Andie
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I'm a fan of Lori Foster's books, I usually preorder her books and I still have a few that I didn't read yet, like Under Pressure and Hard Justice, so I started Close Contact without reading the first books in this series and honestly I regret it, not because I struggled to follow the story, I didn't, however my curiosity about some of the characters is huge! I'll definitely read both asap!
Miles is a MMA fighter who joins Body Armor, a bodyguard agency, he's actually happy working there until his new client is someone he knows... intimately. Maxi enjoyed a few night stands with him, disappeared from his life and now she's at Body Armor's office trying to hire him. But then when she starts to explain why she needs protection, Mile's protection, all of his instincts are roaring to protect her at any cost. And besides... Maxi has been on his mind a lot.
Maxi is a sweetheart, she never quite fit with her family, never had much luck in love and she feels like she never measured up to her mom's expectations. She's such a sweetheart! She's trying so hard to honor the trust her grandmother put on her, it's absolutely endearing.
Miles and Maxi are incredibly perfect for each other and I fell in love with both of them. Lori Foster balances suspense, romance, heat, danger, intrigue, an amazing plot and well crafted characters like no other. And the cameos... YES! If you've read Lori's Ultimate series, you're going to love to encounter again some of the guys. And Sahara, Miles' boss, is an amazing secondary character, I can't wait for her book.
Overall, if you love books with MMA figthers (or former MMA fighters), bodyguards, alpha males, lots of romance, suspense, intrigue and a little mystery, you're going to love Close Contact.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Melissa is a master when it comes to tug at my heartstrings. I have crazy expectations when it comes to Melissa's books but she never disappoints me, in every single one I'm always blown away by her character's beautiful and emotional journeys.
Embracing Her Heart is a second chance romance set in a small town, it can be read as a standalone but for those who already read a few of Melissa's other books (like Brett or Touched by Love) you'll definitely recognize some of the characters (I loved, loved, loved Janie's moments). Grace is a small town girl only because she was born in one, but her heart always wanted more, she left town to chase her dreams and she's living a fast paced, stressful, successful life in New York City. She's a confident, independent, sassy woman who conquered her big dream: to be a respected screen writer and producer. She returns home for 3 weeks and during that time she'll be teaching a screenplay writing class at a bookstore. She expects to have fun, spend time with her family and have a bit of a break from the crazy divas (actors and actresses) with whom she has to deal with on a daily basis. She definitely wasn't expecting Reed back in town. Reed, her first and only love, her high school sweetheart...
Reed returned to Oak Falls after an unexpected turn of events, he's running his uncle's business, doing exactly what he loves but memories of Grace, their love and how she broke his heart still haunt him and he knows that there's always something missing in his life. Reed is utter perfection, honestly! He's strong, self confident, hot, romantic, with a huge caring heart and a “no bullshit, no games” kind of attitude but he's also damaged due to some of his family issues (I'm trying not to give much away).
I'm so in love with Reed, he's my favorite character in this story, I loved his personality, the way he said what he meant and what he wanted, definitely a remarkable hero and a amazing book boyfriend! I also loved Grace, her strength and how she slowly realized that sometimes dreams change, her style and her passion for writing, the bond with her family, her sisters and their hilarious bonding moments, made Grace an awesome heroine. The chemistry between Grace and Reed is red hot and I absolutely loved how they grown through the years that they've been apart. But Grace and Reed have choices to make and their lives are worlds apart. Will they take their second chance at happiness?
A wonderful, emotional, sweet, passionate love story set in a beautiful small town with amazing characters, loving families and neighbors and I can't wait to read the next one in this series!
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I was very intrigued by Midnight Valentine's blurb. I knew I couldn't miss this story and I'm so happy that I read it! I'm so in love with this book!
I've been trying to write this review for a few days and I think that I'm still struggling as I write it because this story blew me away. Everything about this book is amazing! I wasn't expecting such an emotional roller-coaster and I really didn't expect to love it so much but I truly did, Megan and Theo's journey took my breath away and broke my heart... repeatedly!
So, Megan lost the love of her life and she's still grieving after 5 years. She moves to a small town, to a house that was a beautiful dream she shared with Cassidy, her late husband. And in that small town she meets Theo. Let's just say their first, second and third encounters don't go well at all! Actually, Theo seems to hate her at first sight and she's confused about his reactions to her presence but mostly about her reactions to his behavior around her...
Theo also faced a tragedy and he survived it. Scarred, troubled and silent, everyone loves the former golden boy but no one does quite understand him, except, to some extent, his best friend. And then, there's Megan moving in to a house that holds so much meaning to him...
Honestly, I can't give any details because this is one of those books that you should just read the blurb, one click it and READ IT! All I can say is that this story wrecked me and it's one of the most beautiful, emotional, amazing, heartbreaking, unique romances I've read. Definitely a must read, unquestionably my top favorite of 2018 so far. J.T. Geissinger is truly talented! I've read her Bad Habit series (not a fan of the first book in that series, loved the second and really liked the third one), but Midnight Valentine is in a different league entirely, I'm absolutely blown away by her amazing ability to tug at readers' heartstrings, she thrives on writing unique, emotional, tragic romances with broken and complex characters, beautiful settings and remarkable plots. I highly recommend Midnight Valentine to anyone who loves romances, especially if you're an hopeless romantic. This hauntingly beautiful romance will definitely stay with me for a long, long time.
Books, Coffee & Passion
6 stars!
Speechless.
I'm struggling to write this review because Ruthless King is so unbelievable good I literally can't find words that can do it justice.
Mind blowing. Hot. Scorching hot. Intriguing events. Gripping writing. Strong feisty heroine. Sexy, dangerous, mysterious hero.
I can't even form complete sentences! That's how great Ruthless King really is. Honestly, this year I've read amazing books. Truly amazing books that made me postpone some social events (yes, I'm a horrible friend!) and go to work after sleeping for just one hour, but Ruthless King raised the bar even higher because I didn't sleep single minute, I didn't regret it and I was buzzing through the entire day without coffee! That never happened to me before. I reread it not even 24 hours later and guess what? I only slept two hours that night... So, let me tell you this: Ruthless King is without doubt my favorite book this year!
I'm sorry for not providing much information about the story but I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just keep it vague: Keira and Mount are the hottest couple ever! Their chemistry is intense, their banter is amazing and I loved how Keira defied Mount every step of the way (oh well, not every step if you know what I mean...). Keira never saw Mount coming, she tries to resist him, defy him, fight him but soon she realizes she's also fighting herself and her deepest, darkest needs and desires. Mount wants Keira and he's used to get what he wants. But he also wants her willingly. That is absolutely essential for him. Their chemistry is so insane, that just one small touch turns the tide in is favor but he definitely doesn't expect how Keira keeps refusing to bow down and obey him, she's surprising him at every turn although Mount always gets what he craves...
Compelling, dark, unpredictable, scorching hot, brilliantly written with a captivating storyline, Ruthless King is absolutely explosive. If you haven't read it yet, you're missing out! Can't wait to get my hands on Defiant Queen!
So, #TeamSutton all the way to 90ish% and then... I don't even know!!! #TeamSutton or #TeamChristopher??? What a book! Can't wait for The Evolution of Man! Can't believe we have to wait until August... Nooooooooooooooo!
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3.5 stars
I had high expectations for this story, I literally couldn't wait to get my hands on it after reading The Hook Up Experiment, I was super excited and I knew there would be a lot of bickering between Chloe and Dom and an explosive chemistry. I was definitely right about that but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would and that's mainly because I couldn't quite understand some of Chloe's dramas. Don't get me wrong, I liked this romance, I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would.
Chloe and Dom have been working together for a long time, Chloe has been in love with Dom forever (and I do mean forever!) but she knows they would be a disaster if they got together, especially because she would probably kill him as soon as he lost his keys, which happens quite often. Anyway, they have different personalities and Chloe needs to get over Dom and find someone suitable for her: reliable, steady, not related to her best friend, etc. It's not easy to be in love with your best friend's brother aka your business partner who is also the exact opposite of what you're looking for in a relationship.
Dom is constantly forgetting and losing things, he is definitely, like Chloe calls him once, a num-nuts. He knows Chloe since he was a child, he has been in love with her for years but he knows she hates him and he doesn't have a chance with her. But he can't help wanting her fiercely. He thinks he needs to see her move on with her life with another man to be able to forget her. He just wasn't expecting that he would be the one to choose her soulmate.
I really liked Dom, his sense of humor and his forgetfulness made me laugh several times, the fact that he was hot and smart didn't hurt either. I did struggle to understand Chloe sometimes, she was constantly jumping between hot and cold angry, she was almost acting like a teen. I also think that, maybe, I just needed more of Dom and Chloe in a relationship together and a little less of build up.
Overall, The Dating Experiment is a sweet, funny, enjoyable, fast paced romance with lots of banter and sexual tension. I really liked the epilogue, it was also awesome to reconnect with the gang (I know I've said this before but I absolutely love Peyton, she's definitely my favorite character!).
I have read some of K.A. Linde's books (I loved the Record series) and when I saw she was writing a series set in a dark world with vampires and blood escorts, I couldn't resist it, I just knew I had to read it.
This is the first book in this series, so there's a lot of world/civilization details and I absolutely loved the world building, the descriptions, the dynamics between humans and vampires, everything was beautiful written and I could actually picture this unique world and its civilization in my head.
Vampires are ruling the world while most humans are extremely poor and struggle to survive, Reyna is 21 years old, she can't get a job because she has no college education and she can't go back to college because she doesn't have the money for it. I think the best word to define Reyna is brave. She's definitely very brave, she feels like a burden to her brothers, who work endless shifts so they can survive as a family, but they're scrambling and Reyna knows it and for her brother's sake she sacrifices herself... by getting a new job as a blood escort.
Beckham is a rich, big, brooding, hot, mysterious vampire, a top executive in Visage, the vampire company that pairs vampires to human blood escorts with the same blood type. Visage puts Reyna with Beckham and everything in her world changes. She has money, some freedom but she's now moving in a whole different circle. A dangerous circle where trust doesn't come easy and it can be fickle...
I won't be giving away too many details, I can only say that I've read Blood Type in one sitting, I was immersed in this complex world and invested in Reyna and Beckham's relationship. The push and pull, the amazing chemistry between them, all of the secrets that Beckham was keeping just added more tension and depth to their story. Honestly, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! And then K.A. Linde hit me with an out of this world cliffhanger that left me screaming into my kindle... I have to say there was a thing or two that did bother me near the end (specifically, Beckham's reaction to an event that led him to leave Reyna alone and Reyna's reaction to Beckham's, how can I put it without spoiling it, hmmm, momentary lapse of reason - you'll get it if you read the book), and that made me lower the rating from 5/5 to 4/5 stars.
I highly recommend this stunning beginning to the Blood Type series and I can't wait to get my hands on Blood Match because I'm dying to know what happens next!
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I couldn't put Richer Than Sin down! I was hooked from page one and I was totally invested in Lincoln and Whitney's story. I'm really into the Riscoff-Gable feud!
A forbidden, intense romance that takes place in a town owned by the Riscoffs, everything about this setting seemed so vivid, so colorful with amazing characters, I absolutely love Cricket, Whitney's cousin, and I think I might have a soft spot for Magnus, Whitney's great-uncle, and Commodore, Lincoln's grandfather. And don't even get me started with Lincoln... Hot, sexy, rich, alpha male alert!
Whitney and Lincoln's chemistry is off the charts, there's lots of drama, angst, mysterious past events that keep haunting Whitney, some hilarious moments, gripping suspense and fabulous twists.
I've said this before and I'll say it again Meghan March is a genius! She's a master at twists and turns and I think I might have stopped breathing at a few key moments but no spoilers here. Richer Than Sin is an amazingly written romance, that kept me guessing and just when I thought I knew what was coming... BAM! Meghan hit me with a wicked cliffhanger that left me begging for more! A dazzling start to the SIN trilogy! Can't wait to read Guilty as Sin.
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Wow. This series is EPIC!
Blood Cure picks up right after the Blood Match events and even though we had to wait for a month to read this series conclusion, I was shocked after that crushing cliffhanger and I remained in shock when I started reading it. So, the book starts a little chaotic as it should after that Blood Match ending, and even though it lessens its fast pace through the middle of the book, it picks it up again with a few events that are, to say the least, mind blowing.
Blood Cure is a page turner, with lots of suspense, lessons of true loyalty, amazing character chemistry, a fantastic plot and an epic love story, it kept me guessing “Who, what, when?!” and I was so invested in Reyna's feelings, her strength, Elle's fate, Gabe and Meghan, I loved to get to know Washington's back-story, and I just wanted to jump right in and help them to take Visage and Harrington down! I'm very curious about Graves and I'm hoping that maybe we'll get a awesome new series with him.
Blood Match, the second book in this series, remains my favorite but Blood Cure was definitely a stunning series finale and just when I thought I knew how it was going to end... BAM! K.A. Linde is an amazing story teller and the Blood Type series is definitely a must read.
Couldn't get into this book, too many one word sentences and I felt the story could have been so much more.
Also... trigger warning: suicide
I've been waiting impatiently for Hot Winter Nights, the sixth book in the Heartbreaker Bay Series, since I've read About that Kiss because the chemistry was insane every time Molly and Lucas were in the same room. I knew that with all those heated looks between them, and the fact that Molly is Lucas' best friend little sister, their story was going to be amazing! Turns out, I was right! Jill Shalvis is slaying me with this series!
Molly works at Hunt Investigations as an office manager, even though she loves her job she wants to take on a different role. She knows she's prepared for it but she has to convince Archer and her overprotective brother Joe that she is ready to investigate cases. She's restless and she's tired of being babied. Molly is probably the strongest heroine in this series, after Elle of course (no one is as badass as Elle!), she's sassy, confident, sexy, smart and she drives Lucas insane with plenty of hilarious moments.
Lucas is a strong, protective, smart, sexy, alpha man whore male, closed off emotionally because of his heart breaking past, that thinks Molly's way out of his league. What I loved more about Lucas was that he always got what Molly needed, he was in perfect sync with her feelings and he didn't tried to smother her with his protectiveness. I'd say he's the sweetest guy of the group.
So, there's a lot happening in Hot Winter Nights, the night Lucas and Molly spend together (one night that Lucas doesn't recall at all) puts everything in motion, there's a very serious case involving sweet elves and a bad Santa, Archer and Joe trying to baby Molly, all the crazy gang meddling in everything with lots of hilarious dialogue, the sizzling chemistry between Lucas and Molly and very entertaining funny, crazy banter.
Hot Winter Nights is another must read in this amazing series, highly recommended.
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4.5 stars
If I had to describe Reveling in Sin with one word, it would be: unpredictable! This story caught me off guard, after Guilty as Sin, I thought Reveling in Sin could be a little predictable but I definitely should've known better: it's Meghan March, people! Predictable and Meghan March don't belong in the same sentence! Get ready for a roller-coaster ride!
First of all, the story starts slow, picking up right after Guilty as Sin ending, I have to say I was waiting for an epic blowup right at the beginning (history repeating, characters making the same mistakes, etc) but nothing went as expected and it was kind of refreshing. Actually, in my opinion this was probably the most surprising of Meghan's books. It's a little hard to explain but the story kept shifting one way when I was expecting the complete opposite, when I thought things would blow up they didn't and then when I didn't see it coming: BAM! Usually, there's twists and turns in Meghan's stories that we know for sure are coming in a determined point, even though the twist/turn itself is always dramatic and unexpected, however the buildup is different in Reveling in Sin, because I couldn't even pinpoint that moments. There were crazy, crazy, crazy twists that came out of nowhere and left me speechless! There's betrayal, lots of drama, shocking revelations, deaths, angst, wicked secrets revealed, hate, passion and an epic love story. Nonetheless, I did miss a certain darkness that I was getting used to in my favorite Meghan's heroes (yes, my die-hard favorite Mount of course and also Kane). Anyway, I wish we'll get Asa's story in the future and I think that maybe I'll get my wish (the dark side back!) with Meghan's next hero: Jericho Forge.
Reveling in Sin is an amazing, action packed, angsty, shocking conclusion to Whitney and Lincoln's story.
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Prom Queen is a second chance romance, that was exactly why I wanted to read it. The prom queen doesn't have the dream life she wanted so when it's time for her high school reunion she lets her friends set her up with a fake date and of course it turns out that she used to know her fake date very, very well, because Jake was her prom king.
Honestly, even though the story flows well the book felt rushed and most of the characters acted a lot like they were still 18, at times it felt like it was prom and not the 10 year reunion. I didn't really connect with Jessica, sometimes she didn't seem like a reformed mean girl since there were a few typical mean girl nasty comments at the reunion and Jake... well, he's funny but he also came off a little dull. I don't know maybe I wasn't exactly in the mood to read this book and that's the reason I didn't felt interested in this story. It just felt bland
Side note: This is a long overdue review, I had this post on my drafts since 2017 because I read this book then and I'm actually trying to post reviews that I had mostly prepared however I never posted because something else came up and I totally forgot about it. I still have some other long overdue reviews on my drafts so I might try to post them too.
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Dirty Swedish Player is a funny sports romance, it's the third book in the Big Stick series but it can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the first two books in this series, although I really want to read the first one, and I had no problem following Nils and Sierra's story.
First of all, I really liked Sierra, she's funny, sweet and a great friend, I loved her friendship with Sloane and the way she tried to babysit Sloane's mom (which might be the most hilarious character EVER!).
Nils isn't exactly my favorite character and that impacted how much I enjoyed the story. At first, Nils is just a horny college hockey player who drinks too much, then he's the same even after college, at that point we don't know what went down between him and Sierra but we know he messed up somehow. Anyway, I wasn't loving Nils in the first half of the book but I wasn't disliking him either, then after knowing what he did to Sierra... well I was hurt for her, there were some things he said that made me angry and honestly I was expecting more from his apology and his main reason to do what he did (this is me trying to be cryptic) was a little weak. I can't say much more because I would be spoiling the story.
Still, I can overlook some of it (not the apology or the timing of it) because they were in college and everyone does dumb things in college (I sure did!). Furthermore, there are some redeeming moments and some character growth through the story which made me warm up to him, but honestly I loved Oli and Myles (two of Nils best friends and teammates) more. Despite this, I enjoyed this story, it was entertaining, steamy, featuring one of my favorite tropes (fake relationship), with great secondary characters and lots of funny moments. Definitely, a solid 3 stars read.
I would give Godsgrave 6 stars if possible, because this book was sooooooo good! Incredible!
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I wanted to like this book, I really did but I can't rate it higher than 2 stars because “it was ok” was literally my first thought when I closed my Kindle.
I liked the premise of the story, I think the way it all started was intriguing and exciting and I also liked some of the things we discover in the end, even though I did guess two of the revelations early on (one thing that had to happen and who really was one of the characters, sorry about being vague but I'm trying not to spoil the story), the writing is actually really good but the characters seemed flat to me and the pacing was weirdly off.
Lena is a hard character to like, I get that she was grieving but a lot of her actions didn't make much sense and her inner thoughts are all over the place. She's described as very smart but honestly I think she never truly showed how smart she was, most of her actions are impulsive and almost irrational at times. I didn't actually felt/saw the bond between Lena and her sister because there aren't enough significant moments between them that showed it, I think it might have worked better if Fressa died a little later in the story or if the flashbacks had focused more in their relationship and significant moments between them. There was so much of Lena in the story that it became very repetitive, another POVs might have softened this, especially Fressa's. I didn't care much for any of the characters, in my opinion Loki is the most interesting character but we only get glimpses. The mythology is an interesting aspect and I did enjoy the way it's entwined in the story. Like I said the pacing was weird, it started out ok, then the middle was very slow, it seemed like nothing was happening and then the ending was a bit rushed. There were some loose ends at the end but I think there's going to be a second book so it makes sense.
Overall, it was ok. I don't think I'll pick up the second book but I'll keep track of the author because I definitely liked the writing.
I received an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It took me a while to read it but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED every second of this story. Nevernight is AMAZING! Can't wait to read Godsgrave.
Madam Temptress was an EPIC roller coaster and I couldn't get enough of it. Meghan March thrives when she writes stories in New Orleans, this duet is now officially tied in my top #1 with the Mount Trilogy. That's saying a lot because I'm obsessed with Mount and Keira since I read Ruthless King.
Moses and Magnolia's story was so amazing and so addictive! I couldn't put it down, there were so many mind blowing moments and I really needed to see what was going to happen next. I loved how Moses and Magnolia evolved as a couple, more than their chemistry, which was absolutely explosive, their bond was what really made me fall in love with their relationship. Their chess games, their conversations, how they supported each other, they were so incredible and fierce together, I was swooning and emotional. The Mount and Keira moments were absolute perfection, I loved every single second! I'm hoping for a Rhodes duet or trilogy soon.
Madam Temptress was a steamy page turner, action packed, fast paced with amazing characters and a breathtaking soulmate relationship that will make you fall in love with this story. Highly recommended, a top favorite of 2020.
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2.5 stars
I was hoping for a cute royal romance when I picked My Best Friend's Royal Wedding but it wasn't what I expected and I was disappointed.
Khara was a waitress in Vegas, she was working hard to pay for her tuition and she was invited by her best friend, Phoenix, to be her maid of honor because Phoenix was marrying a prince.
Adam was a selfish douche, he was a rich guy that for the first time in his life was facing a hard choice in the midst of his best friend's wedding, Max, that invited him to be his best man.
Honestly, I disliked Khara and Adam for the first half of the book or maybe even longer, I definitely didn't warm up to Khara. She was so annoying, she kept judging everyone mainly because they were rich even before she set foot in the events or talked to people. I kind of get that she was used to see a lot of self entitled-grabby-drunk-rich guys going crazy in Vegas but she kept being judgy and whiny for most of the story, I can't even recognize any self growth through the whole book, unless I count the fact she did give in to one of these guys she kept judging, Adam of course, but if that was supposed to be her growth... I don't think it makes any sense so I'm not counting that. Adam was a selfish douche through most of the story but he was actually owning his flaws, he was perfectly aware of his way of life, he was mainly bored with it but he wasn't interested in changing anything in his life. I didn't really like him for most of the book but I actually liked his inner conflict about a choice he needed to make and I think that was the main reason I ended up enjoying the book. Adam had a lot of self growth during the story, even though it does take a while until we actually see it, I still enjoyed it. As a result of not liking the characters for most of the story, I didn't care much for their chemistry and romance.
Overall, I enjoyed the setting, the pacing and how Adam's character growth was done, so it ended up being an okay read.
I really liked The Beautiful! The writing is absolutely amazing, even though the pace was slow at times, I did enjoy the plot, the characters and that ending... did not see that coming! There's a lot of questions that I hope are answered in the next book.
Full review coming soon
Whoa, I wasn't expecting this book to be so boring. I didn't care for most of what happened and I was bored through most of this. I hope that City of Heavenly Fire is better or I'll die of boredom for another 600ish pages.