Blog Tour + ARC Review: Hard Knox by Nicole Williams

Posted in 3 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the Hard Knox blog tour!
You can follow the tour here.

HARD KNOX
A New Series by NYT Bestselling Author Nicole Williams

The Outsider Chronicles #1 (full reading order below)
New Adult/Adult Contemporary
Released August 12, 2014

Knox Jagger. The name inspires resent in every male at Sinclair University, want in every female, and contempt in Charlie Chase.

Charlie can be summed up in three words: independent, independent, and independent. To Charlie, Knox epitomizes everything that’s wrong with college males: prolific one-night stands, drunken senseless fights, and a body that hints at prioritizing gym time over study time.

As an up-and-coming writer for Sinclair University’s newspaper, Charlie’s tasked with getting to the bottom of who’s been dropping little white pills into girls’ drinks at parties. In an ocean of All-American boys sporting polo shirts and innocent smiles, Knox is the obvious suspect. As evidence piles up against the bad boy of Sinclair, Charlie becomes more and more certain it isn’t Knox. But when her drink is dosed at a party and she wakes up on Knox’s couch the next morning, Charlie’s left with more questions than answers when it comes to Knox Jagger.

How can Charlie ever hope to uncover the truth behind a guy so closed off he’s become . . .

Hard Knox.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes and Noble

I’m a huuuge Nicole Williams fan. I totally fell in love with her Crash series, and then her Lost and Found series. So when I found out she had a new book releasing? I pounced on it. Nicole Williams is definitely one of my go-to authors because I know I’ll no doubt enjoy her books. And while I didn’t LOVE Hard Knox, it was a quick, fun read, and fans of Nicole shouldn’t miss it.

Charlie Chase is a writer for her university’s newspaper, and she’s, well, the glass-half-empty kind of girl. She wasn’t the most likable heroine for me, even with her quirky, deadpan sense of humor. I didn’t connect with her much–she’s a bit pretentious, buuut it worked for the story. She’s the type of person who has preconceived notions of people without getting to know them, and the second she meets Knox Jagger, he blasts all those preconceived notions away.

Knox Jagger is the ultimate bad boy at Sinclair University. He’s who every guy wants to be, and every girl wants to have. Except Charlie, of course. When Knox goes to parties, and endless stream of girls put their panties with their numbers on them, and apparently he calls every one of them.

Other than knowing he was a junior, probably majoring in Single-Handed Bra Removal, the notes scribbled onto just about every woman’s bathroom stall on campus told the rest of the story. Gems like For a good time, call Knox, 1-800-BIG-DICK or Add to Bucket List: Get Fucked by Knox Jagger.

Based on all that, Charlie doesn’t have the best opinion of Knox. Charlie wouldn’t want to get near Knox if it weren’t for the paper she needs to write. Her job is to find out who at the university has been dropping date-rape pills into drinks at parties. And Knox would be the number one suspect, if it weren’t for the fact that he saved her after she herself got drugged.

Charlie and Knox work together to get to the bottom of this, much to Charlie’s chagrin. The best part about the book was Charlie and Knox’s banter. The two of them are hilarious together–Charlie is full of wit and sarcasm, which would usually just shoot a guy down, but Knox definitely shows her up and offers his own quips. There’s also an undeniable tension between them that the two of them try so hard to ignore, but can’t.

“What’s changed is that I care about you.”

I loved that the two of them gradually moved from friendship to something more. The way they fell for each other was realistic and once they fell, they fell so hard. Their relationship blossomed into something so wonderful (and hot) once the tension exploded between them

“What I feel for you scares me, Knox. It terrifies me.”
“Why?” … “What terrifies you?”
“That the person I thought I’d have to search the world and a lifetime for might be standing in front of me right now.”

Knox and Charlie are so adorable together. I was definitely glad when the two of them got together! They open up more to each other, even though Knox does keep things hidden. But I loved that as Charlie learns slowly more about Knox, she also learns more about herself. She’s not quick to judge anymore–she’s not the same girl as she was from the beginning of the book.

Overall, I liked Hard Knox, but I just didn’t love it. It was missing that spark that usually makes me love a Nicole Williams book. Still, I enjoyed it–it has Nicole’s great writing, a couple with hot chemistry, and some witty banter that’s sure to make you smile.

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

Reading Order: The Outsider Chronicles

#1 ~ Hard Knox: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Damaged Goods: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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

4Aug2014

Blog Tour + ARC Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway

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

Welcome to today’s stop on the SIX OF HEARTS tour!! SIX OF HEARTS is definitely a book you don’t want to miss.

Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway
Series: Hearts #1 (full reading order below)
Release Date: July 28th 2014

Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines.

I show you a table and make you believe it’s a chair.

Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive.

But most of all, I put on a good show.

The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn’t. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan.

Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her.
I want it for all six of us.

She doesn’t remember me, but she’s the reason for everything. She’ll be my prize at the end of all this – if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I’ll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can’t see what’s happening while you’re so focused on looking. I’ll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight.

You’ll never see me coming until it’s too late.

I’ve only got one heart, and after I’ve pulled off my grand deception I’ll hand it right to her.

So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You’re in for one hell of a ride.

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • B&N • Kobo • iTunes

First off, that blurb right there. It sucked me in and had me dying to have my hands on this book. I’d never read anything by L.H. Cosway before, but that blurb had me hook, line and sinker. And the second I got a copy of Six of Hearts, I devoured it! It was like nothing I’ve ever read before, and I’m so glad I read it. Six of Hearts was intriguing, unique, and so much fun to read. It’s about a man’s quest for revenge–and how he falls in love along the way.

Jay is an illusionist, and after being slandered by the media, he wants to take legal action. This is where the heroine Matilda comes in–her father is a lawyer, and she works in his office. I won’t go into anything more specific, because it’s best to experience this book not knowing much (besides the blurb). This book had plenty of twists and turns, and L.H. Cosway does an excellent job of creating suspense that had me on the edge of my seat.

The heroine, Matilda, is the kind of girl who’s relatable and likable. She has a subtle kind of humor I liked, and she’s very sassy towards Jay. She’s sweet and innocent, whereas Jay is charming and charismatic. I loved that Matilda and Jay form a friendship first–especially because the chemistry between them causes so much tension. Their forming friendship was so much fun to read–Jay and Matilda have so much great banter, and Jay becomes very protective of Matilda.

Matilda has a hard time resisting Jay–he’s the kind of guy you can’t help falling for. He’s sexy and charming, and definitely cocky at times. He had me grinning so much at times, but what I loved most was how he’s so incredibly sweet to Matilda.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever felt.”

It actually took me a while to warm up to Jay, but he was just too intriguing not to want to know more about. He’s very secretive, but throughout the story, you can see how his quest for revenge unravels. All the while, his and Matilda’s heartfelt romance blooms.

I was sucked in to Jay and Matilda’s story from start to finish. They have a romance that unfolds at the perfect pace–it’s got the perfect amount of sweet and sexy. Jay’s quest had me intrigued, but the only–main–downside to the book was the predictability. I wanted something more mysterious, but from the get-go, we know the basics. Still, I’d highly recommend giving Six of Hearts a try. It’s definitely a book that you won’t forget anytime soon. 4 hearts!

My favorite quote:

“The maybes could go on forever, Watson, but we both know that mystery is better than the truth. So why not live with the magic? Be a kid again and believe in the fantastical. Life is more fun with a little smoke and mirrors.”

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

Now here’s an excerpt from Six of Hearts! ❤

Jay tugs on my hand and leads me out to the back garden, where the sun is shining down warmly. “I created a magic trick just for you. I think I have it perfected.”

“For me? Seriously?” I ask in delight. He hands me what looks like a small beige chicken’s egg, placing it in my upturned palm.

“It’s an egg,” I say, stating the obvious.

Jay nods. “Just keep watching.” He passes his hand over it once, and it starts to crack, like maybe there’s a tiny chick inside. Then he passes his hand over the top of it again, and it cracks completely open. I gasp with surprise as five gorgeous red and black butterflies with white spots practically explode from the shell, their wings flapping through the air. They flutter all around me, and my heart lifts when one of them comes to sit on my shoulder.

“Oh, wow,” I whisper, smiling like crazy and trying my hardest not to move. Another comes and sits on my hand, tickling me and making me giggle.

When I look at Jay, his eyes are shining bright under the sun as he soaks up my reaction, his mouth curving ever so slightly at the edges. I’m not even going to ask him how he did it. I’m locked in his spell, and I don’t want to break it.

“That was amazing,” I say to him when the butterflies have all finally flown away.

Stepping closer, he takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Look at those eyes, so full of wonder. I love your reactions. They make me feel like I can reclaim the childhood I never had.”

His heartfelt words make my throat tighten with empathy. I feel like hugging him, but I can’t. It would be…too much

Reading Order: Hearts series

#1 ~ Six of Hearts: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Hearts of Fire: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ King of Hearts: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hearts of Blue: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Thief of Hearts: Goodreads (2016)
#6 ~ Hearts on Air: Goodreads (2016)

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon Page

Signed copies of all four L.H. Cosway contemporary romances

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31Jul2014

Review: Rogue by Katy Evans

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Rogue by Katy Evans
Series: Real #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 29th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

HE SAYS HE’S NO GOOD FOR HER.
SHE HATES THAT HE MIGHT BE RIGHT.

Brook Dumas found Remington Tate in REAL, and now it’s her best friend Melanie’s turn to find the man who makes her heart sing. After years of searching, one night in the rain, the strong and mysterious Greyson King comes to her rescue. He’s bold, and maybe just the lover, friend, and protector she’s been searching for. When they make love, he says her name like it means something. Like she means something–and that’s everything she’s ever wanted.

He disappears for days without a word, and when he’s around, he says he’ll only hurt her. Buy when he’s away, her heart hurts more.

Then Melanie uncovers the dark world he’d been determined to keep hidden, and suspects that their random first meeting might have not been so random after all.

Caught in a free fall of emotions, Melanie has no one to catch her but the man she should be running from. . .

But what do you do when your Prince Charming has gone Rogue?

Oh, my heart… Rogue is absolutely perfect! It’s a stunning, phenomenal read that had me riveted from start to finish. I am so in love with Greyson and Melanie’s story, I can’t even describe how much. Their story took my breath away–everything about this book is intense and raw and so freaking goooood. I went through so many emotions while reading–I was swooning one moment, then heartbroken the next. Katy Evans, you ruined me with this book! I loved it!

“I’m going to give you the fucking of your life, princess.”

Oh. My. God. Please have a fan with you when you read Rogue because it is one smokin’ book! Greyson is one of the hottest alpha-males I’ve ever read–he’s sex on a stick, and the things that come out of his mouth are just… perfect. He has one dirty, dirty mouth, Greyson does. God, I love this man so much!

The book is told through Melanie and Greyson’s alternating POVs, which I found added immensely to the story. We get to know what’s going on in both of their heads, which I was so happy for because I LOVED Greyson’s POV! Not saying I didn’t love Melanie’s either, but Katy Evans is fantastic at writing from a male perspective! Actually, to be honest, I love ALL of Katy’s writing–it’s unique and pulls you in until you can’t stop reading.

FUCK HER PRINCE CHARMING.
She’s getting me.

Melanie is the quintessential girly girl who loves all things feminine. She’s had dreams about finding her Prince Charming since she was a little girl, and she still holds on to the hope that she’ll find him some day. Melanie is such a sweet girl, and I totally connected with her from the start. But even though Melanie is such a happy girl, her quest for Prince Charming does take its toll on her–she sleeps with men, ‘kissing frogs’ hoping they’ll be THE ONE, but she only gets hurt time and again. My heart went out to Melanie, because she’s the kind of girl you wish would never get hurt. I loved her determination to never give up, despite the number of times her heart was broken.

Then one day, she meets Greyson. Greyson, a man who fires her up like no one ever has. She connects with him on a visceral level, and there is an explosive chemistry between them. Their chemistry is hot and powerful, and Katy Evans’s writing is so well done that I could feel it coming off the pages.

Suddenly, every fiber in my body, my sober body, tells me his is the one.
He is the one.
The one who’s going to wreck me. Hurt me. Demolish me. The one who is going to remove every inch of the girl in me. He will be the memory I will never forget, and good or bad, he will be THE one I dream of.

When Melanie and Greyson come together, it’s passionate and beautiful. I was completely immersed in them, in their romance. What was supposed to be only one night between them turns out to be so much more, but what Melanie doesn’t know is that Greyson is keeping a huge secret from her.

Greyson is a bad, bad man. He is known as Zero in the Underground world, and his job is to make sure that the people who owe the Underground pay up. And if they can’t… well, bad things happen. As Zero, Greyson is hard, cold, and unforgiving, but when Melanie falls into his life, nothing is the same.

I have never, ever wanted anything the way I want those green eyes to memorize me the way I’ve made it a religion to memorize her.

I love, looove, and absolutely adore how much Greyson loves his Princess. I never though I’d actually like the endearment Princess, but the way Greyson uses it for Melanie makes me swoon so hard for him. He’s an alpha-male to the max, so he’s protective, possessive and obsessive of Melanie, but in the best way possible. He wants all of her, but there’s no doubt that she has all of him.

“You got me, princess. Jesus! Do you not see what you’re doing to me? You have all of me, Melanie. I’m states away and I feel like half a man, I feel like I’ll tear something apart if I don’t see you soon with my own two eyes…”

Melanie has found her ONE in Greyson, but her Prince Charming isn’t a good man. But these two are meant for each other–there’s an something between them that can’t be ignored, and I was captivated by their story. I loved reading Rogue so, so much. I never expected this level of raw intensity in a book, but I applaud Katy Evans for writing it so well. Rogue is an emotional, heart-racing read that I never wanted to end. It was just perfect.

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: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Ripped: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Legend: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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29Jul2014

Release Day Review: Lead by Kylie Scott

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Lead by Kylie Scott
Series: Stage Dive #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 29th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (St. Martin’s Griffin) in exchange for an honest review

Stay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it’s booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena’s not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

Lord. Have. Mercy.

Jimmy, you kill me.

I can say without a doubt Lead is my absolute favorite of the series. I love Jimmy even more than Mal, which I didn’t know was possible. *Sigh* Jimmy is hotness incarnate and completely owns my heart! I loooooved reading his story so very much. I wish it never ended–I finished this book in a day. I never thought I’d be loving Jimmy this much (he’s not exactly an easy character to like in the previous books) but it took me less than a day to fall in love with him. God I love this man so freaking hard!

If you’ve read the previous book, Play, then you already know who the heroine of Lead is. Lena is Jimmy’s live-in assistant, the one who’s paid to keep an eye on him at all times to make sure he doesn’t relapse since coming out of rehab. I adore Lena. She’s absolutely perfect–she’s fiesty, sassy, a total smartass, and the perfect match for Jimmy. She’s the one who can stand up to him, but also support him in every possible way. She’s absolutely hilarious too!

Dark hair fell over his face and collar, framing the cheekbones of an angel but the jaw of a stubborn child. Every other discernible inch of him appeared to be fully grown male. The way he held his jaw, however … well.
And the man might be pretty, but he sure as hell wasn’t nice. I’d met enough not-nice men to know. Trust me to find him attractive.
So I frowned straight back at him.
His glare went up a notch.
I matched it.

Lena is tough-as-nails, and I loved every single interaction she had with Jimmy. They first and foremost become friends, which is honestly the best way for these two to start their relationship, because Jimmy definitely isn’t ready for something more–yet.

The two of them are together constantly, so it’s only inevitable that they’ll get on each other’s nerves. I love the banter between them, and how it only makes their friendship stronger. They make the best couple ever, even when they aren’t boyfriend/girlfriend. But the absolute best part about their relationship, what made me fall so hard for Jimmy and Lena’s story, is the slow burn romance between them. If you’re looking for something fast and hard, Lead isn’t the book for you. But I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way for Lena and Jimmy’s romance to develop. The romance took a while to develop, but I felt it was the perfect pace for this couple–and just because it’s slow doesn’t mean it lacks in heat or intensity. Because HOLY HELL Jimmy and Lena set the pages on fire! There is so much chemistry between them that I was totally fanning myself while reading.

“Lie back,” he said. The look in his eyes, the tension, it was hunger for me. Amazing. Tightly leashed by there just the same. I’d never seen such a beautiful sight in all my life.

Oh, Jimmy. Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy. I love this man so much. I think the fact that I didn’t expect to love him made me love him even more. Jimmy is kind of an unlikeable character–mainly, he’s an ass. But he’s an ass you can’t help but love. He’s a tortured soul who thinks he’s unworthy of anything good. He had to protect himself and his younger brother from their deadbeat mother, and he had to recover from his alcoholism and substance abuse. Lena is his only friend–she’s the only one who can get him to open up, to see that does deserve good things in his life.

“It’s like you’re his new drug of choice. Only you’re actually good for him.”

Being in such close proximity with Jimmy, of course Lena starts to develop romantic feelings for him.

I wanted to know him, every last little thing about him. And I wanted him to know me. I wanted to be a real part of his life, not just his employee. To be the person he confided even his darkest thoughts in, the person he trusted.

Lena knows that Jimmy won’t reciprocate her feeling so she tries to ignore them, but they only grow stronger as each day passes. So she tries to quit her job, but Jimmy doesn’t want her to go. Jimmy tries to do whatever it takes to keep Lena in his life, even knowing that she deserves a something better.

The lead-up to a real relationship between these two was so incredible to read because I love the fact that Lena and Jimmy have a solid friendship to back it up with. Their friendship is the solid foundation that makes a relationship between them work. This is what I love most about friends-to-lovers romances, and Kylie Scott wrote the perfect friends-to-lovers romance with Lead–I just couldn’t get enough of Jimmy and Lena!

Fans of the series won’t be disappointed with Lead. It certainly has a different feel than Lick or Play–it’s more serious, and there’s that slow romance–but it still has that angst, humor, and tension that makes a Stage Dive book so perfect. And if you haven’t started reading the Stage Dive series yet, what the heck are you waiting for? It’s one of the best rocker series out there!

5 hearts! Jimmy and Lena are P E R F E C T!!

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

Oh, and by the way, Jimmy is mine!!! Kylie even gave him to me 😉

Sure. 🙂 RT @laceycatblog: @KylieScottbooks OMG I love you for writing LEAD. Can I PLEASE have Jimmy??? #finishedthisbookinaday

— Kylie Scott (@KylieScottbooks) July 12, 2014

Series Order: Stage Dive series

#1 ~ Lick: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Play: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Lead: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Deep: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

28Jul2014

Review: Play by Kylie Scott

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Play by Kylie Scott
Series: Stage Dive #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 25th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

Kylie Scott returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to international bestseller Lick.

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn’t plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn’t count on finding the one right girl.

Anne Rollins never thought she’d ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn’t end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

“Life’s a song, Anne. Let’s play.”

Oh. My. GOOOOSH!!! MAL!!!!!

Oh my good lord, I honestly cannot believe how much I freaking love Mal Ericson. This drummer from Stage Dive is absolute perfection–it’s always the funny ones that get to me. And Mal is in a whole league of his own. He is such a unique character–you would expect a rockstar to be all broody and angsty, like the other three boys in the band are, but Mal is definitely not! And I adored him for it! He says the most ridiculous things and they had me laughing my butt off, with tears coming out of my eyes. God I love this man.

“I like you,” he said simply.
“You barely know me.”
“You’re a friend of Ev’s and Lauren’s. We talked. I tackled you. We rolled around on the floor together. It was a real bonding experience.”
I blinked.

So Mal is the perfect hero, but did I mention how freaking awesome the heroine is too? Anne is the most perfect match for Mal–she can handle all of his shit and more. But how do they get together in the first place? Well, Anne is in need of a roommate to help pay the rent, and Mal is in need of a pretend girlfriend… so everything works out, right?

“You’re moving in with me?” …
“Yes, pumpkin,” said Mal, his face deadly serious. “I am moving in with you.”
I cringed at the horrid nickname but chose to focus on the real concern for now. “When did we talk about this exactly?”
“Actually, you might have left by then. But it doesn’t change the facts.”

So basically Mal takes Anne by surprise by storming into her life–and her life is honestly never the same after.

I love how resigned Anne is to Mal taking over her life–she pretty much reacts to everything he does with a “What the hell?” She’s had a crush on the famous drummer since forever, but it doesn’t change the fact that Mal is honestly the weirdest guy ever. He’s cracking jokes 24/7, but Anne is able to handle all of him and dish out some of her own. I couldn’t imagine a more suitable person to go up against Mal’s wild personality. But still, there are times when Mal leaves Anne speechless.

“You taste so fucking good.”
“Like what?” I asked breathlessly, thigh muscles tightening. The man was lucky I didn’t just attack him with my vagina. “What do I taste like?”
“Well, like honey and cream and… I dunno, bread?”
I scrunched up my nose. “Bread?”
“Yes. Sexy bread that I could eat all the time because you are so delicious and full of wholegrain goodness.”

Or my absolute FAVORITE part that had me in stitches:

“Hello, Anne’s clitoris. It’s me, Malcolm, your lord and master.”
“Oh, god, no.” I covered my face with my hands. “Please don’t.”

Jesus, I sometimes don’t even know what to make of Mal myself. But I still love him.

And then there are tender moments between Anne and Mal that had me falling in love with their story even more.

“Don’t have sad eyes, Anne. I can’t fucking stand it when you’re sad.”
“You make it better.”

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect story for Mal and Anne. It’s the ‘pretending to be boyfriend/girlfriend’ trope, but Kylie Scott gives it such a unique twist. I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading. It’s a crazy, wild ride from start to finish, all because of the force that is Mal Ericson.

But… I almost could give this book 5 hearts, except the last 20% or so of the book threw me off a bit. Everything seemed rushed here and not well fleshed out enough. I wish there was just more here. Nonetheless, everything else about the book was so much fun to read! Play is another fantastic installment in the Stage Dive series, which is quickly becoming one of my top favorite rocker series!

4 hearts!

Series Order: Stage Dive series

#1 ~ Lick: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Play: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Lead: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Deep: My Review Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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