Release Day Review: One Week to Score by Kate Meader

One Week to Score by Kate Meader
Series: Tall, Dark, and Texan #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 11th 2016
Links: Ebook • PaperbackGoodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

He’s the man she loves to hate…

Olivia Kane’s wedding day has just imploded spectacularly. Shots lined up at the bar? Bring it. Hot stranger on the hook? Come on down. What this party does not need is six feet and change of home-grown Texas cockiness in the form of her brother’s best friend, the man who broke her heart seven years ago.

She’s the woman he has to have…

Flynn Cross won’t stand by while Liv finds sensual solace in the arms of a stranger, not when his own hard-for-her body is more than up for the task. For one week, he’ll make her honeymoon-for-one a sizzling party for two.

Breaking the rules, one steamy night at a time…

But the taboo they’re breaking is only the beginning…and Flynn’s part in Liv’s wedding debacle could bring about their end.

Kate Meader never disappoints with her hot and fun contemporary romances! One Week to Score is really the perfect steamy, summer read – it’s got fun characters, a scorching hot chemistry, and an amazing enemies-to-lovers romance you can’t get enough of. It’s quick, light-hearted, and did I mention sexy? So yeah, if you’re in the mood for something to escape to for a little while, this book would be it.

Olivia Kane used to have a huge crush her brother’s best friend, Flynn Cross, and they were good friends… until Flynn up and dumped her and never talked to her again. Years later, Olivia’s about to walk down the aisle to another man – except it turns out her fiancé is a lying cheat. Humiliated and angry on her wedding day, Olivia flies out to her honeymoon with the plan to sleep her way out of her misery. Any gorgeous man will do… but what happens when her former crush and friend, who she now hates, shows up?

“You were off-limits then for a whole host of reasons but now, I’m taking what belongs to me.”

Flynn has always known he’s never been good enough for Olivia. She was the only woman he ever cared about, but he chose to stay away from her when they were younger. Now, things are different, and Flynn’s not about to let Olivia have a fling with a random stranger when he’s there and perfectly willing to let her use him to her heart’s content. But this is Olivia, and despite all the years apart, Flynn finds himself falling fast and hard for her all over again. What happens when the seven-day honeymoon is over and they have to return back to reality?

“You slay me, Liv. Into little pieces. Always have.”

I had SO much fun reading One Week to Score. It was entertaining from start to finish – I LOVE enemies-to-lovers romances, and this was one I didn’t want to put down. Both main characters were well-written and the tension and banter between Flynn and Olivia really had me going. I almost wish the book were longer, because the story went by so fast! If you’re a fan of the author, or the older brother’s best friend/enemies-to-lovers tropes, then I highly recommend giving One Week to Score a try!

4 hearts
lacey

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


Reading Order: Tall, Dark, and Texan series

 Taking the Score by Kate Meader 

#1 ~ Even the Score: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Taking the Score: My Review • EbookPaperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ One Week to Score: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads


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Audiobook Review: Wildest Dreams by Kristen Ashley

Wildest Dreams by Kristen Ashley
Series: Fantasyland #1 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: June 21st 2016
Length: 18 hours and 49 minutes
Narrated by: Tillie Hooper
Links: Audible • EbookPaperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Seoafin “Finnie” Wilde was taught by her parents that every breath was a treasure and to seek every adventure she could find. And she learns this lesson the hard way when they perish in a plane crash. But she never forgets and when she discovers there is a parallel universe where every person has a twin, she finds a witch who can send her there so she can have the adventure of a lifetime.

But upon arrival in the Winter Wonderland of Lunwyn, she realizes she’s been played by her twin and finds herself walking down the aisle to be wed to The Drakkar.

Thrown into inauspicious circumstances, with years of practice, Finnie bests the challenges and digs into her adventure. But as Frey Drakkar discovers the woman who is his new wife is not Princess Sjofn, a woman he dislikes but instead, his Finnie, a free-spirit with a thirst for venture just like him, without her knowledge he orders his new bride bound to his frozen world, everlasting.

But at the same time Frey plunges Finnie into a web of political intrigue that includes assassination plots, poison, magic, mystery and… dragons.

I absolutely LOVED Wildest Dreams!!! This might be my favorite audiobook from Kristen Ashley that I’ve listened to. Tillie Hooper’s narration is PERFECT, and the story is so epic and incredibly well-written. Wildest Dreams is my first non-contemporary book from KA, but I know it won’t be my last. For some reason, I was hesitant to read this book, but I’m so glad I got to experience it as an audiobook instead. I finished this 18+ hour long audiobook SO fast, because I just couldn’t stop listening! If you love a fantasy romance that will sweep you away on an epic adventure, get – this – audiobook!!

When Finnie discovers there’s a parallel universe where everyone has a twin and the twins of her parents are still alive, she doesn’t hesitate to find someone with the power to send her there. But when she arrives in Lunwyn, not everything has gone according to plan – her own twin has tricked her into switching places, so Finnie is now forced to marry Frey Drakkar, a fierce, savage warrior with the power to call upon dragons… and he hates Finnie on sight. So on top of navigating through this strange, fascinating world filled with magic, dragons, and elves, she has to make her new husband not hate her as much, and survive killers who want her dead.

Wildest Dreams really had it all. A well-developed world, characters that KA brought to life, and an epic romance that made me swoon. For a savage warrior, Frey was surprisingly sweet. Every time he mentioned Finnie being his ‘wildest dream’, my heart seriously fluttered. I adored the romance, the slow development of feelings, and I loved that even though Finnie and Frey are so different, they are so right for each other. I loved them together!

Tillie Hooper, the narrator, made what was an incredible book even better. I was so impressed with the way she was able to change her voice to fit each character’s dialogue, so no one person ever sounded the same. And props to her for being able to pronounce all the names in this book, because I know I wouldn’t even have tried to. She’s a brilliant narrator, and I know she narrates the second Fantasyland book as well, so I’m hoping the rest of the series will be narrated by her.

I will more than likely do another listen of Wildest Dreams, despite its long length, because it’s THAT good. I was sucked into this magical world KA created and I fell head over heels for the romance. Add in a flawless narration, and this audiobook was pretty much perfect for me. I can’t recommend this enough – if you have an extra credit, you NEED to use it on Wildest Dreams!

WILDEST DREAMS is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/29TUBVM

5 hearts
lacey


Reading Order: Fantasyland series

 
  

#1 ~ Wildest Dreams: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Golden Dynasty: My Review • EbookPaperbackAudible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Fantastical: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Broken Dove: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Midnight Soul: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads

Here’s an audio excerpt from Wildest Dreams!


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Release Day Review: Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton

Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton
Series: Wild Aces #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 5th 2016
Links: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Eric Jansen—call sign Thor—loves nothing more than pushing his F-16 to the limit. Returning home to South Carolina after a tragic loss, he hopes to fix the mistake he made long ago, when he chose the Air Force over his fiancée.

Becca Madison isn’t quick to welcome Thor back. She can’t forget how he shattered her heart. But Thor won’t give up once he’s set his sights on what he wants—and he wants Becca.

Thor shows Becca that he’s no longer the impulsive boy he used to be, and Becca finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. But will Thor be able to walk away from his dream of flying the F-16 for their love or does his heart belong to the sky?

I loved loved LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Into the Blue was the PERFECT second chance romance/military romance for me. I’m usually a bit picky about these two tropes, and put them together? I was terrified about how it would play out, but holy hell, did I adore Eric and Becca’s second chance at love. I couldn’t have imagined a better story for these two characters. And omg Eric – can you say SWOON!? He was utter perfection as a hero. Seriously, I loved this book so much! Into the Blue is the second book in the Wild Aces series, though it can be read as a standalone (you can check out my review for book one here). If you loved Fly with Me, get ready to get your hands on Into the Blue – it’s an absolute must read.

I’d been an idiot before and thrown away the best thing that had ever happened to me, but there was no way I was making the same mistake again.

Ten years ago, Becca and Eric had been in love, engaged, and ready to begin a new chapter in their lives. Becca thought they were happy, but apparently not, because Eric just up and left her behind to join the US Air Force. The past ten years have been filled with bitterness, anger, and hurt, so understandably, when Eric comes back home for the first time in a decade, Becca wants nothing to do with him. I felt for this girl so hard. I was angry on her behalf, even though I knew her heart has only ever been his. My heart broke for the way hers broke, and I wanted nothing more than for her to kick Eric’s ass and show him what he’s been missing, and thankfully, she delivers. I loved Becca wholeheartedly, because I could connect with her so well. She’s got a huge heart capable of so much love, but the hurt Eric caused only made her grow stronger. And this time, she’s not about to let him in that easily. I was so happy with the way she kept making Eric prove his love to her – Becca ROCKED as a heroine.

You couldn’t fake what we had. Couldn’t duplicate it. We were so fucking lucky to have found each other once, and even as I’d always suspected it, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that letting her go was the biggest mistake of my life.
Now I needed to fix it.

The one thing that describes Eric? Regretful. He has so many regrets in life, but none does he regret more than leaving Becca, the love of his life. THIS is the kind of hero I adore reading about in second chance romances. The hero who never forgot about his lost love, the one who knows he effed up and can admit his mistakes. The kind of hero who’s not afraid to put his heart on the line again, and once he’s back in his woman’s life, he’s going to do everything he can to stay there permanently. Ten years ago, Eric gave up Becca for F-16’s – but this time around, he knows he’s not going to make the same mistake again. Will he be able to prove his love and devotion to her and win her heart again?

I’d never felt this way about anyone before. Wasn’t sure I’d even felt this way about her before. Maybe it took losing her to realize just how much I needed her, the contrast between my life with Becca and my life without never clearer than in this moment.

Eric and Becca were beautiful together. They might have loved each other back then, but they are so meant for each other even more now. Into the Blue made my heart ache in all the right places – the angst is so well done, but the love is what totally swept me away. Chanel Cleeton did such an amazing job with this story – it’s already become one of my favorite books of the year. Fly with Me was a fantastic read, but Into the Blue went above and beyond my expectations.

If you haven’t read the Wild Aces series yet, you are missing out. It’s an amazing military romance series – and if you love second chance romances too, Into the Blue will be perfect for you. This series only seems to be getting better and better, so I can’t even imagine how the third book will turn out, but I know I’m dying to read Easy’s story. I can already feel the heartache from On Broken Wings – January 2017 can’t get here fast enough!

5 hearts
lacey

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


Reading Order: Wild Aces series

  

#1 ~ Fly With Me: My Review • EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#2 ~ Into the Blue: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#3 ~ On Broken Wings: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Jan. 3, 2017)


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Early Review: Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt

Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt
Series: Maiden Lane #10.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt comes a delightful Maiden Lane novella that begins once upon a moonlit night—and ends wickedly, wonderfully ever after . . .

Hippolyta Royle is running for her life. Pursued by hounds on a cold rainy night, the heiress flags down a passing carriage and throws herself at the mercy of the coach’s occupant. Whoever this handsome traveler may be, he is her only hope to escape a terrible fate. But should he agree to escort her to safety, he’s in for much more than he bargained for . . .

At first Matthew Mortimer doesn’t believe Hippolyta’s story, that she’s a fabulously wealthy heiress who’s been kidnapped. He assumes she’s a beggar, an actress, or worse. But once his new travel companion washes the mud from her surprisingly lovely face, and they share a breathtaking kiss, there is no turning back . . .

This novella was so. much. fun!! I was excited to read Once Upon a Moonlit Night when I found out it would be Hippolyta’s story – her appearance in Duke of Sin had me intrigued by her character, and I’m glad we get to find out what happens to her after certain events in the previous book. Hippolyta and Matthew’s romance is pure fun and sexiness – if you want something short and sweet, this novella is perfect for historical romance lovers!

After escaping from a man who kidnapped her, heiress Hippolyta is out in the cold, rainy night all by herself – until she sees a carriage passing by and tries to flag it down. Inside lies Matthew Mortimer, a wickedly handsome man who doesn’t appear to believe Hippolyta’s claims of being an heiress, but reluctantly gives her a ride to the nearest inn. He thinks she’s a beggar, so he hides the fact that he’s an earl so she won’t take advantage of him. But being stuck with one another in such close proximity proves to be difficult with the chemistry brewing between them. They aren’t who they think they are, yet they want each other anyway – but what happens when truth of their heritages is revealed?

He lifted his head and covered her mouth again, kissing her desperately, like a man who had been deprived of light and sound and sensation. Of life itself.
She was his heartbeat.

I adored the contrast between Hippolyta and Matthew – she’s a haughty yet innocent heiress who’s always got her chin pointed up, and he’s a gruff, sarcastic, newly appointed earl who doesn’t want the earldom. They’re irritated with each other for a majority of the book, and it was fun to watch them slowly fall for one another in between the hilarious banter.

Once Upon a Moonlit Night is a satisfying novella I really have no complaints about. The characters are developed and lovable – Hippolyta and Matthew are so, so cute together! – and the steaminess is off the charts despite the short book length. I’d definitely recommend this one for fans of the Maiden Lane series, especially if you’ve read Duke of Sin. Plus, there’s pet mongoose! If nothing else, at least read this novella for the pet mongoose. 😉

“Beggar or heiress. Princess or pauper. I didn’t give a goddamn who or what you were, Hippolyta, I just wanted you.”

4 hearts
lacey

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


Reading Order: Maiden Lane series

   
   
  

#1 ~ Wicked Intentions: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#2 ~ Notorious Pleasures: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#3 ~ Scandalous Desires: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#4 ~ Thief of Shadows: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#5 ~ Lord of Darkness: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#6 ~ Duke of Midnight: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#7 ~ Darling Beast: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#8 ~ Dearest Rogue: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#9 ~ Sweetest Scoundrel: My Review • EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#10 ~ Duke of Sin: My Review • EbookPaperbackAudible • Goodreads
#10.5 ~ Once Upon a Moonlit Night: Ebook • AudibleGoodreads
#11 ~ Duke of Pleasure: EbookPaperback • Goodreads (Nov. 29, 2016)
#11.5 ~ Once Upon a Christmas Eve: EbookGoodreads (Dec. 6, 2016)
#12 ~ Duke of Desire: Goodreads (out 2017)


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Release Day Review: Moonshot by Alessandra Torre

Moonshot by Alessandra Torre
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: July 4th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Baseball shouldn’t be a game of life and death…

The summer that Chase Stern entered my life, I was seventeen. The daughter of a legend, the Yankees were my family, their stadium my home, their dugout my workplace. My focus was on the game. Chase…he started out a distraction. A distraction with sex appeal poured into every inch of his six foot frame. A distraction who played like a God yet partied like a Devil.

I tried to stay away. I couldn’t.
Then, the team started losing.
Women started dying.
And everything in my perfect world broke apart.

First loves were supposed to be flimsy and temperamental. They were supposed to burn bright and fade fast. They weren’t supposed to stick. They weren’t supposed to eat away at a man’s heart, his capacity for life.

This isn’t your typical sports romance. In fact, Moonshot isn’t even your typical romance – it’s a perfect blend of first loves, a second chance romance, suspense, mystery, and most especially, baseball. If you’re looking for something different in a book, but would still make a perfect summer read, Moonshot is it. It’s addicting, intense, exciting – I literally couldn’t put it down from the second I picked it up. Nothing in this book was predictable, and I was glued to Ty and Chase’s story from the very start.

There were supposed to be moments where you could divert, could pick new paths that would lead back to success. But in this, there was only one path, a giant vacuum that sucked me in, the end hitting my heart with a resounding thud that shook everything, down to my soul. I love him. Still. More.

Ty Rollins has been a ball girl ever since her mother died when she was seven and she had to go live with her baseball star father. She grew to love baseball over the years, and now at seventeen, there’s nowhere she’d rather be than in the Yankee’s stadium. Ty’s love for the sport is visceral and comes so clearly off the pages – it nearly made ME love baseball, and I know next to nothing about it. However, Ty has still lived a somewhat sheltered life protected by her loving father, and she’s a little naive and innocent when it comes to boys – men. But from the second Chase Stern transfers to the Yankees, there’s no one else Ty can see – but luckily, Chase feels the same way.

A player on and off the field, Chase is everything an almost-eighteen-year-old girl should stay away from. Add in the fact that his teammate is her father, and Ty is the very definition of off-limits. But it’s love at first sight for Chase, and there’s nothing he won’t give up for Ty, including other women and drugs. Soon enough, they’re sneaking away in the dark for time alone to talk and touch, allowing their love to bloom and grow… and you know these two are IT for each other. They know each other inside and out – their love and chemistry made my heart sing and flutter.

But despite how much Chase and Ty are meant to be, fate isn’t on their side, and their first love ends in heartbreak. Their time wasn’t then, but four years later, it seems like their time is now. They are just as forbidden to each other as they once were, but the stakes are so much higher this time, because they know what it’s like to lose one another. Can they finally have the open love and relationship they want? Or will the sinister things that have been happening around them catch up with them?

As a teenager, he had corrupted me. As a woman, he had ruined me.

I have to mention that this is one of the few second chance romances where I wholeheartedly loved what happened during the separation. Usually, the hero turns into a manwhore again and sleeps with every woman he encounters, but this amazingly didn’t happen in Moonshot. Ty and Chase’s separation only made them love each other more, and I was so, so happy the author chose to write their story this way.

Certain loves can’t be fought. The harder you tried, the harder you would be knocked back, over and over again, until it beat you into submission, until your heart caved and body surrendered. Love like that didn’t know the rules of society; it didn’t care about life mistakes. It only knew what must be, and what would happen—no matter what.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s a one-of-a-kind read, unforgettable and unputdownable. Alessandra Torre continues to prove over and over what a remarkable writer she is, and Moonshot only solidifies how I’ll pretty much read anything by her. Not only does her writing improve with every book she releases, but the versatile way she writes in different genres with different feels in incredibly impressive. No book of hers is like her others – but she writes her suspense and mystery just as jaw-dropping as ever. She had me hooked onto not only Ty and Chase’s forbidden love, but also the mystery seamlessly woven into the novel. I highly, highly recommend this book – if you’re a fan of the author, you already know what a fantastic writer she is, and if you haven’t read her yet, this is the perfect place to start!

4 hearts
lacey

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


Also by Alessandra Torre

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre
Tight by Alessandra Torre Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre

Black Lies: Ebook • Paperback • AudibleGoodreads
Sex Love Repeat: Ebook • Paperback • AudibleGoodreads
Tight: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Hollywood Dirt: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Love, Chloe: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads


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