Thursday, 31 January 2019

Review: The Devil's Work

The Devil's Work The Devil's Work by Demelza Carlton
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Demelza Carlton writes across a range of genres, and I’ve picked up a couple of her books in the past. After enjoying what I’ve read, I was interested in reading more. With The Devil’s Work we have a story intended to be a prequel to the Mel Goes to Hell series, and as someone interested in the series I decided to give this one a read.

Although this is intended as a prequel story, I felt completely lost. I feel as though a lot of the details were missed, and that I’d have had a better understanding if I’d read this after reading the other books. It is cheesy to say the devil’s in the details when this book is about the devil, but such is true. Things look straightforward, but it took a bit of effort to understand certain things as I was missing details.

Even without that, had I managed to work my way around such a thing, I failed to enjoy this one. A book about the devil should have been fun, yet I feel as though nothing happened throughout this book. I was waiting for something big to occur, waiting for something dramatic to play out, but it never hit. Plus, the devil didn’t feel very much like the devil to me.

Perhaps this one will make more sense to those who have read the Mel Goes to Hell books, but as a new reader I failed to enjoy it.

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Review: If I Stay

If I Stay If I Stay by Gayle Forman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Gayle Forman’s If I Stay is one of those books that I have been curious about for a long time. With there being a film so many people seemed to enjoy, I was extra curious. When I found the book in the library, I decided it was finally time to give the book a read.

Time for a painful truth: most of this book was a one-star rating. It was an interesting story, but it failed to do any of the things I’d been expecting. I was anticipating a highly emotional read, one where we experienced all kinds of emotions, only for me to spend most of the book disinterested. Neither the events in the present nor the events in the past interested me, I cared for none of the characters, and I kept waiting for something to happen.

The thing that stopped the book from receiving the one-star rating was the tiny bit of emotion at the end. It wasn’t a crazy amount of emotion, but it was enough for me to give the book a two-star rating instead of the one-star rating. It wasn’t enough to get me reading book two, but it was enough to add on that extra star.

I’m sure many will enjoy this, but it completely missed the mark for me.

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Review: Without Merit

Without Merit Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Without Merit was my third Colleen Hoover read – my two prior reads It Ends with Us and Confess – and, if I’m completely honest, it’s my least favourite of the three. My rating is dead centre, stuck between three-stars and four-stars. There were some elements I enjoyed, others I wasn’t crazy about, making it very difficult to decide upon my rating.

In the end, after much consideration, I decided to be nice and round my rating up. The fact I was addicted to this one, the fact I kept coming back and was never away for long, was the deciding factor for me. It was addictive enough to take hold of all my attention, and due to that I rounded up even though it wasn’t quite the book I’d been expecting.

I think my issue is Without Merit tried to do too much. There were so many things within this book, and I feel as though certain elements failed to hit the right spots. Some aspects were really well done, and I enjoyed these things, but the other parts felt very weak in comparison. Add in the fact I feel as though some things were never dealt with properly, and the divide between things was even more obvious.

Without a doubt, Without Merit was an addictive read. I simply feel as though it did not reach the full potential.

Also, side note. Am I going to find more artist love interests in Collen Hoover novels, or is it simply a result of reading Confess then Without Merit? I cannot decide if it’s going to become a theme, or whether I simply had strange luck with my reading choices.

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Release Blitz: Lass.




Title: LASS
Author: Harloe Rae
Genre: New Adult/Friends-to-Lovers/Opposites Attract
Release Date: January 31, 2019



Blurb

Addison Walker is every fantasy I never dared to believe in.
Moving to this town was already monumental.
Finding her removes any lingering doubt.
She’s bold and vibrant.
Beautiful and confident.
Far too good for the likes of me.
Luckily, I’ve never been very good at avoiding temptation.
My desire is growing beyond control.
I’m done waiting on the sidelines.
When opportunity strikes, I eagerly take advantage.
Signing on the dotted line before thinking twice.
The repercussions cross my mind far too late.
When she swiftly sticks me in the friend-zone, there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

Addison is just down the hall—might as well be miles away.
Temptation drives me to the edge of sanity.
She speaks to my deepest cravings like a siren.
Our chemistry blurs every line.
This battle seems impossible to win.
Yet my determination doesn’t wane.
It only takes one night to change everything.

After all, I didn’t come all this way to settle for less.







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Excerpt

“Are you sure?” Because she isn’t acting like it.
“Yeah, this will solve the questioning.” That doesn’t sound so great.
I rock back on my heels. “About?”
Splotches of red stain her cheeks. “Ah, well... if this,” she motions between us, “was heading in a romantic direction.”
I feel the blood drain from my face. “What do you mean?”
“If we’re living together, the potential of us dating is zippo. We’ll be roommates and friends, but that’s all. Otherwise it will be awkward and tense and blah. No, thanks. Setting this boundary will cut out the possibility.”
I choke on the brick lodged in my throat. “Wait, what?”
“Can you imagine the mess we’d be stuck in if things went sour? Better to not chance it, right?”
No.
No, no, no.
I blink slowly, trying to process her words. Is this an unwritten rule I wasn’t aware of? And what, now I’m trapped in the friend-zone? I avert my eyes, glaring at a neon sign stuck to the far wall. An outcome that doesn’t involve us as a couple seems impossible. I rapidly search for a counter-argument, begging for a way out of this mess.
What the hell happens now?






Author Bio

Harloe Rae is a Minnesota gal with a serious addiction to romance. She’s always chasing an epic happily ever after.

When she’s not buried in the writing cave, Harloe can be found hanging with her hubby and son. If the weather permits, she loves being lakeside or out in the country with her horses.

Harloe is the author of Redefining Us, Forget You Not, Watch Me Follow, GENT, MISS, and LASS. These titles are available on Amazon.


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Release Blitz: Everything's Better With Kimberly.




Title: Everything's Better with Kimberly
Author: Lucy Eden
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 31, 2019



Blurb

Kimberly Simmons is gorgeous, brilliant, and way out of my league. She’s definitely not the type to fall for a guy who walked away from his family's fortune to become an architect. Good thing, too, because she works for Wolfe Industries, making her completely off-limits. Nailing this pitch to Wolfe’s CEO is exactly what I need to make my bosses forget about the last time I mixed business with pleasure. Too bad she has the most beautiful brown eyes and dazzling smile I’ve ever seen. Too bad I can’t stop staring.

Adam Price is a talented rising star architect at Will and Peking Designs. His newest design submission for The Wolfe Industries Caribbean Expansion is set to dazzle my CEO. If Adam's design wins, with my help, I could get promoted, which means his big strong arms and gorgeous lips are strictly forbidden. It’s a good thing, too, because he has a reputation for leaving a trail of broken hearts all over Manhattan and I’m pretty sure I couldn't survive a second heartbreak. Too bad every word he says makes me smile. Too bad he gives me a sense of calm I haven't felt in a long time.

Keeping their relationship strictly professional for the sake of their jobs was the perfect excuse to stay away from each other. Too bad fate and undeniable chemistry have other plans…

This standalone, workplace/forced proximity romance features characters from the previous novellas Everything’s Better With You and Cherishing the Goddess, is full of alphas and steam, and has NO cheating.


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Excerpt

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but are you Adam Price?” It was his turn to be shocked and he smiled again.
“I am. How did you know that?” 
The Man-Whore. I was sitting next to the Man-Whore.
“Just a guess.” I shrugged.
“Well, I assume from your sudden change of expression, my reputation precedes me.”
My poker face needed some serious work. I tried to plaster on a professional smile. “You studied architecture at The Pratt Institute for both undergrad and grad school. You’ve worked on an impressive number of international projects before becoming the youngest senior architect at Will and Peking Design. Now, you’re on your way to Barbados to pitch WP for a hospitality project for Wolfe Industries.”
“That’s pretty impressive and spot on.” He nodded appreciatively. “Who are you?” 
“Thanks,” I said with a nod, feeling like I’d dodged a very uncomfortable bullet. “I’m Kimberly Simmons. I work for Wolfe. I’ll be working with you on the pitch.” 






Author Bio


Lucy Eden is the nom de plume of a romance obsessed author who writes the kind of romance she loves to read. She’s a sucker for alphas with a soft gooey center, over the top romantic gestures, strong & smart MCs, humor, love at first sight (or pretty damn close), happily ever afters & of course, dirty & steamy love scenes. 
When Lucy isn’t writing, she’s busy reading—or listening to—every book she can get her hands on— romance or otherwise.
She lives & loves in New York with her husband, two children, a turtle & a Yorkshire Terrier. 


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Release Blitz: Crazy Beautiful Love.




Title: Crazy Beautiful Love
A Dirty Dicks Standalone Novel
Author: K.L. Grayson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 31, 2019



Blurb

There’s a fine line between love and hate…

Tess Walker is game for anything—except world-renowned photographer Beau Allen, the guy who inadvertently sent her life into a downward spiral. It has taken Tess years to find herself and become a person she can be proud of. Now Beau is back and making a play for her heart…a play she’s not sure she wants him to make. The more he pushes, the more her walls crumble, and Tess soon discovers that his sweet kisses and even sweeter words might be just what she’s been looking for in life.

And Tess Walker hates Beau Allen…

Beau Allen has it all: loving family, plentiful friends, and a job that sends him all over the world. What he doesn’t have is a home—or a reason to make one. Living out of a suitcase isn’t ideal, but he’s perfectly content. That is, until a beautiful woman barrels her way into his life and has him second-guessing everything. Tess is nothing like the women he’s used to and everything like the woman he wants. Grounded, strong, funny, sweet, and sexy. Did he mention sexy? Her curves make it hard for him to think, and his life’s mission soon becomes making her laugh and sigh and moan, because he really likes it when she moans. But Beau isn’t used to sticking around. Still, he’s hoping she’ll give him a reason to stay.

Doesn’t she?







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Coming Soon


A Dirty Dicks/Big Sky Novella
(Kristen Proby Crossover Collection)
Releasing March 12, 2019

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Author Bio


K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO.  She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man.  Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer.  She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order.


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Release Blitz: The Break-Up Bet.




Title: The Break-Up Bet
Author: Cat Carmine
Genre: Standalone Romantic Comedy
Release Date: January 31, 2019



Blurb


Never make a bet with a man who plays to win... 

Especially not a man like handsome, arrogant Connor Pratt. 

AKA the huge PITA who’s currently crashing in my spare room. 

AKA my brother’s best friend since they were about six. 

AKA the one guy who still makes me feel like an awkward tongue-tied loser.

But when Connor moved in, I got a glimpse of another side of him. Because, like me, Connor’s going through a nasty break-up. And, like me, he’s just doing whatever he can to get through it. 

Unfortunately, his method involves drinking alarming amounts of whiskey and watching a lot of, um … movies … that make every inch of my skin flush. 

I’m just trying to be helpful when I tell him that he should try my way: copious amounts of baked goods, sappy romantic comedies, and late nights spent whining with girlfriends. 

But I should have known Connor would take that as a challenge. 

Now, he says he’ll try my way of dealing with a break-up … but only if I agree to try his. Six months rent to the person whose method works best. 

We call it the break-up bet. And I’m going to win. Except right now, it feels like there’s a whole lot more at stake than just rent money…







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Author Bio


Cat Carmine writes contemporary romance and romantic comedy. She also happens to like drinking wine, eating cake, buying too many books, and snuggling with her elderly cocker spaniel (oh, and her husband too.) She loves — and writes — books with sweet and sarcastic heroines and strong, sexy heroes who like a little bark with their bite. She thinks witty banter is the best kind of foreplay, and she tries to infuse all her stories with heart, humor and heat.

Sign up to her mailing list to get an exclusive free book: http://smarturl.it/ccromancejoin 


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Wednesday, 30 January 2019

Review: Driven

Driven Driven by Suzanne Falter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Driven is the first book in Suzanne Falter’s Oaktown Girls series, and it’s a great start to what promises to be a wonderful series.

Often the first book in a romance series will overwhelm you with side characters, leaving you with countless people you want to see more of, countless stories you wish to see play out, yet such is not the case here. Driven does not overwhelm you with other stories you wish to see played out, but you are left wanting more – in all the best ways, of course. You may not leave this book with an extensive list of stories you wish to read, but you will want more.

From the very start, this one pulls you into the story. There is plenty going on throughout this one, but not enough to overwhelm you. It’s enough to leave you sucked in, unable to put the book down, and such is what happened to me. In fact, I found myself devouring this one in a single sitting. I was in love with the characters and events, desperate for more, and found I finished the book in no time at all.

With a great storyline containing multiple layers, you find yourself curious about numerous things. It’s not just a love story, it’s a life story, ensuring you get to experience a lot throughout the book. With all the emotions and drama of real life, you’ll leave the book feeling a part of the story.

Without a doubt, this was a great start to the series. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next Oaktown Girls book.

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Release Blitz: Love.




Title: Love
Series: Things That Matter #3
Author: Casey Diam
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 30, 2019



Blurb

Paige
Caleb and I were done keeping secrets from each other. Everything needed to be resolved before his trial; first and foremost, the depth of deceit we’d failed to unravel. The stakes were higher. And as our past, present, and future collided, we should be on the same page. But what if I knew something that would destroy him, and us?
I would do anything for him. Anything for us.

Caleb
My father was a liar, a manipulator, a killer. He was—me. Only, the longer I’d been away from him, the more those broken pieces of myself had been gravitating back together. Because the mind was a powerful thing. And love—was a weakness. A strength. A four-letter word for loyalty. Where was mine? Not in the hands of the man who’d made me this way. So I didn’t have to wonder what would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me. Instead I wondered, could I stop it?


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Excerpt

My eyes followed Paige through the mirror as she walked over to the weight rack. I didn’t want to include her in everything that went down for her safety, but it was the only way to prevent her from taking off again, trying to do it on her own. 
She stopped by the five-pound weights, wistfully dragging her fingers over them before picking up one in each hand.
My eyebrows arched. “What are you doing?”
“It’s been a month. My arms are weak. I just need to”—she bit her lip as she curled first one and then the other dumbbell—“work them out a little.”
I walked up to her and plucked the weights from her hands before setting them back onto the rack. “This isn’t starting slow. Two-pound weights are. Better yet, no weights at all.” I touched her stomach. “You were a personal trainer. You know to use your core even when you’re only doing curls. With the added weight, it’ll be too much stress on your stomach.”
“I’ve been doing some wall pushups and a few other exercises this week, you know that. But they aren’t enough.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to push too hard too fast. If you pull something, it’s going to take you twice as long to recover.” I bent and retrieved my weights from the floor and set them on the rack. “We have to go anyway. That was Stuart. We’re meeting with him and Langley.” My arm dropped around her shoulders as I guided her to the door. 
“You know, being my boyfriend doesn’t give you the right to tell me what to do.” 
I chuckled. “I still know what’s best for you. But if you really want to work out your arms, I could think of a few ways. Massaging my back. Rubbing my—”
The door to the gym opened, revealing a guard standing in the hallway, so I lowered my head and whispered in her ear, “Cock.”
Over the past few days, she’d started to do this thing where she casually cupped my dick and balls, and it had been driving me fucking nuts. It didn’t help that I got embarrassingly hard every time she touched me. Like I was getting this second.
“You suck,” she murmured, and I peered down to see she was smiling.
“No. You suck.” She didn’t need to see the desire in my eyes to know where my mind was. 
“Maybe I will.” She looked up, and my eyes grew hazy with desire as we continued out the door and down the hall. 
This pent-up need to fuck her was making me fear the moment I finally did. Hard, possessive. Caveman-style, I was sure. I was also sure her body wasn’t ready for that.
“What am I going to do with that mouth?” I muttered under my breath, my cock throbbing.
“I have a few ideas,” she said as a matter-of-factly.
I laughed. “Tell me. Later. In detail.” My hand circled around the nape of her neck, and I caressed. “I would love to hear them.”






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Author Bio


Some years ago, Casey rediscovered her passion for writing and hasn’t stopped writing since. Her favorite genre is romance with a little angst, which is why she writes sexy, funny, sweet, and emotional stories that are a bit more in depth, but so much fun to read.

Casey has a ridiculously short attention span and loves her coffee and tea without sugar and milk. Apart from reading or writing, she loves to snowboard, even when she’s catching an edge and face-planting in the snow. She absolutely loves it!


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