My Obsession: Cassie Ryan

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

As much as the lover-turned-stalker/homicidal maniac has been played, this one was pretty cool.

Brent was adorable, and sexy at the same time. I just loved him.

I mean come on, he has had a crush on Sandra from high school. And now she's back because her abusive piece of shit ex boyfriend was going to kill her. So Brent just takes her in and protects her, helps her find a job, helps her get some self defense classes. He was a perfect book boyfriend.

However, Brent wouldn't even tell her about him being in high school with her, much less about having a crush on her. Total dick move man. I did like this as an interesting twist in the story though. It was new to me.

I also liked getting a bit of Sandra's background. The couple jumped in together pretty fast, even though Sandra was pretty hesitant. I thought that their relationship developed well enough, if not pretty much purely sex at first.

I liked the writing style of this author, and the way the characters acted. I wish that Sandra would have spoken up sooner about her ex, but at least it ended with an HEA! I really enjoyed the book, and will check out this author's other works.

Just a Little Kiss: Renita Pizzitola

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

WE FINALLY GET MASON'S STORY!!! AAAHHH!!

And it was as amazing as I hoped it would be.

Felicity was a welcome addition to the series. She was pretty relatable. She was someone about the same age as me, who had no idea what to do with her life (as I think everyone this age feels). She just wanted to be happy and have fun. But was stuck in a small town, not really knowing how to get out.

And then in swoops Mason. A fun "summer boy" to spend some time with. Possibly a ticket out of town. Mason was a sweetheart, doing his best to get over his crush on his best friend, trying his hardest to finally move on. I liked that Mason was pretty honest with Felicity about everything.

I loved the slow development of their relationship. Even though Felicity was kind of annoying at times, she was just so stubborn about doing everything all on her own. I think that all of the problems that they faced were pretty realistic, no crazy exes, no murder plots or schemes. And even though I was annoyed with Felicity being so stubborn, it was hard not to be proud of her because she did learn to make it on her own.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I have been waiting for Mason's story from the start, and it was brilliant. Mason really did a good job with his "grand gesture moment" to make up for the shit that he pulled. I think Mason was an ass with just a few mistakes, but at the same time, he just had such a history of being a sweet guy that I couldn't get as mad at him as Felicity was.

I always like a good, slightly cliche book with a HEA, but the author made this one feel like a new perspective somehow. I think that if you do read this book, make sure you read the others in the series first, it just makes more sense, there would have been a bunch of missed details had I not read the previous ones. I don't know if there will be any more additions to this series, but I will be more than willing to read them if it happens!

The Pitch: Belinda Williams

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

This book was both romantic and cute while being serious. 

I seriously was impressed with this author's writing  style and her ability to keep me interested. Although the book got boring around the middle and at the very end, I really enjoyed reading this one.

Paul was a great counterpart to Maddy. They balanced each other well, but were both equals in the book. I liked that Paul respected Maddy's love and passion for her business. The book also focused on the business much more than I expected, which was exciting actually. I loved getting to know a new side of a business (even if it wasn't true...I felt like I was learning something).

The way that they treated each other was a bit more mature than some of the other books I've been reading recently. I think that Paul over reacted in some parts of the book, as did Maddy. But eventually all was well, a nice little HEA to tie everything together.

Some of the plot seemed out of place for how the characters acted (namely the vacations) even though they were kicking back and relaxing. Some of it was just ridiculous. I did like the frienship between Maddy and her girlfriends. Paul had one similar relationship with a friend, but Maddy's interactions were much more humorous.

Overall it was an fun and quick read, but I didn't even realize that it was the second in a series. I did not read the first one, and this one still made sense, so it can be read as a standalone. However, I am excited for surferboy's story!

World After: Susan Ee

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

I have to say that I am so disappointed in the turn this series took. The first one started off exciting, and seemed like a new and fresh and original idea and the longer the series goes on I just picture this happening to the story

I love the idea of this book, but this one was just boring. Pen was frustrating, and I felt like she was just blundering along in this one. Raffe was my favorite character by far, but he was hardly even in this book. So, if the rest of you are looking for more of the budding romance, or even just the camaraderie that Pen and Raffe share, look elsewhere, you will not find it here.

Pen's sister was super creepy, and is now apparently a cannibal-frankenstein-demon-thing. Which is cool. I wish that some of the questions I had about that whole debacle would have been answered sooner. Most of the plot just drug on. But it was really interesting watching the angel's internal fighting escalate and develop.

Uriel and Beliel make me want an epic fight to happen. And I thought it was totally going to happen. But it didn't. Maybe in the next one? I'm hoping...but probably not. I want Raffe to finally get his wings back. He has gone through so much and I want him to just win everything. He was amazing in this one as well. He saved Pen and fought for her.

I did really enjoy reading the scenes with "Pooky Bear" teaching Pen about how to use her and Raffe's history. I hope we get more of that in the next one as well. A little side note, Raffe's reaction to hearing the name "Pooky Bear"...priceless.

Overall, a great read, but I am discouraged by most of what went down in this one. Long live Pooky Bear!!

Mastered 2: Ten Tales of Sensual Surrender

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

Some authors had much better books in this collection than others.

The ones I most highly noted were:

     

Cynthia Sax

     The book included in this collection was fantastic. It was a forbidden romance that still had enough of a new twist to be interesting. I loved the way that Logan Ross (our male lead) handled everything with Ari's family. I will have to check out some more of her books.

Karen French

     Her book was heart-wrenching. A woman in an abusive relationship escapes and runs to her husband's best friend. He takes matters into his own hands and takes care of Corinne. I loved the fact that Nate was so patient with her and did everything in his power to make her whole again. This book was the first in a series, and with the amount that I loved it, I will be continuing it when I have time.

Some others were alright, but most I just couldn't get into.

Crave (Undone #1): Jennifer Dawson

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

When I first checked out this book, I was a bit dubious. But it was so much better than I anticipated. 

I mean...really, really good. The entire thing took me by surprise.

Layla was a phenomenal character. I loved that she had flaws, but didn't apologize for them. She was afraid of many things, including going after what she really wanted. And then Michael came in. Michael was possessive, controlling, and perfect for Layla. He helped her get through everything, and brought her back to life.

I was so glad that Michael never let her run. I saw something bad coming, but I really didn't think Michael would end up the way he did.

The plot of this book wasn't some cheesy BDSM thing. Don't get me wrong, I love them too, but this book was more. It was about healing, and finding strength in yourself, and getting over a horrible, horrible trauma. Layla astounded me with her ability to persevere. She may have been stuck in her grief, but I thought she was doing really well.

Overall this was a great read. The story didn't jump all over the place, backstory was introduced at the proper place. And the characters complimented each other extremely well. I especially liked the deeper substance of this book, while still catering to those of us who love smut. I hope everyone else enjoys this as much as I did.

Fake Boobs: Ryan Ringbloom

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

I loved the whole idea of this book. I loved the idea behind this book. I loved the characters in this book. I just plain loved this book!

Tori was a character that was written in such a realistic way that it was hard not to empathize with her. The constant self-loathing and hate was a bit much a times. I know that she finally grew up and got everything sorted out, but I felt like this was Tori basically for the entire book.

Which was annoying. But everyone around her treated her like shit, so I don't exactly blame her.

Grant was...interesting. He frustrated me more than Tori because WOW! own up to what you feel. This ENTIRE situation could have had a much better, much easier, much quicker outcome if someone had some balls. But no. 

As much as that part of the book angered me, I am glad that the author did it. It really put things in perspective and set up everything that Tori goes through after that perfectly. I liked that Tori learned about self-confidence, even if it was the hard way. She realized that she could be her own hero, and she finally started standing up for what she wanted.

I liked that she kept some of her assets, just because they made her feel better about herself. Some people might be against that, but she stayed within reason I think.

I liked the themes that this book brought up about girls and self-confidence, and what people are willing to go through to validate themselves. I loved that the author wasn't afraid to crash through that subject wall with a sledgehammer, but still be able to walk calmly through that wall after. 

I'm going to have to check out some other works by this author, I was very impressed with this first look!