4 1/2 stars for Masquerade by Nyrae Dawn

Maddox Cross has always had to be tough. When his father went to jail for murder, the teenager took care of his sister and mother. Now on his own and working security at a night club, Maddox wants to become a tattoo artist-a dream that comes closer to reality when he falls for the hottest, most tatted woman he's ever seen. She's wild and beautiful, and Maddox will do anything to be with her.

Bee Malone came to town to open up her new tattoo parlor, Masquerade. Since being kidnapped as a young girl, Bee has had trouble getting close to anyone. But when she meets Maddox, she sees that under his hard biker's body is the sensitive soul of an artist. What starts out as a sizzling one-night stand soon becomes so much more.

Bee wants Maddox to join her tattoo business, but letting him into her life means revealing all her most intimate secrets. And as the past begins to intertwine with her present, Bee fears their love may not be as permanent as their ink . . .

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4.5 out of 5 flames

Nice continuation of the story started in Facade. This is the story of Laney's brother Maddox. He’s carrying around so much guilt you can feel it. One night he meets Bee.  There is immediate attraction between them. They give into it for a one no-strings-attached night, only it doesn't quite work out the way they planned.

Bee is dealing with some serious stuff from her past. When you find out what it is, you can understand why she is confused and almost-alienated from her family. She doesn’t trust very easily.

I loved the interactions between Bee and Maddox in this story. From the opening scenes, they just seem to get each other, even though they try to keep their distance. But Maddox wants to learn the art of tattooing, and Bee has a tattoo shop. Enter good-hearted Laney, who convinces Bee to give Maddox a chance.

Maddox and Bee slowly start to realize how they need each other, and they get help from Adrian and Laney and even Colt and Cheyenne. It's good that Laney's sweetness and positive outlook are there to temper Maddox’s despair. There's still some healing to be done in his heart.

Nyrae Dawn does an awesome job of bringing things to a head and then starts the resolution with a scene between Adrian and Maddox that just blew me away. It captured so many feels of this three book series. It was probably my absolute favorite scene in this book. 

I liked Bee. She's strong, smart and working to resolve her own issues. There's a lot of chemistry between Bee and Maddox in spite of all the issues they are trying to work through. Laney deserves an honorable mention for continuing to believe in love, and for bringing these two together.

Great conclusion to the series. Recommended. 

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

4 stars for The Destiny of Violet and Luke by Jessica Sorensen

Luke Price's life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction-a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does.

Violet Hayes has had a rough life. When she was young, she was left with no family and the memory of her parents' unsolved murders. She grew up in foster homes, living with irresponsible parents, drugs, and neglect, and trying to fight the painful memories of the night her parents were taken from her. But it's hard to forget when she never got closure-and she can't stop dreaming about what happened that tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything.

Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can't seem to stay away from each other. Although they fight it, they both start to open up and feel things they've never felt before. They discover just how similar they are. But they also discover something else: The past always catches up with you . . .

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4 out of 5 stars

It’s really tough to talk about this book without spoiling, but I’m going to try to do just that. If this review seem cryptic, that’s why.

Yet another story about surviving with Callie and Kayden’s college roommates as the main characters. Violet’s family was murdered when she was six, and she’s been bounced from foster home to foster home. She’s learned to deal, and she carries her pain silently. She’s build a protective wall around herself so she doesn’t feel it. She doesn’t really have any friends, besides a creepy foster parent

Luke had a cruddy childhood too. His parents are divorced, his mom a drug addict. She asks him do things that no parent should ask their child. He deals with his emotional pain with alcohol and promiscuous sex. He's got a big wall around him too.

Both Luke and Violet have found their own safety zone until one night when they meet. Everything changes for both of them and over the course of many chapters they begin a to gradually open up to each other. It isn’t an easy path. Their blossoming relationship is marred by a terrible secret, which is divulged to the reader early on in the book. It’s like watching a car wreck in slow motion as they grow closer to each other and choose to make changes for the better in their lives. You just know it’s gonna be bad when that secret gets revealed, and Jessica Sorensen does a good job of lifting these two up, only for them to be dashed to the rocks again.

The ending left me with so many questions and heartache. What will Luke do with the information he now has? What will Violet do about it? And can they recover from these revelations before their lives go completely down the tubes?

I like the gritty and extremely emotional stories in this series. Violet and Luke kept me turning the page to the end. If you like a dark and emotional read, this may be for you.

Unfortunately, there is no release date for a follow-up to this, and the author has not mentioned any release for the next book in 2014.  (Correction: Jessica Sorensen just posted today 1/9/2014 a release date of May 2014 for the next book in this series.)  

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Buy Links:   Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

3 stars for The Fireside Inn by Lily Everett

They’re single, they’re rich, and now these billionaire bachelors are heading to Sanctuary Island in a new e-original novella series from Lily Everett! Fall in love with the island’s latest catch.

Leo, Zane, and Cooper made a pact to stay bachelors and enjoy the single life forever, and when they receive an invitation to their friend Miles’ wedding, they head down to Sanctuary Island determined to talk some sense into the errant groom before he makes a life-changing mistake. But Miles knows his own mind, and he makes a vow of his own: before he walks down the aisle, he’ll have Leo, Zane, and Cooper changing their tune about matrimony. Because Miles knows, better than anyone, that all it takes is a little Sanctuary Island magic to turn romantic cynics into true believers.

The Honorable Lord Leo Strathairn inherited his family’s money, his title, and his position in London society. When he meets Sanctuary Island’s funky young librarian, Serena Lightfoot, he’s determined to get a lot closer. Despite the simmering attraction between them, Serena isn’t at all interested in putting up with a pampered playboy. But as Leo ramps up his seduction attempts, Serena sees that he’s nothing like the empty-headed aristocrat she’d assumed.

_______________________________________________________________________________

When Miles Harrington makes a bet with his playboy bachelor friends that they’ll find love on Sanctuary Island, they all scoff at him and take the bet. In this novella, British aristocrat Leo Strathairn meets his match in Serena Lightfoot, librarian.

I liked this story. It was light and sweet and a quick read that made me feel good when I got to the end. There’s a bit of a secret that Leo’s been keeping for years, and the truth causes Serena to run. It’s up to Leo to make things right, and he does it in a very appropriate and lovely manner.

So if you are in the mood of a quick, sweet read, this might be for you.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook.

Buy Links:   Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble

Rome by Jay Crownover Review and Giveaway

Title: Rome (Marked Men #3)
Author: Jay Crownover  
Genre: New Adult  
Publication Date: January 7, 2014  
Publisher: William Morrow an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing  
Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

Synopsis

Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon.

Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just last forever . . .

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Purchase Links:  


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes and Noble

  | iTunes | Indie Bound

 What I thought about Rome (Marked Men #3)

Rome is home from his military service and he’s not doing so well. He’s ticking everyone off with his bad mood. But his life takes a turn when Cora dumps a beer on him, and he ends up at the bar. So begins a new friendship, a sorta-job, and a maybe relationship with Cora who bails him out of a drunken night on the town.

I liked how these two started their relationship unsure, rooted in physical attraction, but thinking there was more there between them. Cora’s directness meshes well with Rome’s sense of integrity and they decide to see if there is more to their relationship than just physical attraction. I liked that Cora had to really make things happen here, and I loved how they accepted their circumstances.

Cora is really awesome with how she helps Rome mend, especially when it comes to his family. She's not afraid to take chances, until it comes to telling Rome she loves him. She’s still dealing with the pain of a past break up and when her angry words break Rome’s heart, everything goes to hell. I love the realism of these scenes. Jay Crownover gets a good emotional head of steam at this point and just keeps building on it.

There’s a great storyline around the bar and its owner, Brite, bringing things together to a very dramatic and heart wrenching conclusion. Rule and Shaw also play a role in this and I loved having the gang all together, because that’s really the draw for me in this series -- the dedicated friendships between the characters. .

Overall, a very nice read for me. Loved that some of the conflicts from earlier in the series were resolved. I really like this series. I couldn’t put Rome down until I got to the end.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

I’m supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I’m an natural redhead even though I haven’t seen my real hair color in years, I’m a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that. 

I love to write, love to read and all I’m interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Connect with Jay: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

Robin York's DEEPER Excerpt and Giveaway!

I'm so excited for this book! Scroll down past the excerpt for a Giveaway from Robin York!

DEEPER Synopsis:

In this New Adult debut by Robin York, a college student is attacked online and must restore her name—and stay clear of a guy who’s wrong for her, but feels so right.

When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works.

They hang out, they talk, they listen. Though Caroline and West tell each other they’re “just friends,” their feelings intensify until it becomes impossible to pretend. The more complicated her relationship with West gets, the harder Caroline has to struggle to discover what she wants for herself—and the easier it becomes to find the courage she needs to fight back against the people who would judge her.

When all seems lost, sometimes the only place to go is deeper.

Advance praise for DEEPER:

“The perfect new adult story . . . West will make you swoon!”—New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy

“Beautifully written and full of swoony tender moments, toe-curling chemistry, and delicious, twisty angst . . . Stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.”—Christina Lauren, author of the Beautiful Bastard series

Excerpt: 

Meet West (from Caroline’s POV)

West’s eyes go wide. “Jesus, Caroline, did I hit you?”

He stands, stepping close, reaching for me. It’s as if he completely forgets he’s beating the shit out of Nate, and he just comes for me. The look in his eyes, the outstretched hand—it’s so much like the first time West reached for me, more than a year ago, that I have a moment of déjà vu. My knees buckle, which annoys me. My body is the enemy right now—my incompetent knees, that noise my throat decided to make, my leaking nose, and the pounding pain in my face.

Not to mention my heart, which is trying to escape my chest by flinging itself violently against my ribs.

West’s hand lands on my waist, steady and firm, and it’s stupid. My body is stupid. Because his hand feels kind of awesome.

Obviously I’m concussed. West is the one who hit me, probably, and he’s definitely the one who hit Nate, who—

Fuck.

Nate is sprawled out on the floor, bleeding from the mouth.

Worse, I can’t really bring myself to focus on Nate, because West’s other hand landed on my shoulder briefly, and now he’s lifting my chin. The blood makes his fingers slippery. I’m bleeding on him. And I like it.

This happens with West. He’s only touched me once before, but it isn’t the kind of thing a girl forgets.

God, there are so many, many reasons this is not good, though. Most of them aren’t even health-related. For starters, I’m not into guys who punch people. I’m not into guys at the moment, period. And if I were, I wouldn’t be into West, because West is trouble, and I’m allergic.

“You’re bleeding,” he says.

“You hit me.”

“Let me see.”

He tugs at my wrist, and I let him drag my hand away from my nose, because basically I will let West Leavitt do anything. It’s possible that he’s some kind of magical creature. I mean, he’s not. I know he’s not. He’s a twenty-year-old sophomore at Putnam College, majoring in biology. He shelves books at the library, waits tables on weekends at the Gilded Pear—which is the only fancy restaurant in Putnam—and works the overnight shift at the bakery in town. All that on top of at least a couple of shady, unofficial sources of income, plus classes, makes him a busy guy.

He’s tall—around six feet, maybe a little taller—with messy brown hair, light blue-green eyes, and a great tan.

He’s a guy who goes to my college. That’s all.

But that is not all.

His face is . . . You know how they say human beings are more attracted to symmetrical faces? Well, West’s face is slightly off in every conceivable way. One of his eyebrows tilts up a little bit, and the other one is bisected by a thin white scar. His eyes are a color that isn’t actually a color, with these tiny little flecks that sometimes look shiny, and I don’t understand how that’s possible. His mouth is wider than it ought to be, which makes him look like a smart-ass every time he smiles or almost smiles or thinks, vaguely, about smiling. His nose must have been broken once—or maybe more than once—because it’s not quite where it’s supposed to be. It’s shifted a titch to the left. And honestly? I think his ears are too small.

When he looks right at me, I can barely make words.

That’s why I’m standing here, bleeding, letting him inspect my nose. 

And now for the giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Robin York grew up at a college, went to college, signed on for some more college, and then married a university professor. She still isn’t sure why it didn’t occur to her to write New Adult sooner. Writing as Ruthie Knox, she is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary romance, including RITA-finalistsAbout Last Night and Room at the Inn. She moonlights as a mother, makes killer salted caramels, and sorts out thorny plot problems while running, hiking, or riding her bike.

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Links:

Website: http://www.ruthieknox.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobinYorkNA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerrobinyork

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7279470.Robin_York

DEEPER Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18525821-deeper?ac=1

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Robin-York/e/B00G194QRC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

5 Stars for Badlands by Jill Sorenson

Synopsis

Love is the most dangerous territory of all . . .

Every day, bodyguard Owen Jackson puts his life on the line — and keeps his feelings for Penny Sandoval locked away. Assigned to protect Penny's father, a presidential candidate, Owen can't get emotionally involved. That is, until Penny and her young son, Cruz, are abducted and taken deep into the California badlands.

Owen knows the bleak territory from his childhood. Worse, he knows the gang leader making ransom demands — his own brother, Shane. When a terrified Penny escapes into the desert with Cruz, Owen has to save her: from the elements and from the gang in close pursuit. Owen has hidden the darkness in his past from Penny. Now his only chance of keeping her alive is to let her see the man he really is — even if it means losing the only woman he'll ever want.

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Five years after the earthquake, Owen Jackson is working for the Sandoval family as Penny’s bodyguard. There’s still a whole truckload of feelings between these two, feelings that Owen is unable to act on for multiple reasons. The action heats up very quickly when Shane, Owen’s brother, orchestrates the abduction of Penny, Cruz and Owen.

The story takes off like a shot from this point forward. It’s one of the things I love about Jill Sorenson’s writing. Like a well-crafted action/adventure movie, her writing pulls me right into the story. For me, this read isn’t so much about the end result, as it is about the ride.

Under the pressure of eluding their kidnappers, Owen and Penny’s feelings for each other are no longer easy to keep under control, especially with Shane needling them both about it. And there’s not only a chase through the Badlands and lots of sexual tension, there’s also Shane and Owen settling some brother-to-brother scores, too.

I just loved Owen. He appears in all books so far in this series, but we really didn’t get to know him like we do in Badlands. He’s had a hard life. He’s got lots to think about and has had lots of time do it. Meeting Penny during the earthquake changes his life. I loved the chemistry between Owen and Penny. She was the “gentle” he needed in his life, he was the strength she needed in hers.

With all that is going on around them, Owen breaks down emotionally a number of times, and in many ways it is in this vulnerability that he shows his strength. He’ll do anything for Penny, that’s clear. He takes an incredible amount of physical abuse and struggles with dysfunctions from his incarceration. He really takes some big chances in showing Penny how he feels. Penny was almost the opposite, naive in her approach to him, still sheltered by her family, but she sees the good in Owen, and believes in him.

There were some great secondary characters in Badlands. Shane was an intricate character, sometimes scary, sometimes just a brother as he strips Owen down emotionally a number of times. The relationship between Owen and Shane, and the things they experienced in their family seemed very authentic. The addition of Shane’s ex-wife Janelle brought an interesting twist to the action. Owen’s scenes with Cruz touched my heart. I loved Owen’s devotion to the child and the way that Cruz looked up to him.

I really liked everything in this read, except for the fact that I wanted more Owen and Penny and Cruz! Luckily I still hadn’t read Aftershock, the first book in the series, so I was happy to be able to read more about how Penny and Owen meet.

This book had what makes it a 5 star read for me-- non-stop action, interesting characters, great emotional content and I didn’t stop reading until the end. I really love this series. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review.

Harlequin HQN January 2014 ISBN 978-0373778348
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3 Flames for Roomies by Tara Altebrando and Sara Zarr

Roomies by Tara Altebrando, and Sara Zarr

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

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Roomies is a sweet tale of growing up, making new friends, and seeing the world a little more through the eyes of the adults around them. If you are looking for a raucous post-high school coming of age story of friendship, this isn’t it. Lauren and Elizabeth work multiple jobs, have sometimes strained relationships with their immediate family, and both are engaging in their first serious relationship with a boy, on top of getting to know each other over the summer before they become college roommates.

The first 50% was a bit slow and it took some time to get involved in the story. I guess that was sort of like the relationship between Lauren and Elizabeth. Maybe it was like that on purpose, but it almost didn’t work for me. I wish I had been drawn into the story sooner because I almost put this down for good a number of times.

But I’m quite drawn to stories that show how a relationship can grow when all you really have are your written words to build it. Sometimes that’s a more honest way of it, and I think that Roomies shows that can be true.

I liked that they were two very different girls, going through similar circumstances of leaving their friends and family, and starting a new life. I thought the Mark’s connection to Elizabeth’s mother was a bit contrived, and I found Keyon and Lauren a very interesting couple. The girl’s examination of their home life and their friends was a plus for me in this story. It did bring back memories, happy ones of starting adult life.

I did think we should have had more of a scene when these two finally meet. They’ve shared a lot over the summer, really important stuff in their lives, and the way it ended wasn’t very satisfying.

Unfortunately this book didn’t really build an emotional connection with this reader. I liked the girls, but I wasn’t invested in knowing how it was going to work out for them. When the question of whether they would go through with the living arrangements came up, I really didn’t care all that much if they ended up roomies. I think it would have been a better book if I had cared for the characters more. I liked the story, but I think I could have liked it more.

But overall, I think this is a good book for YA readers looking for a friendship theme. It works very well as a new friendship, leaving home type of story. I’d recommend this to readers preparing for college. 

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review