Release Day Review: Tight by Alessandra Torre

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Tight by Alessandra Torre
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: February 7th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

I was happy in my small town. In my life as a single, thirty-two year old woman. I had a good job, wonderful friends, my independence.

I also hadn’t got laid in three years. Hadn’t been on a date in two. Had stopped counting calories and wearing makeup… a while ago.

Then Brett Jacobs waltzed in. Caressed my thigh, dug rough fingers into my hair, lowered his soft mouth to my skin, took sexual control of my mind and stirred it all around with what he packed in his pants. He flipped my quiet life upside down and crawled into a place in my heart I thought was dead.

The issue is his secret.
The issue is her.
The issue is that I don’t even know she exists, and he thinks she’s dead.
The issue is that shit is about to hit the fan and I can’t hold on to him tight enough.

The word ‘tight’ has twenty-two definitions, but my favorite is Webster’s fifth – “a bond which cannot be broken.”

Oh. My. God!!! What a book! I stayed up all night reading Tight. It was surprising how fast I devoured this book – I honestly couldn’t put it down!

This is the first book I’ve read from Alessandra Torre, which I am totally ashamed about – I wish I read some of her books earlier because her writing rocks! Apparently Tight is a bit different than her previous books, but from what I’ve read, it was freaking awesome already. The storyline was one giant mindfuck, and I loved it. Tight is a deeply romantic book about strength and survival – it takes you on one wild ride from start to finish. I nearly couldn’t keep up with this book!

The issue is his secret.
The issue is her.
The issue is that I don’t even know she exists, and he thinks she’s dead.
The issue is that shit is about to hit the fan and I can’t hold on to him tight enough.

So… who the hell is her??? I had my suspicions about who ‘her’ was, but this book still kept me on the edge of my toes, kept me wondering and guessing. I’m still thinking about this book days later – Tight is definitely the kind of book that stays with you!

Our heroine, Riley, is a small-town girl from Florida. She’s a happy girl, content with her life, but everything changes when she meets Brett while on a trip for her friend’s bachelorette party. Brett is handsome, sexy, rich, and enigmatic – she knows pretty much nothing about him except how much he wants her and she wants him. What begins as a one-night-stand turns into so much more as Riley and Brett can’t keep their thoughts away from each other and decide to pursue an actual relationship. It’s a warm, blooming romance between these two as they fall in love – Brett spoils Riley and takes her on exotic trips. He’s pretty much the perfect guy… except he has some secrets.

Though Tight is told mostly in Riley’s POV, we also have the occasional chapter in Brett’s POV as well as the mysterious ‘her’ from the blurb. I don’t want to tell you more because it’s best to go in blind. Just know that nothing in this book is expected – my mind was going all over the place, trying to think up answers to all my questions about the story and the characters.

I applaud Alessandra Torre for her masterful storytelling. It was brilliant and wonderfully executed, and I was also a HUGE fan of the writing. Ms. Torre nails the suspense in this one – I read Tight in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down! As I was nearing the climax of the book, my heart was pounding and I was nearly breathless. The ending was flawless and utterly satisfying. I highly recommend this book!

The only reason why I can’t give a full 5 hearts is because of how I didn’t connect with Riley or Brett. I liked them well enough, and I loved the story, but they just didn’t have that spark that would make me love a character. Still, I was too wrapped up in the story to mind too much.

If you’re a fan of books that perfectly balance romance and gripping, nail-biting suspense, Tight is for you!

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

Also by Alessandra Torre

Black Lies: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Sex Love Repeat: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Hollywood Dirt: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Love, Chloe: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Moonshot: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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8Jan2015

Review: Raze by Tillie Cole

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Raze by Tillie Cole
Series: Scarred Souls #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 29th 2014 (republished June 16, 2015)
Links: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads

TO TAKE BACK LIFE, ONE MUST FIRST FACE DEATH…

Conditioned in captivity to maim, to kill and to slaughter, prisoner 818 becomes an unrivaled and unstoppable fighter in the ring. Violence is all he knows. After years of incarceration in an underground hell, only one thought occupies his mind: revenge… bloody, slow and violent revenge. Revenge on the man who wronged him.

Kisa Volkova is the only daughter of Kirill ‘The Silencer’ Volkov, head of the infamous ‘Red’ bosses of New York’s Russian Bratva. Her life is protected. In reality, it’s a virtual prison. Her father’s savage treatment of his rivals and his lucrative and coveted underground gambling ring-The Dungeon-ensures too many enemies lurk at their door. She dreams to be set free. Kisa has known only cruelty and loss in her short life. While working for her church-the only reprieve in her constant surveillance-Kisa stumbles across a tattooed, scarred, but stunningly beautiful homeless man on the streets. Something about him stirs feelings deep within her; familiar yet impossibly forbidden desires. He doesn’t talk. Doesn’t communicate with anyone.

He’s a man beyond saving. But Kisa becomes obsessed with him. Yearns for him. Craves his touch. Needs to possess this mysterious man… … this man they call Raze.

Ahhh!!! I loved Raze! It was just, wow, what a thrill of a read. I honestly couldn’t put it down – Tillie Cole had me hooked from start to finish with her incredible storytelling. Raze is dark, gruesome, painful… yet it’s also surprisingly romantic – I was taken away by how sweet the love is in this book. I seriously LOVE Tillie Cole’s dark books, and she’s once again done an incredible job with Raze. It’s an incredible, heart-pounding, sexy read I highly recommend!

“Out there, all the men betting on your strength, on your will to survive. You’ll become addicted. You’ll live for the kill… live to see the life force drain from your opponents’ eyes. In that cage we’re both Gods and monsters.”

Raze – also known only by his fighting number 818 – has been living in a dark, cruel world since he was a boy. It’s like a worst, painful nightmare come to life… but Raze is surviving by being the strongest, the fastest, the best at killing. And his main goal is to get out and get revenge against the man who sent him into this nightmare.

Kisa is the only daughter of one of the top mafia bosses in New York, so her life is basically all planned out for her. She’s to marry Alik, the heir to one of the other mafia bosses, even though he’s a cruel, manipulative man and she doesn’t love him. The only boy she ever loved, her best friend, died when he was young. Now, the weight on her shoulders grows heavier and heavier as the days grow closer to her and Alik’s marriage. But then Raze suddenly appears in her life, a mysterious fighter at her gym who intrigues her like no other.

He was smelling me, a deep rumbling growling in his chest as he inhaled my floral perfume. The attention he was giving me was almost primitive… Neolithic. It was like Raze had been stripped bare of any manners, ripped from the Stone Age and stripped of any boundaries.
And I’d never been so captivated, so mesmerized by someone in all my life.

Tillie Cole has created a fantastic set of characters, and she’s written them so well. I adored Kisa and Raze as much as I loathed Alik. Raze is just so deliciously alpha – so primal and MALE. I loved him, and I loved Kisa. My heart went through the wringer with this book – my emotions were going haywire for them. Hurt for both Raze and Kisa’s awful situations, hope that they’d somehow get through it all in the end. Tillie Cole is truly a masterful storytelling – I was addicted to this book from the very first page.

As cruel as the worlds that Raze and Kisa live in are, there’s also so much joy and love between these two characters. The romance took my breath away – the mystery in this book is a little predictable, but it nearly didn’t matter because I was so swept up in it.

“Can I have you?”
… “You can have me, solnyshko. You can have all of me. You always have, and you always will.”

Raze is a stunning, emotional, dark read that’s certainly not for everyone, I highly encourage everyone to give it a try. The writing is powerful and the story is riveting. It seems Tillie Cole only gets better and better with each books she releases!

Reading Order: Scarred Souls series

#1 ~ Raze: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Reap: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Ravage: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Riot: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1-2 ~ Scarred Souls: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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29Sep2014

Release Day Review: Torture to Her Soul by J.M. Darhower

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Torture to Her Soul by J.M. Darhower
Series: Monster in His Eyes #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 29th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Don’t say it unless you mean it…

It’s a simple concept, one I’ve said time and again, but something people don’t seem to comprehend. You should choose every syllable carefully, because you never know when somebody will hold you to your word.

Somebody like me.

I’m not a good man. I’m not. I know. I have enough darkness inside of me to rid the world of every stitch of light. But there’s one I could never harm, one light I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out.

Karissa.

She thinks I’m a monster, and maybe I am. I taunt her with my touch, get a thrill out of torturing her soul. But I’m not the only one. The world is full of monsters, and I’m not the most dangerous one out there.

Not even close…

God help me, I love her.

I do.

And God help anyone who tries to take her from me.

I’ve said it before.
I’ll say it again.
I’m not a good man.
I never will be.

Oh my god, OH MY GOD!!!!!

I freaking LOOOOVED Torture to Her Soul! I mean, I already loved Monster in His Eyes, but Torture in Her Soul was PHENOMENAL! It blew. me. away. I loved every single part of this book, most especially Naz! GAH, the feels this book gave me. I never wanted it to end!

I remember after finishing Monster in His Eyes that I was so, so, so excited for more of Naz and Karissa’s story. I NEEDED to know how it would continue, how it would end! Well, the wait is over now! I’m SO happy that the conclusion to Naz and Karissa’s story is finally here. Theirs is a story you DO NOT want to miss. It’s dark, romantic, delicious, and spectacularly written–you will be sucked into the story, the characters, and the writing… basically everything!

So I guess the first thing I should tell you is that Torture in Her Soul is told in Naz’s POV. Which was pretty much the best surprise for me! And I have to say I abso-freaking-lutely L O V E D Naz’s POV. It was so amazing (and a little crazy) being in Naz’s head and knowing his thoughts. He truly is an unforgiving, dark, and dangerous man… but I love him.

I do what I want, take what I want, and make no apologies for any of it. After all, I wasn’t born this way. The world made me who I am, and the world pays for that mistake every day.

It’s actually because of his POV that I fell completely in love with Naz. I was intrigued by him in Monster in the Dark but I never actually LOVED him. His character was fascinating, without a doubt, but I still had my reservations about him. But all of those reservations were wiped away in Torture to Her Soul. I came to understand him, understand his reasons and motives for everything he does. And I unexpectedly fell so hard and fast for him in Torture to Her Soul. But this wasn’t only because I understood him; the main reason I fell in love with Naz is because I could feel his love for Karissa. I could feel that his love for her is unquestionable, that it is the very foundation of his soul. Karissa is the one person he would never intentionally hurt, the one person he would give his life up for.

And maybe there is a monster inside of me.
Scratch that, I know there is.
I feel it rear its ugly head sometimes. I feel it eating away at my body, poisoning my thoughts when the darkness takes over. My insides are black but my heart still beats.
It still beats.
And it fucking beats for her.
So there is a monster inside of me, yes, but it doesn’t make up all of me.
Besides, isn’t there a monster in everybody?

Torture to Her Soul begins with Karissa and Naz at a stalemate. They don’t trust each other, and yet they don’t leave each other, because they still love each other fiercely. Earning back each other’s trust is a huge challenge for them, and as they struggle with their relationship, they also have to deal with people who are dead-set against them even having relationship.

I was a bit frustrated with Karissa, but I understood her, so I could forgive her for being so stubborn against Naz. Her whole world was turned upside down and it was Naz’s fault, so I was sympathetic towards her. Naz was beautifully patient towards Karissa–even though he gets frustrated with her, everything he does is still out of love for her. He’s not a good man, but there isn’t a man alive who’ll love Karissa like he does.

“I’m not a good man,” he says, “but I’m trying. I’m trying. I can’t make you any promises of perfection. I can’t promise I’ll be what you deserve, or what you need, or even what you always want. All I can promise is that I’ll love you until the day I die, and I’ll spend every moment I’m alive trying for you.”

Oh gawd! My heart–Naz completely stole it with his sweet words.

There’s also nonstop suspense and action in this book! Every single moment, Naz and Karissa need to watch their backs. I was flipping through this book so fast, but I never wanted it to end! My heart was pounding throughout this book–I just wanted these two to finally get the HEA they deserved.

Torture to Her Soul is a heart-stopping follow-up to Naz and Karissa’s story. I loved every single page and I LOVED Naz. For those of you who’ve read Monster in His Eyes, get to reading Torture to Her Soul asap! And if you haven’t started Karissa and Naz’s story, I highly recommend doing so. Their story is dark, but it’s also deeply romantic and unforgettable.

She’s oxygen, and without her, I’m dead.

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

Reading Order: Monster in His Eyes series

#1 ~ Monster in His Eyes: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Torture to Her Soul: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Target on Our Backs: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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26Aug2014

Blog Tour + ARC Review & Giveaway: Debt Inheritance by Pepper Winters

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

Welcome to today’s stop on the DEBT INHERITANCE tour! DEBT INHERITANCE is the first book in the INDEBTED series, and for Pepper Winters fans, it shouldn’t be missed!

Debt Inheritance by Pepper Winters
Series: Indebted #1
Release date: August 18th 2014

“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.

She is no longer free.

Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.

There are no rules. Only payments.

A modern day Dark Erotic Romance

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • Kobo • iTunes

Holy shit!! I honestly have no idea what I just read, but it was dark, delicious, and I was utterly addicted to it. Debt Inheritance completely lives up to Pepper Winters standards, so fans definitely should not miss this.

My twenty-ninth birthday gave me a pet. A toy.
A responsibility I didn’t want.
Debts I had to extract from unwilling flesh.
A job to uphold our family honour.
Nila Weaver.

So that right there says it all. The Weaver family owes a debt to the Hawk family, and every generation, the first-born Weaver daughter is given to the first-born Hawk son to fulfill that debt. For the past few centuries, this debt has been paid, and Nila Weaver is the next payment.

Nila is a fashion designer living her dream. She’s showcasing her designs in Milan, her beloved family is there with her to celebrate, when her world turns upside-down.

Turned out, I was never an individual; I was a possession to trade.
I was never unique; someone had lived my life many times before, never free, never whole.
My life was never mine.
My destiny was already written.
My story began the night he came for me.

Nila has been sheltered by her father all her life; she has little experience with men, so when a mysterious, handsome man named Jethro Hawk approaches her at her fashion show, she jumps at the chance to go out with him. But though Jethro may come off as a gentleman, elegant and charming, underneath it all is a lethal, dangerous force. And he unleashes that force onto Nila and takes her away from everything she’s ever known.

Told in alternating POVs, this first installment of the Indebted series is fast-paced, dark, and gritty. We have Nila’s POV, an innocent girl thrust into her very own nightmare. She’s become someone’s possession, but there’s still a fire within her, a fire that intrigues her ‘owner.’ And we have Jethro’s POV, in which we discover what kind of man he is, how he came to be this powerful, sensual, harsh man, and whether he is worth redeeming.

This series holds so much potential–I can’t wait to see where Pepper Winters will take this story and these characters.

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

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her Dark Erotica books include:
Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)
Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)

Her Grey Romance books include:
Destroyed

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest

Signed Swag Pack (2 Winners)
ebook of Debt Inheritance (5 Winners)

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17Jun2014

Blog Tour + Review & Giveaway: Overwhelmed by You by Nashoda Rose

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

Book Title: Overwhelmed by You
Author: Nashoda Rose
Series: Tear Asunder #2 (full reading order below)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 25, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Love is ugly and secrets will destroy you.

KAT

I don’t beg.

I don’t cry.

And I don’t give second chances.

Ream, the lead guitarist of the rock band Tear Asunder, deserves a gold medal for best dick move ever when he ran the moment he discovered my secret after two days of hot sex. Then he brings some chick to my coming home party from the hospital—after being shot.

I hate him.

Until …

Ream’s six foot two frame unfolds out of the car after being gone on tour for eight months. I stared. And in my defense, any girl would stare. It would almost be rude not to because Ream was the type of guy who stood out. Not because he was loud and obnoxious. No, it was because he was the complete opposite. Subtle and dangerously quiet. If he spoke, you’d better hope he liked you because otherwise you’d be falling at his feet begging for mercy. Except me … I don’t beg—ever.

But when our eyes locked, it was Ream’s steady confidence that had my nerves shooting off like jet sprinklers.

Then…

Ream told me he didn’t need a second chance because he was still working on his first.

REAM

Sex is ugly. It’s using someone for your own narcissistic pleasure. I did it and I hated it—until her. She was unfuckinexpected. Then I had to wreck our beginning with my screwed up past.

I don’t deserve her, but I’m selfish and I’m taking her anyway. This is who I am and it’s too late to change me.

*Warning contains violence, sexual content, and coarse language. Mature audiences 18+*

A contemporary romance with lots of angst and a taste of dark.

Purchase:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • iTunes

Oh myyy!!! Overwhelmed by You is one hell of an intense book! Although I already expected that after reading the previous books in the Tear Asunder series, and I wasn’t disappointed! This next book of the series is packed with passion, angst, and action. There was never a dull moment for me while reading it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it all!

Kat and Ream were friends once, until they hooked up one time and it all fell apart. Kat was already wary of starting something more than friendship with Ream, and after the fallout, she never wanted to trust Ream again. Two years later, Ream is back in her life, and this time, he wants her back. Woot! I just love second chance romances, and especially heroes who go after what they want–and in this case, it’s the girl. There’s a fierce intensity to Ream, and he focuses it ALL on Kat and getting her back–her heart, her trust, her body, everything.

“I’m not letting you go. I can’t do it anymore.”
This time I used my palms against his abdomen and pushed. He loosened his hold, but just enough so I could meet his eyes. “Ream, it won’t work. It’s too late.”
His eyes flashed with something that I didn’t recognize. “This wasn’t a discussion.”

Can you say alpha male??? Ream is seriously one of the top alpha males I’ve ever read–when he wants something, there’s literally nothing that can stand in his way from getting it. He’s protective, possessive, sensual, raw, and sexy, but he’s also hiding something painful from his past from Kat. He may be reassured, dominating, and collected on the outside, but within there are some serious demons that need exorcising.

Kat is able to go head to head with Ream (although sometimes it’s Ream’s way or the highway, which frustrated Kat–and me–a bit, but ehh, he’s an alpha male, so what can you do?) and she fights her attraction with him. Ream broke her trust, and she’s not about to go handing it back to him so easily. I really liked Kat’s character. She’s funny, stubborn, and all-around a tough girl with a vulnerable side that made connect with her. She was a bit too stubborn at times–most of the book is her fighting against her being with Ream, and all I wanted to do was shake her and say “You two are meant for each other! Stop fighting it!” But Ream, being the determined and unrelenting man that he is, is not deterred from his goal.

I spent eight months wishing I wasn’t on tour so I could be with you. Now, I’m back and the only way I’m running again is toward you.” He lowered his voice, and the gravelly, deep tone drummed into my chest. “Fight me all you want, Kat. I’m going to keep coming.”

Ream had the determined alpha male thing down to perfection.

But there’s so much more than just winning Kat’s heart back for Ream to do. His past is coming back to haunt him, and he needs to find a way to deal with it so it doesn’t drive him and Kat apart. Add some suspense and action into this book, and you have the perfect blend of romance and thrills! I’d definitely recommend this for fans of the series–you won’t be disappointed with Kat and Ream’s story!

Reading Order: Tear Asunder series

#0.5 ~ With You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1 ~ Torn from You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Overwhelmed by You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Shattered by You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Kept from You: Goodreads (Dec. 5, 2016)

Nashoda Rose lives in Toronto with her assortment of pets. She writes contemporary romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave. Her novella “With You” is the first in the Tear Asunder series, followed by the novel “Torn from You” and “Overwhelmed by You”.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dog at her side while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers on Facebook and chatting about her addiction—books.

Facebook • Twitter • Website • Goodreads

2 signed of Overwhelmed by You paperbacks (open internationally)

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