Joint Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Posted in 4.5 hearts, 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Series: Never Never #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 8th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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.

HOLY MACKERAL!!!! WHAT did I just read!?!?

So I got this book because 1) it’s Colleen Hoover, 2) it’s Colleen Hoover, and 3) it’s Colleen Hoover. I fucking love that woman and everything she writes. I could honestly read anything she puts out and love it, and Never Never is no exception. It’s completely different from the other books she’s written and has a completely different feel. Never Never is darker, edgier, more mysterious, and more suspenseful than anything she’s written before and this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I’ve never read anything from Tarryn Fisher, but if her books are anything like Never Never, I’m going to read them asap. I mean, hello, she wrote this:

How odd to be made of flesh, balanced on bone, and filled with a soul you’ve never met.

Tarryn Fisher’s writing is genius! Her and Colleen Hoover’s writing flowed perfectly together, yet each of their writing styles was distinct and unique. The story they’ve woven is also genius – I’m not sure what goes on in these authors heads to have created the mindfuck that is Never Never, but I’m seriously glad they wrote this book. This is the kind of book that is everything I never knew I wanted or needed, and these authors wrote it flawlessly.

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 the fuck is going on” the entire time, at its heart, Never Never is a love story – a love story that’s captivating and heartwrenching. 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.

I adored Silas (like, can he exist in real life?).

“You think you can make me like you again?”
I look over at her and give my head the slightest shake. “No. I’m gonna make you fall in love with me again.”

My heart was just gone at what he said there, because he totally stole it and owned it from then on. Sigh.

In actuality, we don’t really know anything about these characters since they themselves are “complete strangers” to each other, but somehow Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher were able to write them in a way that makes them lovable and relatable. I never wanted to stop reading about Charlie or Silas.

I can’t give a perfect 5 hearts because dang it – I just needed MORE! Shirley and I were discussing last night about the possibilities of what could happen next (after that ~~amazingly horrid~~ ending), and we came to the conclusion that we have no effing clue. At the end, I was left with more answers than questions, which usually annoys me, but I’m willing to forgive because I totally expect the other books in the series to blow me away just as much as, if not more than, Never Never did.

HOW DO I EVEN START.

Wow. WOW WOW WOW. Alright let me first say that I am in love with Silas. He is cute, artistic, caring, athletic and such a sweetie. Second. OH. MY. GOD. COLLEN HOOVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you.

This book was…mind-blowing to say the least. I love how Tarryn Fisher and Colleen Hoover tied in this, supernatural sort of world with the “normal” world of high school. I love how as I was reading it, I was as clueless as the characters were and as they were slowly discovering themselves, I was also being introduced to them at the same time. I love that Silas and Charlie are MADE FOR EACH OTHER AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE TOGETHER AND NEVER BREAK UP. Love, love, love.

I could imagine thinking up of a plot like this but as it continued further down the line and I reached the end…HOW CAN ANYONE THINK OF THIS?! I can 500% think of a story where the characters lose their memories, but…the ending. HOW. How do you possibly move on from that point and think of a reason for what was happening?! I’m sorry I had to rant about that so if you want to empathize, read the book 🙂

5 hearts for you, Colleen Hoover (& Tarryn Fisher)! As always.

NOTE: Soooo for those who are wondering when Never Never #2 will be releasing, rejoice! The authors have announced that part 2 of the series will be releasing May 17, 2015!!!

Reading Order: Never Never series

#1 ~ Never Never: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Never Never: Part 2: Lacey’s Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Never Never: Part 3: Goodreads (Jan. 26, 2016)

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8Jan2015

Review: Raze by Tillie Cole

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

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

TO TAKE BACK LIFE, ONE MUST FIRST FACE DEATH…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reading Order: Scarred Souls series

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

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6Jan2015

Release Day Review: Last Call by Alice Clayton

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Last Call by Alice Clayton
Series: Cocktail #4.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 6th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Gallery Books) in exchange for an honest review

From New York Times & USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton, known for her “deliciously addictive” (The Book Vixen) novels, this Cocktail series novella reunites readers with Caroline and Simon from the wildly successful Wallbanger.

Simon and Caroline are back for another round of baking, banging, and big life changes. Settling in, but never settling down, Caroline has finally struck a balance between the professional and the personal. As one of the top interior designers in San Francisco, she travels all over Northern California between nook time with Simon.

Perpetual globetrotter Simon has cut his frequent flyer miles in half over the last year, preferring to balance his professional and personal life, as well.

The next step in their lives seems preordained—toasts, veils, and the aisle of rose petals. But when an accident on a photo shoot in Southeast Asia brings Caroline the most terrifying phone call she could ever imagine, she has to ask whether “till death do us part” is a more realistic prospect than faces most couples.

It’s been a grand adventure, and Caroline and Simon wouldn’t go out without the best surprise ending ever. One part sexy, one part laughter, a dash of exotic locales, and one pink nightie, mixed with passion, and you’ve got Last Call. Served with a side of Clive.

A starry night.
A lady in white.
A shoe full of fright.
This is the beginning of the end of this love story.

I adooore Simon and Caroline. Ever since reading and falling in love with Wallbanger, I couldn’t get enough of them – they have become two of my all-time favorite characters! So it’s a bittersweet ending with Last Call. I’m incredibly sad to say goodbye to Caroline and Simon, but I finished this book with a huge smile on my face. Last Call is such a satisfying, heartwarming ending for Caroline and Simon – I’m so happy with how things ended for them!

Simon and Caroline’s friends are moving on to new phases in their lives – weddings, babies, etc. But Caroline seems a bit daunted by it all. She knows she and Simon are IT for each other, but she doesn’t want to force anything just because her friends are getting hitched or having children. Caroline and Simon are happy the way they are, and when the time is right, marriage, children, and the works will happen for them. All in good time…

“You realize you own me, don’t you, Nightie Girl?”

Oh how I’ve missed Simon and his hot and sexy self! I love Simon, and I fell in love all over again with him in Last Call. He continuously shows his love for Caroline – he and his words just melt my heart. The way Simon and Caroline are together never ceases to amaze me. They are equal parts fun and sexy and they are simply adorable together!

Some scary, unfortunate things do happen, but never fear, Caroline and Simon are the kind of couple that can get through anything as long as they have each other. I loved reading about these two again, as well as getting glimpses of Vivian and Clark and Chloe and Lucas! All the characters are together and funnier than ever.

Last Call is a novella, so I devoured this book so quickly everything was nearly a blur. I do wish the book was fleshed out a bit more and hadn’t tied up so quickly. Nonetheless, Alice Clayton did such a wonderful job bringing Caroline and Simon back to life and ending their story on a heartwarming note.

“You’re really going to want to hold on for this one, Nightie Girl.”

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

Reading Order: Cocktail series

#1 ~ Wallbanger: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Rusty Nailed: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Screwdrivered: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Mai Tai’d Up: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Last Call: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

26Dec2014

Blog Tour + Early Review & Excerpt: A Necessary Sin by Georgia Cates

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for A Necessary Sin by Georgia Cates!

A Necessary Sin by Georgia Cates
Series: The Sin Trilogy #1 (full reading order below)
Release Date: December 29th 2014

Bleu MacAllister is consumed. A horrific childhood incident has caused every decision in her life to revolve around bringing a monster to justice. With years spent studying The Fellowship, an organized crime brotherhood of liars, thieves, and killers, Bleu will rely on her skills as a special agent to cut Thane Breckenridge off at the knees. But walking hand in hand with retribution means risking collateral damage, in the form of Breckenridge’s son Sinclair—until Sin becomes so much more than Bleu bargained for. She’s always known this undertaking would place her life in danger—she never imagined her heart would be as well.

Buy Links:
iBooks • Amazon

Gripping, thrilling, suspenseful, and intense – Georgia Cates’ A Necessary Sin took me on one wild ride of a story, leaving me breathless and aching for more. It’s a story of revenge – and finding love where you least expect it. It was a highly entertaining book that had me hooked from beginning to end!

Most children are too naïve to recognize the moment they are being ruined for the rest of their lives. I wasn’t that lucky.

The day that seven-year-old Stella Bleu Lawrence became Bleu MacAllister was the day she lost her innocence of the world and set out to take revenge against her mother’s killer, Thane Breckenridge. She would spend the next eighteen years of her life grooming herself to become good enough, strong enough, smart enough, cunning enough, to infiltrate Breckenridge’s Scottish, mafia-like organization and kill Thane Breckenridge himself. She planned to get into The Fellowship through Thane’s son, Sin. He was supposed to be her mark, her victim – but she never expected to actually fall for him.

Bleu is a kickass, take-charge, but cold sort of woman. The life she’s led is a lonely one and not meant for companions. Ever since her mother died, Bleu has closed off her emotions, not letting anything get in the way between her and her objective: killing Thane Breckenridge. When she goes to Scotland, beginning her plan to get herself into The Fellowship, she’s surprised that she isn’t entirely against seducing Sin Breckenridge. He’s smart, sexy, and sensual – he’s a worthy adversary for Bleu, even if he doesn’t know it. Slowly, Bleu’s act of seduction isn’t an act at all, and she finds herself caring and falling for the one man she never expected to love: the son of her mother’s killer.

The one person I hate the most in this world brought me to the one I love most. Who could have possibly imagined that?

Sin was a character I had trouble warming up to in the beginning. He’s the son of the leader of The Fellowship, so he’s a bit spoiled in terms of how people treat him. But this doesn’t mean he doesn’t work hard as the lawyer for the organization. He’s loyal and fierce in protecting those that belong to him. When Bleu shows up in Scotland, working in a bar that belongs to The Fellowship, Sin is rightly suspicious of her. But he’s also intrigued by her, so to satisfy his suspicions and curiosity, he grows closer to her. But the more her gets to know her, the more he likes, and it isn’t long before he genuinely develops feelings for Bleu that he never believed he was capable of.

“I love you, Bleu MacAllister. I’ll always do what it takes to keep you safe, no matter the extreme.”

I didn’t connect with either main characters much, but surprisingly it didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of the book. Their story was an addicting one, because I just couldn’t wait to see how it would play out. Would Sin find out who Bleu really was? Could Bleu kill Thane even while loving his son?

This was definitely a book that had my mind and heart racing. I couldn’t get enough of the story, and I’m dying for more – immediately!! I absolutely can’t wait to see how the rest of the trilogy will play out!

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

Now here’s an excerpt from A Necessary Sin! ❤

Sinclair Breckenridge’s POV

“I’m in the business of boundaries and limits. I’m aware of what mine are and how far I’m willing to go to get my job accomplished. It can include lying and sometimes stealing.” I wait a moment for driving the last nail into the coffin. “And perhaps the occasional killing.”

“How do you feel when you do those things?”

“Powerful.” I purposely choose that word because it’s the one she used to describe how she felt when she brought Duff to his knees. I want her to see just how similar we are.

She watches out the window for a minute before speaking again. “Do you like the way it feels?”

I can’t lie. I get a high from it. “Very much.”

Another minute passes. “Okay.”

What? “Just … okay?”

“Would you like me to be horrified?” she asks. “I can do that if it would make you feel better or improve your opinion of me.”

She’s no fucking Pollyanna. So I guess there’s no reason for her to pretend to be. “No. Okay works for me.”

I’m not sure if I should be disturbed by her lack of appall. It feels like a double standard to be shocked by an absence of dismay.

My God, has the pot met the kettle? “I wish I could get inside your head.”

“No, you don’t,” she says. “My mind is a dark place to be.”

I think I may have met the perfect woman. In her eyes, I’m not a monster at all.

Reading Order: The Sin Trilogy

#1 ~ A Necessary Sin: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Next Sin: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ One Last Sin: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her iPod and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire it.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Newsletter • Goodreads • Amazon Page

23Dec2014

Release Day Review: Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Posted in 2 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven
Series: Starcrossed #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 23rd 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

While performing the greatest love story of all time, they discovered one of their own…

Cassie Taylor was just another acting student with big dreams at her prestigious performing arts college, then she met Ethan Holt. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy on campus. But one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing on stage, Cassie and Ethan’s epic romance seemed destined. Until it ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart.

Now they’ve made it to Broadway where they’re reunited as romantic leads once again, and their passionate scenes force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was his biggest regret, and he’s determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her first and only great love, he hurt her too much to ever be trusted again. The trouble is, working with him reminds her that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks. And when it comes to love, sometimes it’s the things that aren’t good for us that are the most irresistible.

Don’t miss the intoxicating romance beloved by over two million fans online–a story that will captivate you and hold you breathless until the final page.

I’m sad to say I’m… disappointed with Bad Romeo. I had such HIGH expectations for it – I mean just look at that blurb! And that cover! I was dying to read Bad Romeo ever since I heard about it, and plus, so many people were loving it. But when I read it, everything just felt flat – I enjoyed it, but I didn’t LOVE it as much as I was expecting too. I just couldn’t connect with the characters, and they annoyed me more often than not. And I’m such a HUGE fan of the second chance romance trope that Bad Romeo should have been easy to love, but it wasn’t. It was entertaining enough some of the time that I wanted to finish it, but once I did, I just felt sad that I didn’t end up loving it as much as I wanted to.

I don’t often read books that are set in the theater, so it’s always nice to read about something different. Leisa Rayven did an incredible job drawing me into the world of acting and theater. Honestly, the writing was the best part about this book. The characters, on the other hand…. Not so great.

At first, I was really looking forward to getting to know Cassie and Ethan, to knowing how their love grew and fell apart. The book is written in a way that past and present are intertwined. In present day, Cassie holds a fierce hate for the boy who broke her heart three years ago. When Ethan comes back into her life wanting to win her back, she wants nothing to do with him, of course. I admired how Cassie held her own against him, but then the more I started reading, the less I ended up liking her. She was just way too bitter and wishy-washy about her feelings for Ethan. I mean, I get that they still have chemistry together even though he broke her heart and she hates him for it, but the whole back-and-forth thing between hating him and wanting him got tiring real fast. I liked present-day Ethan a whole lot better than present-day Cassie, but his past self tainted him in my eyes because I absolutely HATED past-Ethan. I honestly couldn’t see anything good or redeeming about him. He was a total dick to Cassie and not at all hero-worthy. And his reasons for being a dick? They were so eye-roll worthy and clichéd. Past-Cassie was even worse than past-Ethan. Ethan was an asshole, yes, but she let him walk all over her, all so she could have his dick. I’m oversimplifying, of course, but thinking about past-Cassie just angers me. I didn’t feel a spark between Cassie and Ethan when they first met and I just couldn’t see how they fell in love.

Another thing that annoyed the hell out of me was that plot-wise, NOTHING happened until the very end. I felt like there was no progression in the plot or character development (at least until the very, very end). When I reached the end, I just felt like there was no point to this book. Overall, I was unimpressed with Bad Romeo. It didn’t meet my expectations, but the writing was good enough that I enjoyed some parts of the book. I didn’t HATE this book, but I definitely didn’t love it either. Will I read the sequel? …I think I will. Despite not liking Cassie or Ethan, I still do want to know how their story will end. And hopefully, book two will be more engaging than this first book was.

Reading Order: Starcrossed series

#1 ~ Bad Romeo: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Broken Juliet: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Wicked Heart: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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