and Noah took at the end of Pushing the Limits. They’ve graduated high school, Echo is selling her paintings, Noah is making money at his job, so things are different and… better. Right? Well, as much as I wished Echo and Noah a happy ever after at the end of Pushing the Limits, these two characters still have a way to go.

Noah and I are heading back home, and the nightmares I thought I was running from lurk behind every corner and coffee shop in America. In less than a month, Noah and I will start college, and I’ll have a roommate in the dorms and new classes, and a ball of dread knots in my stomach. This summer was supposed to change me, and nothing has changed.

There are new challenges that Echo and Noah need to face: Echo has been having a hard time selling her art, she still has nightmares, and Noah is afraid that he can’t be the man he wants to be to support Echo. And when the past rears its head for the both of them, their relationship gets rocky. Though there are doubts about the future, there’s no doubt that Echo and Noah love each other with everything they have. Theirs is a romance that is meant to defy anything and anyone standing in its way.

I love her. More than I thought I was capable of, and I would sacrifice my life for her happiness.

I fell in love all over again with Noah and Echo’s heartwarming romance while reading Breaking the Rules. Who knew it was even possible to love Noah even more than I already did!? Seriously, I love this boy – no, this man – to death. Noah truly becomes the man he’s meant in Breaking the Rules, and I loved that Katie McGarry got to share this with her readers.

I couldn’t get enough of Noah and Echo. I honestly could read about them forever! My heart just overflows with love for these two characters who are so near and dear to my heart.

“I’m going to spend my whole life making you happy.”
“You better.”

If you’re a fan of Pushing the Limits, then you absolutely MUST read Breaking the Rules. It was an incredible experience reading about Noah and Echo again.

Oh my goodness Katie McGarry you have done it again. This series tore me to pieces each time and I’m also officially in love with all of the male characters in the stories. Noah definitely ranks in the top of my list and after reading the one that started it all, I had no idea that McGarry would come back and make me fall in love with him all over again.

Breaking the Rules still captures the unease that Echo and Noah have between each other but also how strong their love is, despite it being fresh and new. Their unease isn’t necessarily between themselves (ALTHOUGH IT ALSO IS), but it’s more that they’re still holding onto their past and letting it affect them.

I love that Isaiah and Beth made an appearance into the book because I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. They’re so real and it provides that little secret nudge to the readers who read the rest of the series. BY THE WAY, if you guys haven’t read their stories yet…what the heck are you waiting for???!!!

And with that, I leave you the recommendation that you READ. THIS. SERIES.

Reading Order: Pushing the Limits series

#1 ~ Pushing the Limits: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.1 ~ Crossing the Line: Ebook • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Breaking the Rules: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Dare You To: Lacey’s Review • Shirley’s Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Crash into You: Lacey’s Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Take Me On: Ebook • Hardcover • Goodreads

9Dec2014

Release Day Review: Ripped by Katy Evans

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Ripped by Katy Evans
Series: Real #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 9th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Gallery Books) in exchange for an honest review

A ripped rock star with attitude. An ex-girlfriend with a reckless plan.

Pandora assumed getting her heartbroken by her bad boy ex could only happen once–until Mackenna Jones comes back to town for the biggest concert of his career. They say girls are getting pregnant just thinking about the Crack Bikini tour and it’s destined to be a huge hit.

Oh, it’ll be a hit alright–when Pandora comes out swinging. She and her friend Melanie are determined to humiliate him onstage. But when they’re caught by security and her ex is summoned, Mackenna decides not to press charges if she’ll join him on tour and follow certain conditions–rules designed to give him the upper hand and keep her in close contact with him once again. Soon, the passion they once shared is reignited, and no matter how much Pandora wants to hate him, her hard exterior starts to crack.

And worse: Mackenna knows it, too. But he hasn’t uncovered all her secrets…

Katy Evans has done it again! Ripped is another spell-binding, addicting novel in the Real series. Ever since reading Rogue (check out my review), I simply HAD to read Pandora’s story. Ripped was one of my top highly anticipated reads. I NEEDED to know who was the man to turn Pandora into such a hateful, pessimistic woman. And when I got to read her story, I was blown away! Every second of this book is riveting, intense, and oh so sexy. I loved it!

So the man who broke Pandora’s heart? His name is Mackenna Jones, and he is a rock star. No matter how much Pandora wishes to never see Mackenna again, she can’t avoid seeing his face because of his rock star fame. We slowly discover the truth to Pandora and Kenna’s story, about how they once fell in love when they were teenagers, and how they were ripped apart when Kenna left Pandora without a word.

As far as I was concerned, he was it for me, and I for him.
He was my best friend too.
My world broke when I heard he left Seattle.
He didn’t even say goodbye.
The last thing he’d said to me was that he loved me.
Now. I. Hate. Love.

Pandora is filled with bitterness and hatred. Kenna was Pandora’s first everything, and he ruined their love when he left. But Pandora can’t pass up the chance to see him when he comes back to town during his tour. Why does she want to see Kenna when she hates him? So she can throw food at him onstage. And it’s great and all – until she and her friend Melanie get taken by security and she comes face to face with Kenna for the first time in almost six years.

I absolutely loooove second chance romances, and as far as Ripped goes, it’s nearly perfect. There was the perfect amount of angst between Pandora and Kenna that I was hoping and looking for. They still want each other after all these years, but while Kenna wants to start something again, Pandora is adamant about staying away from him. Too bad that because of what happened with Melanie, Pandora is forced to go on tour along with Kenna. And being in such close proximity with him makes him that much harder to resist.

I loved that we also get Kenna’s POV in Ripped. You can easily tell how much Kenna still loves Pandora, even though he doesn’t want to. She was the one girl he had ever loved and now that she’s here, he wants her back for good.

So what if I had to tell myself she didn’t exist? For six years, it worked. But now she’s here. Like some demon–some poltergeist–reminding me of what I wanted as a teen and could never have. Reminding me what I lost. What I’d do to get it back.
Pandora.
My nightmare, my dreams, my walking, talking fantasy.
Here.

There’s an incredibly intense chemistry between Kenna and Pandora, so this book is HOT! Kenna and Pandora fall into bed with each other, but while Pandora just wants to use Kenna, Kenna wants Pandora back in his life forever. So he’ll take what he can get for the moment, but he’ll win her and her love back if it’s the last thing he does.

“I had your heart once, Pink, and it wasn’t enough. I have your body now, but it’s not enough.” He holds my face in order to force my eyes to stay on his as he demands, “I want your mind, your dreams, your hopes, your fucking soul. I want it all.”

I honestly love Katy Evan’s unique writing – it’s what makes these books so utterly riveting and enjoyable. I fell for Pandora and Kenna, these two broken characters. Their story is raw and not without pain, but just like they were meant for each other when they were younger, they’re meant for each other now. I loved that in Ripped, we get the sweet moments and funny moments to go along with the heartache. Reading Ripped had me in a roller coaster of emotions, and I loved it!

If you’re a fan of the Real series, you don’t want to miss Pandora’s story. It’s another fantastic, heartbreaking, heartwarming story from Katy Evans!

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

Reading Order: Real series

#1 ~ Real: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Mine: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Remy: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Rogue: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Ripped: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Legend: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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2Dec2014

Release Day Review: Mai Tai’d Up by Alice Clayton

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Mai Tai’d Up by Alice Clayton
Series: Cocktail #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 2nd 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Gallery Books) in exchange for an honest review

Looking for the perfect mix of smart, sexy, and sassy? Mai Tai’d Up continues New York Times bestselling author Alice Clayton’s Cocktail series, which began with Wallbanger and continued with Rusty Nailed and Screwdrivered.

The gossip mill in the seaside community of Monterey is churning about Chloe Patterson, the newcomer who is starting a sanctuary for rescued pit bulls. It’s rumored that she’s a former beauty queen (true) who ditched her fiancé the morning of their wedding (also true). And that while she’s not looking for a new man, the good-looking local veterinarian has his eye on her. Absolutely, positively true.

When Lucas Campbell isn’t at the family veterinary clinic, he’s paddle boarding in Monterey Bay. Recently single, he’s definitely not in the market for a new relationship, but he still can’t resist taking a second, third, and fourth look at the recent arrival of Miss Golden State.

Neither Lucas nor Chloe has any interest in being tied down. Being tied up, however—now there’s a thought. But are a few Mai Tais, a moonlit night, and the music of Frank Sinatra enough to allow them both to forget their past? Let’s hope Ol’ Blue Eyes knows what he’s doing.

Mix one part tiki, one part kinky, and a splash of old black magic matchmaking, and it’s time to be . . . Mai Tai’d Up.

If you like your romances with a side of funny, Alice Clayton is definitely an author to read! While Mai Tai’d Up is my least favorite of the Cocktail series, it has Alice Clayton’s classic humor as well as heart-warming characters you grow to care for. If you’re a fan of the series, you don’t want to miss this latest installment!

Chloe Patterson is a former beauty queen who ditches her own wedding. She hasn’t been happy in a while, and she knows that going through that wedding will be the worst decision of her life. She wants to find true romance and passion, so she grows some balls, packs her bags, and moves to her father’s old house in Monterey.

What I could see now was that nothing about our relationship was “Holy Mary mother of God.” It was smooth and beautiful and covered in swirls of yummy on the outside, but the inside was fat-free and full of air and nothing. And if I was going to have a life of air and nothing, I’d at least like a big fat dick to bounce on.

Chloe is hilarious! A little dirty, but a total sweetheart. I totally admired how she took charge of her life and decided to make a change. She moves to Monterey in order to work with rescue dogs, which is honestly the sweetest thing ever! And it certainly helps that the local veterinarian there is a hottie. 😉

Lucas is the hot, ginger vet who has just gotten out of his own relationship. Neither Lucas nor Chloe want to go back to being in a relationship, so a hilarious, chemistry-filled friendship blooms. And there’s some serious chemistry between them that’s hard to ignore. I really enjoyed the way Alice Clayton portrayed their changing relationship. And you know that with her books, when the main characters get together, it’s explosive!

Had it really been so long that I’d been without contact like this? Was I just skin-drunk?
Nah. I was Lucas drunk. He was the perfect cocktail.

I was a bit disappointed with the romance – I just didn’t feel a connection between Chloe and Lucas, and the romance wasn’t fleshed out well enough for me. One moment the romance would be moving too slow, and then the next, it would move too fast. What I liked were the characters individually, and so what saved this book was Chloe herself. I loved the animal shelter aspect of this book and how she built it on her own merits. And have I mentioned how adorably hilarious and sassy Chloe is? Even though the romance wasn’t all that great, Chloe was still a heroine I really enjoyed reading about.

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: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Mai Tai’d Up: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Last Call: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

2Dec2014

Release Day Review: Owning Violet by Monica Murphy

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Owning Violet by Monica Murphy
Series: The Fowler Sisters #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 2nd 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Bantam) in exchange for an honest review

New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy begins a sexy new contemporary romance series—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emma Chase—that introduces three sisters born to wealth, raised to succeed, ready to love, destined to make waves.

I’ve moved through life doing what’s expected of me. I’m the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family’s business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I.

Until he got a promotion and left me in the dust. Maybe it’s for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me. He too has an overwhelming thirst for success, just like Zachary—perhaps even more so. He’s also ruthless. And mysterious. I know nothing about Ryder McKay beyond that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

One stolen moment, a kiss, a touch . . . and I’m hooked. Ryder’s like a powerful drug, and I’m an addict who doesn’t want to be cured. He tells me his intentions aren’t pure, and I believe him. For once, I don’t care. I’m willing to risk everything just to be with him. Including my heart. My soul.

My everything.

I’m such a big fan of Monica Murphy, so when I heard she had a new series coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it! Owning Violet is the first book in the Fowler Sisters series and it. is. HOT. You’ll need a fan while you read this because Monica Murphy turns up the heat between a good girl and a very, very bad boy. I highly enjoyed this one – I loved the characters, the sexiness, and the angst. It did take me a bit to warm up to the book, but before long, I was addicted to everything about this story.

Owning Violet is a romance between complete opposites: Violet, the proper, good daughter who will one day run the family business; and Ryder, the dark, wicked man who is way too tempting for his own good. When I first met Violet, I wasn’t too sure how to feel about her. Her life is perfectly set up – she’s been groomed to take over Fleur Cosmetics and she’s the perfect, attentive girlfriend. In other words, she’s a bit boring. But then enter Ryder McKay. He’s everything Violet isn’t – sensual, wicked, intense – and she can’t stay away from him.

Ryder is a jerk. He is ambitious, ruthless, and has no qualms about who he has to bulldoze over in order to climb up the corporate ladder. He works at Fleur Cosmetics, but he wants a better position – the same position that Violet’s boyfriend Zachary is aiming for. And with Violet being the boss’s daughter, Ryder concocts a plan to seduce her to win her father’s attention and favor. When Violet and Zachary break up, Ryder makes his move. But the more Ryder immerses himself in his plan, the more he can’t stop thinking of Violet – or wanting her for himself.

Hell. I feel like I could come apart. With her like this, I feel as if I could spiral out of control at any moment. All I want is her. All I can think about is fucking her. Making her mine. Owning her.

Violet knows what kind of man Ryder is, but she wants to step out of her comfort zone after years of being the proper daughter and girlfriend and Ryder is the perfect man to help her do that. And oh. my. god. The sex in this book is on fire!! There’s a fierce, carnal hunger between these two and chemistry is explosive. But it’s when Ryder and Violet spend time outside of the bedroom that Violet falls for this man, even when she tries to guard her heart.

“You don’t seem like the sort of man who likes waiting.”
“Depends on the woman,” he says. And then he’s touching me, his hand is cupping my cheek, his face is in mine, his body blocking out all available light until he’s everything I see and feel and touch. “And you are definitely worth waiting for.”

Ryder never expects that he’ll actually want more from Violet than just her body. He never expects to fall for this girl who is his complete opposite and has so much goodness in her. I loved seeing this harsh, ruthless man fall in love with someone he believes deserves so much better than him. He’s a jerk, but he’s a jerk I couldn’t help but love. My heart was aching for Ryder, at the realization that if Violet ever finds out about his plan, he could lose the best thing that has ever happened to him.

We shouldn’t make sense together. She’s sweet and good and I’m mean and awful. She cares too much and I have zero fucks to give. A woman like Violet deserves to be worshiped and loved. She’s powerful and smart and gorgeous and sexy and…
Fuck. I want to be the one who worships her and loves her and tells her just how smart and sexy she is every day. For the rest of her life.

I had such a great time reading Owning Violet. My heart was going crazy for Violet and Ryder! ‘Opposites attract’ takes on a new meaning for these two characters. Owning Violet is fast-paced and highly addicting. I highly recommend this book – Monica Murphy fans, you don’t want to miss this!

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

Reading Order: The Fowler Sisters series

#1 ~ Owning Violet: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stealing Rose: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Taming Lily: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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2Dec2014

Blog Tour + ARC Review & Giveaway: The Rocker Who Shatters Me by Terri Anne Browning

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

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Rocker Who Shatters Me by Terri Anne Browning!

The Rocker Who Shatters Me by Terri Anne Browning
Series: The Rocker #9 (full reading order below)
Release Date: December 1st 2014

A Bet…

Yes, I made a bet with my best friend—my now ex-best friend. It had been a stupid, heat of the moment kind of thing. I’d just wanted to get her out of my system and move one. Instead I’ve lived to regret it ever since. I lost the girl I loved, a girl that possessed my very soul. Now I can’t even get close to Natalie. She thinks all she ever meant to me was just the means to the end of a stupid, stupid game.

…For a Bet!

In the span of one night I’d gone from thinking I had a future with the man I loved to SHATTERED at his feet. I can’t get over it. The pain is too strong, too destructive as it festers more and more inside of me. And then my friend came up with the perfect revenge for both our broken hearts.

“I bet you…”

Those three little words gave me a reason to ball my pain up and throw it back in Devlin Cutter’s face. I would let him back in, let him think he had a chance with me once again. And then I would walk away, leaving him broken and bleeding at my feet as he once had left me.

This time he would be the one SHATTERED.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo

It was all a lie. My relationship with Devlin Cutter was nothing more than the product of Devlin wanting to win some bet against his friend. All our nights spent in each other’s arms, all his whispered words of how much he cared about me, worshipped me… They were all lies. I was nothing more than a bet. Nothing. I was nothing to him.

Oh goooosh!!! This. book. Ever since I got addicted to The Rocker series, Devlin and Natalie’s book was THE book I was waiting for. I mean, look at that blurb! I’m such a sucker for these types of books where the hero has to win back the heroine’s love. These books just make my heart ache, and The Rocker Who Shatters Me did it perfectly.

The Rocker Who Shatters Me is another addicting book from Terri Anne Browning. It’s my second favorite of the series so far, right below Drake’s book. I totally adore the characters in The Rocker world, and I loved seeing more of the members of OtherWorld.

When Natalie found out about the bet between Devlin and Zander, her heart was shattered, rightly so. She loved Devlin, and she was devastated to find out that their relationship started on a lie. She wants nothing to do with him now, but as Emmie’s assistant, Natalie unfortunately has to interact with the OtherWorld band members, which includes Devlin.

I liked Natalie, but it was Devlin who made the book for me. It’s so obvious that Devlin wholeheartedly loves Natalie, bet or no bet. It was a mistake to make the bet in the first place, but losing Natalie just makes Devlin all the more determined to win her back and have her in his life for good.

This was my girl. My woman. I wanted, needed–loved her more than anything on the planet. Without her I had nothing, was nothing.

Devlin and Natalie have a great chemistry together, and Devlin uses that to try to get Natalie back. Natalie resists, but it’s hard to keep resisting when Devlin says things like this…:

“You have got to be blind if you don’t see how much I care about you. Every day I wake up without you in my arms is another day I suffer the fires of hell. All I want is you beside me, baby.”

Natalie has a hard time believing Devlin, but Devlin won’t stop until he wins back her love, heart, and trust.

It’s so easy to fall in love with Terri Anne Browning’s characters. You become so invested in all of them, and Devlin and Natalie are no different. I adored their story, though it was a little repetitive in the beginning. My heart was aching from how much Devlin needed Natalie back. Seeing him winning back her love is just the best thing ever! I’m so happy with their story, and now I’m CRAZY excited for the next book!

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

Reading Order: The Rocker series

#1 ~ The Rocker Who Holds Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Rocker Who Savors Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Rocker Who Needs Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Rocker Who Loves Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ The Rocker Who Holds Her: Ebook • Goodreads
#6 ~ The Rockers’ Babies: Ebook • Goodreads
#7 ~ The Rocker Who Wants Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#8 ~ The Rocker Who Cherishes Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#9 ~ The Rocker Who Shatters Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

Having had a passion for reading from the time my aunt first handed me my first romance, I slowly grew bored with just reading. I wanted to control the characters, make them into who I wanted them to be and that way I was never disappointed with the endings. I soon learned that it isn’t always that easy. The characters control the author. But that is all part of the fun when creating a new story. Seeing where these people take you on their journey to find their soul-mate has become my new passion and getting to incorporate my love of music–Rock music in particular–has been a dream come true. Thanks for taking this crazy ride with me, and I can’t wait to see where we go next!

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