Naughty Boss by Whitney G.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fun, sexy, and the perfect “summer fun” novella! I’m actually pretty impressed at the depth of character development and storyline based on its length. The author clearly has talent to fit so much into such a short story! Perhaps there could have been a few more steamy scenes but now I’m just being picky. Slather yourself in sunscreen, make yourself a margarita, go poolside and dip into this book!
Beard Mode by Lani Lynn Vale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It took me a day after finishing this book to compile my thoughts and be able to submit a fair review. I still have mixed feelings but here’s my thoughts as they’ve come to me…
First and foremost the sex scenes were hot which I greatly appreciate. Muchas gracias Lani!
However- there aren’t enough awesome sex scenes in the world to overcome a choppy plot- something this book suffers from. For example several times throughout the story Aaron’s ex-wife and her murder attempt is mentioned. Heck- that’s a cornerstone of the story and explains the main character’s motives. Therefore I thought the fact that it never mentioned where the ex-wife was or if she’s was lawfully punished seemed very odd to me. Was he forever going to look over his shoulder wondering if she was going to make another attempt on his life? Would she pose a threat to his new love interest?
Also, when Aaron is in the hospital after the bicycle accident it mentions that his burns/scarring was able to be significantly reduced via facial surgery. But then there’s no follow up. How does Aaron react when he sees his face after the surgery? The significance of this cannot be understated. Prior to the surgery Aaron feared that he looked like a monster. People couldn’t even look him in the eye prior to the surgery for fucks sake! How in the heck was there not more discussion about the repercussions of the surgery?!? Why was this avenue of reconstruction never pursued previously? The author mentions Aaron having difficulty fully smiling due to the burns. Was this improved? There’s certainly a time and a place to cut corners and skim over certain subject matter in order to not make the book drag. However this was not one of them.
Similar timing in the book when Imogene was kidnapped the other MC members inform Aaron that she was found nude and with a cut on her face. I wondered where the author was going with the mark on her face. Now that Aaron’s facial scarring have been improved from the surgery would Imogene now have facial scars to accept and overcome? An interesting twist yet the author never addresses it. I felt like I was left hanging.
I hate leaving bad reviews but I felt obligated to leave my honest reaction. Because of the choppiness I actually checked my kindle to make sure I downloaded the most up-to-date version of the book.
The Wright Brother by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fun book to read. I felt that the description is a tad misleading when it states that she swore off the Wright family. It implies a tad more angst or menace than actually occurred. Also, considering how fast she gets back involved with the Wright family that phrase is a bit dramatic for the actual situation. I enjoyed the book and it’s characters, plot, writing style and pacing.
Torn by Carian Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While reading this book I ping-ponged between wanting to walk away and soaking up every juicy detail. My biggest problem was Kenzi’s character which I found lacking. When we first meet Kenzi she’s 17 and quiet lackluster in personal interests/hobbies, future goals, and socializing. She just comes across as a follower without any clear ambitions or motivations driving her life. Sure she follows along to help Toren with the dog rescue but he and his family are the driving force behind that operation. She’s not passionate about music like her parents, academic, athletic, etc. Therefore it was hard for me to care what happened in the story when I didn’t feel any need to root for. Rich kid living with her rockstar dad, no job – just hobbies to while away her existence.
Toren (in my humble opinion) carried this book. In stark contrast to Kenzi’s lack of personality & interests Toren made up for it in spades! Former rocker, motorcycle mechanic and garage owner, animal rescuer, motorcycle club member, die-hard romantic… perhaps a bit too much going on but I can’t complain after the utter void that was Kenzi.
There are more books in the series and I haven’t decided yet whether to keep reading them. The writing was good and the plot moved among at an appropriate pace.
Crown of Lies by Pepper Winters
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
What in the ever loving fuck???? I suffered through page after page after fucking page of the all too cliche “cloak and dagger” routine and it ends on a cliffhanger?!?
Summary- 2 characters that are way too boring to pull off the lofty mysterious sexy stranger bit. Both are stuck in their minds and muddle through every single pertinent conversation. I’m supposed to believe that these individuals are highly intelligent and successful yet they can’t clearly or efficiently hold a conversation or ask basic questions? Nope- not buying it. Sell stupid elsewhere. I’m outtie 5,000!
Truly, Madly, Whiskey by Melissa Foster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve waited over a month to make this officially a DNF. Truly disappointed (and quite frankly shocked) because of the magnificence that was Tru Blue. Listen up ladies- if you’re looking for an sexy, ovary-exploding book boyfriend Truman is your guy! That book was all kinds of awesome. In that story I not only fell in love with Truman’s character but Bear as well. So imagine my excitement when I started reading this story! A full-length book dedicated to Bear and his sexiness!!! YES, PLEASE!
Sadly I just didn’t (and couldn’t) fall in love with this story. Crystal was obnoxious and rude. Bear seemed almost muted compared to his strong debut in the previous story. I tried…trust me I really, really tried to finish this book. DNF
The Lost Souls by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m 49% of the way through this book and I’m going to have to move it into the DNF category. The plight of the characters is so bleak, the suffering so prevalent that the story is becoming stagnant.
My Soul to Take by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a lusty pack of gypsies! This book has a lot going for it. Too much you ask? Maybe but I still enjoyed the ride. Poor Trinity! Surviving the zombie apocalypse was rough enough but now she’s got also juggling unstable magical powers as well. I’m still enjoying the series but I’m really hoping that someone catches a break sometime soon. So much suffering and too few showers. 😉
P.S. What’s up with the cover art for this book? First book of the series has a couple holding hands. Now this one looks like a demented mime.
The Soul Mate by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a solid 4 star read for me. I have several Madeline Sheehan books on my “want to read” list but this is the first one I actually cracked open. The friction between Trinity, Gerik, Xan and Onyx was delicious, sinful and utterly enjoyable.
Only two complaints-
1) I wish the characters would have been a bit older considering the heavy subject matters they are dealing with. (Zombie-ish apocalypse, forced marriage, soul mates, vengeful harpies named Onyx…the list goes on.)
2) I could have done without the greek mythology references but that’s easy enough to skim past.
The story ends on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to find out what happens!
Defy by L.J. Shen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a fun twist on a classic forbidden teacher and student love story!
I’m humble enough (sorta) to admit when I was wrong and this is one of those times. After downloading this book and reading the first few pages I actually set it aside and decided to read “Vicious” and “Ruckus” instead. After devouring both books in two days I realized my love affair with these characters and wasn’t ready to say goodbye. The next book in the series hasn’t been published yet (scheduled for a 2018 release) so I turned back to “Deny” to sate my thirst for more of the angsty hotholes.
Now I’ve read my fair share of teacher & student romance trope but this was my first book where the teacher was the female and several years older (8 years to be exact) than her male love interest. How would it work? I like a take-charge, alpha male and wasn’t sure how the author would craft Jamie’s character. Alas, I should have given her more credit. The chemistry, dialogue and characters were great. The dynamic between Jamie and Melody was spot-on. Both with weakness and strengths, working together to make their relationship strong and beautiful.