ARC Review: Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: de Vincent #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 30th 2018
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers the unforgettable story of a woman whose new life has just begun—but may end in murder . . .

Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou—and a scorching encounter with a stranger, only to discover he’s Lucian de Vincent . . . her new employer. The de Vincent brothers share a massive fortune and a dark reputation. Julia cares for their troubled sister, but a menacing presence in the mansion—and the ever-present temptation of Lucian—prove dangerously distracting.

Lucian’s grandmother claimed de Vincent men fall in love once—and hard. Apparently, it’s Lucian’s turn. Julia’s compassionate care of his twin makes Lucian want to lay himself bare. But some secrets are better for Julia not to know.

The recent “suicide” of Lucian’s father is the latest in a string of deaths on the estate. Someone is eliminating the de Vincents. And the best way to get to Lucian may be through Julia. . . .

I have yet to be disappointed by JLA – she’s a talented, versatile writer of various romance genres. Moonlight Sins is the first I’ve read of her romantic suspense novels and I have to say that I was incredibly impressed by the way she set up the story! Not only did I love the fantastic chemistry and romance between the main characters, but JLA kept me on my toes and guessing what would happen next. If you love a healthy dose of mystery and suspense with your romances, I highly recommend you give Moonlight Sins a try!

Julia Hughes is starting anew in the Louisiana bayou as a live-in nurse for a wealthy family. At her send-off party, she meets a guy she feels an intense connection with… but when arrives at the location of her new job, it turns out he’s none other than one of her employers and one of the de Vincents. The de Vincents are the American royalty of the South. They’re wealthy beyond measure and can have anything they could possibly want… but looks can be deceiving. Because inside the mansion they reside in lies a broken family with a dark, mysterious past and a curse that causes tragedy with each generation.

Despite being his employee, Julia can’t help but still want Lucian, the youngest of the de Vincent brothers. He is dark, dangerous, charming, and sexy as hell. He’s alpha to his core, which means he’s used to getting what he wants – and what he wants is Julia. He’s wanted her since the second he saw her and he’ll do anything to make her see that the spark between them is worth fighting for.

In between the hot chemistry and slow romance is the mystery and intrigue I’d been expecting in this romantic suspense. They mysterious “suicide” of the de Vincents’ father and the return of a long-lost sibling had me turning the pages to find out what really happened. JLA really amazed me with the way she was able to weave in the suspense seamlessly with the romance. I honestly couldn’t guess what would happen next!

Overall, Moonlight Sins is a fantastic start to what I know will be an incredible series. With a steamy romance, thrilling suspense, and a gripping mystery, this book had it all. I love Julia and Lucian, and am so intrigued by the two other de Vincent brothers. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

Reading Order: de Vincent series

#1 ~ Moonlight Sins: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Moonlight Seduction: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 26, 2018)

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

Subscribe to Blog via Email

12Jan2016

Release Day Review: The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Dirt on Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson #9 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 12th 2016
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In a small village in New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she’s more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around.

But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn’t help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she’s lost. That will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way.

The Charley Davidson series is one of my all-time favorite paranormal/urban fantasy series. I know every time I pick up a book from the series, I’m guaranteed laugh-out-loud humor from our dear heroine Charley, some hot sexiness from her now-husband Reyes, and a well-written mystery from Darynda Jones. I adored this latest installment to the series – it picks up right where Eighth Grave After Dark left off, with Charley having lost her memory and is now living as Janey Doerr (because Jane Doe is so overrated).

The latest books in the series have all been fast-paced and densely plot-filled, so the reprieve that The Dirt on Ninth Grave gives from all the craziness is a nice change. We get to rediscover Charley and the rest of the gang all over again, now that she has amnesia. But even though Charley has no idea who she is, the essence of her is still the exact same – she’s still the same hilarious, sassy, troublemaker heroine I’ve loved since the very start of the series.

What I loved most about this book is that we get to fall in love with Reyes alongside Charley all over again. Only this time, we know so much more about him, so every action he makes in The Dirt on Ninth Grave is so clearly filled with love. He is definitely the most romantic he’s ever been in the series, and I couldn’t help but swoon like crazy because of the love and utter devotion he has for Charley, amnesia or not.

His gaze rested on my mouth before making its way to my eyes again.
“You could ask for the world, and then where would civilization be when I conquered it and laid it at your feet?”

Even though the over-arcing plot has slowed down, that doesn’t mean that nothing happens in this book. Charley is a magnet for trouble and there are plenty of mysteries, ghost-filled and not, surrounding her. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Charley and her fun-filled craziness. She is a one-of-a-kind heroine and definitely the funniest I’ve ever read. If you’re a fan the series, The Dirt on Ninth Grave won’t be quite what you expect, but if you love and trust in Charley, you’ll no doubt enjoy this book as much as I did, if not more.

“I’ve loved her for centuries,” he said. “And I will love her until the stars burn out.”

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

Reading Order: Charley Davidson series

#1 ~ First Grave on the Right: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Second Grave on the Left: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Third Grave Dead Ahead: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Fifth Grave Past the Light: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Sixth Grave on the Edge: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ Seventh Grave and No Body: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8 ~ Eighth Grave After Dark: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#8.5 ~ Brighter Than the Sun: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads (Reyes’ POV novella)
#9 ~ The Dirt on Ninth Grave: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#10 ~ The Curse of Tenth Grave: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#11 ~ Eleventh Grave in Moonlight: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads (Jan. 24, 2017)

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

Subscribe to Blog via Email

20Aug2015

Audiobook Review: Never Never: Part 2 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Never Never: Part 2 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Series: Never Never #2 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: August 11th 2015
Length: 2 hours and 39 minutes
Narrated by: Kevin Free & Elizabeth Evans
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

“Never forget that I was your first real kiss. Never forget that you’ll be my last.
And never stop loving me between all of them.
Never stop, Charlie.
Never forget.”

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. And now, the stakes are higher as Silas’ control slips and others begin to point fingers. Charlie is in trouble and he must be the one to bridge the chasm between their past and their present. Because somewhere between I love yous and Never Nevers and Never Agains, a truth they can’t imagine, beckons to be found.

“Where are you, Charlie?”

I was seriously addicted to the first part in Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher’s Never Never series, so I of course I’d be incredibly excited for the second! I was hoping to get some answers in this second part, since the first left me with so many questions. Although I wasn’t quite satisfied with the story in this book, I once again enjoyed Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher’s fantastic writing and storytelling. The two of them write in such a compelling way that I didn’t want to stop listening to this audiobook.

Never Never: Part Two picks up right where Part One left off: Silas has once again forgotten all his memories. This time around, he has the help of quickly getting access to the letters he wrote to warn himself and Charlie about losing their memories. Charlie is missing, and even though Silas has never really met her, since he has no memories, he still has a desperate need to find her and help her.

This novella is super quick and super short. I adore Silas, who seems like such a good, sweet guy. I love that he cares for Charlie, even though he doesn’t know who she is, because deep down he knows he’s always loved her. And I really liked that Silas’ brother Landon gets involved, because I absolutely love him!

The story, though, is just TOO short. The writing is fantastic, of course, but I was hoping for something more. The audiobook is only 2.5 hours, almost half as long as the first part. As much as I like the narrators, I just wasn’t as satisfied with the book as much as I wanted to be because I wish it was longer. We only get tiny scraps of clues that still don’t lead us to how or why Charlie and Silas keep losing their memories every 48 hours.

Still, if you were a fan of Part One, you most likely won’t want to miss Part Two. Just a warning though, that this ends in a cliffhanger again! If you don’t mind the cliffie, then I recommend you keep reading this series to see where it goes!

Reading Order: Never Never series

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

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

Subscribe to Blog via Email

17Aug2015

Audiobook Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Series: Never Never #1 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: August 11th 2015
Length: 4 hours and 23 minutes
Narrated by: Kevin Free & Elizabeth Evans
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.

Complete strangers since this morning.

He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

I love dual narrator audiobooks and I love Colleen Hoover, so I couldn’t not listen to the Never Never audiobook! This book was quite the experience – I almost have no clue what I just listened to (I was left with so many questions!!!!) but I know that I enjoyed it. Never Never is mysterious, dark, and complex, with a storyline that keeps you reading and wanting for more.

Silas and Charlie wake up one day with no idea who they are. As they navigate through the mystery of why they have no past memories, they slowly learned clues that reveal who they are to each other. I’m not going to say much about the plot, because I highly recommend going into this blind. The blurb doesn’t tell you much, and that’s exactly the way it should be. All I will say is that even though it’s highly suspenseful and heart-pounding and you’re literally going “What is going on” the entire time – at its heart, Never Never is a love story, a love story that’s captivating and heart-wrenching. I fell in love with the Charlie and Silas. Especially Silas. The two of them together are a hot mess and yet they’re perfect for each other.

This audiobook was fantastic to listen to. The narrators perfectly matched the characters and overall, they were just really easy to listen to. Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher’s writing is spectacular, so I have no complaints about that. However, even though I know this is a series of novellas, I do wish Never Never longer – the audiobook is about 4.5 hours long, half as long as what I usually listen to, so I finished this pretty quickly. And when I finished, I was left with so many questions that I’m really hoping will be answered in the next book.

If you’re in the mood for something that will get your mind revving and leave you hanging for more, I highly recommend Never Never. I loved the writing, the narrators were great, and I couldn’t get enough of the characters.

Reading Order: Never Never series

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

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

Subscribe to Blog via Email

7Feb2015

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

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

	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…
	anovelglimpse on Release Day Review: Tryst Six…

Booklovers For Life

Falling in love with romance one page at a time

Tag Archives: mystery