Tag Archives: standalone

Review: Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin

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Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin

Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: January 12th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

Revenge.
I race to finance it.
I evade to protect it.
I kill to attain it.
I planned everything.

Except her.
The alluring, curvaceous blonde at the finish line.
With sapphire eyes that cheat and lie.
Whose powerful family murdered mine.

I hate her.
I want her.

I know she’s hiding something.
But so am I.

SQUEEEE!!! My first 5-heart rating of the year!! And oh my gosh, how I loved this one. Dirty Ties is the first book I’ve read from Pam Godwin but it won’t be my last! I simply adored this thrilling, hot, wild ride of a novel. It was nothing I expected, since the blurb doesn’t give much away, but I loved that this book surprised me. Dirty Ties is a fast-paced page turner that had me at the edge of my seat from start to finish. I loved the characters and the writing – I can’t recommend this book enough!

I don’t want to explain too much about the plot, because I feel it’s best to go into Dirty Ties blind. The driving force of this book is revenge – except what happens to that revenge when love gets in the way? Ohh, the dilemma!! Pam Godwin did an excellent job hooking me into the story. It’s dark, twisted, and deliciously angsty. And it’s got a smokin’ hot biker. It really was the perfect read for me!

“A man like that fucks like he rides. With intimidation, recklessness, and unharnessed energy. He’s powered by adrenaline and takes what he wants without care.”

God, that description… Isn’t it the HOTTEST thing ever!? It was ridiculous how much Pam Godwin made me lust love Logan – I nearly wanted Logan to ride me instead of his motorcycle, that’s how hot he was. Logan is a dominant, sexy, powerful man who is fueled by revenge. He’s spent years planning, going underground and doing illegal things, and nothing will stand in the way of getting his revenge.

The heroine, Kaci, is a strong, intelligent, independent woman and I just connected with her from the start. I loved her. I loved her badass attitude, but I also loved her vulnerabilities. She’s a powerful woman with money and prestige, but her heart is lonely. Kaci wants a man to share her life with, a man who’ll challenge her and love her.

For years, I’d stood alone, toe-to-toe against powerful men. How I wished to have an invincible man on my side.

When Kaci and Logan meet, they’re masked, complete strangers to each other. But even though they’re strangers, they feel an insatiable need towards each other. Kaci and Logan’s connection is fierce, passionate, raw, and intense – they truly are the perfect match for each other. But when the masks fall away, leaving only revenge, people get hurt. It’s a dangerous, dark, corrupted game Logan is playing in his revenge, but when he finds himself falling deeper for Kaci, he has to decide whether his revenge is worth losing the woman he loves.

Her longing was beautiful and poignant, one I felt in every painful beat of my heart, filling me with a possessive need to be the man who gave her that kind of happiness.

I highly, highly recommend Dirty Ties. I honestly couldn’t put this book down! It’s a dark, romantic read that will have your heart pounding and leave you breathless.

5 hearts
lacey

Blog Tour + ARC Review: Three Brothers by Nicole Williams

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Three Brothers by Nicole Williams

Three Brothers by Nicole Williams
Release Date: January 20th 2015
New Adult/Adult Romance
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I grew up with three brothers. They weren’t tied to me by blood, but our connection went beyond genetics or bearing the same last name. Our connection was forged the summer I turned thirteen, the summer my mom ended her life and left me in the custody of John Armstrong, a man I’d never met. Packing all I owned in a couple of boxes, I left the familiarity of the big city and headed west to Red Mountain Ranch, set in a lonely valley outside of Jackson Hole.

Nothing was as it seemed at Red Mountain—it didn’t take long for me to figure that out. John was kind to me but distant, as if he was afraid to let anyone get too close. His three teenage sons had their own devices for keeping love as far away as they could. The eldest distracted himself with cheap relationships that had a shelf-life of one night. The middle son threw himself into the rigor of running a ranch, and the third wielded cruelty and mind-games in his quest to keep people from getting close.

Time has gone by, and I’ve spent those years trying to forget the brother I’d fallen for—the biggest mistake of my life.

Finally, I’ve moved on. Finally, I’m back. But what I didn’t realize was that running away from the wrong brother meant I’d also run away from the right one. The one who’d been there for me all along, waiting in his brother’s shadow for the day I either would or could move on.

But a decade is a long time to wait. Has the brother I should have chosen all of those years ago moved on too? Am I about to discover that my biggest mistake wasn’t falling in love with the wrong brother, but failing to return the love of the right one sooner?

Does unrequited love have an expiration date?

I’m about to find out.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes

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I’ve been such a huge fan of Nicole Williams since I read her Crash series and Lost and Found series. She’s the kind of author that when I pick up one of her books, I know I’ll always enjoy myself while reading it. While Three Brothers isn’t my favorite of Nicole Williams’ books, it’s still a deeply emotional book with heart and depth. It’s a book about letting go of your past, about healing and forgiveness. There were parts I loved and parts I didn’t, but overall, Three Brothers was an engaging, emotional read that I’d recommend for fans of the author.

Scout, the heroine, returns to Red Mountain after staying away for seven years. She was taken in by the Armstrongs and became a surrogate sister to three brothers, Chase, Chance, and Conn. Chance became her best friend, but she fell in love with Conn. She was devastated when he broke her heart and ran away to pick up the broken pieces. But a much more mature Scout returns when she finds out her foster father John Armstrong is dying and is forced to confront her past – and Conn.

Being back in her old home is like rediscovering the Armstrong brothers all over again for Scout. She remembers how much she was constantly hurt by Conn, even though she’s genuinely over him now, but she also remembers how much of a good brother Chase was and how important Chance was to her. And in rediscovering the brothers, she finds herself once again falling in love with an Armstrong brother, except with the right one this time.

How could I have been so blinded by one brother that I missed this one? The one. There was no other term to describe what Chance was to me.

Chance… he’s so swoony and sweet, and plus… he’s a cowboy! I adored Chance. He had always been in love with Scout, but no matter that she was in love with his brother, he was always by her side, and always will be.

“I’m with you, Scout. I always have been, and I always will be. Even when you might think I’m not, I am…. All you need to do is say the word, and I’m right there beside you. I won’t waver. I won’t turn and run…. I’ll be at your side, fighting the fight. Just say the word.”

The two of them were inseparable when they were younger, and now that Scout’s back, she finds it so easy being with him again. She never thought of Chance in any way except her friend, but now, she sees him in a new light. He’s caring, sweet, thoughtful, not to mention hardworking and loyal to the ranch. His love for Scout is the kind that is quiet but steady and unwavering – in every action you can tell how much Chance loves Scout and will do anything for her.

“There is no one better for me than you. There never has been, and there never will be.”

I loved the way Scout and Chance’s love slowly blossomed, but I didn’t like how much Chance fought it to protect Scout. At times, the book was even depressing, with John Armstrong dying, and hurtful secrets being revealed. The book was all over the place in the last chunk of the book, which threw me off. Three Brothers has a sweet romance, but I wouldn’t say it’s a sweet book. It’s thought-provoking and portrays life in an honest way. I didn’t love this book, but I’d recommend it for fans of the author or fans of swoony heroes and good writing.

3.5 hearts
lacey

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

about the author

I’m the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the CRASH series (HarperTeen, S&S UK), LOST & FOUND series, UP IN FLAMES (S&S UK), The EDEN TRILOGY, and a handful of others. I write stories about everyday kinds of people who find themselves in extraordinary kinds of situations. I tell love stories with happy endings because I believe in making the world a better place, and that’s one tiny way I can make it so. I’m one of those people who still believe in true love and soul mates, and would rather keep my head in the clouds any day over having my feet firmly on the ground.

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ARC Review + SIGNED GIVEAWAY: The Mason List by S.D. Hendrickson

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Giveaways, Reviews by

The Mason List by S.D. Hendrickson

The Mason List by S.D. Hendrickson
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: January 10th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime.

Today, 8:15 p.m.
I hurt. I hurt so deeply, I felt the pain searing in my bones and jabbing like a hot poker into my heart. I knew nothing would make it better as the memories pulled from the crevices of my mind, detailing the bad and the ugly, filling my thoughts with regret as I slipped into the darkness. . .

When I was eight, my mother was dying of cancer, my father lost his job, and the bank kicked us out of our house. I was forced to move to the strange town of Arlis, Texas where my father and I slept in our car in the hospital parking lot. Desperate and hopeless, we lived on fumes of our former life.

Then one night, everything changed forever. A knock on the car window brought a family into my life that I only wanted to shut out. I hated charity and I hated the Masons. Well, except one. He made it impossible to hate him.

Jess Mason had the biggest blue eyes and ornery smile of any boy I had ever seen. He was a ray of sunshine in my dark world. A boy full of adventure, dragging me across the meadow of Sprayberry Ranch; a beautiful Texas paradise full of horses and tree houses that got us into more trouble than anyone ever imagined.

Jess was my everything as a kid until we grew up and the rules changed. Instead of living happily ever after with a boy full of love. . . I destroyed it.
– Alex Tanner

An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime.

Oh my goodness!! The Mason List is one EPIC love story of a book!! You all HAVE to give it a try – it’s the kind of book that wrings out SO MANY EMOTIONS out of you!! I was exhausted in the best way by the end of the novel. It. Was. Brilliant!

The Mason List begins with an eight-year-old girl named Alex who has been dealt a rough hand in life. She’s had to grow up fast – her mother is dying of cancer and her father has lost his job and their home. Alex and her father are essentially homeless, and just when it seems all hope is lost, the Mason’s come in and save their lives. Alex owes everything to the Masons… and she hates that she does. The more the Masons give to the Tanners – food, a home, a job, a life – the more Alex resents them.

The one good thing that comes from the Masons is Jess Mason. Jess, who is sweet and kind and thoughtful and playful, who offers his undying friendship and loyalty. He and Alex soon become as close as childhood friends can be and they build the foundations of their friendship that would last a lifetime.

Spending time with Jess made the days pass with bursts of happiness. Those days kept me from falling completely into a black hole. The years of anger and sadness crept into my pale skin like a stain that refused to go away. I think that is why the idea of Jess felt so appealing. He was like sunlight to my dreary cloud.

S.D. Hendrickson’s writing is phenomenal. I loved how easily the author was able to suck me into the story. I quickly became immersed in Alex and Jess’s beautiful friendship. The author wrote in such a lovely way that I could FEEL how their friendship developed and how much they grew to love and care for one another. They are truly the best of friends… until Jess makes Alex realize that they could be so much more.

“We’ve got somethin’ that people look for their whole lives. We just found it when we were eight.”

Jess’s love for Alex is clear as day, but my heart hurt for him because Alex is adamantly against forming any sort of relationship except friendship. Alex is a stubborn and sometimes infuriating character – I wanted to shake her and open her eyes towards the fact that what she and Jess could have would be beautiful. But because of how much she owes her life to the Masons, Alex won’t get involved with Jess, no matter how much he meant to her.

I needed him. I needed him the way I needed air; a little bit every day just to survive in this dark world.

Ohh, the angst. The angst was so incredibly well written that my heart and stomach were aching throughout much of the novel. Jess doesn’t give up on Alex – he is a steadfast constant in her life, freely giving his love, friendship, and support throughout the many years, but there’s only so much rejection and hurt he can take from Alex. Alex is frustrating, no doubt, but even when I should have hated her, all I felt was compassion and pity.

My heart was put through the wringer – it’s a roller coaster of emotions with the highs and lows in this book. Alex and Jess both love each other but they both hurt each other. And yet… I never gave up on them. Because theirs is the kind of love that is true and epic and only comes once. The author managed to perfectly illustrate what soulmates are through Alex and Jess. The Mason List is a heavy, heart-wrenching book, but the end left me breathless and full of smiles. I was swept away by the epic romance and storytelling – I highly recommend The Mason List for those who love an unforgettable story.

He would always be my boy. My happiness. My sunshine. My forever.

My rating: 4 hearts for the characters and 5 hearts for the story – 4.5 hearts!

4.5 hearts
lacey

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

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One winner will receive a signed copy of The Mason List. Open Internationally.

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Also by S.D. Hendrickson

Waiting for Wyatt by S.D. Hendrickson

Waiting for Wyatt: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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Blog Tour + ARC Review & Excerpt: Roomies by Lindy Zart

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by

Roomies by Lindy Zart

Roomies by Lindy Zart
Release Date: November 21st 2014
Genre: NA Rom-Com
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Graham Malone is my roommate, my personal eye candy, the reason I get up in the morning smiling (that could be from the illicit dreams I have about him too, I suppose. Let’s move on.). He’s also beautiful to look at, but his heart is where his true beauty lies. Take away the exterior and the interior still shines.

I love him. I mean, I’m pretty sure I do, having never been in love before. Anyway, it seems legit.

And now his brother Blake is here, and, well, he’s the complete opposite of Graham. Sarcastic, brooding, and totally available. But he’s leaving soon, and Graham’s the one I want. I shouldn’t have to remind myself of this, right? I wouldn’t have to if Blake would quit looking at me like I’m something yummy and he’s starving.

Here’s a toast to roomies; the ones you should never fall in love with. Or something.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback • B&N • Kobo

review

ADORABLE.

Roomies is A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

I loved Lindy Zart’s Unlit Star (my review), but that book was utterly gut-wrenching, so I was a bit scared to read another book of hers that would end up making my heart bleed. But Roomies is pure romantic comedy – it had me laughing and giggling like a fool so much. I adored this book – which goes to show what an excellent writer Lindy Zart is. She’ll have you wanting to cry in one book, and then laughing out loud in the next.

Roomies is light-hearted, adorable, and just plain ole fun! I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d be getting into when I read the blurb, but I trusted the author. We have our heroine, Kennedy, who is the heart of this book. She’s truly what made Roomies as adorable as it is. She’s hilarious, awkward, inappropriate, sarcastic, and did I mention hilarious? At first, I was a bit taken aback by how outspoken she was, but she quickly grew on me. I loved her!

Kennedy is roomies with Graham… and she’s pretty much in love with him. They’ve been roommates for about a year, and they’ve become best friends. Graham is the only one who gets her – he gets her quirks, her pervyness, her frankness, her everything. Graham knows all there is to know about Kennedy, excerpt for the fact that she’s in love with him.

Now, Graham… Graham is like the golden boy. He’s nearly perfect. In Kennedy’s own words:

When God put Graham Malone together, He had beauty in mind, I’m sure, but that isn’t even the appeal, not really. The appeal is him–the way he laughs, the sound of his voice, and his sweet, sweet nature. Yes, he is beautiful, but what makes him even more beautiful is that he has no idea.
… He’s just… he makes your heart fill with something like joy and all of you turns warm when you’re near him. You respond to him with not just your mind and your body, but all of you. At least, that’s how it is for me.

Graham is just a GOOD guy, and I loved that about him. I more often than not read about bad boys, but whenever I come across a male character who is good, I appreciate them all the more. Graham is kind, loyal, honest, and so sweet. God, I fell in love with his character so hard. And the things he says to Kennedy! *SWOON*

“You know what I thought the first time I saw you?”
“That you couldn’t believe someone as gorgeous as me existed?”
His grip tightens. “That I couldn’t believe I’d gone so long without knowing you.”

Graham and Kennedy are literally perfect for each other, but Kennedy has never received any indication that Graham reciprocates her feelings. It’s not until Graham’s brother Blake moves in with them temporarily that the dynamics start to change between them. Kennedy loves Graham, there’s no doubt about that, but she finds herself attracted to Blake. Now, before you can scream Love Triangle! let me just say that this book doesn’t REALLY have one. Blake is more of a… catalyst than anything. Kennedy IS attracted to Blake (the Malone brothers are seriously hot and swoonworthy), but he’s nothing compared to Graham, because she still wholeheartedly loves Graham.

He knows me like no one else does. And I’m glad of that. I wouldn’t want anyone else to get me the way Graham does. I realize I understand what he said last night about going so long without knowing me. It feels like we have always been, though we have only been in each other’s lives such a short time. But time does not define emotion. And I cannot imagine my life without him, no matter how far into the future I look. I inhale deeply.
That is a terrifying thought.

Thanks to Blake, we get to see Graham get a little jealous and a little possessive over his roomie, which was hot! Graham fights his feelings for Kennedy a bit, but when he finally gives in and starts pursuing her for good, it’s the sweetest and most heart-warming thing ever.

Roomies is a feel-good, light-hearted romance that had my heart bursting with joy. I adored this book and these characters.

4 hearts
lacey

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

Now here’s an excerpt from Roomies! ❤

excerpt

He gives a slight smile. “You don’t know everything about me.”

“I should know that.” Maybe I shouldn’t, but I really feel like I should. Graham’s pretty much the most important thing to me; I should at least know his family history. He knows mine. Well, most of it. Some of it. Enough…

“Now you do. Are we done? I really need to put some clothes on.”

“But…you said he was in school,” I finish lamely, my voice dropping to a whisper.

“He’s in college.”

I scowl at him. “You purposely led me to believe that your brother was some pimply teenager who was going to mooch off you for the remainder of the summer, not…not…” I jab a finger in the direction of the living room.

“Not what?”

“Not some hottie!” I blurt out, and then wish I hadn’t.

Especially when Graham rears back and gets a funny look on his face. “You think my brother’s hot?” His voice is even, but his eyes look weird. Like, angry or something. A thrill goes down my spine at the thought of my comment having that effect on him. Could he be jealous?

“Yes.” I nod firmly.

“Huh.” He looks away.

A dash of regret has the audacity to chase the little thrill away. I wonder if I’ve upset him, but then decide I haven’t. Why would he be upset? Unless he doesn’t know I think he’s hot too. So I figure I should tell him. It would be rude not to.

“You’re also hot.”

He gives me a look; part incredulous, part I don’t know what. “Thanks,” he says faintly.

“Yeah.” I start to feel dumb about pretty much the whole conversation. “Okay. ‘Bye.”

“’Bye.”

I glance back at him. He is staring at me with a frown pulling his mouth down. “You should put some clothes on.”

“Right.”

I enter the living room. Blake is studying a fake plant in the corner of the room, which pretty much confirms that he was listening to our complete word exchange. Wonderful.

about the author

Lindy Zart has been writing since she was a child. Luckily for readers, her writing has improved since then. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two sons, and one cat. Lindy loves hearing from people who enjoy her work. She also has a completely healthy obsession with the following: coffee, wine, Bloody Marys, and pizza.

Twitter • Facebook • Blog • Amazon Page

Release Day Review: Sublime by Christina Lauren

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by

Sublime by Christina Lauren

Sublime by Christina Lauren
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: October 14th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

True love may mean certain death in a ghostly affair of risk and passion from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard. Tahereh Mafi, New York Times bestselling author of Shatter Me calls Sublime “a beautiful, haunting read.”

When Lucy walks out of a frozen forest, wearing only a silk dress and sandals, she isn’t sure how she got there. But when she sees Colin, she knows for sure that she’s here for him.

Colin has never been captivated by a girl the way he is by Lucy. With each passing day their lives intertwine, and even as Lucy begins to remember more of her life–and her death–neither of them is willing to give up what they have, no matter how impossible it is. And when Colin finds a way to physically be with Lucy, taking himself to the brink of death where his reality and Lucy’s overlap, the joy of being together for those brief stolen moments drowns out everything in the outside world. But some lines weren’t meant to be crossed…

I’m very… conflicted about this book. On one hand, it’s gorgeously written – Christina Lauren’s writing is poetic. It makes Sublime feel haunting and mysterious. But on the other… I was NOT a fan of the romance. Still, it’s a fascinating read, no doubt, but Sublime wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I wanted an epic ghost romance, but the romance fell flat. I mean, I knew that a story about a boy and a ghost girl couldn’t exactly end well, but I wanted something more substantial for the plot. For the most part, the writing was what kept me hooked.

“I think I’m here for you.”

Lucy is a ghost. She doesn’t realize she’s a ghost at first – she wakes up at a school with no memories, no idea who she is, and it’s only when she tries to interact with others and they ignore her, don’t see her, that she realizes something is off. But it turns out Lucy’s not invisible to everyone, because Colin can see her.

As if she can feel him staring, she turns, an involuntary smile lifting the corner of her mouth. Her dimple makes him think of giggled pleas, mischievous promises, and the taste of sugar on his tongue. Gunmetal eyes meet his, and the color is alive, churning like an angry ocean, pulling him in.
He lets himself drown.

Colin and Lucy have an instant connection with each other. They are drawn to each other and neither are hesitant about forming a relationship, even though they don’t understand what that connection is or why Lucy is there as a ghost. I was a bit skeptical about their insta-love, but I was rooting for them to find a way to be together. It was pretty innocent at first – boy and ghost girl fall in love, they want to be together, it seems like they’re meant to be together. It’s only when they actually TRY to be together, in the physical sense, that things started turning a bit dark, even sinister.

Lucy and Colin become slightly obsessed with one another. It didn’t bother me at first – I wanted them to find a way to be together, but there’s a point where you have to pause and think, exactly WHAT will you do to be together? Their relationship started turning unhealthy – Colin kept putting himself in harm’s way to be with Lucy. At this point, their romance was a bust for me. So I turned my focus on the why’s and how’s of the story. Why was Lucy there? What happened to her? How was she a ghost?

Every step of the way, I wasn’t sure what was going on, which was a good and bad thing. Sublime intrigued me to no end – I expected some answers, but all I got were more questions. None of my questions were answered, and I was really disappointed about that.

So yeah, the writing was what kept me reading. And I have to say, the writing was beautifully written, even though I didn’t exactly like the content. I liked HOW Sublime was written, not WHAT was written. Christina Lauren really have outdone themselves with the writing in Sublime – it’s hauntingly gorgeous and elegant.

The premise held a lot of potential but I’m sad to say Sublime was only an okay read for me. There were some aspects I loved, some aspects I hated. I expected a lot more than I got. The romance just did not sit right with me, so I wouldn’t recommend reading this for the romance. Mainly, you should try Sublime out for the writing.

3 hearts
lacey

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