Tag Archives: indie

Release Day Review: Tight by Alessandra Torre

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by

Tight by Alessandra Torre

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!

4.5 hearts
lacey

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

Also by Alessandra Torre

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre
Hollywood Dirt 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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ARC Review: Craved by an Alpha by Felicity Heaton

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Craved by an Alpha by Felicity Heaton

Craved by an Alpha by Felicity Heaton
Series: Eternal Mates #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 27th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Having turned his back on his snow leopard pride, Cavanaugh has been counting the days until he’s free of a role he never wanted—one that separated him from his fated female and stands between him and the future he craves with her.

Just days from the night he will finally be free to be with the low-ranking beauty who stole his heart, she walks back into his life and threatens to destroy everything he’s worked towards in the five long years they’ve been apart.

Eloise has travelled across continents searching for the male who was once her best friend and so much more to her, but was now her pride’s true alpha. Desperate to fulfil a promise to her kin to save them from the tyrant he left in charge, she convinces Cavanaugh to return to his pride, but as they journey to Bhutan, doubts bloom and old feelings resurface, tearing her between duty and her deepest desires and impossible dreams.

Will Eloise be able to resist the burning need that Cavanaugh reignites in her and remember her place in the pride? And can Cavanaugh find a way to save his kin and claim the future he craves with the woman he loves?

This was a short, sexy, and sweet book about Cavanaugh and his mate. I was very much looking forward to Cavanaugh’s story after having read the previous book in the Eternal Mates series. He’s a bartender with a mysterious past, and we finally get to see what demons Cavanaugh hides in Craved by an Alpha. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed with this latest installment from Felicity Heaton!

Cavanaugh was formerly in the running to be the next alpha of his snow leopard pride, but becoming the alpha would have ruined his chances of being with the woman he loved, his fate mate Eloise. So Cavanaugh left his pride, left Eloise, to stay away until he was no longer in the running to be alpha and he had the chance to win back and claim his mate.

Eight days were all that stood between him and claiming the mate he craved with all of his heart.
Those eight days suddenly felt like forever.

But Cavanaugh’s plans change when Eloise suddenly appears where he works. Seeing her again awakens his need to claim her, but Eloise comes bearing bad news. The current alpha of their pride is bad news, and she wants Cavanaugh to come back and reclaim his rightful place as alpha. And because he can’t resist her, Cavanaugh agrees to return, all the while fighting his impulses to claim his mate.

He had no interest in being the alpha. The one thing he had craved in his life wasn’t power or standing. It was her. She was the only thing that mattered to him.

Eloise has always loved Cavanaugh, but when he left the pride, he hurt her badly and left her and the pride in the hands of a tyrant. Seeing him again brings back the chemistry that was always between them, though she tries to fight it. Eloise doesn’t know that Cavanaugh left the pride to be with her, so they have a few bumps along the way on their journey before they can start on their happy ever after.

I adored Eloise and Cavanaugh’s romance! So heartbreaking yet romantic, my heart was swept away by the love between them. I do wish this book was longer – the plot went by really quickly, and the book ended before I even realized I had finished! Still, I highly enjoyed this book!

If you’re a fan of paranormal romances, you MUST read this series! It’s wonderfully written, the characters are memorable and endearing, and it’s hot and sexy. Felicity Heaton is definitely an author I’d recommend for PNR lovers.

4 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Eternal Mates series

Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity E. Heaton Claimed by a Demon King by Felicity Heaton Tempted by a Rogue Prince by Felicity Heaton
Hunted by a Jaguar by Felicity Heaton Craved by an Alpha by Felicity Heaton Bitten by a Hellcat by Felicity Heaton Taken by a Dragon by Felicity Heaton

#1 ~ Kissed by a Dark Prince: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Claimed by a Demon King: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Tempted by a Rogue Prince: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hunted by a Jaguar: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Craved by an Alpha: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#6 ~ Bitten by a Hellcat: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#7 ~ Taken by a Dragon: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

ARC Review: Hunted by a Jaguar by Felicity Heaton

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Hunted by a Jaguar by Felicity Heaton

Hunted by a Jaguar by Felicity Heaton
Series: Eternal Mates #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 6th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

A jaguar shifter with a dark secret, Kyter has spent his entire life running from his demons. When a tragedy takes him back to his pride’s village, he is set on a path of vengeance that will see him collide with the terrible ghosts of his past and a beautiful vision of his future.

Iolanthe deals in finding artefacts for discerning clients, but this time her client is one of the deadliest men in Hell and her mission has the highest stakes imaginable. Failure is not an option when your life is on the line, but things take a dangerous turn when she crosses paths with a handsome and mysterious male on the hunt for the same artefact—a male who declares she is his eternal mate.

Can Iolanthe resist Kyter’s wicked allure and find the artefact before he does? Can Kyter face his demons and win the heart of his fated female? Or will this deadly game of cat and mouse claim both of their lives?

If there’s a go-to author for paranormal romances, for me, Felicity Heaton would be one of them! I am such a big fan of the world of her Eternal Mates series – if you’re a fan of PNRs, then you should definitely give this series a try. It’s got a fleshed-out, well-written world with fantastic characters and a whole bunch of sexiness.

Hunted by a Jaguar is the fourth installment in the Eternal Mates series, and although it’s not my favorite of the series, it was still a highly enjoyable read. We first met Kyter, as the bar owner in Kissed by a Dark Prince. He’s also a jaguar shifter who has been running from the demons of his past. His tribe shunned him because of his dark heritage – his demon father. But when his mother dies, he has to go back to the tribe he has no love for to exact revenge for his mother’s death. And in order to have his revenge, he must locate a key that will summon his mother’s murderer.

Iolanthe, an elf, has been tasked to also find the key, but if she fails, her life is forfeit. Inevitably, she and Kyter cross paths. At first sight, Kyter knows that Iolanthe is his eternal mate. But now he has to make a choice – find and take the key that will avenge his mother’s death, or give it all up for love.

It took me a while to get into this book for some reason. The beginning was fairly slow paced, but I was excited for Kyter to discover and win over his mate. Iolanthe is very resistant towards a mating between them – she doesn’t believe she and Kyter are mates, despite how much her body reacts to him. She’s an independent woman and never wanted a mate who would shackle her down. But Kyter is determined to make Iolanthe see that what they have is real. I adored how fiercely passionate and loyal Kyter is and how all of that was focused on making Iolanthe his.

For fans of PNR, the Eternal Mates series is a must read! Each book can be read as a standalone as each is about a different couple, but you get the full, better experience if you read them all in order. I’m definitely looking forward to the other books in this series!

4 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Eternal Mates series

Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity E. Heaton Claimed by a Demon King by Felicity Heaton Tempted by a Rogue Prince by Felicity Heaton
Hunted by a Jaguar by Felicity Heaton Craved by an Alpha by Felicity Heaton Bitten by a Hellcat by Felicity Heaton Taken by a Dragon by Felicity Heaton

#1 ~ Kissed by a Dark Prince: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Claimed by a Demon King: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Tempted by a Rogue Prince: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hunted by a Jaguar: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Craved by an Alpha: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#6 ~ Bitten by a Hellcat: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#7 ~ Taken by a Dragon: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

Release Day Review: Kyland by Mia Sheridan

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by

Kyland by Mia Sheridan

Kyland by Mia Sheridan
Series: A Sign of Love #7 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 25th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Dirt poor. Hillbilly. Backwoods hick. Mountain folk.

Tenleigh Falyn struggles each day to survive in a small, poverty-stricken, coal mining town where she lives with her sister and mentally ill mother. Her dream of winning the college scholarship given to one student by the local coal company and escaping the harshness of her life, keeps her going.

Kyland Barrett lives in the hills, too, and has worked tirelessly—through near starvation, through deep loneliness, against all odds—to win the Tyton Coal Scholarship and leave the town that is full of so much pain.

They’re both determined not to form any attachments, but one moment changes everything. What happens when only one person gets to win? When only one person gets to leave? And what happens to the one left behind?

Kyland is a story of desperation and hope, loss and sacrifice, pain and forgiveness, but ultimately, a story of deep and unending love.

“I do go to hell. Every day. For you.”

I absolutely adore Mia Sheridan’s writing! With each book in the A Sign of Love series, she’s proven again and again how phenomenal she is at storytelling. Her writing is lyrical, bringing her characters and settings to life. With her latest book, Kyland, Mia Sheridan conveys a powerful story of true, enduring love that can overcome anything. As much desperation and pain there is in this story, what you take away from it is a brilliant, warm-hearted book full love and never-ending hope. I absolutely loved it!

In the middle of rolling green hills, breathtaking mountain views, waterfalls, and quaint covered bridges, lies Dennville, Kentucky, a part of the Appalachian Mountains that would put any urban slum to shame, where hopelessness is as commonplace as the white oak trees, and unemployment is the rule more than the exception.

That writing – simply stunning!

Each of Mia Sheridan’s settings is unique and written in a spell-binding way, and Dennville, Kentucky is no different. It’s a poor town with even poorer inhabitants who work day and night to barely make ends meet. You might feel sorry for the people of Dennville, but there’s a beauty in the way they tirelessly endure and take care of one another and survive. This is the way Tenleigh and Kyland live – they are two teenagers who don’t let their poverty-stricken situations bring them down. Both of them are working towards the same goal – to win a scholarship that will pay for college so that they’ll have a chance at building a better life, and most importantly, winning that scholarship will take them out of Dennville.

There’s only one person who can win the scholarship, but when Kyland and Tenleigh should have been adversaries, they became friends instead. There’s a loneliness in both of them – Kyland’s father and brother died in a mining accident a few years back, Tenleigh’s father abandoned her family and Tenleigh spends all her time working to afford medicine for her mother’s mental illness – but when Kyland and Tenleigh meet, a deep bond forms between them. They help each other in their times of loneliness, and ultimately, they save each other.

My heart felt so full as I read they way Tenleigh and Kyland fell in love with each other. It’s slow and beautiful and heart-wrenching the way they want, need, and finally, love each other. And my heart was aching so badly, because only one of them will end up winning the scholarship. It’s a bad idea to start anything between the two of them, because it’ll only end in heartbreak, but Kyland and Tenleigh can’t resist each other.

Tenleigh.
Half agony, half hope.
Half pain, half ecstacy.
Half grief, half joy.
Half my downfall, half my savior.

It was so achingly heart-wrenching how Tenleigh and Kyland had found their soulmates in one another, but couldn’t keep each other. One of them would end up leaving Dennville, and the two of them would their separate ways. They experience loss and suffering, but there’s no doubt that Kyland and Tenleigh are two souls who are meant to be together, and that they will always find a way to be together.

“I’m going to make all your dreams come true. All my life.”

Once again, Mia Sheridan delivers another stunning, deeply emotional read that I devoured. Kyland is a book that took my breath away. I fell in love with Tenleigh and Kyland and the strength in their hearts. They are two beautiful characters, inside and out, and they captured my heart. I couldn’t stop reading their story, and I honestly wished it never ended. And of course the ending would have to be perfect too! I adored the ending – it left me feeling so warm and happy (all of Mia’s books leave me feeling like this, actually). I truly loved everything about this book!

5 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: A Sign of Love series

Note: Each of the books in the A Sign of Love series can be read as complete standalones that have no connection with each other, with the exception of Leo’s Chance, which is the hero’s POV of Leo, and Becoming Calder and Finding Eden, a two-book story featuring the same cast of characters. None of the characters in the different Sign of Love books are connected.

Leo by Mia Sheridan Leo's Chance by Mia Sheridan Stinger by Mia Sheridan
Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan Becoming Calder by Mia Sheridan Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan
Kyland by Mia Sheridan Grayson's Vow by Mia Sheridan Midnight Lily by Mia Sheridan

#1 ~ Leo: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Leo’s Chance: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Stinger: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Archer’s Voice: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Becoming Calder: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Finding Eden: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ Kyland: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8 ~ Grayson’s Vow: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#9 ~ Midnight Lily: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Here’s a clip from the Kyland audiobook!

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Review: Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by

Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin

Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: January 12th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

Revenge.
I race to finance it.
I evade to protect it.
I kill to attain it.
I planned everything.

Except her.
The alluring, curvaceous blonde at the finish line.
With sapphire eyes that cheat and lie.
Whose powerful family murdered mine.

I hate her.
I want her.

I know she’s hiding something.
But so am I.

SQUEEEE!!! My first 5-heart rating of the year!! And oh my gosh, how I loved this one. Dirty Ties is the first book I’ve read from Pam Godwin but it won’t be my last! I simply adored this thrilling, hot, wild ride of a novel. It was nothing I expected, since the blurb doesn’t give much away, but I loved that this book surprised me. Dirty Ties is a fast-paced page turner that had me at the edge of my seat from start to finish. I loved the characters and the writing – I can’t recommend this book enough!

I don’t want to explain too much about the plot, because I feel it’s best to go into Dirty Ties blind. The driving force of this book is revenge – except what happens to that revenge when love gets in the way? Ohh, the dilemma!! Pam Godwin did an excellent job hooking me into the story. It’s dark, twisted, and deliciously angsty. And it’s got a smokin’ hot biker. It really was the perfect read for me!

“A man like that fucks like he rides. With intimidation, recklessness, and unharnessed energy. He’s powered by adrenaline and takes what he wants without care.”

God, that description… Isn’t it the HOTTEST thing ever!? It was ridiculous how much Pam Godwin made me lust love Logan – I nearly wanted Logan to ride me instead of his motorcycle, that’s how hot he was. Logan is a dominant, sexy, powerful man who is fueled by revenge. He’s spent years planning, going underground and doing illegal things, and nothing will stand in the way of getting his revenge.

The heroine, Kaci, is a strong, intelligent, independent woman and I just connected with her from the start. I loved her. I loved her badass attitude, but I also loved her vulnerabilities. She’s a powerful woman with money and prestige, but her heart is lonely. Kaci wants a man to share her life with, a man who’ll challenge her and love her.

For years, I’d stood alone, toe-to-toe against powerful men. How I wished to have an invincible man on my side.

When Kaci and Logan meet, they’re masked, complete strangers to each other. But even though they’re strangers, they feel an insatiable need towards each other. Kaci and Logan’s connection is fierce, passionate, raw, and intense – they truly are the perfect match for each other. But when the masks fall away, leaving only revenge, people get hurt. It’s a dangerous, dark, corrupted game Logan is playing in his revenge, but when he finds himself falling deeper for Kaci, he has to decide whether his revenge is worth losing the woman he loves.

Her longing was beautiful and poignant, one I felt in every painful beat of my heart, filling me with a possessive need to be the man who gave her that kind of happiness.

I highly, highly recommend Dirty Ties. I honestly couldn’t put this book down! It’s a dark, romantic read that will have your heart pounding and leave you breathless.

5 hearts
lacey