BOOK REVIEW - ADDICTED TO YOU by KRISTA & BECCA RITCHIE - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie
Published : Krista & Becca Ritchie
Released: Available Now
Details: Kindle, 324 Pages

RATING: 4.5 ADDICTION STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

She’s addicted to sex. He’s addicted to booze…the only way out is rock bottom.

No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex.

Their real vice may be each other.

New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

When two authors write a story about two college students who have secrets and are heavily addicted to their vices...you know you are going to be reading an eye opener if done right.

Addicted To You was done right.

Lily and Lone are a train wreck waiting to happen.

They are best friends who share an apartment, who share family get-togethers, who put on appearances of dating, who are hiding sex addiction and alcoholism.

WOW!

WOW!

WOW!

I think a lot of us reading this book never understood sex addiction until it was portrayed to us through Lily.

WOW!

You can’t help but be dragged into her mind set as you read more and more about her addiction and what it means to Lily.

Then we have Lo.

I sweep his features. Light brown hair, short on either side, full on top. Decently toned body hidden beneath a pair of faded Dockers and a black crew-neck tee. Cheekbones that cut like ice and eyes like liquid scotch. Loren Hale is an alcoholic beverage and he doesn’t even know it.



Lo is an alcoholic and for some reason that appears easier in my mind to understand. It’s not a good thing, but I always seemed to grasp what an alcoholic was. If this was a story just about an alcoholic student it wouldn’t have been as powerful.

Adding in Lily...Lily is something else.



The water washes away the smell and grime, but my sins are here to stay. The memories don’t vanish, and I desperately try not to imagine this morning. Waking up. I love the sex. It’s the after part that I haven’t quite figured out yet.



Krista and Becca really paint the reader a picture of a girl who needs sex. It’s so much more to Lily than just an orgasm. Lily needs her porn, her toys, escort service, she needs sex to get through her day.

To function.

Lo doesn’t function very well on alcohol. His grades are slipping, he has issues with is father.


There is a cache of side characters we get introduced to along the way. The two that draw me in the most are Ryke and Connor.

This is quite a powerful read.

It’s not a read to be taken lightly.

Lily and Lo will do stupid things...but they are addicts.

They support each other’s addictions.

They don’t try to help each other. They are each other’s wingman. They are a team that works together to hide their secrets, to support their secrets.



With our new alliance, we lied for each other and hid our infidelities, playing the role of doting boyfriend and girlfriend. The deeper we sink, the harder it is to crawl out. I fear the moment where neither of us can breathe again – when someone discovers our secrets. At any moment, everything can crumble beneath us. The dangerous game both excites and terrifies me.



What happens when feelings and jealousies come into play?



Booze forgives all transgressions, but it doesn’t help with the morning after.


“Then let me try,” he says, his hand cupping my face. “Let me try to be enough for you.”


I’m very much looking forward to continuing these character’s journey in this series.

Michelle

#1.5

BOOK REVIEW - SWEET DREAMS by KRISTEN ASHLEY - COLORADO MOUNTAIN # 2 - ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Kristen Ashley
Published By: Kristen Ashley
Released : Available Now
Details: Kindle, 562 Pages

RATING: 4.5 ALPHA MALE STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

She's ready for the ride of her life . . .

Lauren Grahame is looking to reinvent herself. After leaving her cheating husband, Lauren moves to Carnal, Colorado, and gets a job as a waitress in a biker bar called Bubba's. It's a nothing job in a nowhere joint . . . until Tatum Jackson walks in. Lauren has never seen a man with such good looks, muscles, and attitude. But when he insults her, Lauren doesn't want anything to do with him. Too bad for Lauren he's also the bar's part owner and bartender.

When the rough-around-the-edges Tate meets the high-class Lauren, he thinks she won't fit in at Bubba's. Yet there's more to Lauren than meets the eye, and Tate soon sets his mind on claiming her as his own. Before long, the desire burning between them is heating up the cold mountain air. But when violence strikes the town, Tate must reveal a dark secret to Lauren-one that may put an end to their sweet dreams.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I’m addicted to KA and the reading order of her books.

Well to be honest I am a slave to her reading order.

This book nerd is doing it all in order.

Sweet Dreams is another thick book filled with sexy times, one hell of a sexy alpha male and a heroine that gets under his skin.

Let the shenanigans begin.

There were a whole lot of sexy times while that deathly side story was playing out.

Kristen Ashley really does write it her way and be damned the extra pages filled with clothing descriptions and food you want to sample, because she reels you in with her man bait.

Tate is said man bait.

Alpha Tate, rides a bike, (although not a biker in a club) is a three way partner in a biker bar, Bounty Hunter, ex football star in the making and much more.

Tate has one hell of a dialogue in this book.

Rawrrrrr.

Woods was tickling my girlie fun bags too.

I could waffle about the story, but let’s face it, when it comes to a KA book that was self published in 2011...I’m one of a long list already throwing up reviews and stars. My words really have no impact at this stage.

The woman is a star.

She works it her own way.

She simply rocks it.

This was a solid 4.5 STARS for me.

If you haven't picked up a KA book...dude...what are you thinking?

Next up on the KA Road Trip is Lady Luck.

Michelle

BADLANDS by CALLIE HART - NOVELLA

By: Callie Hart

Published By: Callie Hart

Released : Available Now

Details : Kindle, 48 Pages

RATINGS: 4.25 MICHAEL STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

***Badlands is a special edition mini novella, covering themes from both the Blood & Roses series and the Dead Man's Ink series.***

Michael Aubertin has an arrangement - one that not only suits him, but also the couple he spends time with, too. No strings. No questions. No complications. Nothing could be simpler.

His work life, on the other hand...

With strange, intense women showing up on his employer's doorstep, dodging crazed English mob bosses, and dealing with a long-lost cousin on a mission, Michael's day couldn't possibly get more complicated.

Badlands is a short story, released especially for Christmas 2015. Michael will be receiving his own full-length story in late 2016.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I love Callie Hart's , Blood & Roses series ( dark romance ) where we get to meet Michael.

I will admit straight out I have a lady boner for Michael and was hoping he would get his own full length book, which he is and it's coming 2016.

Huzzah!

This is a little taste, a little novella to wet our whistle as we follow Michael around for a day.

If you have read the Blood & Roses series, then this read is a bit of a step back in time through Michael's eyes.

We get to see his sexual appetite.

We finish the novella wanting more... and maybe purring.

Or that might just be me.

Oh, and the cover. OMG!!! If I could picture Michael, this beautiful man would be him.

Perfect.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - UNTIL THE END by ABBI GLINES - SEA BREEZE # 9 - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - SIMON & SCHUSTER

By: Abbi Glines
Published By: Simon & Schuster 
Released : Available Now
Details: Paperback from Publisher for honest review, 174 pages ( Rock and Trisha ) , 200 pages Epilogues.

RATING: 4.25 ROCK STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

The backstory that fans have been clamoring for—how Rock and Trisha fell in love—is the final installment in the Sea Breeze series from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines. And don’t miss the sizzling Epilogue, where Abbi wraps up all the Sea Breeze couples’ stories!

Trisha Corbin always knew how to hide a bruise. With her momma’s boyfriends unable to keep their hands off of her, she had no choice. And as long as it meant the guys wouldn’t go near her little brother, Krit, it was worth it. But her days of dreaming that Prince Charming would ever come rescue her are far, far in the past.

Rock Taylor always had a plan. Through football, he would rise above the life he was born into. A full ride to play for a major college team was within his reach—assuming he didn’t let anything get in his way. But scoring a date with the hottest girl in Sea Breeze was proving harder than expected. Trisha Corbin was every man’s walking fantasy, and she wouldn’t even glance his way.

When Rock finally does get Trisha in his truck, it isn’t for a date. It’s because he picks her up on the side of the road, beaten and bruised and walking to the local hospital. Before Rock knows it, football is no longer his life. Trisha Corbin is. And he’ll do anything to save her. And keep her.

In addition to Rock and Trisha’s love story, this special novel contains the wrap-up stories of all your favorite Sea Breeze couples: Sadie and Jax, Marcus and Low, Cage and Eva, Preston and Amanda, Jess and Jason, Krit and Blythe, and Dewayne and Sienna.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

We come to the end of the Sea Breeze series. I have been quite addicted to it. I will say Cage is probably my fave male lead out of all the lads followed by the grown up Krit.

I enjoyed this book and I do really love Rock and Trisha. Maybe it was a little too short for me, but I loved how Rock was so in love that he gave away his future sports career. I am not sure how realistic that is considering how good he was at football, but his heart was totally stolen by Trisha and as we know from previous books they got the already made family along the way and love has no boundaries with these two.

They are rock solid. Pun intended.

Abbi sure knows how to bring us that same recipe over and over that no matter what, keeps bringing the readers in the tens of thousands back for more and more every single time.

The epilogues were a little hit and miss for me, but it was a fun way to add to this book. Misunderstandings and make up sex are a couple of the ingredients in the epilogues.

Now I have some Rosemary Beach to catch up on.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - UNCHAINED by JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT - J LYNN - NEPHILIM RISING # 1 - ENTANGLED PUBLISHING - ADULT PARANORMAL ROMANCE

By: Jennifer L Armentrout / J Lynn
Published By: Entangled
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from local library, 400 Pages

RATING : 4.5 JULIAN, REMY, RAFE, LUKE, NATHANIEL, GABE ETC STARS! 

Between the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen angel who just...wants her, Lily is about ready to trade in forever for a comfy job in a cubicle farm.

The fact that she and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown out of the Sanctuary, but she can't shake her not-so-angelic stalker or how he brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.

Her forbidden relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion when a traitor is discovered to be working within the Sanctuary. Lily quickly finds herself hunted by well, everyone.

Her only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything--and she'll need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her...and not destroy her.

Yeah, being a Nephilim isn't everything it's cracked up to be.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle

Now I am going to start by saying I LOVED this book.

I can see it was meant to be book 1 in the Nephilim Rising series which was published back in 2013.

But!

Now I understand it is a stand-alone. Whether it be sales or poor response to the first book, I am going to say I am a little gutted the series is not continuing.

So much potential.

I want to know more.

I feel a little cheated that I can’t read more as this was originally going to be a series.

Thems the breaks. I am a fan of all things written by JLA.

JLA wrote this back in 2008 per the acknowledgements section. Yes, I always read this added stuff in books. It was her second book she ever wrote.

Now I did work out who the bad egg was, but I loved the whole story.

Julian is our fallen angel and who doesn’t love a fallen angel?

Julian is also extremely sexy in the erm... let’s-get-it-on department.

Holy mac and cheese!

Lily Marks, a Nephilim is our heroine of the story and I really like her, she takes a bit of a beating and is kickass.

I loved all the sub characters introduced and Michael. This first book was set up to continue exploring other characters.

This is where I am sad and it sounds like no more Nephilim Rising.

There are some awesome deadly villains who I would love to have read more about. Asmodeus is a bad dude, written so well.

Even the character Gabe, he might only have been in the book for a short bit but...well, there is a Gabe and Lily scene and OMG!

But alas I can read no more.

Total book bummer!

LOL!

No really I am bummed.

Don’t let this stop you from reading this book, because you never know, the more peeps who read it, the more it might get that sequel.

Never say never.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - HELL FOR LEATHER by JULIE ANN WALKER - BLACK KNIGHTS INC # 6 - SOURCEBOOKS - ADULT SUSPENSE ROMANCE

By: Julie Ann Walker
Published By: Sourcebooks
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from local library, 347 Pages

RATING: 4 MAC & THE CREW STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Only the most urgent crisis could force Delilah Fairchild to abandon her beloved biker bar and ask the surly Bryan "Mac" McMillan for help. Her uncle—the man who raised her—has vanished into thin air, and Mac is the only person with the right connections to help her find him. What the ex-FBI agent has against her is a mystery...but when the bullets start to fly, Mac is her only chance of finding her uncle alive.

Mac knows that beautiful women can't be trusted, but he has to put his natural wariness of Delilah aside in order to help her. With the clock ticking, Mac and Delilah find themselves holding on to each other in the wildest adventure of their lives.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

We’ve come to Mac and Delilah’s story with a side order of tension between Dagan Zoelner and Agent Chelsea Duvall.

I gotta say I am quite looking forward to Z and Chelsea getting it on. Looks like I might have to wait a bit for their book.

I enjoy all the characters in this series very much. I liked Mac being all broody and sexy but after a while I was a bit over how drawn out Delilah and Mac's HEA became.

I think Mac being the grown man he is and the issue that was keeping him from Delilah, could have been a stronger reason, just my personal thoughts there.

I really like Delilah. I think I would like to be her in the fictional sense. She's a cool chick.

Hehe. I did chuckle and pull a few crazy faces at the descriptive for the sex scenes. Although hot... good lawd some of the wording used...channel, labia (I’ll leave you to Google that one) ...erm...

*looks a little awkies at my book*

Ozzie who I adore gets put back in his place and Ghost has his hands full, which turns all the Black Knights Inc into ... well, you can read that for yourself. I did chuckle out loud at a certain scene with Ghost when he had to make a dash for...

I am addicted to this series. Another good installment in the Black Knights Inc series. I wouldn’t say it was my fave, but I still enjoyed it.

Bring on # 7, Full Throttle, Abby and Steady. J

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - BLOOD KISS by J.R. WARD - THE BLACK DAGGER LEGACY # 1 - PIATKUS - ADULT PARANORMAL ROMANCE

By: J.R. Ward

Published By: Piatkus

Released: 1st December 2015

Details: Paperback ARC from publisher for honest review, 397 Pages

RATING: 4.5 CRAEG , BUTCH, RHAGE, LASSITER, VISHOUS STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.

And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

When Blood Kiss arrived on my doorstep on Thursday I was all...cray cray with excitement.

Cue the silly fan girling around the house.

Shit just gets dropped for J.R. Ward.

The schedule gets swiped across the table, stuff going everywhere and then I am sticking up the Do Not Disturb sign.

Family... leave mamma alone.

Only if you are needing a hospital will you interrupt me.

Well, I do look after the brood, but ya get my drift.

I have a lady boner for The Warden.

Now I’m not a spoiler so this review won’t have much in it.

Here goes.

Yes, J.R. Ward has brought us back to that original vibe of BDB. I love where she is heading in the current series, but this felt like a walk down the old lane and I really loved it.

Sexiness level

Great balls of fire, people!

New kids on the block

Craeg, son of Brahl the Younger. Phwoooaaaaarrrr!!


“Do you like playing with fire, girl?” he growled. “Because if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to burn you to the ground.”


You know that ache you’ve got right now? The one between your legs? I’m going to show you how to take care of that by yourself. And you’re going to make me come when I listen to what it sounds like.


Oh mYyyy.

Paradise. Simply love her.

New sub characters, expecially Axe, the boy is a bit Goth and he likes the erm...wild side.



Other than exchanging names – his was Axe – they hadn’t said anything, and his brooding silence fit his image completely: The male had killer written all over him, with his black spiked hair, those black piercings on one side of his face, and that tattoo of something evil running vertically up half of his neck.

Butch oh I do love Butch. What was a personal surprise for me, was Marissa. Now I didn’t really take a shine to her in the original series. She shone for me in this spinoff.

Lassiter. Oh dear God you crazy endearing angel. Man, he made me laugh. There is a visual of a scene in particular, you will know it when you get to it and the man...erm angel, is freakin’ hilarious.

This is all I can give you.



After a couple of “me-me-me-mes” – like he was warming up to do a solo – he took a great breath and –



She lowered a forkful of chicken back to her plate. “You actually made a calendar of yourself.”

“Why do you think I had my pants off.”


Now V I think is just plain annoyed with Lassiter. LOL

Speaking of V...oh there is a scene and I will say no more. Again you will know when you get to it.

What I loved about this book was the Brothers are in a teaching role and the way they teach. Hehehe.

Now I may not have gone the full five stars for this one because of a couple things I won’t say, because all is subjective, but I full on enjoyed this book and devoured it. I simply ploughed through it over a couple nights.

I am so addicted to J.R. Ward she rocks my kazbah.

Thank you Hachette Aust for feeding my addiction.

Goes without saying...buy this!

p.s. I usually like US covers more than UK/Aust covers and I gotta say we scooped the pool with the UK/Aust cover.

Huzzah!!!

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - FORETOLD by JANA OLIVER - DEMON TRAPPERS # 4 - PAN MACMILLAN - YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE

By: Jana Oliver

Published By: Pan Macmillan

Released : Available Now

Details: Sgned paperback as gift from author, 438 Pages

RATING: 5 DENVER BECK STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

In the fourth Demon Trappers novel, Riley faces the final battle for humanity and Beck's heart—and Hell is the least of her problems
Now that Riley’s managed to (just barely) fend off Armageddon, everything’s changed. Well . . . most things. After their passionate kiss before the big battle in the cemetery, Beck is back to treating her like a little girl, as if nothing ever happened. While she’d love to just tell him off and move on, Riley vowed to take care of Beck the way he’s taken care of her since her father’s death—but she’s about to get a whole lot more than she bargained for. When she’s commissioned to go with Beck to his hometown and help him care for his dying mother, they stumble too close to a dark and murderous secret, one that Beck fears will drive Riley away from him forever. As chaos breaks loose, Riley may be Beck's only hope for redemption . . . and survival.

Meanwhile, up in Atlanta, it’s quickly becoming clear that Heaven may have won a battle, but the war is far from over. Riley and Beck face a stormy future, as Lucifer's ex-right-hand-man, Sartael, proves himself to be more resilient than anyone thought. He has Atlanta in his grip and is about to begin a brutal war with the prince of Hell. As the seconds tick down toward a final confrontation, it's up to Riley and the man she loves to finally defeat their old enemy, or lose everything they've fought for.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

Anybody who reads this series can’t help but love Denver Beck, aka Backwoods Boy.

I LOVE Beck.

Jana knows how much I love that boy...if only I was erm many, many years younger and he didn’t have Riley.

In this instalment you pretty much have two sections.

We learn more about Denver and his home town and his momma. Some past things get rectified and then it is back on to the demon side of things and the politics of heaven and hell.

I love me some Grand Master Stewart. He is a good sort. Harper found his way in the end and Peter is always there to pop up and say hello in each book.

Even little Magpie Ninja. I do love the little guy.

Simon is a character who grew on me. He has a bit of a rollercoaster ride in this series with his faith and other things. I will leave you to find that all out.

Ori...oh Ori...I do like you. Even though things worked out a little...I would love Ori to maybe one day by the miracle of Jana’s mind get himself a nice filly.

Never say never.

This was a very satisfying end to this series...even though...da...da...daaaaaaaa there is a novella # 4.5 Grave Matters aaannnddd Mind Games # 5 released 31st Oct 2015.

Yay to me.

Oh and I heard a whisper there may be one more book after Mind Games.

Giddy Up!

I did love how Jana wound this one up, but so glad there is more for me to read. It took me so long to read this one because I really didn’t want it to end in my mind. I knew Grave Matters was the novella, but when I saw Mind Games cover I was like ...HUZZAHHH!!! Okay now I can read Foretold.

I get like that with some books. I have to be ready for it to be finished in my mind. If I don’t read it...it didn’t finish. This reminds me I better read Mockingjay and Allegiant so I can see the movies with mini me.

I have always loved the cover art to this series and the next two covers are just as awesome.

One day we shall have a drink again in Brisvegas Jana.

For an awesome YA series pick up the Demon Trappers and you too can be lining up behind me ( just kidding) for some Denver Beck luurrvvve.

Justine...sorry Jana...still can’t like her and you know why.

*raises one eyebrow*


LOL!!

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS by GENA SHOWALTER - WHITE RABBIT CHRONICLES # 3 - YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE - HARLEQUIN TEEN

By: Gena Showalter
Published By: Harlequin Teen
Released : Available Now
Details: Paperback purchased, 464 Pages

RATING: 5 COLE, FROSTY, BRONX & GAVIN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

I thought I had nothing left to give. I thought wrong. They started the war. Now I will end it.
In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her... until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a zneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realises only the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies... and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing — and turning — her boyfriend's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima — even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I just adore this series.

Gena goes in hard on the emotions and she brings that teetering on the edge of adult/new adult sexual content that I love to read. She knows how to tone it down but she really does push the YA level.

And I likey!!!

Cole is a brilliant book boyfriend and all the other lads in this series are pretty cool too.

Frosty is a fave and Gavin...I really could see a Gavin spinoff.

I love all the sub characters.

Kat with her straight dark hair and hazel eyes, was girl-next-door lovely. Reeve, with her brown waves and doe eyes, was traffic-stopping stunning. Mackenzie, with her black curls and emerald eyes, was child-of-an-angel exquisite. And Trina, with her short spikes and black-rimmed eyes, was punk-rocker cool. I was the oddball, with pale hair and eyes so blue they were freaky.

Kat and Frosty

“Get lost, Frosty.” She made shooing motions over my shoulder. “You can remind me of my affection for you later.”

“But, kitten,” he said, his tone beseeching. And it was funny, hearing one of the biggest, baddest Z-killers in Birmingham, Alabama, reduced to begging, all because a tiny fluff of nothing had decided not to play with him. “I have a fever, and the only prescription...is more cow-kat.”

Gavin

“So...you want any tips for taking things from ordinary to extraordinary?” he asked. “I’m something of a sex-pert.”

“Actually, you’re something of a slut-pert.”

“Fine. Be that way. Fumble around in the dark. See if I care.”

“You totally shouldn’t care!”

“Well, I do. You’re my cupcake. I happen to think you deserve to be frosted just—“



I studied his profile. He could have been plucked straight out of a magazine. An underwear ad. Hence the nickname I’d given him. He was pretty-boy beautiful, with blond hair and sparkling eyes of green and gold.

“You’re staring,” he said. “Thinking about doing me now? Well, I hate to break it to you, cupcake, but that ship has sailed.”



This is such a cool YA series full of action and Cole and Ali moments and the sidekick that is Kat. I love how Gena has brought her own thing to the zombie/paranormal romance genre.

I was very surprised when what was thought was a trilogy, grew to four books.

Looking forward to reading A Mad Zombie Party and it looks like we are gonna get to be in Frosty’s head and some other characters. OO that blurb has me wondering about something too. Gah! Could it mean...??? Well, I won’t voice my thoughts aloud.

I might have to say off with his head...I better read and see... I can be convinced.

I highly recommend this series. I turned every page of this book with excitement.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - IT AIN'T ME, BABE - TILLIE COLE - HADES HANGMEN # 1 - DARK ROMANCE

By: Tillie Cole
Published By: Tillie Cole
Released : Available Now
Details : Kindle, 325 Pages

RATING: 4.5 HADES HANGMEN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Sinning never felt so good…

A fortuitous encounter.

A meeting that should never have happened.

Many years ago, two children from completely different worlds forged a connection, a fateful connection, an unbreakable bond that would change their lives forever…

Salome knows only one way to live—under Prophet David’s rule. In the commune she calls home, Salome knows nothing of life beyond her strict faith, nor of life beyond the Fence—the fence that cages her, keeps her trapped in an endless cycle of misery. A life she believes she is destined to always lead, until a horrific event sets her free.

Fleeing the absolute safety of all she has ever known, Salome is thrust into the world outside, a frightening world full of uncertainty and sin; into the protective arms of a person she believed she would never see again.

River ‘Styx’ Nash knows one thing for certain in life—he was born and bred to wear a cut. Raised in a turbulent world of sex, Harleys, and drugs, Styx, unexpectedly has the heavy burden of the Hades Hangmen gavel thrust upon him, and all at the ripe old age of twenty-six—much to his rivals’ delight.

Haunted by a crushing speech impediment, Styx quickly learns to deal with his haters. Powerful fists, an iron jaw and the skillful use of his treasured German blade has earned him a fearsome reputation as a man not to be messed with in the shadowy world of outlaw MC’s. A reputation that successfully keeps most people far, far away.

Styx has one rule in life—never let anyone get too close. It’s a plan that he has stuck to for years, that is, until a young woman is found injured on his lot… a woman who looks uncannily familiar, a woman who clearly does not belong in his world, yet a woman he feels reluctant to let go…

Dark Contemporary Romance/New Adult Novel.

Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up*

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

Styx/River

At the age of twenty-six, I found myself Prez of the most notoriously lethal MC in all the States.

Tillie wrote a fabulous prologue for this book. Once you start reading...you simply have to sit there and read as much as you can in one sitting.

I was addicted to this book. Sure I worked some things out, sure there was a few clichés thrown in, but dayum, Styx was phwoaaarrr. I enjoyed his character’s struggles immensely.

I’m steering away from the story and I’m going to tell you about some of the characters.

VP Ky, the pretty one among them, the mouthpiece for Styx when he needed it, is loyal and loves bedding women (plural).

Flame, wow...gotta say, the dude frightens me. Tillie shows us a very, very...erm...damaged man. The things he does. She wrote him very well. I could really see him doing those things to himself and his character really leaped off the page. Souls Unfractured, book 3, I am so eager to read. I want to see what Tillie does with Flame.

Rider was a character that messed with my head a bit. I am intrigued to know much, much more about him, for many reasons.

The cult leaders made me feel so angry as a woman. The reasons for the crimes against Mae and her sisters were...I can’t even find the words. They are sick and so twisted and brainwashed and evil. Tillie got my blood boiling.

The lot of them needed their dicks cut off.

They are such cruel and vile men to do what they did to young girls, and those horrendous punishments.

Mae was so brave to take those steps and run. 

This book/series is immensely popular. I love the series title, I love the character names, I love the cover art.

A very addictive read, I highly recommend.

Michelle

BORN WILD by JULIE ANN WALKER - BLACK KNIGHTS INC. # 5 - ADULT SUSPENSE ROMANCE - SOURCEBOOKS

By: Julie Ann Walker
Published By: Sourcebooks
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from library, 376 Pages

RATING: 4 BILL & MAC STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

She's got three rules:

1. Trust no one… Eve Edens has been abandoned, used, or manipulated by almost everyone she's ever met. Born into ridiculous wealth, she's dealt with the petty jealousies and sordid little resentments for nearly thirty years. But after three botched attempts on her life, she can no longer ignore the truth. Someone wants her dead.

2. Avoid the bad boys at all costs… William "Wild Bill" Reichert, the wonderfully sexy boy who abandoned her years ago, is back in town. Only he's no boy. Now he's a covert operative - and he's all man. When Eve hires Bill to help her discover who is behind the attacks, Bill soon comes to suspect it's someone much closer to Eve than she dares to believe.

3. And never fall for the same ruse twice… The search for the killer takes Bill and Eve deep into the dark secrets and strange world of the rich and famous, and into the heart of red-hot passion re-ignited by the peril that threatens to consume them both. But does Eve dare risk her heart on Bill a second time?

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I always like picking up a Julie Ann Walker read because they are real easy to read.

The lads are ALPHA!!

The lads are HOT!!!

They are not perfect even though their bodies are and they make mistakes with women.

Wild Bill is not the exception.

Billy has his hang ups over Eve and quite rightly so. She did something that in a lot of people’s eyes might seem very hurtful and callous, but when you know Eve’s family background and the fact she was only eighteen, that goes a long way to explaining her behavior.

She did marry a man she shouldn’t have, she did let a lot of years be wasted, but so did Billy. He let it all fester in his soul.

Other parties played their rolls, but bottom line, these two should have gotten their shit together a lot earlier.

Moral of this story is life is too short to hold a grudge when you have somebody gunning for you and wanting you dead.

Seeds are sown for Mac and Delilah. I really like the sound of these two.
Another great read in the Black Knights Inc series, next up is Hell For Leather. 

I have my motor running for Mac. ;)

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - THE GAMBLE by KRISTEN ASHLEY - COLORADO MOUNTAIN # 1 - ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Kristen Ashley
Published By: Kristen Ashley
Released : Available Now
Details: Kindle , 629 Bad Ass Pages

RATING: 5 MAX RAWRRRR STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Nina Sheridan desperately needs a timeout vacation. With a fiancé who can't even remember how she takes her coffee, Nina wants some distance to rethink her engagement. Flying halfway around the world from England to a mountain town in Colorado should do the trick. But when she finds a gorgeous man at her rental cabin, Nina's cold, lonely adventure suddenly heats up.

The owner of the house, Holden "Max" Maxwell is surprised by the beautiful woman who turns up at his door. But when Nina becomes ill, Max spends days nursing her back to health. A private man with a broken heart, Max finds himself drawn to the strong-willed woman. Soon it becomes impossible for Nina and Max to deny their growing attraction to one another. Yet even as these two wounded lovebirds think about taking a chance on a relationship, a dangerous secret from Max's past emerges-and threatens to end their love for good.



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I am admittedly being uber nerdy and reading according to the Kirsten Ashley reading order, so The Gamble was next up on my list. 

I take KA book reading seriously.

These are all bricks of books so I have gotten up to Rock Chicks # 7 knowing I have to hold out on #8 ( according to the reading order experience) until I get some Colorado Mountain under my belt.

So I went and met Holden Maxwell aka Max.

“Because I’ve seen you naked. I’ve seen you sweet. I’ve seen you unsure. And I’ve seen you riled and, seein’ all that, I know, you were half a world away from me, I’d fuckin’ phone.”


“If you told me you needed a timeout, first, I wouldn’t fuckin’ let you have one. Second, I wouldn’t give you a reason to fuckin’ want one. And last, you took off anyway, I’d fuckin’ phone.”



“Not gonna fuck you, honey, just fool around,” he whispered back.

“Max –“

“Shut up and kiss me, Duchess.”

“Max!”

“All right, I’ll kiss you.”



Nuff said!

Rawrrrrr.

Max is one pretty amazing book boyfriend.

Read this book.

Meet Max and Nina and the sexy shenanigans that go on.

Meet Brody, Mindy, Becky, Arlene, Jimmy Cotton, the mean ones (you’ve always gotta have a couple of those stirring trouble).

I will admit there was a scene or two where I had a girlie moment, but then I had a real girlie moment at the end.

Dayum.

There was so much fictional escapism in this book for me. From his A-Frame in the Colorado mountain with snow and the Bluff to those in bed moments where he just wanted to tug her up against his chest and not let go.

Dayum.

If you have read at least one KA book namely a Rock Chick book, you know what type of recipe she uses, so you are gonna meet a group of characters, there will be shenanigans and men that will make you wanna howl at the moon.

Go get yourself some Rock Chick and now some Colorado Mountain men because KA doesn’t muck about when she presents these hard lovin’ men to us.

Hell yeah!

Sweet Dreams is up next. I gotta clear the schedule for another bad ass thick brick of a read.

I sure got me a list to catch up on.

If you've not read one KA book yet...seriously, dudes, get on it!

I am serious about recommending a KA read. :) 

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - A HIDDEN FIRE by ELIZABETH HUNTER - ELEMENTAL MYSTERIES # 1 - ADULT PARANORMAL MYSTERY ROMANCE

By: Elizabeth Hunter

Published By: E. Hunter

Released : Available Now

Currently at time of review FREE on Amazon

Details: Kindle copy, 320 Pages

RATING: 4 GIO & CARWYN STARS!

Blurb : Goodreads

"No secret stays hidden forever."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I have had this book sitting on my Kindle since 2012.

I KNOW!

Time to take it out of the archives and dust it off.

I have the older cover, but I sure love the new cover to A Hidden Fire. It reminds me of the style of Cassandra Clare’s, The Mortal Instruments.

Dr. Giovanni Vecchio is a great character, but I want to learn him more. 

Giovanni is after something that is very personal and he was led to believe it was lost to him. 


Elizabeth had me getting to know Beatrice De Novo, aka B. We know she is intelligent and she works at the library on a Wednesday night and she has a pretty cool dress code.

Caspar is Gio’s butler and he is a pretty cool guy for a man in his sixties.

Carwyn gets introduced and he is a lovable character. I really want to read more about him.


Though Carwyn was a priest, he rarely wore any kind of uniform, preferring to dress himself more like a surfer than a man of the cloth when he visited the United States.

It is no secret by now, as this series has been out for several years, that Giovanni and Carwyn are vampires. I will say what a lot of readers have noted ,and it is simply quite hard not to notice unless you have NEVER read Twilight,  whether it be coincidental, this book did have a few quite blatant similar moments.

Not that it bothered me, but they were not subtle.

Read you will find them.

But what I really liked was Elizabeth gave us elemental vampires, hence the series title. This was very cool. 

"Elements? Not like chemistry, though, right?"

He shook his head. "The classical elements: fire, earth, wind and water."

The villain of this story had a lot of opportunity to show me his dark side later in the book and I kind of felt a little let down by him. I felt this area could have been quite action packed and worthy of his villainous name.

Another character I really liked was Tenzin. She comes into this installment late into the piece but she is really cool and quirky. 

"Hello, Tenzin." 

"Hello, my boy," she said in Mandarin. "I thought you might need me.

This is a very clean read for an adult paranormal mystery romance.

This is a 320 page book and for the first half I did feel like it was very slow going, but then things speeded up. 

Do not be expecting the usual smexual goings on, but you will be delivered a couple awesome kissing scenes.

My personal take on this first installment is it is a slow burn in the story line and romance departments. I just watched the trailer and that is also a slow burn. I could have thought of a lot more things to put into that trailer.

I am looking forward to reading more in this series as I know it is a very popular series.

This was a very good start to the Elemental Mysteries series and I found it very enjoyable.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - THE RETURN by JENNIFER L ARMENTROUT - TITAN # 1 - SPENCER HILL PRESS - PARANORMAL ROMANCE

By: Jennifer L Armentrout

Published By: Spencer Hill Press

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from library, 335 Pages

RATING : 4.5 SMEXY SETH STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off…

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody–which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Book 1 in the new adult paranormal TITAN series, spin-off to the best selling COVENANT series.




BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I loved the Covenant series and now Titan the spinoff has spun with The Return.

SETH! He’s baaAAaack.

And boy is he a smexy lad.

Josie and Seth find themselves together...because Apollo said so and things heat up.

We know there is always gonna be luurrrvvvvee in JLA’s books and this is no exception, it’s about the road trip getting there.

I adored Apollo in Covenant series and he gets to show himself and so does Deacon and Luke.

Cool!

There is so much more to learn about those crazy Gods and the trouble that follows our main characters around, and now JLA has thrown in villainous Titans who are on a mission to seek and destroy and all that good stuff.

I’ll be back for The Power in February 2016 because it has all only just begun. JLA has to put Josie and Seth through a whole pile of more shiz before we get to the end of this series.

Michelle

BOOK REVIEW - THE END GAME by KATE MCCARTHY - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY SPORTS ROMANCE

By: Kate McCarthy

Published By: Kate McCarthy

Released : Available Now

Details : Digital copy for honest review & purchased a copy.

RATING: 5 BRODY & JAXON & HAYDEN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

“Professional athletes are pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.”

The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do. What started out as a promising career in college football, spiraled into scandal and shame.

But being a hero is easier said then done. Especially when there are those who expected to see the great Brody Madden fail. I craved nothing except being the best—willing to do anything to prove them wrong. But I went too far, and I tried too hard, and it broke me.

“At the time of going to print, Jordan Elliott was unavailable for comment.”

I met Brody Madden in my senior year of college. An Australian native on an international scholarship, I was the female soccer sensation with stars in her eyes and no room for a hotshot wide receiver with a chip on his shoulder.

But a heart bursting with ambition and a driving fire to succeed isn’t made of stone. I became his strength, his obsession, and the greatest love of his life. Only I wasn’t there when he needed me most.

This is a story about love and a game that takes everything. Where the path to glory is paved with sacrifice. Where pressure makes you, or breaks you, and triumph is born in the ashes of failure. Where two people’s end game will change everything.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I’m trying to think of the last sports romance I read and I can’t think of one. This may be I’m no longer a sports romance virgin.

My cherry has been popped.

Kate brought out a lot of emotions in this read. She dug deep and kept right on digging until she had thoroughly plundered Brody’s character.

The more you read the more you get deeper into the effects of  what being the best can have on a sports person. Apart from the discipline and sacrifices.

I really liked Brody’s character and banana boy aka Jaxon who is Brody’s cousin, well I loved his humorous character. I can’t help thinking this isn’t the last we’ve seen of him.

Kate kept drawing me in, page after page with what at first seemed like a good read, that turned into a powerful hypnotic read. She really plundered Brody’s soul.

The sub characters are all fantastic. I did love Hayden.

I lift my head and my eyes climb upwards, slowly taking in the Viking warrior standing before me. Worn jeans encase brawny legs, and a Colton Bulls muscle tee shirt covers a chest so powerful and wide it deserves its own postal code. Further up I catch brown hair pulled back off his face with a tie, a scruffy jaw, and eyes the color of dark blue denim – one of which winks at me.

Kate was sure teasing me with Hayden.


Hayden’s still in bed. Naked. The sheet barely covers below his waist, affording a peek of all the glory that lies beneath. I avert my eyes. Leah’s boyfriend is big everywhere . I have a sudden new found respect for her ability to walk a single step in the morning, let alone run.


PHWOAAAAaarrRRRrrr!!! 


This was a really great first sports romance read for me with some  twists that will explode in your face, and I love a good surprise.

After reading Fighting Redemption I knew Kate was gonna take me on an emotional ride with The End Game. I love the cover art and I think the models suit Brody and Jordan so well.

I highly recommend.

Michelle