Early Review: Loud is How I Love You by Mercy Brown

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Loud is How I Love You by Mercy Brown
Series: Hub City #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 19th 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

One girl’s heart gets rocked to the core in the first novel in this sexy New Adult series.

Twenty-one-year-old front girl Emmylou knows that getting her band noticed in the ‘90s indie rock scene will be no easy task. She definitely knows better than to break the number one rule of the band: Don’t sleep with your bandmates! But after she ends up having the best sex of her life with her guitarist, Travis, she finds following that rule is a lot harder than it sounds.

When the band gets the gig of their dreams, making it big seems just within reach. But Emmy’s inability to keep her hands off Travis threatens everything they’ve worked for. Can Emmy find a way to break the rules and not blow the chance of a lifetime?

Loud is how I love you,
Loud is how I know you’re there.
Loud so I don’t lose you,
Because I’d know the sound of you anywhere.

This book was on my radar because of some heavy praise from one of my all-time favorite authors, so of course I had to give it a try! Add in the ‘90’s indie rock scene and I was totally sold. Loud is How I Love You is a fantastic new adult romance – it wasn’t anything like I expected, but I enjoyed every bit of its quirkiness. It’s heartwarming, fun, hilarious, and a really sweet read. If you’re looking for something memorable and different from your typical NA read, you need to read this book!

Emmy’s dream is to get her band, Stars on the Floor (aka Soft), noticed, and she and her bandmates have worked their butts off to get to where they are. But it’s all threatened when Emmy ends up having the best sex of her life… with her guitarist Travis. Because the number one rule of being in a band? Don’t sleep with your bandmate. If you do, you’ll only create drama that will screw things up and eventually break up the band.

But ever since that one crazy hot night with Travis, Emmy can’t stop thinking about or wanting him. Not only is Travis a bandmate, he’s also her best friend. They have an amazing connection that they’ve built over the years and a chemistry that’s off the charts, but is their relationship worth the risk of losing their dreams of making it in the music industry? Or will them being together be the downfall of Soft?

“What is this thing we’re doing?” I whisper. I’m not sure I mean to say it out loud, because I am pretty nervous to put an actual label to it. “I don’t even know what to call it.”
He touches his lips to mine again, all soft and sweet.
“Just call it awesome,” he says. “We’ll figure the rest out as we go.”

There is a TON of back and forth from Emmy. She wants Travis bad, but she also wants her band to succeed, and to her, she can’t have both. As much as she frustrated and annoyed me, I can’t say that I ever hated Emmy. It was admirable how much her music career meant to her and how she wasn’t willing to give it up for anything or anyone. It’s just that Travis is so lovable that I wanted to shake her for not trying to work things out with him sooner. Travis is some serious swoon-worthy material – he’s sweet, funny, sexy as hell, and incredibly patient with Emmy. I loved him for how he never gives up on her, even when she drove him (and me) crazy.

Stay loud so I don’t lose you.
I will follow the sound of you anywhere. -T

My favorite part of Loud is definitely Mercy Brown’s writing. She has a brilliant, fresh voice that is so unique and enjoyable to read – I loved it! And you can tell the author knows a lot about the music industry. I will absolutely be reading more of her upcoming books. I’m very impressed that Loud is her first published book, actually.

Loud is How I Love You is a satisfying, well-written NA book you don’t want to miss. The characters felt real and were so much fun to read about. I can’t wait to read the next Hub City book!

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

Reading Order: Hub City series

#1 ~ Loud is How I Love You: Ebook • Goodreads (Jan. 19, 2016)
#2 ~ Stay Until We Break: Ebook • Goodreads (June 21, 2016)

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14Jan2016

Early Review: Outside the Lines by Lisa Desrochers

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Outside the Lines by Lisa Desrochers
Series: On the Run #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 19th 2016
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

As the oldest son of a Chicago crime lord, Robert Delgado always knew how dangerous life could be. With his mother dead and his father in prison, he’s taking charge of his family’s safety—putting himself and his siblings in witness protection to hide out in a backwater Florida town.

Fourth grade teacher Adri Wilson is worried about the new boy in her class. Sherm is quiet and evasive, especially when he’s around his even cagier older brother. Adri can’t help her attraction to Rob, or the urge to help them both in whatever way she can.

But the Delgados have enemies on two sides of the mob—their father’s former crew and the rival family he helped take down. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds them. And if Rob isn’t careful, Adri could end up in the crossfire…

I was a huge fan of Lisa Desrochers’ A Little Too Far series, so when I heard she was writing a new series, I couldn’t wait to read it! Outside the Lines is the first book in the On the Run series, and even though I didn’t fully love it, it’s an entertaining read with lots of potential for the series to get better. After the slow beginning, I found myself liking the book much better once the story picked up and I became invested in Rob and Adri’s romance. If you like your romances sweet but slow, with a little mafia thrown in, then Outside the Lines is for you.

Rob Delgado and his four younger siblings are on the run. With their father, a Chicago crime lord, locked up in prison, and enemies out to get them, Rob had to get his family away from Chicago. Under the Witness Protection program, they’ve moved to Port St. Mary, Florida and are now known as the Davidsons. It’s a small town for them to lie low in, at least until Rob can get back to Chicago and destroy his enemies. What he doesn’t expect is to fall for his youngest brother’s fourth grade teacher, Adri, who is sweet, pure, innocent… and has no idea who he really is.

“You are so fucking beautiful in every way, and all I can do is ruin you,” he finally says, his voice a raw wound. “I will ruin you, Adri, and then I’ll leave. You deserve so much better than that.”

Adri Wilson is concerned about her new student and grows to care for him… and his older brother. She finds herself captivated by the enigma that is Rob Davidson. But when things don’t add up about their family, Adri is determined to find out what the Davidsons are hiding. Along the way, she finds herself falling for Rob, even when he pushes her away. There’s a bit of back and forth between them, but the chemistry between them is hot, so even though it took a while for their relationship to move forward, I was invested in their romance.

“I don’t deserve your love, but I’m going to do everything in my power to earn it every single day for the rest of my life.”

I liked this book. It’s well-written, the characters were interesting and likable… but the beginning dragged. It took a while to become fully immersed in the story, so that took a little away from my enjoyment. But by the halfway mark I was more than invested in the story and the heart-warming romance. This book is a promising start to the On the Run series, and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the Delgado siblings’ stories.

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

Reading Order: On the Run series

#1 ~ Outside the Lines: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Over the Line: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads

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13Jan2016

ARC Review: Waiting for Wyatt by S.D. Hendrickson

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Waiting for Wyatt by S.D. Hendrickson
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: January 12th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

“The dogs that deserved a chance, the guy who needed a second, and the girl determined to save him.”

My name is Emma Sawyer.

I met Charlie and Wyatt on the same sultry, summer day. It was unexpected, leaving a feeling in the pit of my stomach like the time I drove too fast over Beckett Hill. The moment happened out of nowhere, all fast and quick and a little strange. Or maybe that was just Wyatt’s personality.

It was Charlie that brought us together. Little Charlie with those ridiculous ears. I found the dog, waiting in a pool of his own blood. Waiting for someone. Waiting for me.

Now Wyatt, he wasn’t waiting for anyone. At least that’s what he said, except I saw something different in the broken guy all alone out in the woods. I knew he needed me before he knew it himself.

Wyatt with his hidden dimples. Wyatt with his warnings to stay away. He was a hard lump of coal, ready to burn everything around him. The more he burned, the more it pulled me into the pain I saw etched on his troubled face.

I wanted to help Wyatt. I wanted to save him like he had saved all the Charlies in the world. He told me not to fall for him, but I did anyway. I fell hard and fast and deeply in love with Wyatt Caulfield.

But that was before I knew his secret.

Last year, I loved S.D. Hendrickson’s fantastic debut, The Mason List, so I couldn’t wait to read more from this author. The way Ms. Hendrickson writes is so brilliantly filled with emotion and heartbreak, so I had high expectations for Waiting for Wyatt, and she didn’t disappoint. This is a powerfully written romance about love and redemption. It’s a slow-paced but moving novel that I highly recommend to readers who love emotional books.

Wyatt Caulfield just might be the strangest and most haunting person I’d ever met.

When Emma Sawyer needs help with a dog she’s stolen from its abusive owner, she comes across the mysterious and broody Wyatt Caulfield. Wyatt is a gorgeous-looking boy her age, but he lives out in the middle of nowhere in a small trailer with a kennel full of abused and abandoned dogs. Emma is fascinated by Wyatt and his secretive, lonely life, and sets about to discover the pain and guilt he’s holding within himself.

I wanted to save him form the depths of whatever was making Wyatt this way. I wanted to pull him from the dark pit that made his eyes ache in pain. The guy needed me whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Emma is a strong, incredibly compassionate girl. The second she meets Wyatt, she’s determined not only to help him, but the dogs he cares for as well. She holds so much love in her that every time she discovers the tragic past of each dog, her heart breaks. She’s the type of person who can’t not help others, so of course she’s drawn to Wyatt and troubled past. But the more Emma spends time with him, the more she can’t help her heart becoming invested until she’s falling for him.

I was so curious about Wyatt. He’s a bit of a jerk to Emma in the beginning, but it’s so clear that something tragic has happened in his past that you can’t help but want to know more about him. Thankfully, the author doesn’t make you wait too long to discover what Wyatt’s past is, and when you do, your heart will more than likely break for him. And the worst part of it all is that Wyatt feels he deserves all the pain, regret, self-hatred, and guilt he feels because of what he did. But with Emma’s help and compassion, can he find forgiveness, redemption, and best of all, love?

“I love you. Whether I deserve you or not. I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

I really enjoyed Waiting for Wyatt. It was a little too slow-paced for my taste, but it’s still a worthwhile read that will tug at your heartstrings. You’ll fall for Emma’s beautiful soul, Wyatt’s tragic yet hopeful heart, and all the wonderful dogs they care for. I loved how S.D. Hendrickson incorporated the animals into Waiting for Wyatt – it was perfect the way their healing paralleled Wyatt’s own healing heart.

I highly recommend this unique, wonderfully written, emotional book. You really get to feel everything while you read this! Even with all the heartache, the author leaves you with hope and joy. It’s a heart-warming read that fans of the author don’t want to miss.

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

Also by S.D. Hendrickson

The Mason List: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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13Jan2016

ARC Review: Dirty Together by Meghan March

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Dirty Together by Meghan March
Series: Dirty Billionaire Trilogy #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 12th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

My wife.

I love saying those words.

She’s mine, and if she thinks I’m going to let her run without tracking her down and bringing her back to where she belongs—with me—then she’s about to be introduced to a new reality.

Because I’ll fight dirty to give her the happily ever after she deserves.

The Dirty Billionaire Trilogy wasn’t quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it for the most part. There has been plenty of scorching-hot scenes to love and one especially alpha hero I’ve come to really have a soft spot for. While the main characters themselves have been a lot of fun to read, the plot of the trilogy was weak in comparison. So there are good and bad parts to the series, and even though I didn’t love this conclusion to the series, I was entertained the whole way through.

“You don’t get it, Holly, and I’m not going anywhere until you do.”
“Get what?”
“That you’re the most important thing in my life now.”

This is the first time in the series where I loved BOTH Creighton and Holly. Creighton has learned from his mistakes and is no longer that unreasonable, arrogant, domineering man, but rather a husband who puts his wife first in all things now. I seriously swooned at all the wonderful things Creighton says and does for Holly to prove she’s his number one priority. And Holly herself has learned to stop running away when things get difficult. They have something worthwhile between them, and for the first time, the two of them are going to fight for their marriage and stick by each other.

“I thought I had everything,” he says in a low voice. “And then I met you. Now I do.”

This final installment went by too quick for me to really appreciate all the changes in Creighton and Holly though. I was also really hoping on more plot development, but the author mainly focused on character growth. I would’ve enjoyed this book the most out of the series, but the small twist at the end kind of came out of nowhere and threw me off. I loved the way the sweet romance ended, but plot-wise, I wasn’t a fan of the ending.

Still, even with the problems I had with Dirty Together, Creighton and Holly were truly an enjoyable couple to read about. They’ve come a long way since they first met each other and had their one-night-stand, and fans of the series will no doubt adore their happy ending.

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

Reading Order: Dirty Billionaire Trilogy

#1 ~ Dirty Billionaire: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Dirty Pleasures: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Dirty Together: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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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)

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