Release Day Review: The Trouble with Temptation by Shiloh Walker

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Trouble with Temptation by Shiloh Walker
Series: The McKays #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 3rd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Love is the greatest risk of all.

After seven days in a coma, Hannah Parker remembers nothing about the accident that landed her in the hospital—or how she ended up pregnant with Brannon’s baby, the man she’s loved since high school. Her body and heart have burned for him for years, and when she wakes up, he’s sleeping by her bedside, anxious to keep her safe at all costs. But as Hannah struggles with her amnesia, a threat looms closer—one that could have deadly consequences if she recovers her memories. She will have to trust Brannon completely if she is to keep what haunts her at bay…and their baby safe….

Brannon McKay spent the last ten years fantasizing about Hannah. In his mind, he’s explored every passionate scenario he can think of while, in real life, Brannon took their budding relationship and threw it away with both hands. Hannah doesn’t remember what happened but now that she is awake, Brannon would rather die than watch her walk away again. When Hannah and his unborn child’s lives are threatened, Brannon must stake claim to the woman who has held his heart captive for years…or risk disaster tearing them apart…

I have to admit that the main reason I wanted to read this book was because of the AMAZING blurb. Hello, angst alert! I was totally in the mood for an angsty read, and Shiloh Walker delivered perfectly with The Trouble with Temptation. I skipped the first book in the McKays series, but I read this one as a standalone with no problems. The Trouble with Temptation is a fabulous small-town romance – it’s heart-wrenching, suspenseful, and sexy. Just all-around an addicting, unputdownable read!

Brannon is experiencing the worst night of his life – the woman he cares about more than any other is lying in the hospital in the coma from an accident… and she’s pregnant with his baby. He’s desperate for her to wake up, to survive, but also scared she won’t give him the time of day if she does wake. Because only hours before, Brannon threw their relationship away, scared at the prospect of love. But now with the possibility of losing Hannah, Brannon realizes he effed up bad – and wants Hannah to wake so he can make things right between them. But when she does wake… it turns out she can’t remember anything or anyone.

Would she still love him if—no, when she remembered?
He didn’t know and the only thing he could think to do was make sure she understood that he wanted her, needed her. That he had messed up. He wanted her with him in so many ways, in all ways.

Hannah wakes up in the hospital with no memories, only to find out that she’s pregnant, and what’s worse, her accident might not have been an accident at all. The only thing that’s familiar to her is Brannon, so she leans on him to help her heal, unknowing of their past. Brannon tries to do whatever it takes to make Hannah fall in love with him again so she won’t run when she finds out the truth, but what happens when her memories come back?

I loved this book!!! I felt SO much while reading – Brannon’s regret over his mistake, his desperation to keep Hannah in his life, Hannah’s own confusion and doubts about their relationship as her memories slowly surface. Ahhh, the angst – I absolutely loved it! And the groveling from Brannon was perfect too – he messed up big time, but you can feel his regret and determination to win Hannah’s heart again.

“I love you,” he said again. “It could have happened yesterday. Maybe it happened a year ago—five years ago. It could have happened in the past five minutes. I don’t know. I just know I love you.”

The mystery aspect of the book wasn’t the best, but it was suspenseful, and the author had me curious about who caused Hannah’s accident. The romance was definitely the highlight of the book – it was seriously divine!! It’s not easy for me to find GOOD angsty reads, ones where the hero grovels sufficiently, but this one is perfect. I highly recommend it!

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

Reading Order: The McKays series

#1 ~ Headed for Trouble: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Trouble with Temptation: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Right Kind of Trouble: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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8Apr2016

Review: One with You by Sylvia Day

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

One with You by Sylvia Day
Series: Crossfire #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.

Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.

We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws … and all the beauty I couldn’t see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.

But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free … or break us apart.

Heartbreakingly and seductively poignant, One with You is the breathlessly awaited finale to the Crossfire saga, the searing love story that has captivated millions of readers worldwide.

It’s been a long time coming, but One with You is finally here – and what a wonderful conclusion to the Crossfire series it is!! Eva and Gideon have grown so much, have put so much effort into their relationship, and you can clearly see the culmination of it all in this final novel. I really can’t believe this series is over! It’s one of my top favorite series of all time, and Gideon is one of my top book boyfriends – I’m going to miss everything about the series so much!

I’d built my empire with the past in mind. Now, thanks to her, I would continue to build it for our future.

Eva and Gideon are slowly coming public with their marriage, and the fact that these two are so much more stable and mature than they were when they first met makes everything so much easier. They have a lot of pressure on them from the paparazzi, from their parents, from their jobs, but as long as they have each other, they can handle anything and everything. I absolutely adored how much character growth and development these two have shown throughout the series, how they worked so hard to overcome their struggles together to make their marriage work. Theirs is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, a soul-deep connection that people only dream of, and the romance in One with You is just as powerful and intense as it was in Bared to You, if not more.

Happiness came in so many forms. Mine was Gideon.
“Miss me,” he ordered.
I blew him a kiss. “Always.”

Gideon is as perfect and sexy as ever. Eva is as awesome and fiery as ever. I love these two so, so much! There’s a lot going on in terms of the plot of this book, but any time it was just Eva and Gideon, I had hearts in my eyes. They can be so flirty and fun yet raw and passionate – Sylvia Day writes these two characters in such a way that they feel so real and genuine. They never once lose that spark that makes their characters shine.

Marriage suddenly didn’t seem like enough to safeguard what she meant to me. Why wasn’t there something more binding than a mere piece of paper that gave me the right to call her my wife? Vows were a promise, but what I needed was a guarantee that every day of my life would have her in it. I wanted my heart to beat in rhythm with hers and stop when hers did. Inextricably entwined, so I would never live even a moment without her.

I loved the way things ended for Gideon and Eva. Do we get the answers to every single question we have about the rest of the characters? No… but I honestly felt pretty okay with that. Yes, I would’ve loved getting Cary’s full story, or even Eva’s father’s story – but I feel like if everything wrapped up picture perfect, it wouldn’t have felt genuine. The Crossfire series is very much about Gideon and Eva, and I can’t complain about how their story ends. It took skill to write such a satisfying conclusion for such a sweeping, all-encompassing romance as Gideva’s, and of course Sylvia Day didn’t disappoint!

Reading Order: Crossfire series

#1 ~ Bared to You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Reflected in You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Entwined with You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Captivated by You: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ One with You: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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1Mar2016

Release Day Review: Rocked by Love by Christine Warren

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Rocked by Love by Christine Warren
Series: Gargoyles #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Bestselling author Christine Warren returns to the secret world of gargoyles-where legends come alive, and lovers are caught between a rock and a hard place…

Kylie Kramer knows that she’s putting her life in danger when she decides to investigate her friend’s mysterious death. What she doesn’t know is that she’s being watched over by a powerful protector. A legend in stone who has defended humanity throughout the ages. A rock-hard savior who swoops down from the sky, scoops Kylie into his impossibly strong arms, and draws her into a world that no mortal woman can imagine…or resist.

ROCKED BY LOVE

As the strongest of the gargoyles, Dag is sworn to destroy the demons that threaten Kylie’s world before returning to his stony slumber. But the burning desire she ignites in him is even harder to fight-an all-consuming force that, once unleashed, can never be tamed. As their passion grows, so do the ranks of a demonic army plotting to take over the earth. When the ultimate battle begins, Dag and Kylie must face some demons of their own-to carve out a love that’s stronger than time…

This is actually the first book I’ve read in the series, though it can be read completely as a standalone. I had no problems going into Rocked by Love without having read the previous books in the series, so if you’re planning to jump right into this at book 4 like I did, you can!

I’ve had Christine Warren’s Gargoyles series on my radar because, well, it’s about gargoyles! It’s something different and not what I’m used to, so I decided to give it a go. While I didn’t completely love this book, I still really enjoyed it and would definitely go back and read the rest of the series. The gargoyles in this world are fascinating – and the women they fall in love with are top-notch heroines I admire.

Kylie Kramer is a computer geek genius and has been using her skills to find out the reason why her best friend was mysteriously killed. But while walking one day she’s attacked, only to be saved by what she thought was a statue. Dag is the gargoyle statue brought to life, and he’s the fourth out of seven to awaken in order to defeat the seven demons and save mankind. Dag and Kylie may be meant for each other as Guardian and Warden, but they don’t exactly get along.

He wondered if he would ever get used to a human who questioned his every word or action simply on general principle. In the past, most of them cowered when they saw him, if they didn’t run screaming in terror. But not this female. She made him want to scream.

Kylie is probably my favorite part of this book – she’s so quirky and hilarious. She says the funniest things, and I couldn’t help myself cracking up every time she opened her mouth. Especially when she’s thrust into this new paranormal world and she can’t help herself but annoy her new gargoyle buddy. Dag and Kylie have some great banter together, and underlying chemistry between them is also a plus. I enjoyed their slowly growing feelings for each other and how the romance played out between them.

“You are precious to anyone who takes as much as a moment to get to know you, little one, because to know you is to see your true beauty.” His arms tightened around her and he nuzzled the soft, fragile skin at her temple. “You are very, very precious to me.”

The action in this book, however, wasn’t anything special. Not much happens actually for the majority of the book, so I kept waiting for something exciting to occur. The story lagged a bit during the middle and I found myself a little bored at times. The romance did keep me interested, but I really would’ve liked to see more action in this book.

Overall, I did still like Rocked by Love. The characters were fun and hilarious, and I enjoyed getting to know the other couples from the previous books. I liked that Kylie and Dag’s romance wrapped up, but the over-arcing storyline will continue on. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

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

Reading Order: Gargoyles series

#1 ~ Heart of Stone: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Stone Cold Lover: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Hard as a Rock: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Rocked by Love: Ebook • Paperback • 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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27Dec2015

Early Review: First Touch by Laurelin Paige

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

First Touch by Laurelin Paige
Series: First and Last #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 29th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

When Emily Wayborn goes home to visit her mom while on hiatus from her hit TV show, she receives a voicemail from her former best friend, Amber. Though the two were once notorious party girls, they haven’t spoken in years. Although the message might sound benign to anyone else, Amber uses a safe word that Emily recognizes, a word they always used to get out of sticky situations during their wild days. And what’s more chilling than the voicemail: it turns out that Amber has gone missing.

Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that lead her to the enigmatic billionaire Reeve Sallis, a hotelier known for his shady dealings and play boy reputation. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must seduce Reeve to learn his secrets and discover the whereabouts of her friend. But as she finds herself more entangled with him, she finds she’s drawn to Reeve for more than just his connection to Amber, despite her growing fear that he may be the enemy. When she’s forced to choose where her loyalty lies, how will she decide between saving Amber and saving her heart?

First Touch messed. with. my. mind. You know how sometimes you read a book and you have no idea HOW the author comes up with the things they write? That was the way I felt as I was reading this book. Laurelin Paige has written a thrilling, addicting, suspenseful novel that I couldn’t put down. It’s unpredictable. Disturbing. Unique. Absolutely fascinating. It’s the kind of book that made my heart AND mind race. I still can’t wrap my head around Emily’s story, but I loved it!

“The problem with men who are actually a threat, though, Emily, is that you don’t ever find out how unsafe they are until it’s too late.”

Emily and Amber were best friends who lived quite the unconventional and disturbing life. But they split ways years ago, and Emily hasn’t heard from Amber since – until now. When Emily receives a voicemail and hears Amber saying their safe code, Emily knows her former best friend is in danger. Amber could be alive or dead, but either way, Emily does whatever she can to find out what happened to her. And the main suspect in Emily’s investigation is the enigmatic, playboy billionaire Reeve Sallis.

I’d do whatever it took to find the truth and get it away from this man. This man who was very much the flame to my moth. Already I feared that finding answers wouldn’t be enough to sever his pull on me.

Reeve, quite frankly, scares the shit out of me. This man is a psycho and a sex god – I loved him and hated him equally. He is dark, powerful, dangerous, alpha, and controlling. Emily sets out to seduce the answers out of him, but she has no idea that she’ll be seduced – consumed – instead. The visceral connection between the two of them is erotic and the chemistry powerful, but when their whole relationship is built on lies and secrets, can they actually have a life together? Or will those secrets and lies – Amber – tear them apart?

Distraction. Comfort. Reason. Preoccupation. He was the source of everything I needed now. The path to closure, an asylum for pain, a place to find truth, a place to hide.
For good or bad, all roads led back to him. Perhaps that what it meant to really be his.

What’s fascinating about these two characters is that they are both master manipulators. So even as I was rooting for Emily and Reeve, I was also biting my nails, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Laurelin Paige did a fantastic job with the suspense in First Touch, because I honestly couldn’t predict anything in this book. I was on the edge of my seat, scared and excited to see what was going to happen next. Everything is just so intense in this novel – the story, the characters, the writing. And that ending! God, I’m dying for the sequel now, because that ending has left me hanging and so ready for more.

This is my first Laurelin Paige book, but I know it will not be my last. If you love books with erotic mystery and suspense, I highly recommend First Touch. It’s going to twist your mind and you won’t be able to put it down!

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

Reading Order: First and Last series

#1 ~ First Touch: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Last Kiss: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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