Review: Sucker for Payne

Sucker for Payne by Carrie Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a sucker for this story, and you will be too.

Terrible attempt at humour aside, this was a wonderful read. From the very start, I was sucked into Sucker for Payne and found it to be a very difficult book to put down. I was turning page after page, desperate to see how everything came together, and I loved the way things played out.

Stories with broken characters are my favourite. I love characters with flaws, those who have been through rough patches. It allows for deep emotional connections, and when done well the books mirror reality in a heart-breaking manner. Thus, you can imagine, I was drawn towards Sucker for Payne.

Both the characters in this story are wonderfully flawed, both have a dark past. What we’re given is a romance of how two broken pieces can go so well together, how broken parts can be fixed. Things will not be the way they were before, but you can continue to move forward. What this story does is show how, without any sugar-coating. It shows the pain and the darkness, how there will be hardship, and how love can still exist to help you through.

It really was a wonderful read, and it will appeal to so many people. Enjoy sports romance? Check. Enjoy haunted characters? Check. Enjoy characters with great chemistry? Check. Enjoy stories that show how one choice can have a drastic impact upon life? Check. It’s a story with layers, one that will suck you in on so many dimensions. You’ll love the characters, you’ll love the way the romance grows, you’ll love the depth to the storyline, and you’ll find yourself lost to the wonderful story.

The only thing I had a bit of an issue with was in relationship to time. I felt as though the transitions were not as smooth as they could have been, and there were a couple of times where it wasn’t as clear as it could have been how much time had passed. It was a small thing, though, in an otherwise wonderful book.

Without a doubt, Sucker for Payne has guaranteed I will be picking up more Carrie Thomas books in the future.

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Review: Elements of Mischief

Elements of Mischief by Tate James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m not the biggest fan of reverse harem but every so often a synopsis will have me picking up another reverse harem book. Such is what happened with Elements of Mischief, the first book in the Hijinks Harem series. To me, it sounded like a book filled with things I enjoy – humour, supernatural happenings, and a series worth being addicted to – meaning I was happy to face the reverse harem if the other elements interested me.

Surprisingly, the revere harem was my favourite thing about this book. I did not expect it to be, I never thought I would claim such a thing, yet it is the truth. The reverse harem element was wonderfully steamy, and I didn’t mind it anywhere near as much as I usually do.

My issues were with the rest of the book, and how it let me down.

At first, I thought this would be a humorous read. There was plenty of inappropriate humour to be found, many plumbing jokes, and I was enjoying it. Sadly, it quickly grew old. The jokes were repetitive and desperate. I started by chuckling, then I was rolling my eyes, then I was groaning, before I found I didn’t care for the humour any more. It was too much, ruining the effect. The occasional joke here and there would have been wonderful, but as it was I grew tired of reading the same jokes over and over. I mean, I get it – pipes.

The supernatural element could have been a lot of fun, but it felt a bit all over the place at times. Some elements sucked me in, but I felt as though there was too much and not enough explanation. As our leading lady was new to the world, I would have expected more detail to be fired in her direction – if not, I would have liked for her to ask for it. As it was, she seemed to roll with it far too easily. There were plenty of things I wanted explaining, things I wanted to find out more about, but I was left with quite a few gaps in my knowledge.

I possibly would have considered reading the next book to see how things developed had I cared for the characters. As it was, I didn’t care for them at all. I couldn’t tell you the names of any of the males, I couldn’t tell you how to differentiate them, and due to that I see no reason to continue with the series. It was not the addiction I had been hoping for, even if I was surprised by the reverse harem element.

Overall, I was disappointed by this one – it really could have been so much more.

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Release Day Blitz: Sucker for Payne.

Title: Sucker for Payne

Author: Carrie Thomas

Genre: Adult Sports Romance

Release Date: February 5, 2018

Blurb

A reckless decision after a drunken night leaves Conner Payne with no money, a criminal record, and a lifetime’s worth of regret. Searching for a way to get his life back on track, he is surprised to find solace inside a steel cage at the local gym. Even more shocking, is the emotional connection he builds with a feisty reporter, who might just know a thing or two about starting life over.

After a stint in rehab, and several years of therapy, Willow Stevens finally lands her dream job as a women’s rights columnist, and gains the stability she’s always craved. When asked by her boss to cover a fight at a local gym, she has no idea what to expect. But nothing could have prepared her for the gravitational pull she experiences when she first sets eyes on Conner Payne, or the love she develops for the turbulent world of professional fighting.

Both Conner and Willow want to create a future independent from their pasts, but with old fears and new insecurities, the odds are stacked against them.

Two battered souls. One ultimate goal—to love unconditionally.

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Author Bio

Carrie Thomas is the author of young adult and new adult romances. When she’s not writing or reading, you can find her traveling or going to concerts with friends. Museums and the theater are at the top of her list when traveling to a new place. Writing romance is her favorite genre to write because everyone can relate to it. She lives in the South with her husband and two sons. Any time spent with her family she considers a good day. She’s a firm believer that book lovers should stick together.

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Cover Reveal: Gods & Monsters.

Title: Gods & Monsters

Author: Saffron A. Kent

Genre: Contemporary/New Adult Romance
Cover Design: Najla Qamber
Photo: Wander Aguiar

Release Date: February 22, 2018

Blurb

He was an artist. She was his muse.

To everyone in town, Abel Adams was the devil's spawn, a boy who never should have been born. A monster.

To twelve year-old Evie Hart, he was just a boy with golden hair, soft t-shirts and a camera. A boy who loved taking her picture and sneaking her chocolates before dinner. A boy who made her feel special.

Despite her family's warnings, she loved him in secret for six years. They met in empty classrooms and kissed in darkened church closets. Until they couldn't.

Until the time came to choose between love and family, and Evie chose Abel.

Because their love was worth the risk. Their love was the stuff of legend.

But the thing about legends is that they are cautionary tales. They are made of choices and mistakes. And for Abel and Evie, the artist and the muse, those mistakes come in the form of lights, camera, sex.

NOTE: This is NOT a paranormal or a priest romance.

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Check out Saffron's website - it was updated and specifically updated for GODS & MONSTERS

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Excerpt

Abel drops his head on my shoulder with a sigh and places soft but wet kisses on my collarbone.

“The minute you turn eighteen, I’m picking you up, throwing you over my shoulder and driving you down to the nearest courthouse so you can say I do,” he rumbles, still kissing me, tattooing those words on my skin.

My hands bury themselves in his hair as my back arches toward him, craving the rough terrain of his chest against my soft, rounded breasts, shooting sparks all over.

“You haven’t even asked me n-nicely, yet,” I whimper, baring my throat to his exploring mouth. He hasn’t. It’s been over a year since he brought it up at the treehouse and I told him no. Since then, he likes to joke about it but he’s yet to ask me formally.

“I don’t have to. I already know the answer.”

“A little too cocky, aren’t you?”

“Oh yeah, that’s definitely what I am.” He chuckles, sucking in the skin of my neck, making me shiver and blush. Oops. Double entendre.

The way he’s tugging on my skin is translating into a melty tugging down below. “Abel, no. That’s gonna leave a mark.”

He growls and looks up. The brown of his eyes is completely gone, a drop of honey drowned by a black lake of desire. “One day I’m gonna kiss you in the front of the whole world and if they don’t like it then fuck them.”

I read the frustration in his tone, the suppressed anger, and it hurts my heart. No one should be made to hide their love. No one. It’s too pure, too beautiful to ever keep hidden. I caress his pulsing jaw. “Okay. Kiss me at our wedding, then. In front of the whole world.”

A slow smile spreads over his lips and I want to fill my mouth with it. “So, you saying yes?”

I shake my head at him and give him a smirk. “Maybe.”

He plants a hard kiss on my mouth. “Kidnapping you it is, then.”

“Oh my God, you’re crazy.” I laugh.

But he swallows it up with his mouth. He’s kissing me, really kissing me. Like, he’s lost all patience with me and he can’t be a good guy anymore. He needs to be bad. He needs to suck both my lips into his mouth and drink my flavor straight from the tap. He needs to bite into my flesh to get to it, dig his way inside the pores and fuse us together.

Author Bio

Writer of bad romances. Aspiring Lana Del Rey of the Book World. 

Saffron is a big believer in love (obviously). She believes in happily ever after, the butterflies and the tingling. But she also believes in edgy, rough and gutsy kind of love. She believes in pushing the boundaries, darker (sometimes morally ambiguous) emotions and imperfections.

The kind of love she writes about is flawed just like her characters. And she hopes by the end of it, you’ll come to root for them just as much as she does. Because love, no matter where it comes from, is always pure and beautiful.

She is represented by Meire Dias of Bookcase Agency 

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Review: Enforcer's Price

Enforcer's Price by Sarah Hawthorne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read and enjoyed Rebel Custody and Outlaw Ride, books two and three in the Demon Horde series, I knew I needed to go back and read book one. Not because I was missing any vital information, as each book works perfectly fine as a standalone novel, but because I enjoy the series so much. Quite often I find myself missing books in any series where each individual book is a standalone novel, but I did not want such to be the case with the Demon Horde series – thus, I jumped into Enforcer’s Price.

Enforcer’s Price is a wonderful introduction to the Demon Horde series, providing a brilliant insight into what you can expect of the series. Plenty happens throughout this one, with there being so many elements to ensure you are sucked into the story from the very first page. In fact, it quickly becomes a read you are willing to complete in a single sitting.

It is hard to pick what my favourite aspect of the story was, so I’ll list a few things.

First up, the characters. I positively adored the characters in this one. Both our main characters were a lot of fun. There was so much to both, each bringing so much to the table. Alone, they were enjoyable; together, they were amazing. The chemistry between them was great, leading to wonderful steamy scenes. It’s not just the main characters I enjoyed, though, as I enjoyed everyone in this story. The good and the bad, I enjoyed everyone for what they were.

Second up, the motorcycle club. It’s the kind we all love. Tough as nails men with the sweet interior we want to wiggle into. It was gritty with the necessary level of nasty to ensure we were pulled into the world. Sometimes these kinds of books fail to hit the mark, but the Demon Horde is exactly what you want from a motorcycle club.

The third thing I adored was the drama. There was plenty of drama throughout this book – along with plenty of action. It sucks you into both the relationship and the other events going on in the story. It’s not just the romance keeping you entertained, as there is plenty going on. Everything keeps you wanting to turn the page, desperate to see how all the details come together.

Without a doubt, this is a must read for fans of the genre. It’s certainly a motorcycle club you will want to follow.

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Review: Outlaw Ride

Outlaw Ride by Sarah Hawthorne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read and enjoyed Sarah Hawthorne’s Rebel Custody, I was excited for more of the Demon Horde series. I intended to go back and read Enforcer’s Price, the first book, but I found myself sucked into Outlaw Ride, book three, before such happened. Having read an enjoyed Outlaw Ride, though, I did go and jump straight into Enforcer’s Price.

Between finishing Outlaw Ride and writing up my review, I have made it so I’ve read all three books in the Demon Horde series thus far. All three books are a lot of fun, but I think Outlaw Ride is my least favourite thus far. That is not to say it is a bad book – it is still a solid four-star rating – but the feel of this one was rather different when compared to the two prior books.

Both Enforcer’s Price and Rebel Custody focused quite heavily upon the motorcycle club element of the story, sucking us deep into the gritty world. Outlaw Ride focuses less upon the motorcycle club aspect. It is still there, still a part of the story, but it was not as heavy as it was in the prior books. I think this is why I did not enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed the two prior books – it may be a wonderful contemporary romance novel, but I had been wanting something with a bit more of the down and dirty element apparent in the prior books in the series.

Looking at this book alone, without comparing it to the other two books in the series, though, it is a wonderful read. It works perfectly fine as a standalone novel, so do not feel as though you need to read the other books to enjoy this one. Each book is a standalone romance novel, although you will get to see the characters popping up throughout each of the books.

In this one, we have a wonderful relationship. Both characters have their own problems to overcome, yet the chemistry is simmering between them throughout. There was drama, there was action, and there were steamy moments. The way the relationship developed between the two characters was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the side characters as well.

Although this isn’t my number one read in the series, it was another fun addition to a series I’m really enjoying.

I cannot wait for my next Sarah Hawthorne read.

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Review: In a Cottage In a Wood

In a Cottage In a Wood by Cass Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m the kind of person who will spend ages hunting out one more book for an offer if it means I get the extra book for a pound. It’s a problem I have, I admit. It results in multiple books sitting on the side until I can work myself around to reading them. Sometimes the book surprises me, other times not so much. In a Cottage In a Wood falls into the latter category. This book may have been my extra book for a pound, but hindsight has me wishing I had picked up a different book.

In a Cottage In a Wood comes across as a fun psychological thriller. I expected a quick book filled with twists and turns. Instead, what I was given was closer to a cosy mystery. It was the kind of story I half expected a cooking recipe to appear in. Okay, maybe that is a bit much – this one did attempt a spooky atmosphere whereas cooking recipe cosy mysteries are quite happy-go-lucky books – but you get my drift. This was not the kind of psychological thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat, rather it was a quick and cosy read with a little bit of mystery thrown in.

Although I’m a quick reader (I generally read a book a day, sometimes two books, unless I’m suffering from one of my migraines), I found this one took me much longer to read than it should have. It’s a short story, but I have read books almost three times the length in a shorter time period. This is because I kept putting the book down and doing other things. In fact, I read over five other books during the times I put this book down. You see, this one simply wasn’t sucking me in.

I was waiting for the gritty storyline to appear, or for things to edge towards spookiness. Neither happened. The closest we got to either was a somewhat atmospheric setting that erred towards what many consider stereotypically spooky – yet it wasn’t spooky at all. The book was much too focused upon the banalities for it to edge towards something more. We spend time focusing upon drama between individuals, we get lot of details regarding the everyday life of our main character, and we get plenty of general information about the characters introduced to us. This would have been fine, expect a lot was not relevant to the overall storyline. It felt like a way to bump up the work count, with the necessary way of making the story longer overlooked.

While the important details did make for an interesting story, it was lost under other information and predictability. I was constantly waiting for some big twist to come about, but everything was rather straightforward. There was no shock ending, no big twist, and I found myself pretty let down. It was interesting enough, but it could have been so much more had something more been added.

Overall, this wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. It’s a two-point-five-star rating rounded up to three stars, and another of my unfortunate bargain reads.

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