Blog Tour + Early Review & Giveaway: Mended by Kim Karr

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

Title: Mended
Author: Kim Karr
Series: Connections #3 (full reading order below)
Release Date: June 3rd 2014

Music has the power to heal, but not all broken hearts can be mended.

Always in control, Xander Wilde considered life on the road to be a perfect fit for him. But when disaster strikes on the Wilde Ones’ latest tour, fate intervenes…and a newly single Ivy Taylor, the only girl he has ever loved, steps back into his life.

After moving past her painful breakup with Xander years ago, Ivy was poised to become the next big name in pop music…when suddenly she withdrew from the limelight—the same day she announced her engagement to her controlling agent, Damon Wolf.

Xander knows he should keep his distance. But once they’re on the road, he can’t resist pursuing her for a second chance. Yet a jealous Damon can’t let her go—and he’s keeping dangerous secrets that could destroy them all.

When the three of them come together, everything falls apart. But if Xander and Ivy can hold tight to the bond that connects them, they just might have a chance at reclaiming the powerful love they thought they had lost forever….

Buy Links:
Amazon • B&N • iTunes • Paperback

“Roses are so cliché. I prefer Ivy.”

What a wild ride this book was! I honestly had no idea what to expect going in to Mended. All I knew was that this was River’s hot older brother’s book, and it was a second chance romance. I’m a huge fan of second chance romances, and Mended turned out to be a passionate, intense one, with so many twists and turns I nearly couldn’t keep up. Fans of the series definitely won’t be disappointed with Xander and Ivy’s story.

When Xander Wilde was first introduced, we didn’t know much about him, but with Mended we finally get to see everything behind his facade. Xander and Ivy were high school sweethearts–I loved reading about the their past. Kim Karr did a wonderful job of blending both past and present. And teenaged Xander is seriously the sweetest thing! He and Ivy had their futures planned, and there was no question that the two of them would be together. Unfortunately, with Xander’s father’s suicide, Xander had to give up his future, and therefore Ivy–leading to a painful breakup and much heartache because of a lie.

Twelve years later, Xander is the band manager for The Wilde Ones and hasn’t seen Ivy since their breakup. Ivy is a famous pop singer and currently engaged to her agent Damon Wolf. But the second they see each other again, it’s as if no time passed at all. Xander wants Ivy again, fiercely, but he can’t do anything about it because she’s engaged. I loved being inside Xander’s head once they see each other again–Xander is so raw and passionate, and insanely jealous of Damon. He wants to tell Ivy the truth about the night they broke up, but would it even make a difference twelve years later?

My thoughts are drifting to seeing Ivy after so many years and how things could have been so different. When you believe a lie for so long… does it become the truth?

Mended takes you on a wild(e) ride from start to finish (hehe, see what I did there?). We have both Ivy and Xander’s POVs, and I could feel how deeply the two of them were heartbroken over each other, and still are.

“I’m sorry Xander… I just can’t be that close to you.”
I look down at her. “Why not? I’ve gone along with the friends thing, but clearly we both want more.”
Her voice cracks as she whispers, “Because, Xander, my body might want you but my heart doesn’t.”
The pain in her voice collapses everything I am, everything I have to give.

Ivy’s trying to protect her heart of Xander, but Xander won’t give up on her. He’s changed so much since he was eighteen–he has a stable job, his family healed, he’s strong and very much an alpha-male. So of course Ivy has a hard time resisting him.

“Look, we could play the game–pretend we both didn’t feel what we felt the minute we saw each other at the pool, but I’d rather not. I loved you when I was fourteen. I loved you when I was eighteen and I had to let you go. I’ve loved you for the last twelve years. And I love you now. Ivy–I love you.”

Xander is seriously the best! One second he’d be sweet talking Ivy, and the next, the dirtiest things would be coming out of his mouth! I loved it! 😉

But it’s definitely not an easy road for Xander and Ivy. Heartache, angst, and turmoil are constant throughout the book–Mended made me feel a wild jumble of emotions. I wasn’t too big of a fan once everything started getting twisty, and everything seemed to be resolved to perfectly for me, but overall I had a great time reading Mended. It kept me hooked and at the edge of my seat. Mended wasn’t perfect, but it’s definitely worth reading. I’m still not sure who I could choose between Xander over River though… 😉

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

Reading Order: Connections series

#1 ~ Connected: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Torn: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Dazed: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Mended: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Blurred: Ebook • Goodreads
#4 ~ Frayed: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Flawed: Goodreads (2015)
#6 ~ Perfected: Goodreads (2015)

I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I’ve always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family. I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my biggest passions—writing.I wear a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of the family. However, I always find time to read. One of my favorite family outings use to be taking my kids to the bookstore or the library. Today, my oldest child is in college and my twins are juniors so they no longer go with me on these outings. And although I don’t need to go to the actual store anymore because I have the greatest device ever invented—a Kindle, I still do. There’s nothing like a paperback. So now my four year old and I make dates out of going to the bookstore–it’s time I love and cherish.

I like to believe in soulmates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. I love to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

Paperback copy of Mended (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

16May2014

Blog Tour + Review & Giveaway: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

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

I’m so excited to be a part of the All Lined Up blog tour!! You can read my review below, and enter the tour-wide giveaway!

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
Series: Rusk University #1 (full reading order below)
Release date: May 13th 2014

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That’s what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn’t always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It’s obliterated.

Dallas doesn’t know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn’t know that Dallas is his new coach’s daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes and Noble

All Lined Up is too much cuteness! It’s such a sweet, quick, fun read, and I zipped through it in one sitting. I was already a fan of Cora Carmack’s after reading the Losing It series, and All Lined Up impressed me even more! Cora Carmack is spot-on as a new adult writer–I loved the way she portrayed her characters and I fell in love with her writing.

It was so easy to immerse myself into the world of All Lined Up, and into Rusk University. Football is, of course, one of the main aspects of the story, and even though i know next to nothing about football, the author was able to explain just how much football means to people without making me feel disconnected. Dallas is the daughter of one of the new coaches at Rusk University, and she’s a bit of a goody two-shoes. Her main passion has always been dancing, but she lets her father control her life and center it around football. Dallas is incredibly likable and relatable–she’s a girl who’s been stuck under her parent’s thumb for too long and doesn’t know the way out.

And I find myself thinking that church is like my kid’s sermon… It parallels my life as a whole. I show up, but I’m not in it. I go through the motions, but my mind wanders elsewhere. I dress and behave in the ways I know won’t get me in trouble. I get by. I bide my time waiting for the moment when it all ends.
But life isn’t church. It isn’t one hour during one day in the week. It’s everything, and I’m wasting it.

Carson is a transfer student trying to succeed through football, because it’s pretty much the only thing he can do. He needs to get a good spot on the football team and get a scholarship–otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to afford college. Carson is incredibly dedicated and determined, both of which are qualities that made me fall for him. He’s a good guy through and through, and even though he tries to make football his number one priority, the moment Dallas walks into his life, he can’t get her out of his mind–and he doesn’t want to.

The two of them don’t realize their relationship with one another–that Dallas is Carson’s coach’s daughter–so when they meet, sparks fly, and they allow a small moment of freedom to express their wants and desires for one another. They have this undeniable connection with one another that they’ve never experienced before, and it’s so sweet to see the two of them together.

But once the ball drops and they find out who they are, they try to become friends, but they can never get rid of their attraction to one another. Carson and Dallas spend more and more time together, and it’s easy to see how they fall for each other. I loved their relationship and how it grew slowly. They both knew there were risks to being together, so they were mature and cautious about it. But at then end of the day, they can’t deny the chemistry between them, and I wanted them to get together so badly! Carson and Dallas complement each other so well and make the perfect couple.

I loved the fact that even as their relationship developed, Dallas and Carson developed as characters as well. Individually, they have much more to learn and to grow to be the person they are most comfortable with.

All in all, All Lined Up shouldn’t be missed. It’s the perfect new adult novel with great writing, characters who have great emotional depth, and a story that keeps you hooked.

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

Reading Order: Rusk University series

#1 ~ All Lined Up: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ All Broke Down: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Oct. 7, 2014)
#3 ~ All Played Out: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Feb. 24, 2015)

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She’s done a multitude of things in her life– boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

5 signed copies of ALL LINED UP for 5 winners-US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

28Apr2014

Release Day Review: Monster in His Eyes by J.M. Darhower

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Monster in His Eyes by J.M. Darhower
Series: Monster in His Eyes #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 28th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man.

I suspect it, the first time I see him, sense the air of danger that surrounds the man. He has a way of commanding attention, of taking control, of knowing what I’m thinking before I even do.

It’s alarming and alluring. It’s dark and deadly. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted but the last thing I truly need. Obsession.

It doesn’t take him long to draw me into his web, charming me into his bed and trapping me in his life, a life I know nothing about until it’s too late. He has secrets, secrets I can’t fathom, secrets that make it so I can’t walk away, no matter how much I beg him to let me go. I see it sometimes in his eyes, a darkness that’s both terrifying and thrilling. He’s a monster, wrapped up in a pretty package, and what I find when I unmask him changes everything.

I want to hate him.

Sometimes, I do.

But it doesn’t stop me from loving him, too.

This book blew. MY. MIND!!!!! I still can’t wrap my head around Monster in His Eyes–it was nothing like I ever expected, and I LOVED it! It’s intense, raw, suspenseful, gorgeously written, and so freaking goooood!!!

We have our heroine, Karissa, an 18-year-old freshman at NYU who’s just a normal girl trying to distance herself from her overbearing mom. She’s getting through her first year of college–she’s normal, relatable, and I easily connected with her as the heroine. J.M. Darhower portrays her perfectly as a college girl, but the story really only picks up when Karissa meets Ignazio “Naz” Vitale. Ignazio Vitale, who is 36, intense, and holds so much raw confidence and power in himself that Karissa never stood a chance against him.

Karissa is wary of Naz, and rightly so. Here’s a guy who’s gorgeous, rich, and twice her age, and he’s pursuing her? But there’s something so tempting, so invigorating, so thrilling about Naz that Karissa can’t stay away. Naz even warns Karissa to stay away from him but…

“I thought I could play with you a bit, and let you go, but once I had you, Karissa, I had to keep you. I couldn’t walk away.”

As Karissa starts falling for this man, a man she really knows nothing about, it’s all very romantic, but I could never get that feeling–the chills-up-your-spine kind of feeling–out of my mind. There was always something more to Naz, something dark and dangerous, and I never forgot it, and neither does Karissa. I honestly didn’t know what to think about Naz. Did I think he was too old for Karissa? Yes, but I could deal with that. Did I fall for him? Maybe a liiitle bit–he’s insanely sensual and passionate, but I just couldn’t ignore the warning bells ringing in my head. Because there’s no doubt that Naz is very dark and very, very dangerous.

And when his eyes cut my way, and I see the darkness on the surface, I’m reminded that this man hangs out with monsters.
And one might even exist inside of him.

Ignazio Vitale is one very intriguing man, and J.M. Darhower has written him so very, very perfectly. I swooned and I gasped, and I felt an incredibly wide range of emotions because of him. He’s such a thrilling character to read about, especially from Karissa’s POV. The author’s writing is brilliant, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more fascinated in and intrigued with a character than I am about Naz.

He lives in his own little world, where he’s the king, and I’m more than happy to be his minion… although, when he looks at me, flashing that dimple, I feel like nothing less than his queen.

Naz is addictive and powerful, sweeping Karissa off her feet and carrying her into his world, but it’s not exactly a HEA for them. There are dark twists and turns in this book, things that were jaw-dropping and had me reeling. Fans of suspense will not be disappointed.

I honestly couldn’t get enough of Karissa and Naz’s story. I never wanted it to end, and now I’m pretty much dying for book 2, Torture in Her Soul!! Monster in His Eyes is a fascinating, fantastic book that had me hooked from the start. So go READ IT!!

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

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

Subscribe to Blog via Email

22Apr2014

Release Day Review: Phenomenal X by Michelle A. Valentine

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Phenomenal X is LIVE!! I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book, and I had a fabulous time reading it!

Phenomenal X by Michelle A. Valentine
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Book #1 in the Hard Knocks Series

Good Girl. Notorious Bad-Boy. One Phenomenal Love.

From the mean streets of Detroit rises the newest superstar of professional wrestling, Xavier Cold, better known as Phenomenal X. His muscular physique makes men cower before him and woman lose their minds with desire.

Anna Cortez is fresh out of college and naive to the harsh realities of the real world. Tired of living under the thumb of her conservative family, she defies them when she accepts a job as the assistant to wrestling’s most notorious bad-boy. Phenomenal X has an animalistic nature that even good girl Anna finds hard to resist. One night forced to share a bed in a sold-out hotel, lines blur between them and they quickly learn that one lustful night changes everything and neither one of them will ever be the same.

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • Kobo

This is my first time reading a book by Michelle A. Valentine, and I have to say, I enjoyed Phenomenal X immensely! It had the perfect amount of intrigue, angst, sexiness, and intensity to make for a fast, fun read.

Anna is a girl who only wants to be free. She wants to be free from her oppressive family, and free to be whoever she wants to be. She is very much the good girl, and while she wants to break out from shell, it’s hard. She’s innocent, but not naive. It’s not until she meets Xavier Cold, otherwise known as Phenomenal X, that she starts to discover exactly who she’s meant to be.

We’re playing with fire, and one of us is bound to get burned.

Anna and Xavier have a very intense connection right from the very start. The bad boy and the good girl definitely have some fantastic chemistry together, but Anna refuses to be another conquest of Xavier’s. And so they settle for becoming friends, even though it’s hard to ignore the spark between them.

Xavier is so, so sweet to Anna. He may be known as a bad boy, because of the wresting and his mysterious past, but I felt he was just a man with a good heart but harsh exterior. Because of his past, Xavier believes he doesn’t deserve anything good in life, least of all Anna, but he does whatever he can to keep her in his life. It’s so sweet to see this bad boy falling in love, to see him be protective and possessive of Anna. And we can’t forget how sexy this man can be too! Even as Anna and Xavier are friends, Xavier can’t hold back his sensual self.

But eventually, they can’t remain friends. Xavier slowly breaks down those walls around Anna’s heart, and the two are explosive together.

“If we smash these fucking friendship rules there’s no going back. Once I have you–that’s it, you’re mine. I won’t allow another man to take what’s mine. Do you understand?”

Of course, Anna and Xavier don’t have an easy road ahead of them. Xavier must reconcile with his painful past, and Anna needs to be there for him as the deal with his past and his present–which involves trouble with his wrestling. Xavier is alpha-male all the way, and yet I found the story to be refreshing–the main characters don’t instantly fall into bed with each other and instead, they grow to learn about each other. The wrestling aspect is one I’ve never read before, so it was new and intriguing. Overall, Phenomenal X had me hooked and Michelle A. Valentine did a wonderful job bringing to life this story and these characters. Now I’m soooo excited for the sequel!

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

Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult romance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.

Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

20Apr2014

Review: Love, in English by Karina Halle

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Love, in English by Karina Halle
Series: LIE #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 20th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

He’s thirty-eight. I’m twenty-three.

He speaks Spanish. I speak English.

He lives in Spain. I live in Canada.

He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I’m covered in tattoos.

He’s married and has a five-year old daughter. I’m single and can’t commit to anyone or anything.

Until now. Because when they say you can’t choose who you fall in love with, boy ain’t that the f*#king truth.

***

To a restless dreamer like Vera Miles, it sounded like the experience of a lifetime. Instead of spending her summer interning for her astronomy major, she would fly to Spain where she’d spend a few weeks teaching conversational English to businessmen and women, all while enjoying free room and board at an isolated resort. But while Vera expected to get a tan, meet new people and stuff herself with wine and paella, she never expected to fall in love.

Mateo Casalles is unlike anyone Vera has ever known, let alone anyone she’s usually attracted to. While Vera is a pierced and tatted free spirit with a love for music and freedom, Mateo is a successful businessman from Madrid, all sharp suits and cocky Latino charm. Yet, as the weeks go on, the two grow increasingly close and their relationship changes from purely platonic to something…more.

Something that makes Vera feel alive for the first time.

Something that can never, ever be.

Or so she thinks.

“Love is like a thief, it robs you of all thought and logic, and all you have left is a heart that you can only pray is strong enough to survive the rest.”

I read Love, in English the moment it appeared on my kindle and I couldn’t. stop. reading. I literally had to force myself to stop when it was 2 AM and by then I was around halfway done. God, this book did a number on me. I can’t stop thinking about it–my mind and heart are still in a jumble of a mess right now. All I really want to say is the I love this book so freaking hard. Love, in English has become one of the best books, the best romances, I have read this year yet, and it’ll most likely stay that way because, simply put, this book is phenomenal.

“You can fall in love in a second,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “The heart has no regard for time.”

First, let’s talk a little bit about forbidden love! Yes, as you can see from the blurb, our heroine, Vera Miles, falls in love with a married man. A married man, you say??? Yes, yes, a married man. This is a touchy subject, but it’s one I felt Karina Halle handled flawlessly. I normally stay far, far away from books that involve cheating, and only very, very few books have made me fall in love with the story and characters. Love, in English is one of them. So if you’re wary of the cheating aspect of the book, I would say to not turn your back on it just yet.

The thing about Love, in English is that it is so much more than just a forbidden romance. The very essence of this book is not the forbidden part, but the love part. Vera goes to Spain to teach English to a group of Spanish native speakers, and there she discovers more about herself and about love than she could ever have dreamed of. She thought she was fairly okay with her life up until her trip to Spain, where she meets new people who “get” her. She doesn’t have to pretend with these group of Spaniards and Anglos, who welcome her with open arms, something she never had at home.

“You are lonely, but you say you like to be alone.”
I nodded. “I do. I prefer it. But… it doesn’t mean I don’t want someone to love me.” My eyes stung, as if tears were on their way. I bit my lip, debating if I should say more. “It doesn’t mean that I don’t have a lot of love in me to give someone.”

And along the way of this self-discovery, Vera actually falls in love… but it just so happens that he’s married. And what I love most about Vera, besides her kickass attitude and her awesome tattoos, is that she knows what she feels for Mateo is wrong. She knows there would be consequences and was very adamantly against having any feelings for him. And it certainly is wrong to act on those feelings, but what she feels for Mateo is something completely different. As she spends more time with Mateo, talking with him, getting to know him, her feelings blossom into something… beautiful. And it is very obviously reciprocated by Mateo.

“What is love? In English.”
I raised my brows. “Love, in English, is love?”
“What is it in Spanish?”
I was so enthralled by his hypnotic eyes, I could barely remember. “Amore?”
He shook his head ever so slightly. “No. Love in Spanish is you.”

Cue the blubbers!!! My heart was seriously bursting here. *sigh*

But but but… heartbreak is like a dark cloud hanging over Vera and Mateo. If they had only met under different circumstances, then a love this theirs would have been the most wondrous, glorious thing. But they didn’t, so what can actually come out of a love between the two of them?

“You and I, we were always a memory in the making.”

Cue the goddamn tears!! Karina Halle is so powerful with her words. I could feel the heartbreak, the anguish, but most of all, the love between Vera and Mateo. And another thing Karina Halle so eloquently expresses in this book? Spain. It was like I was taken into another world, a special place designated to Mateo and Vera for falling in love. And I was rooting for them every single second. They were two people falling in love at the wrong time, but there was no doubt that the two of them were meant for each other, meant to be with each other. I had no idea what direction Karina Halle would have the two of them take, but everything was honest, heartbreaking, breathtaking, and real.

“But love makes you an optimist,” she said. “That is what love is. It is hope for the future. Love doesn’t want you to lose faith, to view the world darkly, to have no hope. Love makes you believe in the impossible. That is the meaning of the word.”

All in all, Love, in English was one beautiful book. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me hurt, and made me feel nearly every emotion out there known to man. I was gasping one moment, and tearing up in the next, but every single second I was falling more and more in love with the book. This is without a doubt one of the best romances I have ever read, and I wish every single person out there gave Love, in English a chance.

Reading Order: LIE series

#1 ~ Love, in English: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Love, in Spanish: Ebook • Goodreads (Nov. 11, 2014)
Spinoff ~ Where Sea Meets Sky: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (March 1, 2015)

	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: new adult