Sunday, July 20, 2014

REVIEW: The Arrangement: The Seduction (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Carly Phillips

The Arrangement: The Seduction (Kindle Worlds Novella)The Arrangement: The Seduction by Carly Phillips
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The way Carly Phillips wrote this novella you do not need to have read The Arrangement series by H.M. Ward but you're going to want to when you're done with this. I haven't read it and I want to.

Chloe is a college senior working on her business degree with dreams of becoming a chef. A stupid mistake with her now ex-boyfriend has her already frigid parents even moreso with her and glad to have her move to the dorms for the rest of her senior year. When this happens, she gladly gets a job at a bar/restaurant as a waitress.

Zach is a PI bent on revenge on Chloe's old neighbor, Sean Ferro, for what he did to his sister, but when he starts in on his plan, he doesn't plan on falling for the girl he plans to hurt.

Zach comes to Chloe's aid when a college kid gets rough with her and slashes her tires. He befriends her, gains her trust, and ends up falling in love with her.

Chloe is cautious with men since her ex and the sex tape scandal. When Zach comes to her aid, she still doesn't want to trust him, but finds herself doing so as he becomes her friend and protector and something much more.

When Sean finds out Zach's name, he finds out who Zach really is and goes to him.

When Chloe finds out the truth, does Zach get his revenge? Does she forgive him and move on?

This short novella was enough to get me interested in H.M. Ward's The Arrangement series. A quick read that had seduction, love, action, and heartache. I loved it.

View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle Book link

REVIEW: Dare to Surrender (Invitation to Eden) (Dare to Love Book 3) by Carly Phillips

Dare to Surrender (Dare to Love, #3)Dare to Surrender by Carly Phillips
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m biased. Carly Phillips could probably just write the alphabet or the phone book and I would read it. Period.

Dare to Surrender is the third in her Dare series. Gabriel Dare is the cousin to Alex and Ian Dare and their siblings whom we’ve met in the previous two installments. Gabe’s got power, influence and money and girls willing to be with him but one eludes him. He sees her attached to her husband at social functions as they run in the same circles and she intrigues him. But all is not what it seems.

Isabelle Masters thought she was marrying someone who loved her. She learned quickly that he was a lying, cheating scumbag and after she discovers his cheating ways, she doesn’t let him talk her back into staying to be his wife and house maid. She gets in her car and drives off.

Getting arrested was not her plan, but as she sits in the police station, handcuffed to the chair, Gabriel comes to her rescue. Her arresting officer is his brother.

Gabe convinces her to let him take her to his place as she has no place else to go. Their coupling is quick and intense and too intense for Isabelle at first. She needs to know she can stand on her own again so she leaves to do just that.

She is an interior designer… Queue three months later and Gabe’s sister has asked for Isabelle to help design the newest nightclub her brother owns. It’s on an Island near the Bermuda Triangle.

Isabelle has missed Gabriel and doesn’t realize just how much until the moment she hears his voice upon arriving on the Island.

Will her insecurities about their relationship and what he wants from her as well as his dominating ways tear them apart for good this time?

This book can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading the others in this series. This book is also a little shorter than the others and is part of a series of books supposedly centered around an Island called Eden.

I’ve enjoyed the Dare series and hope everyone else does as well.


View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle book linke

REVIEW: Silent Bite: A Scanguards Wedding (1001 Dark Nights) by Tina Folsom

Silent Bite: A Scanguards Wedding (1001 Dark Nights) (Scanguards, #8.5)Silent Bite: A Scanguards Wedding (1001 Dark Nights) by Tina Folsom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you love the Scanguards Vampire series by Tina Folsom, then you should definitely read this story. It is the follow-up novella to Oliver’s Hunger. In Oliver’s Hunger, we were introduced to Ursula and her special blood. In Silent Bite, we go through the wedding prep with her parents and a former bad guy supposedly reformed who discovers that not all the girls with the special blood have been sent home and that he hasn’t been cured. Add to that, he believes the Scansguards company has screwed him big time.

As with most weddings, the planning doesn’t go smoothly the moment Ursula’s parents arrive. Add to it that Oliver must stay somewhere else for the week and you’ve got one moody vampire and one moody bride to be.
All of the gang is involved in this novella in one way or another and it’s a quick read and great companion to Oliver’s Hunger.

Even though I knew this wasn't a full novel, I just felt like this novella was rushed and that there could have been more mystery and intrigue (like Ursula's father's illness). Regardless, I did enjoy this book.


View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle book link

REVIEW: Cooper by Harper Sloan

Cooper (Corps Security, #4)Cooper by Harper Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you haven't read the previous books in this series, please do (Especially Beck), because Chelcie and Asher are introduced in previous books and while this is their story, events from Beck play into this book as well.

I was a wreck in Beck because of events that brought Asher Cooper to town, but I didn't know how wrecked I'd be as I read about Chelcie's and Cooper's story and how those events would play into it until I was buried deep into this book.

In other words, especially if you have read Beck, have tissues at the ready because if you're a crier like me... you're going to need them.

We saw Asher Cooper begin his downward spiral in Beck and he was really down there at the beginning of Cooper when he's calling a woman by another's name (Chelcie) and Locke's cat is missing. He comes to realize that the one woman he doesn't deserve or shouldn't want, he wants. When he's around her, things are just better.

Chelsie wants nothing more from Cooper thank a distant friendship, yet she knows she needs to tell him about the secret she's keeping but because of how he's been, she's not sure she should. He has a right to know, but she knows she isn't ready to tell him yet.

Cooper and his Alpha ways and Chelcie and her strength, love, and encouragement help each other with their pasts, their building love, and telling each other their secrets.

At first, Asher is upset, but he comes around and it makes him love Chelcie and bond with her even more.

Will a woman from Cooper's past though, tear that apart?

I admit that because Asher wasn't truly a part of the other books until Beck and that I didn't grow to love him already in the other books, that I had my misgivings about this book and that I wasn't prepared to commit fully to it like I had the other books. I was kinda pissed actually that Coop didn't get his own book. But in a way, he did. To me, this was not only Asher's story, but Coop's story and Coop is very much a part of this book.

Harper not only showed Chelcie's strength and determination from the get go, but she made me root for Asher as he looked for Locke's cat and bega to fight for Chelcie and for a life with her, a family with her.

Having appearances by all the gang, from Sway to Emily (the way Emily showed up was AWESOME) just helped with the closeness of the characters and drew me into the story even more.

I laughed, got angry, cried, and cried some more, but in the end, Harper Sloan soared with this book. It is not a filler before Locke's story. It is the story of two brothers and how one woman made their family stronger and filled with more love than ever.

View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle Book link

Thursday, July 17, 2014

REVIEW: Unbreakable by Abby Reynolds

Unbreakable (Forehead Kisses, #1)Unbreakable by Abby Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First and foremost, thank you to Abby Reynolds for asking me to review this story by gifting me with a copy of the book. My apologies that I took so long to put up my review.

From the get go, we learn that something tragic happened in Kiera's past that keeps her living in fear of trust, love, companionship and friendship with one exception. Her cousin, Scotty. She doesn't go anywhere except school without him and even gets him to move in with her.

Scotty moves in and immediately tells her she's going to start getting out again. This is how Liam starts to come into Kiera's world.

Liam has a past he doesn't like to talk about and would much rather fight out his anger that talk about it.

When Liam meets Kiera, despite her initial fear of him, he knows he has to have her in his life and begins to patiently work his way into her life and her into his. He gains her trust and friendship and eventually her love.

When Scotty sees just how close Liam and Kiera are becoming, while he's happy for her and the protective big brother, he lets Liam know she doesn't like fighting. Liam knows he has to tell her and plans to after one last fight.

How does Kiera find out? What happens afterwards? Do they end up together? I'm saying no more. You need to read this. It can be read as a standalone.

I did feel that a few sections moved way too quickly, but otherwise, I loved this book and hope to see a book about Scotty soon.


View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle Book Link

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

REVIEW: Seduce Me by Ryan Michele

Seduce Me (Ravage MC, #2)Seduce Me by Ryan Michele
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First and foremost... if you haven't read Ravage Me (Ravage MC #1), then stop now and go read that book... go on... I'll wait.

Oh, you've read it... good... carry on then.

So in Ravage me, we're first introduced to Casey and G.T. Casey is Harlow's best friend and G.T. is Harlow's brother.

I'm gonna try to give nothing away but please... if you haven't read Ravage Me yet, don't say I didn't warn ya... SPOILER ALERTS MAY BE AHEAD. There, I said it.

So, Seduce me starts off somewhat prior to before Ravage Me ends.

Casey's car is packed and she's heading away to college and to start life somewhere new. Reasons also include G.T. and his womanizing ways and that since her father died, she hasn't felt like a part of the MC family.

G.T. is used to sleeping around, but he was drawn to Casey and they had a wild time together, but he believes Casey deserves better than him and pushes her away.

After she's been away a few weeks, makes a few friends, and goes through something that nearly kills her, Harlow calls her home. (HERE COMES THE SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ RAVAGE ME --- WHY HAVEN'T YOU READ IT?) While out conducting MC business, the club president is killed and G.T. is seriously wounded and needs to remain in bed.

G.T. is ordered to bed rest and knows that Casey is coming home. When Casey returns, he's determined to win her back and not let her go again. This is his chance to make things right by making her his.

She makes him work for it though and does not tell him her secret at first.

Can her secret and the ongoing trouble that started for the club in Ravage Me, tear them apart or make them stronger? I'm not tellin!

I know I rate most of the books I read as five star. I do so because they entertain me. If I'm entertained, I think the reader has done their job. Did Ryan Michele make me laugh - yes; cry - yes; get angry - yes; sob like a baby - yes; smile like an idiot - yep... well then, the author did their job.

View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle Book Link

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

REVIEW: Fall From India Place by Samantha Young

Fall from India Place (On Dublin Street, #4)Fall from India Place by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even though I knew this book was about Hannah and Marco, I hoped we'd see the whole crew from the previous three books in this series and we do. She and Jo's brother, Cole, end up becoming best of friends after her heartache.

In high school, Marco protected Hannah from bullies, boys like him, and even himself until they had one night where they finally gave in to their feelings. A family emergency sends Marck back to the states the next day without an explanation to Hannah and leaving her brokenhearted.

Five years later and Marco's back and has been for awhile. Turns out he works in construction for Braden, Hannah's older brother.

Marco wants Hannah back in his life from the moment they see each other. He wants to explain why he left and why he didn't seek her out when he came back. He's no saint and has a secret that he isn't ready to share, afraid for his own reasons of what it would do their budding relationship.

Hannah learned to protect her heart because of Marco leaving. Marco works his way back into her life, and works at keeping their friendship going and building. When things start to progress, she knows she has to come clean about the secret that she's been holding for five years.

Although, for me, this book didn't flow as fast for me, I enjoyed it. Marco is no Braden and I think that was my problem. I compared Marco to Braden and I really shouldn't have.

I still gave this book five stars because I enjoyed the sub-stories that innertwined with Hannah and Marco working to find their way back to each other.

And yes, you really should read the other books, in order, before reading this one. It's worth it.

View all my reviews

Amazon Kindle book link