Burn Down the Night: M O'Keefe

Alright, so after realizing that this was the third in the series, I quickly went back and read the first two (I couldn't just start in the middle of it). The first two were pretty good. I liked the drama (it was like reading a soap opera script), the characters, and all the crazy intrigue.

This book was pretty much the same, but with a new perspective. 

In the third installment, we get the perspective of Max (the badass biker brother who really has a heart of gold) and Olivia (the crazy stripper, not-DEA agent, former cult member chick).

I never really pictured these two getting together, just too much personality to be able to fit into one room. But, as always happens with a romance novel, they got together anyway, shit blew up in their faces, and they had crazy hot sex, and kinda live happily ever after.....I mean, what else would they do?

Although it was a little unbelievable (that ending..come on) with all the family love going on..it was still enjoyable. It didn't take me very long to read, but I really did end up liking this author.

I wish I could give this more that three stars (lets make it 3.5), but it just was a touch too crazy for me.

I think it is safe to say that the next book will be great as well. I'm excited to see the couple for the next book and how they end up getting together.

My Song for You: Stina Lindenblatt

Yet another book this year that felt like an emotional punch to the gut.

So, other than almost crying when reading every other page....it was great.

It was emotional, loving and cute. (Predictable, and over the top-yes-but still cute.) My favorite problem that tears couples apart (ugh....not) came for another visit! MISCOMMUNICATION takes the cake again this year everyone.

It was the only thing about this book that bothered me.

I really liked the new characters. I liked this one better than the first book (that seems to be a theme for this year as well), and I cant wait for the next one to come out. I'm excited to see which band member is going to fall next.

How to Catch a (Falling) Star: Gabrielle Aquilina

First, can I just say that this one was like, 20 times better than the first one. I'm not sure what it was, but I loved Johnny and Darcy so much more. Honestly, I barely remember the people in the last book. I do like that we see the continued relationship in this one though, it seemed more natural.

Darcy undergoes a relatively traumatic experience, and thankfully, Johnny is there to help her out. Johnny steps in to help Darcy, going so far as to keep her secret, which is what sets this whole book in motion. It all revolves around this one secret, that no one is willing to speak up about.

Which, of course, leads to absolute chaos. Don't worry, eventually, it all leads to a happy resolution.

Darcy speaks up for women everywhere, Johnny becomes a hero, they live happily ever after.

Yeah, this book may be a little predictable, a little cheesy, but totally worth it. Don't worry, just like the last one, there is plenty of steamy bedroom romance for everyone.



A super short read, great for whenever you have the time.

Now I just have to wait for the next one.

Undeniable: Cherie M. Hudson

Ahhhhhh, this series makes my heart so happy.



I mean, come on. All of these books have been amazing, and cute, and so sweet I can feel myself getting cavities. This author has a way of making her characters come to life, of making me wish for a happy ending for all of them.

Now, this series has always packed an emotional punch, but this one was like a kick in the ribs. It was a roller coaster from beginning to end. This story featured a female lead that was deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other. Chase was an amazing character. I fell in love with her during the last book. She is fierce, and loving, and so loyal.

Caden is much the same, as much as I didn't want this book to be his, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Caden was so caring, and so willing to do whatever was necessary for Chase.

This book hit me on a more personal one. I have a very good friend that is deaf, and Caden learning sign so that he can communicate more easily with Chase....it just made my heart melt. Sign language isn't the easiest to learn, but it just proves how much Caden loves Chase. Not to mention, he's been travelling halfway across the world just to visit her.

This whole series is great. I do recommend reading the previous book, so that you can understand the background for this installment.

I think that may have been one of my favorite parts. These two characters have known each other for a while now, it took time between them to get together. Chase had to get over a bad relationship, and Caden patiently waited for her. This wasn't some crazy meeting that ends up with the couple getting married one week later after having nonstop sex. It was an invested relationship (even if they didn't like each other at first).

As far as romance goes, it was good, there were some pretty good steamy scenes in here as well (full of emotion and love instead of just a whole bunch of crazy sex between two people who hardly know each other). I highly recommend this one as a perfect read for an in between book slump.

Meat: Opal Carew

Alright, so I have to say that the last Opal Carew book I read...was a flop to me(I think I still have nightmares). This one was much better. Now, it was still a little crazy  (I mean come on, having all this sex, with no condom, and after like a week, a proposal? Seriously!?).

That's just.....ugh. Ok, moving on.

Well, I did like the characters in this book. Rex was a likeable character, all tall and sexy and tatted up. What's not to like (so...I suppose there is one thing, but I'm not going to spoil anything if you haven't read it yet).

Rebecca was also pretty likeable. She was a take charge kind of girl, and she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. I really liked that. She was a businesswoman, and a good one, at that. Rebecca definitely wasn't afraid of getting what she wanted in life, by being assertive. And man, that is so refreshing for a book like this. It's too often that these books are all about a woman falling for a guy, and then lose themselves, relying on their man for everything.

Not Rebecca. Although I'm not a huge fan of her health choices, she was a perfect fit for someone like Rex.

Overall, this book was pretty good (especially compared to the last one I read by this author). It was a really quick read, with a pretty predictable plotline. The book is resolved, I didn't leave with any unanswered questions, but I felt like it was left a little too open. There is an opening for a second book.

Wrong Place, Right Time: Elle Casey

Oh man, I absolutely love this author. And so of course, I loved this book.
I swear, every book she puts out has made me cry from laughing so hard. Between Jenny's sass and constant "Mother of the Year Award" mentions, there was a lot of humor. Elle Casey has a way of making her characters come to life, of making them feel like long-time friends by the time you finish the book.

This one was no different. First we have Dev. He is basically a giant (bald) gorilla man, that really might just be a big teddy bear. He won me over in the first book, after getting tased, and taken down in his surprise attacks. But in this book, he gained so much more depth; a single dad taking care of his disabled son, amazing. He is honestly the perfect book boyfriend.



Beautiful.

And our lead lady, Jenny. Jenny may not have been as gung-ho for the Bourbon Street Boys job as her sister was, but she felt more real to me. A single mom struggling to take care of her kids because the father is terrible at it. But even in the book, it was obvious how much she loved her kids. She came across as a great mom, but it wasn't anything over-the-top crazy.

Again, one thing that bothered me was that they fell in love so fast. Granted, it wasn't all done in one week, and they each had their reservations. But this one didn't end in a marriage after hardly getting to know each other. They each put their kids first, which definitely gave them each points in my book.

Overall this book was great. It was a quick and easy read, fun, flirty, with just the right amount of smut to keep me happy and ready for the next book.

Saving a Legend: Sarah Robinson

Well, I do have to admit that this one was much better than the first one. I loved the continued family dynamics in this one. And am so glad that the family has been reunited.

I thought this one was much better than the previous one for some reason. I liked that the story as a whole was more believable (apart from the whole, you know, "murdering someone" part), with our heroine having a relatively normal backstory, same with our male lead.

Granted, the whole falling in love at first sight, super short romance turning into a perfect fairy tale love...is still a bit old.

This is one of the few things that I have to complain about for this book though. Aside from that, the only thing I didn't like was all the drama, the angst. That whole bit is annoying and old.

But I can't begin to explain how much I love Kieran. And Fiona. And them together. And honestly just the whole Kavanagh crew, they crack me up every time more than one of them is in a room together. This really was a good book. They made such a cute couple that it was easy to read, easy to like, and really just made me want to continue this series.

Leave Me: Gayle Forman

Like almost every other Gayle Forman book I have read, this one was emotional yet incredibly moving. I came close to crying a few times.

I think I fell in love with this book because the main character was so relatable. I'm pretty sure everyone has had the fantasy of just driving away from their life one day. Well, this main character does. 

After a heart attack, Maribeth ends up leaving her kids and her husband and just.....leaves. She gets sick of cooking, of all the cleaning, of not being able to heal from a serious injury. Maribeth learns about her life while not living in it. Maribeth gets an outside perspective, she gains a friend to lean on, and she realizes what family is all about.

What amazes me in this book is Maribeth's dedication. The whole time she is gone (well, the next town over) she doesn't even talk to her husband. And she admits that it kills her not to know what is going on.

This book was so well written, it was easy to read, but it didn't hook me right from the beginning. It did take a while for the story to pick up, although once it did, I fell in love with the characters. It was hard to read at some points, because it was so honest. By the time she finally admits that she can't do it anymore, and calls her husband, I was practically crying like a baby.

Divine Ecstasy: Setta Jay

Okay, so I'm gonna be completely honest in this review.

As is obvious from the description of each of the books in this series, they are pretty much smut book. And I will totally own up to the fact that that was the only reason I started reading them.

That being said, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. This series (if you look past all the sex) has an amazing plot. Like, seriously guys.

It starts out with this immortal race, and an elite group of them created to defend humanity against the Gods of old gone fucking crazy. They are charged with keeping the peace, making sure demons and whatnot stay in their proper place. But what happens when one of their race, a non-human, a son of a God goes crazy? Well, he wakes up an evil God, performs crazy experiments, and just generally causes destruction.

In order to continue the peace, the guardians must wake up Hades (one of three good Gods) and ask for his help. But then, he falls in love with one of the female Guardians.

That is what takes place in Divine Ecstasy. Hades falls in love and finds his mate, Sacha. They embark on their new life, with each other. In the meantime, a newly introduced alternate universe type thing comes into existence and guess what? They are also immortal warriors (yeah, I know it's a bit convoluted, just go with it) that want to take the Gods.

And now I'm kinda obsessed with figuring out what is going to happen. In this book there were a lot of answers to questions from previous books that went unanswered.

Hades and Sacha were both characters that I could get behind, I was rooting for them. They make such a great couple, and they take care of each other. I loved seeing Sacha's power grow, and merge with Hades' all-powerful ones.

At this point, most of the Guardians are mated, I think there are only two (three?) left, and I can't wait for it to happen.

It Took A Rumor: Carter Ashby

I'm sincerely surprised at how much I liked this book. I thought that it was well written, with likable characters, and an interesting plot. I haven't really read a book with this premise before, and I found I really enjoyed it.

Ivy was a fun person to read about. She and the Deathridge brothers live right next to each other in a small town, and when a rumor comes out about her sleeping with one of the brothers, she does what she has to in the end to clear her name, but she brings down each of the brothers in the process.

Each of the brothers is keeping a secret, and somehow, they each end up confiding in Ivy. However, each of these secrets she keeps means she can't set the story straight, to do so would mean betraying the brothers.

And man oh man, those brothers. All of them farmers, ripped, tanned, and glorious.

In this small farming community, rumors are spread with no shame. In fact, I do believe there was a website about it in the book that everyone in town reads. 

This book was a touch dramatic, but over all well done. I can't put too much more down without giving something away, so I will leave it for you all to read!

After We Fall: Marquita Valentine

This was a great addition to the series. Now, I thought it was kinda different, mainly because these weren't main characters with loose ends from the other books. They were side characters, who got their own story.

Hunter is a cop, a good one. He is nice and sweet and cares about Evangeline. He takes his time, gets to know her, and always makes sure that Evangeline feels comfortable. 

Evangeline was a phenomenally written character. She also takes her time, gets to know Hunter. I like that this isn't a book where even though the woman was abused, she still falls for the hero in two weeks. 

I also really liked the fact that there were so many animals in this book (cute dogs all over the place, and cats!). 

Evangeline works at a shelter, and slowly gets her life back in order. She regains her confidence, and owns her life.

Overall, it was a good book. I thought that it was well written, sappy and cute (predictable, yes, but still worth reading).

Here it is on Goodreads!

Catching Summer: L. P. Dover

I started this book without having read any of the rest of the series. I realized about halfway through that it actually was in a series, but that they could each be read as standalones.

I found this to be true. There were some characters and maybe some of the plot that would have been better understood if I had read the previous books, but I was able to follow along without problem.

I liked the whole of this book. I liked the characters, even though some of it was over the top dramatic, it was still well written. The heartache that Summer went through and is still experiencing during the book were awful, and sad (yes, somewhat unbelievable) but still made me feel for her.



Despite how much I liked it, it was still a bit blah, although, that may be because of all the recent books I've read. They have all been too much for me to handle, and this one seemed a bit dim in comparison. (Yes, I know I'm way, way behind on finally posting this review.)

I will most likely be going back to read the rest of the series now. I was really interested in quite a few of the characters, and am excited to read the next ones as well.

Here it is on Goodreads!

Dirty: Kylie Scott

As someone who has been a very, very big Kylie Scott fan (namely her Stage Dive series), I had high expectations for this book. And, while this was a decent book, it was no Stage Dive book. I loved the characters in Dirty, but it just wasn't what I hoped it was going to be.

Vaughan and Lydia had a rather rough start, but they were quite comical. I enjoyed watching them banter and get to know each other during the book. The side characters were also great. Vaughan's friends and family were all very likable, and lovable.

I just felt like this book was missing something. Some spark to keep me interested, some hook in the plot, there wasn't as much humor as her previous books. I just didn't feel it.

Despite the fact that I felt it wasn't her best book, it was still good. I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series, but I hope she changes things up a bit.

Here it is on Goodreads!

This One Moment: Stina Lindenblatt

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Well, I wasn't super impressed with this one. There wasn't anything super wrong with it...it was just a bit boring.

It was well-written, and cute, but just too much like all the others out there. There wasn't anything that made it stand out in my mind.

Now that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I liked some of the twists that this book took. Nolan and Hailey both go through a long and painful healing process. And, for most of the book, they help each other, are there for each other, that type of thing.

Nolan's story had me connecting with him much easier than Hailey. I'm not sure why, but I felt like his was more real I guess (not to mention unbelievably heartbreaking). Either way, I liked him much more than the rest of the characters in the book.

But there was a lot of no communicating between two people who were wholly in love with each other.

Overall it was a good book, and it was quick to read, so I will continue on with the series. The side characters in here were good, and I hope they get their own stories.

Jackson's Trust: Violet Duke

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

So this book was pretty good. It drew me in right from the beginning.

Jackson and Leila had such a cool story. I love any friends-to-lovers story, and this was was great. Leila shows up one day and Jackson can't help but being interested. Their friendship grows from there. The two of them hanging out, getting to know each other, and then finally they kiss. 

From there they get closer, and fall in love. Except....that wasn't the end of the story.

After the weird twist (I WILL NOT DIVULGE SPOILERS) things seemed to go downhill a bit. I felt that the story slowed down, and just got kinda weird. Yes, it has an HEA, but be prepared to suffer a bit to reach it. To me, most of the book moved at a nice pace, but it had its moments.

The writing was well done. This is my first book by this author, and I was impressed. There weren't any glaring holes (I don't count the twist as a hole.....just a plot blip to overlook) and the characters were so lively, I felt like I knew them as friends by the time I was done with the book.

All in all, I did like the story. Jackson's friends were pretty hilarious, and I would love to read their stories as well. This was only the first book in this new series, and I am looking forward to reading the rest!

Dark Touch: Aimee L. Salter

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Much like her previous book, Dark Touch was full of emotion, love, and heartache. I think I may even like this one more than Ever Ugly Word. 

My feels were all over the place for Tully. Mostly though, it was just heart-wrenching. Tully has gone through a really rough time, like, her whole life, with no human contact. She was easy to relate to at times, being a teenager is hard, and she just couldn't take much more.

And then came Chris. From the moment he touches Tully, he's basically hooked. He tries to get to know her (although she resists) he protects her, and brings her hope.

The side characters were almost all assholes, sorry but it's true. Tully's dad, her classmate Rudy, Chris's mom, and other people at school. Tully is strong, and only became stronger.

I loved the way this book progressed, the way that Tully finally let Chris in, the background and how her dad treated her, and the way she grew up and handled it. I loved that Tully grew into herself, and finally saw herself as worthy.

Honestly, I think that everyone should read this book. Maybe you will be able to relate to it, maybe it will help heal you, or maybe it will help you gain some perspective about those around you. Either way, it is a great book.

The writing was good, the author has only progressed since her last book. All in all, it was worth the read, and I will continue to read anything that this author writes!

Risking It All: Christi Barth

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was a combination of everything I love in romance books. Sexy, smart, funny, and still cute. 

Excuse me while I go swoon all over the place.

Griffin was a great leading man. Yeah he's a dumbass at times, but hey, aren't all guys in romance books? But no worries, he finally comes to his senses.

And Chloe! She was pretty cool. She grew into herself so much. She became more confident, grew a pair of balls, and started taking what she wanted from life. Which had both hilarious and serious results.

The side characters (read: the rest of the Naked Men) were also fun to get to know. I think I want them to be an actual thing. Their blog sounds good, and the podcast? I would totally listen in.

All in all, it was a good book. It was a predictable romance plot, but there was enough of a fresh twist that it kept me interested. I can't wait for the rest of the series! But I do hope that these characters make at least a side appearance in the following books.

Make sure to check this one out!

Progress: Amalie Silver

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I found this book as frustrating as I did beautiful. Which is incredibly.

This book is about two very broken individuals who try, time after time after time to come together, to be better, and to try and help each other.

There was so much pain in this book that I could feel it. I liked the depiction of the problems that both characters had. They were both so realistic, it wasn't romanticized or prettied up. It was harsh and brutal and sad.

I liked that the author didn't try to wrap everything up in one book, I usually don't like books that turn into a trilogy or anything, but this one was awesome. I want to say there was a lot of angst in this book, but there wasn't, that was the mental health issues popping up.

I'm glad that the author included a trigger warning, for those of you who have some, make sure you're aware of them. It was hard to read some parts, but was so worth it.

I think everyone who wants to know more about mental illnesses and how they affect others, and people who like tragic backstories and rough characters should read this. Keep in mind this was not a happy book, it is dark and kinda depressing.

Crushed: Charmaine Pauls

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

A few things to note before I start this.
    One: I first saw this on NetGalley and requested it when it was under the title Loving the Enemy.
    Two: I WAS HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS WAS A PREQUEL WHEN I REQUESTED IT. It wasn't listed in the description until the title changed that this was, in fact, a prequel.

Therefore, I was so freaking confused during this book that I didn't really know what was going on.

But despite that, I still liked it! 

For some reason, I liked that the characters were all broody and mysterious and honestly, assholes. I usually don't enjoy that, plus all the angst (seriously, angst pisses me off to no end), but this author managed to pull it off in a way that didn't annoy me, but rather kept me on edge, wanting to know what happened next.

I'm happy to say that I will definitely be reading the rest of these books (although it may take me some time...), so if you like this series, or this author, read it!

Closer: Aria Hawthorne

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was actually pretty good! It was a romance so it nothing really ended up surprising me, it was pretty obvious where the story was headed.

However, I did like the whole twist of Sven losing his eyesight. I thought it was interesting that they made a business deal for something other than "girl needs money/house/other things that can only be achieved by trading herself with a guy". I mean seriously, that gets so old.

Both of the characters were pretty likable, and they weren't super annoying or childish.

However, nothing really stood out in this book either. Yeah, it was cute, and romantic, but that was it. Nothing really made it stand apart from others like it. It started off really great, but it did slowly fade into a misty grey area.

But whatever, I liked it. Check it out if you like moody guys who become not so moody, and girls who know what they want.

The Backup: Kathryn Renard

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Well....

That seriously about sums up the entirety of what I thought about this book.

I had to force myself to finish it. It just wasn't my thing.

I think this book was 50% angst, 40% drama, and the remaining ten percent was divided between me repeatedly say WTF, and some decent plot mixed in, and sex.

I saw that this author wanted to write books that reflected the real college experience, but I couldn't relate at all. Maybe some people can, and if so, why the hell are you still enrolled at your school!?

I had hoped that this would slowly get better, and it did, but only marginally. 

That being said, if you're into drama and romance, you should definitely check out this book.

Against the Wall: Jill Sorenson

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Well, I read this one a while ago, so I went back and re-read it. It didn't really get any better the second time. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent book, but so are the others out there that have this plotline.

I guess I just couldn't get into it that much. I found myself skipping pages but still able to follow the story.

It had some pretty awesome moments, that evoked an emotional response, and some kinda funny moments.

There were a few twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, which helped the book out in my opinion. It was a pretty cute romance book, the couple was adorable most of the time.

Just wasn't my cup of tea, hope everyone else enjoys.

Calling Me (Complete Series): Louise Bay

**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I actually really liked this series, it was slightly predictable, but it was still cute. I really liked the whole friends-to-lovers plot, most of the ones that I've read aren't too great, but the author did a nice job on these.

I thought that all of these could have been combined to make one book, instead of making three novellas out of it, but it did keep me interested. 

Both of the characters did a lot of growing up during these books, and I liked how Luke finally grew a pair and took what he wanted. I think that Ashleigh still had some growing up to do, even by the end of the book. The characters were well written and I enjoyed watching the two of them finally come together to be a couple.

Glad I decided to check this series out, will definitely keep an eye on this author.