ARC Review: Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige
Series: First and Last #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 14th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE FILLED WITH DARK DESIRES AND DANGEROUS SECRETS…

Emily Wayborn has made a decision.

She might not fully trust handsome and deadly Reeve Sallis, but he is the one person that gives her what she needs. With Reeve she can finally be herself. Submitting to him is the only thing keeping her grounded as the rest of her life falls apart. But the hotelier is a master at keeping secrets and as she continues her quest for answers someone is making sure she doesn’t find them.

Time is running out and she is questioning everything she thought she knew about friendship and love. She must now make an impossible choice that will determine if she will survive with her heart…or her life.

WOW!!! What a fantastic ending to the First and Last series. I’d been DYING to read Last Kiss after that awful cliffhanger in First Touch (it seriously made me scream), and Laurelin Paige certainly didn’t disappoint with this follow-up. This book was such an intense conclusion to Emily and Reeve’s story – and I never thought I’d say this, but I actually LOVE Reeve now! He terrified me in First Touch, but his romantic, redeeming qualities finally shine here in this sequel, and I’m now firmly a fan of his. If you loved First Touch, get ready to be taken on a wild, suspenseful ride once again in Last Kiss.

“You feel me,” he said while my cunt clenched around him like a vice-grip. “Right now you feel me, Emily. That’s where I am—inside you. All the time, I’m there. No matter whose bed you sleep in.”

Last Kiss continues right where First Touch left off. I don’t want to say anything about the cliffhanger, in case you read this review without having read the first book and accidentally spoil yourself. And if you haven’t read First Touch yet, I highly recommend it if you want to read something unique and gritty. That book messed me up – so to say I had high expectations for its sequel would be an understatement. Sometimes, the sequels unfortunately don’t live up to the first book, but this isn’t the case for this duology. Laurelin Paige swept me off my feet once again, making my heart pound and leaving me breathless with suspense. I honestly couldn’t stop reading – I needed to know what would happen next, what the characters would do, what new twist the author would reveal. It’s an unpredictable book, and for that, I applaud the author for her talent at writing.

“I can’t control myself when I’m inside you.” His voice was ragged and threadbare. “I want to tear you apart. I want to rip you to shreds.” He moved both of his hands to grasp my thighs, tilting my pelvis so that his thrusts hit even deeper. “I want to destroy you. Want to fuck you to pieces. Want to shatter you. Want to break you.”

Reeve and Emily are just as intense, raw, and tumultuous as ever. The passion between them is so fierce and volatile – it’s just so addicting to read!! Their chemistry is flawless and so damn hot. The frustration of Emily trying to stay away and Reeve trying to pull her back to him made for an emotional read. And AH! Reeve… he stole my heart in this book. He’s an alpha unlike any other – he’s the first hero to ever make me a little scared of him, but the softer, more tender side he reveals in Last Kiss balanced out that intense dominance of his and made him perfect. Laurelin Paige has written two brilliant, multi-faceted characters that are unforgettable!

“I love you,” he said again, like a creed. “I love you so thoroughly it feels like you’re in my DNA. Like you must be part of my genetic code because there’s no part of me that isn’t linked to you. My love for you is so consuming on the inside that there’s barely room.”

If you love suspenseful reads, the First and Last series needs to be on your radar. You won’t be able to predict ANYTHING, and each new revelation will throw you off but make you even more invested in the story. And the steaminess is off the charts, too! Laurelin Paige knows how to write her erotica, and I’m definitely going to need to read more of her books if they’re as intense and sexy as this duology. It was a wild, amazing ride reading Emily and Reeve’s story – I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon!

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

Reading Order: First and Last series

#1 ~ First Touch: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Last Kiss: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Subscribe to Blog via Email

17Jun2016

Blog Tour + Early Review & Giveaway: Smolder by Karen Erickson

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Smolder by Karen Erickson!

Smolder by Karen Erickson
Series: Wildwood #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 21st 2016

Lane Gallagher wants Delilah Moore—bad.

He’s imagined the sexy brunette in his bed more times than he can count.

She’s everything he’s ever wanted, but the only problem is . . .

She’s his brother’s ex.

For years, the stoic sheriff’s deputy has fantasized about the sweet, bubbly dance teacher who stirs his deepest desires. But Lane’s too loyal to ever move in on forbidden territory and he knows that while he can look, he definitely can’t touch. Fighting his attraction to Delilah is nearly impossible, but the infuriating—and incredibly sexy—woman seems determined to drive him crazy.

And she’s bringing him to his knees. One smoldering kiss at a time.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Avon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Google Play

After reading Ignite, I’d been so excited for Lane and Delilah’s story. It was set up perfectly in the first book – Lane is Delilah’s best friend’s older brother, and the two of them have a huge crush on each other, but they can’t act on it. I had high hopes for Smolder… but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a quick, enjoyable read, but I didn’t love it like I wanted. It just had so much more potential to be better. But if you’re a fan of the first book, you’ll definitely want to know how Lane and Delilah end up together!

What was wrong with a little kiss? He just wanted a taste. One taste of sweet, sexy Delilah, something he’d never experienced before. The girl who haunted his dreams. The girl who was too good for him. The girl who’d bee with one Gallagher man and didn’t need another one to come into her life and fuck it up, as Gallagher men were known to do.

I love my men in uniform, but add in a sexy broodiness and I’m hooked. Lane is the perfect example of this, and again, he had so much potential… but when he’s so determined NOT to be with Delilah, my love for him fizzled out. I want my alpha heroes to be possessive, to be head over heels for his woman and not let anything get in the way of that, but Lane was sadly the total opposite. I grew frustrated with him – despite how much he wanted Delilah, he kept pushing her away because he didn’t think he was good enough for her.

Delilah, thankfully, is a much more likable character. I loved her spunk and fire, especially her determination to win over the man she’s in love with. I admired how she never gave up on Lane, even when it seemed like she totally should’ve. The chemistry was also a plus in this book – Delilah and Lane are absolutely smokin’ together! All that build-up of the long-term tension and longing exploded in the hottest way. Karen Erickson knows how to write steam, which is fitting given the title of the book 😉

Overall, I liked this book, but I did have my frustrations with it. Smolder was engaging and entertaining, and I do love the small town the author has created in Wildwood. Other than Lane, I really enjoyed reading about everything else, and I’m even more excited to read the next book! The author certainly knows how to hook a reader in by setting up the next couple’s book. I can’t wait to read about Wren and Tate!

“I’m a grumpy asshole no one wants to be around if I don’t have you. I’ve denied my feelings for far too long and I’m done. I need you, Dee. I need you in my life. I don’t want to lose you.”

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

Reading Order: Wildwood series

#1 ~ Ignite: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Smolder: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 21, 2016)
#3 ~ Torch: Ebook • Goodreads (Aug. 16, 2016)

USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson writes what she loves to read – sexy contemporary romance. Published since 2006, she’s a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children.

She also writes new adult romance as NYT & USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Newsletter

$25 ebook retailer of winner’s choice

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Subscribe to Blog via Email

16Jun2016

Audiobook Review: Chasing Spring by R.S. Grey

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Chasing Spring by R.S. Grey
Series: Standalone
Audiobook Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Length: 6 hours and 16 minutes
Narrated by: Alia Tavakolian, Ricco Fajardo, Jeannie Tirado
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

I thought I’d left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn’t belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn’t listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.

I didn’t ask for a hero. I don’t want to be saved.

To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin’ out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I’d assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.

I didn’t want to be her hero. Some girls don’t need to be saved.

I’m a big fan of R.S. Grey’s rom-coms, but I knew going into Chasing Spring it would be a little different from what the author normally writes. It’s a YA book, not new adult, and it’s much more serious that her usual fun and flirty books. I wish I could say I loved Chasing Spring as much as I loved her previous books, but the execution of the story just wasn’t up to par. I really enjoyed listening to the three narrators, but the story wasn’t cohesive enough for me to truly appreciate the narration. I do applaud the author for venturing out of her normal genre, and wouldn’t mind giving a try at another of her YAs.

Lilah Calloway and Chase Matthews used to be childhood best friends before tragedy tore them apart. They haven’t seen each other for years, but Lilah has finally come home for their senior year of high school, but she’s not the same girl she used to be. She’s dyed her hair black, turned a little emo and grunge… she’s a bit of a mess and not at all happy. Chase is his usual shining, star athlete self… except looks can be deceiving. Chase’s mother is dead and his father is an alcoholic – but Lilah’s father offers him a place to stay in his home. Once again, Chase and Lilah will be together again, but not as close friends anymore.

Here we have coming-of-age YA, as Lilah struggles to deal with her problems and Chase trying to help her while saving himself. The romance between them kind of went on the backburner, which is a shame because if the author had fleshed out the love between Lilah and Chase more, it would’ve been so sweet and heartwarming. But the main focus was on Lilah’s problems, especially with drug and alcohol abuse. It was a little tiring and boring as I listened to Lilah NOT deal with her problems even though she wanted to, and Chase trying and failing to help her because she didn’t want his help. I lacked a connection with the characters and story, which impacted how I felt as I listened to the audiobook.

Luckily, the narrators did a great job at voicing the main characters. I was a little confused at why there were three narrators instead of just two, but I eventually found out that besides Lilah and Chase, there is a third POV, Lilah’s mother Elaine, who is also central to the story. I found her story to be the most intriguing and I really wish we’d gotten more of her POV than we did.

Chasing Spring had potential, but the story just wasn’t executed very well. I loved the narration, but it wasn’t enough for me to enjoy the story like a wanted. I still love R.S. Grey and will read more of her NAs, but this one is not one of my favorites of hers!

CHASING SPRING is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/1Yt0g99

Also by R.S. Grey

Scoring Wilder: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Settling the Score: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
With This Heart: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
The Allure of Julian Lefray: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
The Allure of Dean Harper: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
The Duet: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
The Design: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Subscribe to Blog via Email

14Jun2016

Release Day Review + Author Interview: Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen

Posted in 5 hearts, Exclusive, Reviews by Lacey

Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen
Series: True North #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 14th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Farmers make the earth move.

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

Warning: Contains sexual situations, gourmet yumminess, a steamy outdoor shower and proof that farmers don’t mind getting dirty.

Holy freaking CRAP, I loved this book SO DAMN MUCH!!!! Bittersweet is the type of book that went above and beyond anything I ever expected. This is that first straight romance I’ve read from Sarina Bowen and it will definitely not be my last. I honestly can’t handle the amount of love I have for this book. IT. IS. AMAZING!!! Charmingly hilarious, amazingly sexy, and utterly heartwarming, Bittersweet swept me away and made my heart so happy. It’s one of the best books I’ve read all year!

Audrey and Griffin hooked up once in college but haven’t seen each other for years since. Audrey went off to become a chef and Griffin went off to play ball, only to go back home to the ranch help out his family. Now, both are struggling with their careers, but a twist of fate brings them back together, and they find that they can help each other out job-wise. Except the crazy hot chemistry they used to have back in college is still going strong. Should they get involved with each other again when they’re living two completely different lives… Or do they have something worthwhile to pursue?

She and I were a dangerous combination. We needed cautionary signs like the ones hanging in the tractor shed over the cans of diesel fuel. WARNING: COMBUSTIBLE.

Audrey and Griffin are absolutely AMAZING together!!! They are wonderful as individuals, both so strong, independent, funny, and lovable, but together is when they truly shine. They might not have been meant for each other in college, but fate has brought them together again for a reason, and you can clearly see that they are absolutely meant to be together. Griff is all big, sexy, protective, and caring, while Audrey is charming, witty, gorgeous, and ambitious. Their growing romance (and the hot, hot, HOT sexy times) was phenomenally written. Sarina Bowen has written a beautiful love story I rooted for from start to finish.

Whether it was convenient or not, Audrey and I just fit. We’d always been good together. It’s just that I’d never allowed myself to imagine a future where we shared everything. A bed. A home.
A name.
Hell. That got me panting. I wanted everything. There was nobody else who got under my skin like she had. To think of her as mine seemed like an impossible luxury.
It’s the only luxury I’ve ever been greedy for.

What I also loved about Bittersweet besides the romance was the farming life! The author was able to integrate everything related to farming in a cohesive, understandable, and relatable way, and I applaud her for it. Really, there was no part of this book that I didn’t enjoy or love. I never wanted Griffin and Audrey’s story to end! No joke, I couldn’t stop smiling as I read this book, giggling at all the witty banter and grinning at the delicious tension between the main characters. It was a fantastic start to the True North series, and I’m already dying for more. I can’t wait to read the next two books!

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

Author Interview: Sarina Bowen

Bittersweet is one of my favorite reads of the year! What inspired you to write it?

Thank you! Farmers really are sexy. True story! I am surrounded by interesting growers where I live. They’re young activists who want to change the shape of our food supply, and they are really inspiring.

Did you have to do some research on the farming aspect of the story?

Yes, and I enjoyed every moment of it. The organic-or-die Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, VT is one of my favorite stops, and we buy hard cider in growlers from Poverty Lane Orchard in Lebanon, NH.

I’m in LOVE with Griffin – do you have a model inspiration for him?

Not really! Finding that photo for the cover, though, was some excellent luck. I thought: there he is!

Who was your favorite character to write?

I love them all equally. 😉

What was your favorite scene to write?

The cider-tasting scene! I cracked myself right up when Audrey would think the cider tasted like sex.

I know Jude will be getting his story next in Steadfast, but will Zach be book #3? cough Male virgin alert! cough

Oh you better believe it! Zach is totally book #3.

Will we see more of Griff and Audrey in the upcoming True North books?

Absolutely. I promise!

What are you currently working on now?

I’m writing Brooklyn Bruisers #3 (even though #1 hasn’t come out yet) and putting final touches on STEADFAST.

Thank you so much, Sarina, for the interview!

Reading Order: True North series

#1 ~ Bittersweet: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Steadfast: Ebook • Goodreads (July 12, 2016)
#3 ~ Keepsake: Goodreads (Oct. 2016)

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

Subscribe to Blog via Email

11Jun2016

Audiobook Review: Never Never: Part 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Never Never: Part 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Series: Never Never #3 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Length: 2 hours and 46 minutes
Narrated by: Kevin Free & Elizabeth Evans
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

New York Times best-selling authors Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher are back with the much-anticipated final installment in the Never Never novella series.

Together, Silas Nash and Charlize Wynwood must look deeper into the past to find out who they were and who they want to be. With time ticking down, the couple are in a race to find the answers they need before they lose everything.

Can they regain what they once had? And will it restore who they once were?

The final Never Never installment is here in audio! I previously listened to the first two parts and really enjoyed them, so the wait for part three in audio was worth it. Kevin Free as Silas and Elizabeth Evans as Charlie are perfect, and I couldn’t wait to listen to them again. And of course, they did another incredible job narrating Never Never: Part 3 – it’s a fun conclusion to Silas and Charlie’s mind-blowing story, if a little unbelievable. Things took a turn for the weird side, but I still did enjoy listening to it. I just hate that the installments are so short – I didn’t want Charlie and Silas’s story to end!

Part 3 follows up right where part 2 left off, at the start of another 48 hours. Have Charlie and Silas forgotten who they are again? What happens if they actually remember? Will they find out why their memories have been lost? Will they be able to stop themselves from forgetting again? Thankfully, Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher answer all of these questions – it doesn’t answer ALL the questions we’ve come across throughout the series (I still want to know what happened with the blood in part 1) but the burning, important questions are answered… in a slightly over-the-top, unbelievable way that leaves you going, “That was it!?”

Other than the ridiculous plot, I did love everything about NN #3. Charlie and Silas are incredible, well-written, and well-developed characters. I love them and their sweet banter and steamy chemistry – they make the most adorable couple ever, and I really hope CoHo and Tarryn might write a little more about them. But I’m glad to see where they ended up by the end of the novella – the epilogue was amazing!

You’ll either love or hate NN #3 – I’m in the middle since there were parts I loved and parts I hated. Still, if you’re a fan of the series, I know you’re dying to solve the mystery. Why not get the audiobook with narrators who make the story even more enjoyable?

NEVER NEVER: PART 3 is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/1tlNdvb

Reading Order: Never Never series

#1 ~ Never Never: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Never Never: Part 2: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Never Never: Part 3: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

FOLLOW BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE ON:
✦ FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • GOODREADS • PINTEREST • BLOGLOVIN’ ✦

	Unlocking the Magic… on Review: A Promise of Fire by A…
	Lucas Middleton on Blog Tour // Review + Excerpt:…
	Van on Blog Tour + Release Day Review…
	Amber Elise @ Du Liv… on Audiobook Review: The Stand-In…
	daisyknox on Release Day Review: Tryst Six…

Booklovers For Life

Falling in love with romance one page at a time

Tag Archives: contemporary