ARC Review: Uncross The Stars

Uncross The Stars by Janell Rhiannon 

Publisher: Createspace Publishing, 2014

165 pages, kindle edition

Source: Received from Author

Release Date: December 15th 2014

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Links: Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Fiona Lavender is the new girl at school. She has a chip on her shoulder and a penchant for poetry. Dario Martinez is the star quarterback, and the most unattainable guy on campus. Their stars cross when they are paired to study Romeo and Juliet for a senior English project. Their attraction is fragile and undeniable. But, Dario is afraid of what love will do; and Fiona is waiting for love to claim her.

Will they uncross the stars and find the love they both need to heal their pasts?

My Review:

This book is a story about Fiona and Dario 2 kids who have more than they ever have imagined. Dario seems to have it all in high school, star on the football field as the leading quarterback which every guy want to be friends with and who every girls wants to date. But mean while Fiona has recently come back to town and just wants to make it through her last year of high school. Dario sees something in Fiona and finds her different than all the rest of the other girls and despite everything falls for her and in love for the first time. Both Fiona and Dario have pasts that neither want everyone or anyone to know about and for reason of their own only confined in each other. But however jealously rears its BIG ugly head in there and someone is out to hurt and put everything in jeopardy for Dario’s future and his relationship with Fiona.

I personally enjoyed this quick easy read, I like the slow build up relationship between Dario and Fiona. I liked how they were 2 halves of one soul that found each other and are there to help each other through all their hard times. But I also liked their back stories from both their lives, which I was so surprised when they were revealed in the book. it made the characters more complex and I totally understand why they were the way they were, but explaining the emotional toll they both were experiencing inside. These are 2 people who I felt were meant to find one another but not only to help each other but also themselves.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Love Hurts

Love Hurts by Malorie Blackman

Publisher: RHCP Digital, 2015
576 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Anthologies, Short Stories

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Malorie Blackman brings together the best teen writers of today in a stunningly romantic collection about love against the odds. Featuring short stories and extracts about modern star-crossed lovers from stars such as Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak and Patrick Ness, and with a brand-new story from Malorie Blackman herself, Love Hurts looks at every kind of relationship, from first kiss to final heartbreak.

My Review:

The synopsis makes you believe that Love Hurts was to be a collection of new and original works by these authors, but in all truth only five were new, and others were pulled from other existing books, a large portion of which I  had read already. Blackman has curated a bundled of romantic scenes from Young Adult novels and smashed them all into one, Which was confusing.

With pulling the extracts from completed work already is that readers may no connection or knowledge of the plot. Issue with being given random excerpts is that because we were not given the entire beginning of the story, It most often felt rushed and alot like instant-Love, so the pacing was off most times. Most excerpts made me feel like i had just walked into the middle of something. I struggled to pick up what was happening, why was a couple fighting (I had no idea what lead them to that state or even who they were). 

Even though I had problems with this book, Love Hurts shows that love maybe painful it can still be beauitful. i provides us with everything from awkward first meetings to first kisses with a handsome man to an all consuming relationships, but reminds us that everyone experiences love, soldiers, siblings robots, friends, strangers, and online acquaintances.

My Rating:

ARC Review: As You Turn Away (The Walker Boys #1)

As You Turn Away (The Walker Boys #1) by Molli Moran

Publisher: Molli Moran, 2014

258 pages, kindle edition

Source: Author

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Two hearts, one life-changing summer, and a long-awaited second chance...

When Quinnlan Reynolds left home at 18, she escaped her small, Georgia town and her suffocating upbringing. She started a new life as a ballerina, and tasted freedom for the first time. But four years later, her first visit home turns tragic. Reeling, Quinn tries to piece her life back together again. But doing so is easier said than done when sexy Jonah Walker saunters back into her life.

Quinn shattered Jonah’s heart once, so getting involved with her isn’t something he’s sure he’s ready to do again. He became someone he didn’t recognize when he left home. He’s spent the last years burying his pain by keeping everyone in his life at arm’s length. Now he needs to get to know his family again, and finally become who he wants to be.

But neither Quinn or Jonah can stay away from each other, especially when old feelings resurface. Something is pulling them back together, and they can’t deny their chemistry for long. One Georgia summer could change both their lives forever, if they can work through their past to have a future together.

My Review:

This is book is the first in the series, Molli Moran contacted me and asked if I wanted to read and review her book I had to say yes and was very excited. And OMGosh I fell in love with these Walker Boys! when you read this book you automatically think it is going to be a good series, this book was like an emotional roller coaster you are laughing, crying, anger.

Quinn and Jonah have hurt one another pretty bad in the past, but when they find themselves both back in there hometown, they don't know each other is in town until a tragedy strikes. They wouldn't be able to avoid one another for long any how because it is a small community.

The pair still has some pretty serious chemistry going on between them so it is going o be very hard for them to stay away from another when they do meet again, they have a lot to work out together though, they haven't just hurt themselves  in the processor but they hurt the people around them who love them most. 

My Rating:

ARC Review: Kickback (DI Nick Dickson Crime Series #3)

Kickback (DI Nick Dixson #3) by Damien Boyd

Publisher: Thomas & Merver, 2015

241 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Crime

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Trainee jockey, Noel Woodman, has been kicked to death by an aggressive stallion at a horse racing stables near Bridgwater. Everyone is convinced it was an accident, except his brother, Jon, home on leave from Afghanistan.

Still recovering from the physical and mental scars of his last case, DI Nick Dixon is drawn into the investigation at the point of a gun and soon begins peeling away the layers of secrets and lies.

With the pressure mounting, his determination to unlock the case is tested to the limit, and, as the hunt for the killer gathers pace, Dixon finds himself fighting for his life in the dead of night.

My Review:

 This could possibly be one of the best mystery books I have ever read it is the third book in the series, Detective Inspector Nick Dixson of Avon and Somerest Police is drawn into a domestic hostage situation and from that into the death of a young stable guy which had already been ruled as accidental.

But as Nick peels away every layers of deception Detective Inspector Nick gets an education in horse racing, betting and potential crimes associated with this activity, but once again the final surprises and enlighten Nick and his crew and will readers as will.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Past Heaven

Past Heaven by Laura Ward

Publisher: Not available at the moment, 2015
334 pages, kindle edition
Source: Author
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Not every love story has a happy ending. Some just change your life.

Liz Atwater’s happily ever after was torn from her the instant her husband, Jack, was murdered. She is forced to pick up the shattered pieces of her life and raise her three young sons alone.

Reynolds Carter’s picture perfect Hollywood life ended the moment the paparazzi got hold of his girlfriend’s cheating scandal. As he watches his life unfold in the tabloids, he comes to a crossroads in his career and his purpose.

When Reynolds takes on the challenge of a new project, his world collides with that of Liz. Neither of them expected their professional relationship to evolve into friendship, or love.

But life is never simple.

Faced with complications from family, friends, and colleagues, Liz and Reynolds are left to decide whether two people from such different worlds can find happiness together.

Can they get past the pain, fear, and guilt and risk their hearts to love again?

Not every love story is just a happy ending. Some completely change your life.

My Review:

This novel was a very emotional read, I cried, laughed and I cried some more. It was a very touching story of loss and a second chance at love. The beginning of this novel was absolutely heart breaking, you could just feel Liz’s heartache and it got me to think about the future on how I would handle something like that if it were to happen to me. But I think I would not handle it how she did with all her strength. But Liz is coping the best way she knows how, when Mr. Reynolds Carter turns up to her street in her driveway on her door step. Mr. Carter is an A-list actor in L.A Hollywood who is tired of all the Hollywood “fakes”. He makes a decision on wanting to do something real and talk with his parents puts him on the new ‘real’ track of Jack Atwater’s story. Reynolds and Liz set out to memorialise Jack and they also find a second chance at love.

This novel is told from both Reynolds and Liz’s point of views, you will love the setting and structure of them working together, falling in love, becoming a family and the life of Hollywood made this story so much more. Also Liz’s boys Griffin, Grayson and Hayden they made this story lovelier and much more emotional, as well Liz’s best friend Cindy was great being their every step of the way since Jack’s death and afterwards she is Liz’s total opposite.

This was a beautiful story my emotions are still trying to calm. Two things I learnt from this book take a chance on love and love till the end of time or in other words “Past Heaven”. Ms. Ward I can’t wait for more, excited for the next compelling story.

“The idea is that once you really love someone, and I mean the kind of love that fills you up from head to toe, it never leaves you. A love like that surrounds you, always. Time distance, and even death can’t end it. That love is past heaven”

My Rating:

Blog Tour: Withering Hope by Layla Hagen (Review + Giveaway)

Publisher: Layla Hagen

Release Date: January 19th 2015 

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Synopsis:

*This will be a STANDALONE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE.*

Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect.

But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts.

As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest.

Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.

Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.

My Review:

Aimee boarded her fiance's airplane to go to Brazil to get married at a beautiful ranch with a lavish ceremony she has been planning for months. Her life has not been an easy one, after losing her parents at very young age, her best friend Chris who became her bofriend has always been there for her to help her through life and now their big day is arriving. a few hours into the flight the turbulence gets intense and Tristan (The pilot) announces there are difficulties with the plane that are forcing him to make an emergency landing in the middle of the Amazon rainforest.

Tristan has been working for Chris (Aimee's fiance) for 2 years, he mostly keeps to himself, who also carriers deep secrets that haunt him still. Tristan has always enjoyed Aimee's presence. She is beautiful, sweet and smart. She is always has a smile on her face. Now with them both stranded in the rainforest, a bond beings to form between the pair, something that is beginning a friendship that will soon turn into something very special and vital to them as breathing.

It will not be easy facing the wild rainforest with the scary provisions they have, but they become a team. Their goal is to protect each other from the dangers in the rainforest, both are willing to fight anything and aiming to survive. Day after day hope for a rescue becomes a distant thought neither one of them are willing to torture themselves with. A fierce love is born, desperate and unlike anything Aimee or Tristan have ever known. But guilt and fear of hurting Chris plus all the scary encounters in the wild will make i hard for their love to even have a chance. 

My Rating:

Author Bio:

My name is Layla Hagen and I am a New Adult Contemporary Romance author.

I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.

I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.

And I drink coffee. Lots of it, in case the photo didn’t make it obvious enough

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (OPEN INTERNATIONALLY)
1. $20 Amazon Gift card

ARC Review: A Father's Fight (Fighting #5)

A Father's Fight (Fighting #5) by JB Salsbury

Publisher: Not available at the moment, 2014

158 pages, kindle edition

Source: Give Me Books

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sports

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Life changes in the span of a heartbeat. One, tiny heartbeat.

Blake and Layla have lived through disappointment and regret, only finally finding relief with the powerful love they have for each other. A love they intend to fight to keep.

They’ve had to forgive each other, but can they truly move forward without facing the pain of the past?

Layla’s been avoiding the phone calls. Nine months pregnant and exhausted, she doesn’t want the complication. But she can’t run from the truth. Whoever’s calling was there eighteen years ago. Unlike her, he remembers the night that changed the course of her life, and he’s ready to talk.

Blake’s preoccupied with an email, a few simple sentences sent through cyberspace that have the capability to rob him of his sanity, his freedom, and the people he loves most in the world. When he’s called home for a mysterious reason, leaving Layla isn’t ideal, but hope for reconciliation combined with his brother’s secrecy ignites a curiosity he refuses to ignore.

Putting the pain behind them is no longer an option.

To get the answers they need, they must face the past and open up old wounds that threaten to bleed them dry.

My Review:

The first novel I picked up of Mrs. Salsbury was Fighting For Flight, Jonah and Raven's story. First introductions are always the best and this series just keeps getting better and better, and I have brought every book since. This is the sequel to Blake and Layla's story Fighting To Forgive, and this book will not disappoint you at all.

With the upcoming birthday of their child everything is perfect until both their pasts come back to bring up old memories that they would just much rather forget and move on with their lives. But sometimes you need to face your pasts head on and understand why things happen. Both Blake and Layla do exactly that and what they both find out shocks them to their core but it also helps them to see there strengths in who they have become today, sometimes a father's love can cloud their judgement.

I love the chemistry between Blake and Layla. The love that Blake has for Axelle is unreal. Creating a baby doesn't automatically make you a father. But what you do with the love and time spending with your child, that is what makes you a dad and you come to appreciate all of the little things in life.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Secret Santo

Secret Santo by Carla Caruso

Publisher: Destiny Romance, 2014
54 pages, kindle edition
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Romance, Chick-Lit
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Holly Plume is a bookseller by day and a romance blogger by night, dishing out scathing reviews under her pseudonym, Sultry Scarlet. When she scores an invite to the publishing event of the year, Holly couldn't be more excited. Finally a chance to meet her favourite author, the mysterious thriller writer known only as AJ Ruffo.

When Holly literally falls into the arms of the mysterious and charming Santo Randolfi, she's sure it must be AJ. After all, Santo has tousled good looks, dark curls, luscious lips . . . He's exactly what she'd imagined. But when Santo reveals he's actually the author of a romance novel Holly recently slammed on her blog, keeping her online identity a secret becomes vital.

As Holly struggles to keep Santo from learning the truth, she realizes just how much she likes him. But when he discovers who she is, will their relationship be over before it's even begun?

My Review:
this novella is a fun Christmas read which is just perfect for around this time of year with all of the interruptions and distractions that come along with the silly season.

the main characters is Holly a romance blogger who loves everything about Christmas, romance novels and her favorite author AJ Ruffo, she has ever read when she has to do those dash off to the most exclusive Christmas party in the publishing world of Melbourne.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Swept Away (Volume 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Swept Away (Volume 1) by J. Haymore

Publisher: Jennifer Haymore, 2014

130 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Erotica, New Adult

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

I needed something — something big — to get myself out of the rut I’d fallen into after the car accident that killed my sister. This sailing trip was meant only to mark a new chapter in my life. Until Ethan Williams stepped on board.

Ethan radiated confidence. His darkly handsome good looks and ocean-blue eyes mesmerized me. But it was the way he looked at me that drew me in. He wasn’t looking at my past or at my scars, but the real me behind all that baggage I was trying so hard to leave behind.

But Ethan had secrets—dark, dangerous secrets. I was trapped in the middle of the ocean in a tangle of lies, sex, and violence. The problem was, I was happy to be trapped forever...if it meant I could have him.

My Review:

Tara Jameson had has enough tragedy it is time to have some fun and take an adventure. When she decides to go with her college friend, Kyle on a sail boat from California to Hawaii her wanting nothing to go along as planned is exactly what she gets.

Before she can even get on the boat an old injury causes a fall on the dock with a rescue by a man she could only dream of ever meeting. Ethan Williams is successful, charming, and being in charge so helping her up and getting her settled is second nature to this successful businessman. There are five of them cruising on the ocean but Tara is determined to get close to Ethan regardless of how aloof he comes off. Tara and Kyle have always been the best of friends and he is the one that helped her recover from the losses she kept having to endure but he keeps telling her to back away from Ethan which only makes her want him more.

Swept Away (Volume 2) by J. Haymore

Publisher: Jennifer Haymore, 2014

105 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Erotica, New Adult
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Ethan Williams is the worst man for me. The dangerous choice. The choice most likely to hurt me. Ethan will never give me the long-term happiness I yearn for.

Of course I choose him. He’s the bigger risk. The man I know very little about. The man who’s almost guaranteed me that he’ll do nothing but hurt me. That’s the one I want.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I was falling in love with Ethan—even though he was going to walk away from me forever in less than three weeks. But I wasn’t going to think about that. I’d enjoy this time we had together on the open ocean, then, once we got to Hawaii, I’d let him go. No regrets.

But Ethan’s secrets were deeper and darker than I could have ever imagined. I’d put my trust into someone who gave me almost nothing of himself.

And if I wasn’t careful, his secrets could kill me.

My Review:
As our story continues we find Tara facing one more nightmare, a startling confession from her best friend Kyle. Tara cannot believe the things he is saying to her right in front of his latest girlfriend and captain of their boat. He may be the right choice for her but Tara wants Ethan for all the wrong reasons as it always seems to be. Ethan says he cannot commit but has he already and doesn’t know it, or is his fight to remain at arm’s length real. Tara is falling deeper into a commitment she knows he will not honor but regardless she is going down for the fall.

With the storms throwing them everywhere but on the right course Tara backs away and says no more and if only that could be what happens. The endless plots against her thicken as her peanut allergy is life threatening by someone on board lacing her coffee, a crew member steals away in the middle of the night sabotaging vital equipment, and each of them looking at one another with suspicion and doubt as to who is trying to take Tara out permanently. But rely on each other the four of them must do because they are all that is keeping certain doom from taking over and ending this pleasure cruise with a nightmare.


Swept Away (Volume 3) by J. Haymore

Publisher: Jennifer Haymore, 2014

110 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Erotica, New Adult
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
It’s yet another bomb. The past week has been full of them, exploding when least suspected. This one, though…this one shatters me. Like all the other bombs have combined into one nuclear missile, and Ethan has just rammed it into my chest.

Survival was what should’ve been foremost on my mind. But Ethan’s lies consumed me instead. I trusted him, and the devastation of his betrayal cut so deep, I was surprised I wasn’t bleeding.

My Review:
There have been so many unanswered questions along the way and now everything is starting to come together. Ethan, in shock, after what him and Tara went through, dropped a major bomb at the end of the last volume. He's been keeping a pretty big secret from Tara. Something that she might not be able to look past. It played into one of her biggest insecurities and had the potential to ruin everything, but somehow she was still able to let it go. I don't know if I could do it, but maybe he's worth it.

This part of the story didn't have as much action as the first two, but I still really liked it. This volume was more about Ethan and Tara spending time together and trying to figure out if they have a future. From the beginning, Ethan made it clear that Tara shouldn't expect their relationship to last beyond the few weeks they would have together in Hawaii after the sailing trip. But, things changed and now that everything is out in the open, he wants all of her. Is it a mistake for her to put her trust in him, again? It seems so! We are left with another major cliffhanger.

Swept Away (Volume 4) by J. Haymore

Publisher: Jennifer Haymore, 2014

117 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Erotica, New Adult
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The thrilling conclusion to the Swept Away series!

Ethan has dropped his final bomb, and I’m done. I’m finished. I can’t do this anymore.

I had no idea of the danger I was stepping into. That she was one step ahead of me at every turn. And that I was about to be in a desperate fight for my life.

My Review:
The wild crazy ride is over, I’m sad though I wish there is more for Ethan, Tara, and Kyle. This book nicely rounded out everything all the unanswered questions that you have through all of the books are answered in this final book. There is definitely more suspense and Justine gets even more crazy.

I really liked this series and could see it as a movie on lifetime or something, the writing was good, the characters were great together. Ethan and Tara have great chemistry, and there relationship although a bit insta is believable.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Still Beautiful (20 Something #4)

Still Beautiful (20 Something #4) by Amy Patrick

Publisher: Oxford South Press, 2014
168 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

20 year old double-engineering major Cinda Moran is the smart one. Her older sister Kenley… is the pretty one. Their nightmare match-making mom has always made their roles pretty clear, and it’s no mystery which daughter she prefers. So while Kenley played the passive dress-up doll, Cinda did the opposite, refusing any attempts to prettify her and make her into “billionaire bait”. Instead, she’s fiercely focused on academics and her internship at an Atlanta TV station.

And as far as romance goes — please — she’s not even sure true love is a “thing”. As she does for everything else in her life, Trekkie-girl Cinda’s got a logical plan: select a sensible mate, come to a mutually satisfactory agreement, and decide to stick it out for better or worse.

Then she meets Blake Branham. He makes no sense for her at all. He’s a reporter at the station, years older, and has ambitions to work at the network someday while she intends to stay put in Atlanta. Even worse—he’s a total alpha. With her own Mr. Spock personality, the last thing she needs in her life is a swaggering Captain Kirk taking stupid risks and tempting her to do the same.

And he is tempting. When she’s forced to work closely with Blake on live shots and gets to know him outside the station as well, Cinda feels things she’s never felt for another guy and starts to wonder… should she boldly go where she’s never gone before? Should she give love a chance… even if it’s not logical?

My Review:

Amy Patrick has done it again another good read. one thing i like about her as an author is her main characters are very likable. you can enjoy books while still wanting to slap the shit out of the heroine in the face, but never happens in the series.

It was kind of annoying how Cindy was always putting down her appearance, but it wasn't that she was randomly in secure like most characters. it was a understandable reaction to her surroundings and history with guys. Blake was the nice but so totally hot guy that shows up in Amy Patrick's book, but I didn't like all the secrets.

I also realized exactly how well these books work as a standalone, you still feel like you are missing out on a lot of information if you haven't read the other books, since the main characters from the other books are such a big part of the one you are reading. But that is so not the case at all here. You really can start with any book to be honest but I do suggest you read all the books in order.

My Rating:

Blog Tour: Infernal Ice by Joceline Farrah (Review + Giveaway)

Infernal Ice by Joceline Farrah

Release Date: December 18th 2014

Genre: Erotica, Paranormal, Romance

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis:

Beneath the sun kissed skies and the glamour of South Beach, Stygians and mortals co-exist under an uneasy alliance.Governed by strict rules known as Stygian protocol, they live by one most sacred and cardinal rule: Never comingle with mortals.

Grief stricken, caseworker Jessa Belle Jones loses herself in her job, after the love of her life, Scott Dempsey disappears without a trace. When her father announces her betrothal to Abbandon, the General of the Stygian Armies, Jessa-Belle turns to Havah, the Tinseller to thwart her father’s plan by finding her own Stygian noble to marry.

Wrought with vengeance, Stygian Raum Corvus, searches Miami Beach for retribution against the dark mage who took everything he’d cherished.

But when destiny links Raum path to Jessa’s plight, will fate keep them together or will Stygian conventions rip them apart?

My Review:

There are many things to love about this book. The characters were interesting and I loved that there was a dual point of view. There is secrets, twists, suspense, romance and a bit of steam to interest the readers. It took me a little bit to get used to the strange names and some of the meaning but it was easy to pick up after reading the bit of glossary. I overall thought that this book was unique and interesting and I recommend you lovely readers over the age of 18 to check out this book.

Author Bio:

(No Author Photo)
Joceline Farrah is an avid reader of all of things paranormal. She draws inspiration for her stories from her own hometown magic city Miami Beach, FL. With pen to paper, she creates worlds where beings are as magical as the realms they inhabit.When she isn’t plotting new ideas for a novel or crocheting, she enjoys a good game of Chess and a nice cup of Chai tea.


Author Links: Website | Facebook

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (OPEN INTERNATIONALLY) ENDS JANUARY 28TH 2015
1. $50 Amazon gift card
2. 4x eBook copies of Infernal Ice
3. 2x Infernal Ice posters

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review: Imitation (Clone Chronicles #1)

Imitation (Clone Chronicles #1) by Heather Hildenbrand

Publisher: Alloy Entertainment (Powered by Amazon), 2014

272 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Young Adult, Science, Dystopia, Romance, Fantasy

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me.

Ven wrestles with these contradicting truths every day. A clone of wealthy eighteen-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face. Imitations like Ven only get to leave the lab when they’re needed—to replace a dead Authentic, donate an organ, or complete a specific mission. And Raven has never needed Ven . . . until now.

When there is an attack on Raven’s life, Ven is thrust into the real world, posing as Raven to draw out the people who tried to harm her. But as Ven dives deeper into Raven’s world, she begins to question everything she was ever told. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met?

My Review:

Ven was made as a clone of Raven Rogen. She’s trained to know the details of Raven’s life. But she’s not Raven. I think the stark contrast of the real Raven and Ven is supposed to get the reader to like Ven even more. That just didn’t work for me. I mean, could Raven really be that shallow and conniving? Maybe I just can’t buy the whole nature vs nurture debate within the book. Since Ven is Raven, I don’t think that she is so much an angel to Raven’s devil.

Oh, and there’s insta-love. What I hate more than insta-love, is insta-love that I don’t buy. The relationship between Ven and Linc doesn’t seem genuine. What it does seem is obvious and predictable. I like romance to be exciting and new. I found myself just groaning and trying to see when the real story was going to start moving on to something interesting when Ven and Linc were together.

The story in itself started out interesting. I like conspiracies. I like seeing how far and how twisted everything gets in these types of books. Unfortunately towards the end it became pretty predictable as to what was going on. The mystery of who was good/bad and what was going to happen was lost. I was pretty sad because the book started out strong.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Rivulet (Rivulet #1) (Web of Hearts & Souls #11)

Rivulet (Rivulet #1) (Web of Hearts & Souls #11) by Jamie Magee

Publisher: Smashwords, 2013

284 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, New Adult, Young Adult, Supernatural, Romance

Link: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

Unfathomable forces have always contested Genevieve Indiana Falcon, known as Indie. The curse of her cold touch entraps her just as the grief ignited in her past torments her. Yet, her mysterious ability to dream while awake saturates her in the belief that she was not always anguished. There is hope that one day a true peace in her soul can be found.

Foolishly, Indie assumes she has contained her life in an odd balance, and she cherishes the visions she sees of the enigmatic boy that held her in a lost time, but can never reach. She grieves for a life she fears she'll never possess, and that grief is a weapon she uses against her aunt who stands between her and her inheritance.

Weeks away from her twenty-first birthday, the date where she would assume control over her family legacy, a night terror robs Indie of the balance she was clinging to. Like the dream she had before she lost her family, it predicts a fatal catastrophe on the horizon. The fight between life and death, good and evil, began the moment her thundering heart awoke her.

Everything changed after that dream. The one thing that keeps her curse at bay is stolen, and then the enigmatic boy arrives in the flesh. Face to face with her fiery born-again lover Indie realizes that the only way she can prevent the tragedy before her is to surrender everything she was, is, and could be.

Can she bend the laws of nature and fight the improbability that fire and ice could ever be one? As far as Indie is concerned, there is not a myth, spoken fate, or curse that is stronger than her stubborn desire to have it all ... including him.

The Rivulet series can be read on its own or as #11 in the Web of Hearts and Souls Series.

My Review:

This book was an absolute pleasure to read and you so totally get sucked into this world at Falcon Manor. The books synopsis is spot on in the description of this wonderful story as we join Indie and her sister Cadence and almost boyfriends Mason, Gavin and Wilder on their journey to enlightenment, battling the gold digging aunty For Falcon Manor and working out all that is Indie along the way. I really loved Indie’s character and though at times others wanted to see her as someone crippled with grief following the death of a few close family members, she came across pretty level headed especially with how she dealt with her aunty and the efforts she was going to, to strip Indie of her inheritance. I liked how she had been raised, how she dealt with her abnormalities, her ‘two beats’ philosophy, her need to ‘save’ people & put them on the right track & her family values. I connected with her as she went through her journey, I admired her for her outlook, her stubbornness, her need to do right, I pitied her for the hand life had dealt her but I mostly routed for her every step of the way and I loved when she found her warmth, bringing love & hope to her troubled existence.

I was captivated by the story, I literally could not put it down especially when the mystery man turned up and turned the whole plot on its head. Believe me when I say that this is not just another reincarnation book, it is so much more! It isn’t just the souls of our two lovers that need to re unite, it’s larger than that, it involves everything & everyone and I believe this book is just the tip of the iceberg. Falcon Manor - the house that Indie has grew up in – features heavily in the background of the story, helping Indie unlock some memories & mysteries, being the major asset that is fought over and I wished I could see it for real, towards the end of the book I was actually visualising it by the descriptions and I loved that! I love when I can visualise scenes in a book and I love old houses & architecture so that it featured heavily in this story was a plus. There is a lot I could say about this book, I truly want to gush about it but everything is linked and even to hint at what is happening could give away something. Just know that it’s definitely a page turner, it’s mysterious, it’s emotional, it’s filled with twists & turns and one of those soul deep love connections that I adore and that is exactly how I felt about reading it, I adored it and I do hope there will be a sequel because there is so much more I need to find out & I’m desperate to see what’s next for everyone involved.

My Rating:

ARC Review: Forever Wild: The Complete Series

One Wild Night (Forever Wild #1) by Magan Vernon

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books, 2013
58 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

Links: Goodreads | Amamzon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

**This book is now FREE on all ebook outlets**

One Wild Night- EPISODE 1 in the first season of the Forever Wild Serial. (This is a six part series with one book releasing every 3 weeks)

One Wild Night Can Change Everything

Valerie Wilder doesn’t do serious relationships. She also doesn’t usually wake up in Vegas next to a male stripper…

A male stripper who happens to be her new husband.

A quickie divorce seems like the answer, but the Nevada legal system doesn’t think so. When her new husband suggests flying back to Chicago with Valerie she accepts, wondering if one night in Vegas could turn into something much more.

My Reveiw:

This is part one of a six part series. While this is a short read, the books hooks you from the get go. Valerie wakes up to find herself married to Wes, someone she has known less than 24 hours. When the state of Nevada can’t offer any help, Valerie must find another solution. Deciding to just go with the flow, Valerie and Wes find themselves stuck with each other at least for a little while. I found it easy to like the characters. You get a small glimpse into who Valerie and Wes are leading up to them being stuck together and I found myself wanting to know more. I really enjoyed the first installment and can’t wait to find out what happens between Valerie and Wes

Wild Hearts (Forever Wild #2)

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books, 2013
48 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

Links: Goodreads | Amamzon

Synopsis (from Goodreds):
Going back to Chicago with her accidental husband should have been torture for Valerie. But when Wes has her bent over the first class bathroom sink, torture is the last thing on her mind.

After landing back in Chicago reality sets in. So does the glaring eye of her roommate, and her former friends with benefits, Max, who seems to be a lot friendlier since Wes came in the picture.

After a meeting with a divorce lawyer, Valerie and Wes find out that they have thirty days for both of them to sign the papers, ending their quickie marriage.

But Valerie doesn’t know if she wants to move on or forever stay Mrs. Wild.

My Review:
I have to say, I wasn't totally sure about Wes after reading the first volume in this series, especially when he admitted to initially looking for a sugar momma in Valerie. His intention was to use her for her money to get to LA and break into the music scene. Of course then he found out she didn't have any money but he still seemed to have a kind of attachment to her. So basically I wasn't sure how I felt about him, I hated the thought if him being the type of person to use a woman like that but on the other hand, there was something about him that I found likeable, he didn't come across as a bad person which seemed at odds with his initial intentions.

In this volume Wes has come back to Chicago with Valerie so they can both file for divorce. He has nowhere else to go so is staying with her in the apartment she shares with her flatmate Paige, who is a complete b*tch, by the way. Now back home, there is another man on the scene. Max, Valerie's long-standing f*ck buddy who has never before wanted anything more than random hook-ups at her house, has never wanted to date her publicly, now all of a sudden is intimating he wants more. I already hate him. He's a douch.

Valerie has started to develop feelings for Wes, will she speak up and tell him or let her sensible side rule and precede with the divorce? I'm definitely more hooked into this series after this installment, Wes is rapidly growing on me and I find myself cheering in his corner.


The Wild One (Forever Wild #3)

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books, 2014
48 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

Links: Goodreads | Amamzon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Wes never considered himself a lucky man - until one wild night in Vegas that ended with a marriage to Valerie Wilder. She doesn’t consider herself as lucky, and gives him thirty days to sign the divorce papers, forgetting their marriage every existed. There’s just one problem.

He’s fallen hard for Valerie.

Wes loves everything about the girl he married by mistake, except the fact that he doesn’t feel worthy of her - especially when hedge funder Max Green keeps coming back in the picture. Wes can’t compete with the rich and powerful man who also wants Valerie as his own, but he doesn’t want to lose her. To prove his love for Valerie and save their marriage, Wes is going to fight hard for the woman he loves, putting his wild side behind him to be the man she needs. Before it’s too late.

My Review:
This third installment in the Wild series is written in Wes' POV which was great as we get to see things from his eyes and find out how he really feels. Wes, surprisingly, is deeper than his stripper persona first suggested. He's a nice guy but I still have trouble with his tendency to put money above everything else. Of course this is because he doesn't have any, and really it just makes him more real. Because let's face it, when confronted with a wad of cash when previously we had never even seen that much money, we'd all be tempted, even if it was only briefly. So he's not the perfect book boyfriend, like I said, it does make him a more realistic character. But I still judge him for it. I can't help it! I want perfection in my fictional men I guess.

However Wes is finally admitting to himself and to the b*tchy roommate Paige that he has feelings for Valerie, but will he grow a pair and tell Valerie? This story is intriguing but I do wish Wes was a bit more Alpha. I think Valerie has more Alpha in her than him at this point!

I can see some frustrating times looming on the horizon with the next installment, Max is being his usual douchey self and I can see him definitely creating trouble in paradise for the pair.

The Wild Side (Forever Wild #4)

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books, 2014
51 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

Links: Goodreads | Amamzon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The Wild Side is the fourth book in the Forever Wild Serial. (This is a six part series with one book releasing every 3 weeks)
Nothing in Valerie Wilder’s life has been the same since she married Wild Wes.

When her two closest work friends drop a bombshell on her, she shouldn’t have really been surprised. 

But their unexpected news means she'll have to answer to her former friend with benefits, Max Green. 

And all of this just in time for a visit from her little sister Melanie and her boyfriend John “John Boy” Walden. 

Now Valerie just has to figure out to see where walking on the wild side takes her and if staying Mrs. Wild is going to be worth it for her career and her heart.

My Review:
This series definitely gets better with each volume, the characters are really becoming more three dimensional and the story more gripping as more is revealed to us.

In this installment we meet Valerie's sister Melanie and her boyfriend John. I've since found out that they have a book of their own, The Only One which I really want to read. They seem like a great couple and I just know their story will be a good one.

Valerie is propositioned by her friends and colleagues in this book which will mean a change in her career path that may just mean that Max, a.k.a. king of the douchebags (in my opinion) will be more present in her life. I'm bracing myself in preparation of him causing some mayhem. Things seem to be going more smoothly between Wes and Valerie at this point, they're opening up to each other more, but can things remain plain sailing for them? I bloody well hope so but I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Wild For You (Forever Wild #5)

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books, 2014
53 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

Links: Goodreads | Amamzon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Things seem to be finally looking up for Valerie and Wes.

Valerie finally left her job and started a new company with two of her closest work friends and if that wasn't enough of a stress reliever, she finally decided to let her true feelings show for Wes. And when they’re reciprocated everything seems to be falling in place for the girl that once thought that she’d never get anything right.

But there are secrets that Wes has been keeping from her that involve her former friends with benefits, Max Green, and when they come to the surface it could put an end to Mr. and Mrs. Wild.

My Review:
That other shoe that I knew was going to drop? Yep, it hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. Aaand here's the frustration. Max has now reached new heights on the Douchebag Scale. I want him killed off! Ok, that's too strong a reaction, maybe he just suffers from a particularly bad case of diarrhoea or something equally as hideous? Yes, that'll do, he deserves it!

Things were going so well! The ending of this volume makes me want to scream! I'm tired, too tired to be reading, but I MUST know what happens!

I'm a little disappointed in Wes, it seems like he just rolled over without a fight, as I've said in a review of an earlier book in the series, I do wish he was more alpha. That has never been more apparent than at the end of this installment, he needs to stop being insecure and claim his woman!

Wild (Forever Wild #6)

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books, 2014
53 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

Links: Goodreads | Amamzon

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Wild- EPISODE 6 is the conclusion in the Forever Wild serial.

All roads led Valerie and Wes back to the Vegas desert where they first met.

Valerie is ready to do whatever it takes to get back her husband, even if it means getting help from an old friend and signing confidentiality contracts.

But nothing has come easy for Valerie and Wes in their wild relationship and when they're hit with some extra surprises they have to figure out if one wild night will lead to being Forever Wild.

My Review:
This final installment in the Wild series I found wasn't as well written as the others. I can't put my finger on what exactly it was that makes me think that, there were a few more spelling and grammatical errors in this one than I noticed with the others, maybe it was rushed? There were a few cringe-worthy moments in the dialogue that I picked up on that further enforced my conclusion that this last book had a different feel to it than the others, maybe more of an immature vibe than the others.

It was clear right the way through the series that Valerie had body issues and sometimes struggled with self-confidence, this didn't bother me at all because as we all know, us women always have issues with one part of our body or other. I can see how it would become annoying if it was repeatedly played on in a book but I didn't think that was the case until this last book. I actually found myself rolling my eyes at one point.

That being said I enjoyed the ending, it was sweet and gave me the happily ever after I needed. I do wish that Max had been dealt with in a more vengeful way, he deserved to be brought down to earth.

My Rating: