I'LL BE WATCHING YOU -- a summary and opinion


Ooh, I'm catching up! I can't promise to be completely caught up in a certain amount of time, but I've started writing notes for my blog posts, in my Blogger app, while reading the books. It's working for me. I have 2 other drafts of books I finished last night, and another draft of a book I'm about 80% through with. Watch for those ones to be published here!

Until then... Here's another book I finished tonight... err, last night, for those of you who actually get to sleep when the sun is down.

Publication Date: October 9, 2014

 

 

15 years ago, Reed was convicted of a murder he did not commit -- regardless of what the town thinks. But now he's coming home, and he wants nothing more than to clear his name.

 

Not much longer after he's been home, Ella Porter, the daughter of the man who helped convict Reed, received a vulgar note much like the two Reed sent her when he first went to prison. He sent the notes to get a rise out of her father -- not that he wouldn't be thinking of little Miss Ella. Ella and Reed knew of one another before the conviction; his mother was Porter housekeeper. While they never spoke to one another, he'd seen her plenty. 

 

Even though he denies this new letter, Ella is still convinced Reed is trying to scare her once she starts receiving heavy breathing phone calls after confronting him.

 

Ella doesn't believe for a second that Reed could possibly be attracted to her. His smoldering looks and the past letters mean nothing. He's cornering her because of her father. Besides, a man like Reed would never look at a woman like her. Ella is not pretty -- or so she believes and her adoptive mother allows her to believe. Ella is currently in an on and off, currently on, relationship with Dan. They've been playing this game for a year, yet haven't taken it to the next level. Ella's mother tells her she should be ready to marry Dan, that no prince charming will come for her. She doesn't exactly has suitors lined up at her door, after all. She should be happy with what she has. However, Ella has a hard time with this thought -- she has no desire to take relationship to next step (sex) nor does she have feelings for him. Every kiss and embrace is forced on her part.

 

 

Truth be told, while Reed is gorgeous, equally, he terrifies her. She literally fears him.

 

I don't really understand how one can be fearful yet attracted to someone. It goes way beyond dominant/submissive, which truly isn't a theme in this book...

"‘You have no right to talk to me this way. No right to think that I’d have sex with you.’ As she shook her head in denial, she held up her hands in a defensive measure, as if to ward him off. He took one slow, deliberate step after another, drawing ever closer, his gaze riveted to hers.

‘Give me the right. You know you want to. You want it as bad as I do.’

‘You’re wrong.’ Panic spread through her like an insidious disease, destroying her resistence. Why aren’t you screaming? Why aren’t you running from him? There’s still time.

He reached out to cradle her face with his hands. She sucked in a deep, startled breath. His touch was strong yet gentle. A shiver of fear and longing shimmied along her nerves. His lips settled over hers: warm and moist, demanding but not brutal. Female reacted to male – woman to man, recognizing her mate. Ella kissed him back with the same desperate need, and that response ignited an uncontrollable blaze within him."

 

Reed's wanting to go after Webb, Ella's father, turns into him wanting to protect Ella as well as clearing his name. But two people couldn't be more wrong for each other than a judge and an ex-convict, the senators daughter and the housekeepers son... Or can they?

 

I was actually quite sad that I couldn't get into this book. I wanted to, badly. I have many of Beverly's earlier works (DEAD BY MORNING, DEAD BY NIGHTFALL). Because I liked her other books, I wonder if this was a completed piece before her passing, or an in-process work that was completed by a ghost writer... On the flipside, there are authors I used to love, but as the years went on my reading style changed and the authors I enjoyed changed as well.

 

 

I really wanted to give this book a 3... however, I try hard to be open minded when rating books. Just because I had a hard time getting a groove in reading this book, does not mean it was poorly written. In fact, it was very well written. It just wasn't my java.

 

Regardless -- I did like the characters (I tend to like the characters regardless of my feelings of the book as a whole. I love my fictional people). I didn't care for Reed's overbearingness, and I really got annoyed/disgusted with Ella's pitiful you-scare-me-but-kiss-me act, but I did really love this line of Reed's:

‘Something we have in common, Senator. I protect what’s mine, too. And, as of last night, your daughter falls into that category.’

Oh, Reed... you really are a pretty decent guy.

HOT REBEL -- a summary and opinion

(I started this review on a computer, and finished on a phone. I will be going back through and fixing and italisizing and all that fun stuff when I have the chance. I apologize for errors).

When you are reading 0.5-2 books a day, sometimes series fall off your radar. Sometimes on purpose ("Dude, I have to get through my ARCs"), sometimes on accident ("Oh, shoot, I forgot the new Animal Magnetism/Lucky Harber/KGI*"). 

 

*Seriously, how does one forget the new KGI?!?!?! Swanny still sits in my closet, dying to be read. Oh, Swanny... I'll get to you and your beautiful self; I will, I promise...!

 

I was invited (WOO-HOO!!) to read the newest HOT book. I remembered that I loved the previous (HOT Shot), and that I'd read the synopsis for the following book (HOT Rebel) and was excited for it's eventual release.

 

And then I forgot. Easy to do when you're reading books as fast as you can, enjoying every single moment inside the lives of all these characters.

 

When I was invited to read HOT REBEL, it all came rushing back to me and I was super excited to read it (I also was reminded that I needed and wanted to read Lucky and Kev's story; which as of writing this blog -- I have! And I loved it as much as I thought I would. Their review will come soon).

 

I absolutely love this series. Sometimes I find that there's a lot of repetition in themes -- when an author sticks with one theme and writes it again and again and again, it begins to feel unreal, like this could never happen, how is it every single member on this team found their 'true love' the exact. Same. Way...?

 

Lynn doesn't do that.

 

Granted, I've only officially read 3 books, cover-to-cover, but I have skimmed the other ones in my possession (ok, so HOT PURSUIT is the only other full story I have, but no worries, HOT MESS and HOT PACKAGE are totally on my radar).

 

So.

 

HOT REBEL.

 

Before we go any farther? Total 5. I don't do 'point' numbers. You get a nice, full, whole number. My scale pretty much never goes below a 3; 3 is 'it's a good book, just not for me'; 4 is a great book, there were things I didn't like, and maybe I'd read it again; 5 is I'd totally read it again, let me highlight that badboy in my Excel spreadsheet of books I own (no, seriously, I have an Excel spreadsheet of books I own).

 

Publication Date: 9/28/2014

 

HOT REBEL is the story of Nick "Brandy" Brandon and Victoria Royal, two elite snipers who had gone through sniper school together in the Army. One day, though, Victoria disappeared. It was assumed she dropped out. 

Years later, Nick is on an op with his HOT team, getting ready to take the kill shot...

...and someone else does it, but delivers the shot to the wrong person in the party. Without time to worry, Nick and his partner scramble to move from their location before the enemy finds them. In their relocation, they run into a woman, who, it turns out, made that fatal shot. And because she killed the wrong person, she is considered a traitor (or as Mendez later calls her, a rebel). 

Problem is, she's not just some female sniper -- she's the one who was Nick's biggest competition in training.

Victoria recognizes him, too.

"Recognition hit Victoria like an unexpected encounter with a bat. She knew that face. Knew that mouth, the hard curl of those lips as he’d hurled insults at her during the few weeks they’d spent as competitors at the Army Sniper School. He’d been the only one there who’d had the ability to get to her, to rattle the smooth surface of her calm. And he’d done it again and again."

But she can't explain to him her motives. She's on a multi-year long mission and he and the Army will just screw it up.

"'What happened to you?' he blurted, unable to hold it in any longer. 'You had a promising career, and you threw it all away to do what? Become a mercenary? What the fuck, Victoria?'

"Her lips thinned and her rain-gray eyes flashed. She still had the head covering on, but he knew that her hair beneath the cloth was a deep, rich red. Or so he hoped anyway. What if she’d changed it?

"'Maybe I didn’t have a choice, Preacher Boy. Did you ever think of that?'"

So she leaves him at gunpoint.

Eventually, though, Mendez gets his way and Victoria ends up in his hands. Gotta hand it to Mendez... He's a hardass but damn, I love that man.

 

"“Half my damn team’s shacked up with someone they met on the job, so don’t bet any money on me not asking every motherfucker that comes through this door who he, or she, is sleeping with.”"

Oh, Mendez... Way to put it out there. But when a man knows, a man knows -- even when it's his team walking in the door with women they'll eventually fall for.

Granted, Nick had fallen for Victoria years ago.

I really loved this story. Without going into the true meat and potatoes of the story, I loved Victoria's loyalness, her fiercefulness, and her lovingness for her sister. She would do anything for her, which she has proven simply in her actions. I love that Nick doesn't give up on her, that in the end he (...is a stupid guy and pushes her away so she can have what she's been aiming for for the past 2 years) gives her what she needs and wants. 

...and that he loves her. I love a big strong Alpha falling for an equally strong lady.

When reading this, I was reminded (and quickly completed the purchase) that I wanted to read Kev and Lucky's story. And while Kev and Lucky are undoubtedly my favorite HOT members.... Victoria and Nick are in a SUPER close second.

 

Buy TODAY for your Nook or Kindle.


Edit: October 14, 2014

I decided to take a peak at Lynn's webpage to see if the next book was announced, because I remembered being super pumped about the next release. From the way I was reading things... (all the little side stories with Ice and the mini-glimpses into him), he totally was next to fall at the mercy of Lynn's hands.

And it's totally true :)

...I gotta say, I love when authors hint at the next book by making their secondary characters pop out at you, wanting to learn more about them; I love when those secondaries become primaries :)

He's being released to the public in December. Can I wait that long?!?

DO OR DIE -- a summary and opinion

Today at the gym, I watched Killers -- a Katherine Heigl/Ashton Kutcher movie that pretty much works with the military-romance genre I love so much. Their characters could be right out of any of the books I read. The sequence of events could be out of any of the books I read. Like when Spencer backs out of the garage and his concern is Jen putting on her seatbelt..? Hello, Colby.

Another scene, straight out of HOT, or TITAN, or KGI, or Titanium Security, or any of those books?Jen runs off in KMart, and Spencer's stuck talking with a neighbor they run into. The neighbor is going on and on about how the block party is that night and Spencer's garage door, well, honestly, it's a sight and ought to be fixed before the party. Meanwhile, Spencer is trying to keep an eye on Jen, because they've been shot at and they're in the midst of a bit of a fight. When the neighbor continues his bellyaching, Spencer yells at him to not look at the eyesore of a garage, before running off to find Jen, at which point he then yells at her saying that he can't protect her when she runs away.

Oh! And then when they're in the bathroom and she's trying to take the pregnancy test but she can't pee because there's a lot more pressure with peeing on this stick than just peeing in the bathroom in front of her husband, it reminded me of another book where the hero and leading lady go into the convenience store and he tries following her in (and it's been bothering me ALL. DAY. Because I can't recall what book it is! I've gone through my Kindle and Nook, and even put out an S.O.S. on my Twitter). But this scene also reminds me of DO OR DIE when the store clerk bangs on the door and hollers "No sex, no sex!!".
 

So. Away from Killers, and into DO OR DIE.
 

Publication Date: February 4, 2014

DO OR DIE follows Ian Dunn as he's released from prison, against his wishes, to help solve a kidnapping case. He's in prison for a crime he did not commit, but he plead guilty to it. He is an ex-Navy SEAL who, rumor has it, is a con artist. He wasn't convicted of the jewelry heist he's rumored to have done, but after researching him and his past, Phoebe decides that it must be true -- but he didn't do it in a harm sort of way. Allegedly, from what she has gathered, he stole the already stolen goods and returned them to their rightful owners (at least to a place where they would be given to the correct parties). She pegs him as a modern-day Robin Hood.

Ian is a bit of an ass. He even states such later in the book. His sense of humor can border adolescent, but he's altogether a good guy. All he wants, really, is for his brother to live a full and happy life -- and in order to do that, Ian has to make sacrifices that he's really ok making.

What I liked about this book is that it warms up to the idea of an attraction between Phoebe and Ian. Oh, the attraction is there, but it's not even considered or acted upon until the characters truly get to know eachother more.

I love how Phoebe and Ian get under one another's skin, and that they take it with stride. They don't get their feelings hurt (unless it's a serious situation and Phoebe Gets. Out. Of. The. Van. again and again).

'Can you do me a huge favor?'

She immediately stepped toward him, fully embracing their new mature relationship. 'Of course.'

Ian looked pointedly over his own shoulder, and said, 'Tell me the truth. Does this car make my glowing ass look fat?'

She'd naturally followed the direction of his gaze, but now she looked up, hard, into his eyes. And she smiled back at him despite herself. She even laughed. 'You're an idiot.'

'When things get too serious, I get a rash.'

She pointedly looked back down at his nether regions, despite the fact that doing so made her blush. Still, she spoke cooly, dryly, 'Not on your ass.'

Later, the rash-on-ass comment gets brought up again, when the turn of events gets to be too serious again.

I love when he pushes her into the pool too..... It's a good scene. You should read it.

But really, I love the slow, easy progression of a relationship between Phoebe and Ian. It's slow and natural, and really, truly does blindside them both.

'It's a grand, beautiful, selfless sacrifice, so win/win, right? Plus, you're safe when you're in [prison]--same way you're safe when you're on a mission--because you're not yourself. It's not real, even if you let people get close. Kinda like what you're doing right now with Phoebe.'

Ian looked up at that, and Aaron laughed.

'Yeah, you really think I didn't know?' Aaron asked. 'And the stupid thing is that you have no clue, no idea just how much you honestly care about this woman. Or maybe you do, and that terrifies you. So you're just going to run your same old pattern with her. Use her, then push her away. You fucking coward.'

Anyway...

I had a difficult time getting into the story, but once I was three chapters in, I was super engrossed. But then, halfway through the first part I needed to put down the book and pick up a fun super easy read (LONG WAY HOME).

This book is a bit longer than your traditional contemporary romance; each part is about an average book, I would say. I did have to put the book down three or four times, which typically means I'm having a hard time staying in the book, but because of the length of this book, I needed to seperate myself and go elsewhere for time periods. Ultimately, though, I loved, loved this book. And because this book ends with a 'we'll just play this out by ear and see where it goes', I really want to read 'happily ever after' when it comes to "Eee" and "Pheebs".

Buy now for your Kindle or Nook.

WINTERS HEAT -- a review.

A week before reading WINTERS HEAT, I was somehow introduced to Cristin Harber through SAVAGE SECRETS. I'm not entirely sure how she (being Cristin) ended up on my Nook feed; perhaps another author mentioned her on Facebook. However it happened... It happened.

So, I read SAVAGE SECRETS first -- and I absolutely loved it. When I read series, if I don't start them in the beginning, I tend to have a difficult time starting over. For example, I'm super excited to read Roman and Beth's story because I can hopefully see glimpses of Cat and Rocco. I have a hard time 'rewinding' and seeing characters unattached to whomever I know they will ultimately be with.

Winters Heat popped up as a free book (and hey, look, it still is!). It is book one in Cristin's Titan series so I figured, where better to start 'starting over' the series but with book one. Initially I figured I'd read Sweet Girl when it released, then move onto Garrison's Creed... maybe pick up the other books here and there but not really have a true interest in them.

Boy, was I wrong.

Thank goodness for small favors (such as Winters Heat being free -- it really expedited the process).

I fell in love with Mia and Colby pretty much on page one. The attraction, their banter, the laughs... oh my goodness, do I want a man like Colby to tear-gas his way into my life.... sans all the kidnapping and trafficking, of course.

Publication Date: January 19, 2014

What is it about Colby that I love so very much? It's really hard to say. He's funny, he's attractive, he likes to push Mia's buttons... He's just a good guy. He's a bit of a smart ass...

"Next time he was offered a cakewalk assignment, Winters would ignore his sweet tooth."

"Maybe he could make a list of everything that could go wrong today and see how close he came by the time it was lights out." 

"Dear God, let there be an immediate exit... The GPS interrupted his prayer... What do you know? He should pray more often." 

...but he's equally super softhearted.

Colby and Mia's story starts out with a, as Colby states it, cakewalk of an assignment, in which an untrained woman thwarts his plans. Cakewalk becomes messy. The woman, being Mia, becomes the monkey in the middle between Colby's mission via Titan, and the bad guys. Jared has given Colby direct orders to not make a scene, so he lets the goons take Mia -- but of course he follows them, because Mia has what he wants. Barreling in the motel room with tear-gas, Colby rescues Mia but in turn gets kicked and yelled at on the drive to his final destination.

Colby, who goes by his last name of Winters, pushes Mia to call him Colby. Excuse me, dear reader, but this must mean he's attracted to the lady. What I love about this, though, is later? When they get into a fight? She calls him Winters, and it just grates at him. I love it.

Do you know what Cristin does well?

Super emotional scenes.

We'll get into the most super emotional scene in the history of ever when we get to SAVAGE SECRETS, but Colby and Mia have a pretty spectacular fight in WINTERS HEAT.

"'Mia, you're not moving. You're not going anywhere.'

'Typical subject change. Resort back to orders. Classic, almost cliche.'

'I'm serious.' He looked serious, but he was always serious, and when it came to them, he was wrong.

'Your directives don't matter anymore, Winters.'

'Stop calling me Winters, damn it.'

She ignored him, needing space for clarity, and shuffled toward the kitchen. Regaining her wits, she said, 'I'll call you whatever I want. Asshole. Jerk. Liar...You led me on. And the whole it's-not-you, it's-me spiel? I expected more creativity.'

...'I was protecting you.' 

'For God's sake. From what?' she screamed and threw a mug against the wall. 'I survived crazed men and kidnappings. Plural!'

Standing in the middle of the shattered mug, he paused and took a breath. 'None of that would've happened if it weren't for me. If you didn't know me, no one would have chased you, no one would have kidnapped you.'

Mia wanted to run away, but the ceramic shards and bare feet kept her in place. 'If I didn't know you, then I'd be dead in a cheap motel room in Louisville, Kentucky. You saved me.'

They were in a standoff, need versus emotion. Their eyes locked. Her stomach tightened, electricity buzzing around their showdown.

Crunch. He stepped closer.

'Don't you dare kiss me, Winters.'

 'Colby.'He took another step. His boot crunched more broken mug. 'The name's Colby.'

'Let me make this clear to you. You hurt me, and you should leave.'

...His last step closed the distance. 'Not a chance.'

He clasped his hand under her hair, leaned over, and breathed in. Her heart stilled. Her breathing stopped. His sweet lips crushed over her mouth, and the world froze before her lips swept against his...

 Oh, sigh...

But really, when she throws the mug? LU-UHVE it.

Just like I love Mia and Colby altogether. I think you'll love them, too. So, if you don't already know Titan, maybe you should go introduce yourself to them. Any book would do -- you really don't need to read them in order and they could be standalone books, but I suggest you start at the beginning.

Get your FREE copy (as of post publication date) on your Kindle or Nook.

RUNAWAY HEART -- a summary and opinion

If my biggest gripe with this book is the cover is slightly misleading.... Well, you've got a pretty good book. I realize that this is two reviews in a row where I make a comment about the cover, but I firmly believe a cover is an important aspect to a book. No, you shouldn't be judging by covers, so the ol' cliche goes, but let's be honest -- what's the first thing to attract you to anything?

 

That's right... what it looks like.



Publication Date: 9/21/2014

 

To be fair, though... that is one fine speciman of a man on the cover... so regardless if this cover looks almost like it belongs to a historical romance... He's pretty fine.

 

RUNAWAY HEART is book #1 in newcomer Amity Lassiter's Three Rivers trilogies, Hearts of Three Rivers (I do hope by that line, that means Amity will be revisiting Three Rivers even after those Baylor boys are settled down and poppin' out babies... well, when their ladies are poppin' out babies).

 

Ren is on the run from her abusive mother, and in tow is her teenage sister. For the past 4 years, Ren and Kerri have been on the move, moving from small town to small town, with Ren finding quick work. They never stay in one place for too long. When they stumble into Three Rivers, Ren finds an add for a homemaker posted at the local laundry-mat. Making the phone call will change her life.

 

Rather than the expected elderly couple, she's taking a job as homekeeper/nanny for Dane Baylor, who has guardianship of his nephew Gage. Dane is trying to juggle the ranch he was given possession of from his family, while trying to be a father-figure to his late brother's son. He feels his failing miserably and just wants an extra set of hands.

 

Little does he know, by placing this add he's really starting a ready-made family.

 

Dane's philosophy with horses can easily be put in place with how he treats Ren.

 

"'You start easy... show them they have nothing to be afraid of, that you're not gonna let them get hurt. Instead of forcing them into your way of thinking, you ask them to do stuff so that it's their idea. If they don't get it right the first time, you ask again. Until they answer it right. And then you end every session on a good note, so they can feel good about themselves. And you never do let 'em get hurt.'"

And it's true. This is how Dane handles Ren, until she's the one who makes the first full move. And while he can't necessarily shield her from the hurt that is always bound to happen, he does his best to be her protector.

 

The book was extremely cute. I was a little annoyed with all the 'darlin''s and other southern drawl twang (do they really talk like that All. The. Time. in the south? -- hey, maybe they do), but it was cute. I felt that the romance moved a bit quickly, at least on Dane's part, but we all know guys think with, hmm... You know. And Dane really was no exception. The exception, though, was that he was gung-ho on this family picture they (he, Ren, Kerri, and Gage) created.

 

While Noah's is the next book, the conversation between Ren and Finn, about not getting to do life over so to hell what everyone else thinks... made me really sad for him. I can't wait for his true happily ever after.

 

Buy for Kindle or Nook.

BEGIN WITH GOODBYE -- a summary and opinion

This book... Where to begin.

 

I'm torn between a 3 and a 4. A 3.5 perhaps? The story as a whole was good -- the idea, the plot, the characters...

 

....the ending.

 

And no, that's not one of those, "You know the best part of x-y-z? The end. Because it was done," comments. The ending was most definitely a brilliant twist to the story.

 

While the story was mostly predictable, I totally didn't see the very end coming -- and I'm usually pretty good at guessing the ending (...when I'm not being a crazy reader and reading the epilogue first, because ah-hmm... that'swhatIdoshhhdon'ttell).

 

So with that...

 

Publication Date: 6/30/2014

 

 

...one of my points in my notes for this book was that the cover did not pertain to the book. Well... the cover on my Kindle app is not that same as this one right here. THIS cover is remarkable and fits the story. My cover is a man and woman in periodic dress -- leading the reader to believe that perhaps the book takes place in the early 1900s, in England. So not the case. But this cover works.

 

Anywho.

 

BEGIN WITH GOODBYE is the story of Julian and Samantha, an ex-couple who's lives were uprooted in high school. Julian ended up marrying Samantha's sister after a disastrous night, and Samantha really couldn't forgive him of that. No sooner than they'd married, her sister was pregnant. Now, her sister's dead and Samantha is all too willing to voice the secrets of her family -- except the secrets she knows are only half-truths.

 

"The only way to appear clean is to hide the dirt. That's the way it's always been around here, and that's the way it will always be.

"My dinged and dented sedan putters along the picturesque road..."

What I like about that particular excerpt is that it shows what Samantha has come from -- that dirt is meant to be cleaned and swept under the rug; however, Samantha's dirt is on the surface -- her car is a prime example. It's great foreshadowing of the fact that Samantha is not afraid to air the so-called 'dirty laundry', and that she will be in a matter of moments.

Julian confused me at points. In some instances, he seems like a strong Alpha-type male, but others... he's really, in my opinion, a strong Beta-type. He belittles himself and punishes himself for choices he's made in the past -- choices that, yes, were wrong to a degree, but on the flipside, were commendable.

 

Again, I found the majority of the book to be predictable. The pregnancy? Predictable. The fact Samantha hadn't done the math until Julian gave her the story... didn't give Samantha too many bright-points in my book. But regardless...

 

So for the sake of whole numbers, I will be giving this 3, 3.5 book, a 4 star. While it wasn't my favorite book, it was written well and had a strong core and idea behind it.

 

Buy it for Kindle.

 

THE MILLIONAIRE AFFAIR -- a summary and opinion

Mmm... I do love a pretty cover.

 

Do you agree?

Publication date: June 24, 2014

Back of the Book:

LOVE IS A DEAL BREAKER . . .
Millionaire ad executive Landon Downey has a policy: no romantic relationships allowed. So when he's saddled with his six-year-old nephew for a week, he doesn't think twice about asking Kimber Reynolds to act as live-in nanny. What he doesn't expect is the undeniable attraction to the woman he hasn't seen since they were kids. And not only does she like him back-she suggests they work their way down a list of extracurricular activities in the bedroom. How can he resist?

Kimber wants to prove once and for all that she can love 'em and leave 'em with the best of them. All she has to do is keep her sixteen-year crush on Landon out of the equation. No problem . . . until she realizes she may not be the only one whose heart has gotten completely tangled up in their no-strings agreement.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

I unfortunately don't have too much to say about this book. It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that it's before my Kindle app came with multiple highlighting options, and therefore I haven't any red highlights saying, EXCERPT THIS!! And I also only have one note, and 4 regular highlights....

In some cases, the lack of highlights and notes means I didn't like the book and skimmed it. In other cases, it means I was too preoccupied with the book to bother reading for blogging -- I was reading to read.

 

I like to think that in this case, it's the latter.

 

I liked Landon's drive and ambition in life. Not really sure that a busy uncle is the correct place for a kid, but Evan was busy and Landon was... well, as available as Landon could be.

 

Kimber is fun and spunky. I like spunky leading ladies. And she keeps up with Lyon like any supernanny I know. And I put an emphasis on 'super'.

 

I like that Landon's family is the medling sort and push comments toward Landon about Kimber's old crush which, excuse us all, but it wasn't on Evan but on Landon.

 

I look forward to re-reading this book once my 'To Do' list winds down. This is definitely a re-read-er.

 

Buy for your Kindle or your Nook (print copies available, as well!).

CAN'T HOLD BACK -- a summary and opinion

Here I am, trying to catch up....

I pulled open my NetGalley account and organized allllll the books I'd been approved for via publication date. Some of them already had reviews on here and NetGalley, some simply had reviews on NetGalley for the simple fact I wanted to say that the book had been read. Some just had nothing by way of review. So those with nothing, or just NetGalley reviews, are finally being brought over to here.

...and let me tell you, this list is 30 books long. To be fair, of those 30, 7 are still on my 'To Be Read' list, and one is on my 'Currently Reading' list. I won't get to all 30 right now, but I hope to get a mini-dent into the list.

Oh, and I'm still working on my Post-Look for reviews, as well as my Blog-Look for this thing as a whole.... it will all look pretty in time. Anywho...

 

Publication Date: June 6, 2014

 

Back of the Book:

 

To have and to hold. To trust and to obey. To take and to pleasure… Some things just don’t come up in your wedding vows.

Off to their honeymoon in sexy, exotic Cabo, Dan and Maddie Hudson are finally free from the microscope of small town living. For Dan, a self-assured attorney, this means indulging in the all-consuming intimacy of marriage—especially the naked kind—wherever and whenever his new wife will have him.

But CPA Maddie doesn’t want to be in charge. In fact, there’s something she craves and there’s no one she trusts more than Dan to give it to her. But will pushing the envelope sexually be too much, too soon in their marriage? The last thing she wants is to make her husband regret his vows before the honeymoon is even over.

Can Dan be the man Maddie needs, now and forever? Or will her secret desires bring an early end to their happily ever after?

Warning: This book contains an über confident, dirty talking hero and a heroine who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of the bedroom—or the beach. For readers 18+.

 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

Mignon's Excerpt:

 

Dan clenched and unclenched his fists, and his ears rang so loud, he was getting a goddamn headache. He'd been so caught up in the moment that he hadn't noticed the circle that had formed around them. He half expected to see a bouncer ready to throw him out on his ass, but there wasn't a single person who looked shocked about the bloodshed.

 

No one but Maddie, anyway.

 

She stood off to the side, her eyes wide and her chest heaving. Emotion -- what kind he couldn't tell -- pooled in her eyes and she reached out for him, her fingers trembling.

 

But he stepped back and shook his head.

 

She'd let that prick touch her. Not just touch her, but touch her. That line he thought they were both so clear on? The one their wedding vows had solidified? She'd crossed it. And it felt like a friggin' dagger, twisting in his chest.

 

 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --  -- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

Oh, Maddie...

 

I just want to say that while it's commendable that a woman knows what she wants out of her sex life.... she really needs to be vocal about it.

 

Choosing to make her new husband aware of it in the manner that Maddie does it is just wrong. I was completely Team Dan on this one.

 

I felt the synopsis was a bit vague, and the last line about Dan being the man for Maddie, now and forever, or her secret desires, etc etc... well, it's a bit generic. Granted, I've attempted to write synopsis' before, and it's not all that easy.

 

As a whole, the story was good... yet there was room for more to make it great. I did not agree with Maddie's methods. If I were judging the book on character, it is a solid 4. Judging the book on developement and writing, it could be a 5. But because I'm so anti-Maddie's-methods (really, give the dude a true clue)... it's getting a 4 from me.

 

Give it a shot, and buy it for your Kindle. It's a super quick, easy read. It's part of a series, but most definitely can be read as a stand-alone! Also, Molly McLain is from Wisconsin, so she gets major props from me on that. Go, Wisco!

...also, just because I'm not a huge Maddie fan (ok, so I like Maddie, just hun, you gotta say something....) doesn't mean I'm not a Molly McLain fan. Like I said, I liked the novella in general. When I have a moment, I would be interested in reading book one (Dan's brother and Maddie's BFF's book).

release day || LoVE

So today is release day for one of my new favorites, TRUTH OR DARE by Mira Lyn Kelly -- and I totally just realized that is a book that has been read and is on my (ever growing) 'to blog about' list.

I'm super hopeful on catching up in the next 24 hours, but in the meantime, just FYI, TRUTH OR DARE is  5 in my book.

In the meantime... a quick comical excerpt from the book!!

(....& because I'm doing this from my phone, my formating of this post leaves much to be desired....... But I'll try and fix late tonight, as well as plan on the face lift!)

-------

“Did you gag? In my mouth, Ford?”

The guilt in his eyes said it all and, wow, her only consolation was knowing this had to be rock bottom. The night couldn’t get any worse.

Except the low rumble of laughter, mocking and undeniably at her expense, quickly relieved her of that misconception.

Witnesses were definitely worse. And judging by the telltale grate happening with her last nerve, she knew exactly who it was standing at the end of the walk.

Apartment Three.

------

If you can't possibly wait for reviews, you can pick up your own e-copy at BN.com or Amazon.com, whichever fits your fancy :)

....really, you should just download it now and read it, then compare your notes with mine. It's good. It's cute.

I want an Apartment Three.

{ just add it to your 'to read' list }

From Cristin's Facebook (yayyyyyy!):

Even though Parker's not too sure he wants to be tied down to a happily ever after, his book has a name and I have HUGE plans for him. 

Title: BLACK DAWN.

Blurb and details to come, most likely after Roman has been out.

Here's the Goodsreads link: http://bit.ly/X7tf6f

Happy Monday! xo

I mean, seriously... Roman's cover and Parker's title this close to each other? Can't get better than that! Well, it could if the books just got here already ;)

{COVER REVEAL } i'm so excited & i just can't hide it

I am sooo stoked.

 

When I received this email from Tara at InkSlinger PR (THANK YOU!!!), I was literally jumping for joy -- hard to do, as I was working, but it was happening. Lots of happy vibes going through me.

 

The Titan Group is a favorite of mine. Cristin Harber is a favorite of mine. Roman? He's a favorite of mine, too (but Rocco and Colby are my main men). When reading Garrison's Creed (a review will come, I promise you), you're introduced to Beth, Nicola's handler. Beth thinks Roman's cute. Roman wants the 4-1-1 on this pretty girl from his sister's man, who just happens to be his best friend as well.

Every little teaser Cristin has posted on her Facebook of these two has just had me begging for more.

 

So without further ado....

 

 

We are so thrilled to share the cover of HART ATTACK with everyone today! HART ATTACK releases this November and Roman's story is one you won't want to miss!

About HART ATTACK

Outside of Titan Group, there are few people that Roman Hart would die for. He’s a soldier, a protector, and he’s haunted that one of the people he should’ve been able to protect didn’t let him. That was years ago, and now a hardened heart and a cocky attitude are his impenetrable shields, until one woman—one challenge—drives him to distraction.

On the outside, Beth Tourne has it all. Luxury car, gorgeous condo, and a job partying with the rich and famous. It’s a plush CIA cover, but she wants more. Anything for an adrenaline rush that can override her guilty numbness and let her forget the tragedy she never saw coming.

Their scars make them perfect operatives. Their mirrored pasts give them deep, wounded reasons to stay alone. But the more they ignore the tension, the more vulnerable they become. Survival means trust. In one another, behind closed doors, and on the job. The only way they’re making it out alive is if they find peace while waging a war.

Add HART ATTACK to your Goodreads list here!

If you haven't read SWEET GIRL by Cristin Harber, the new adult prequel to GARRISON'S CREED, you can grab it from iBooks HERE for free for a limited time! Sale price is also available on Amazon, B&N and Kobo!

EXCERPT

Roman backed her against the wall, hands crawling up her arms, down her back. His body was too cut, too big. Too much to want to say no to. She arched into him, on him, her breaths far too stilted.

His fingers traced her jaw, his lips so close to hers. “You’ve changed your mind?”

No. Maybe. “Yes.” Thick air filled her lungs, rabid hunger made her lust drunk. The warmth of his almost-there kiss teased her without touching. “I changed my mind.”

He took a step back and bumped his fist against the wall over her shoulder as his head dropped back. “Fuck me.” He took a shaky breath in. “You’re drunk. I’m not. Let’s go before I become the asshole prick you think I am.”

ABOUT CRISTIN HARBER

Cristin Harber is a USA Today bestselling romantic suspense and military romance author. Fans voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was #1 romantic suspense, #1 military romance, and a USA Today Top 100 bestseller.

She lives outside Washington, DC with her family and English Bulldog.

Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Team Titan Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  

BORN IN { series } -- summaries and opinion

...I was very hopeful for this series. This was a series that I stumbled upon on NetGalley and thought the idea behind the books, the synopsis' attached to them, was great and I think I had too high of expectations.

This was a trilogy: Born in Secret, Born in Danger, and Born in Mystery. The books follow each of the Braddack brothers, Max, Ford, and Craig.

In book one, Born in Secret, Brooke learns that the neice she now calls her daughter, Skye, doesn't have the true parentage she thought she did. Brooke's sister had infertility treatments. However, there was a mix-up in the clinic and the sperm used wasn't her sister's husbands, but Ford Braddack's. Being a person who believes in truth and honor, Brooke sets out to find Skye's true family -- not to give up her daughter, as that is her biggest fear, but so her daughter can know of her geneology and parentage. In doing so, Brooke meets Max, Ford's identical twin. As the two of them set off to learn about the mix-up at the clinic, they begin to unravel secrets that were meant to stay covered.

In Born in Danger, Ford is grieving the loss of his wife, who was killed in a skiing accident. In a quick turn, he sets out to marry another woman, however his plans are put on indefinite hold when he's kidnapped at the alter by Devlin, a PI who is trying to uncover the mystery of his wife's death.

Lastly, in Born in Mystery, we meet the ever elusive brother, Craig, who has also lost a wife. He hires a surrogate, Summer, to carry twins (his and his late wife's) for him. Someone's is out to kill her, so in her way to protect the babies she's carrying, she seeks out Craig. He didn't want to know the surrogate, and he's, to say the least, pissed to have to deal with her. And when he finds out her life is in danger, thus putting his babies in danger, he's even more livid with her.

The entire series essentially revolves around this fertility clinic and secrets it is trying to keep covered up. The brothers are at the center of it because they have funds in it. Of the three stories, I liked Born in Mystery the best, but altogether...... It wasn't my favorite read. I felt that there was lack in character development, and I often found myself confused as to what the chain of events were -- there was a lot of jumping between scenes (example: one sentence Summer is in the living room thinking about the fact she'll be in the car and the very next sentence, they're on the freeway) -- the example may be a tad bit exaggerated, but that's the gist of what I mean. When dealing with novella length books, I understand that some decriptions do get left out, but I felt more was missing than should be.