Review: Macklin

Macklin by Dale Mayer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve read a few Dale Mayer novels, across a number of her series, and find it to be a bit of hit or miss. Some of the author’s books I have really enjoyed, others I find myself disinterested in. It is possible I would have a better time if I were to read each series in order, but most of the books work perfectly fine as standalone novels. Due to this, I think it’s just a reflection of Dale Mayer as a writer – sometimes the books will hit the mark, other times I will be left feeling cheated. With Macklin, I was given the latter.

Macklin is the fourteenth book in the SEALs of Honor series, although it works perfectly fine as a standalone novel. There are characters in this book who have had their story told, or are going to have their story told, in other books throughout the series, but they are side characters and you do not need to know their stories to understand what happens throughout Macklin. It has a start and an end, with all the necessary details being provided throughout.

In truth, I was rather intrigued by this one. It had such a promising story, but it failed to hit the mark. There was a mystery throughout, but there seemed to be a lot of information that left us bored by what was happening. Considering the events within this story, we should have been given lots of action. Rather than being sucked into all the events, I found myself forcing my way through lots of solid walls of text and unnecessary conversational exchanges. It wasn’t the fast-paced book I would have liked, nor was it as action packed as I had hoped for such a story.

I could have dealt with such an issue had I been pulled into the romantic element of the story – but I didn’t care. I never felt anything towards either of the characters. I was watching events play out, I knew something was developing, but I never felt any chemistry. They simply came together and that was that.

With my romantic suspense books, I want to feel the suspense and the romance, but both were lacking in this one.

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Review: Unwanted

Unwanted by Leigh Lennon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I had to use just two words to describe Unwanted they would be heartbreakingly beautiful. Fortunately, I do not need to limit myself to just two words. The synopsis alone is enough to suggest just how intense this book is going to be – but even that fails to prepare you for this story that will really test your ability to read the hard-hitting subjects.

Although Unwanted is a wonderful book you can read as a standalone novel, I would suggest reading the prior stories connected to this one. Leigh Lennon introduces us to Justine in and Nick in Unfiltered, and without that book you will be a bit confused about the eclectic family in Unwanted. In fact, I would also recommend reading Unacquainted, as references are made to characters and events best understood if you have read the prior book. All in all, this is a wonderful standalone but the impact will be stronger if you read this series of interconnected standalone novels in order. Trust me, it’s a wonderful series and you will not regret taking the leap.

Being my third Leigh Lennon book, I had an idea of what to expect with this one. I knew it would be an intense read, one that would hit all my emotions, but even with that knowledge in my mind I was not prepared for the story I was given. Leigh Lennon has broken me in some way with all three books following this family, but neither of the prior books hit me as hard as this one – which is saying something, as the two prior books were really heavy reads themselves.

You see, Leigh Lennon deals with real life. There is good and there is bad in life, and Leigh Lennon addresses the latter. There is still beauty to be found, but to get to the beauty Leigh Lennon shows how life is not a stroll through the part. You will have to face things head on, you will need to feel, and it may not be the path you want to take. Due to this, I cannot fault Leigh Lennon’s book for the real emotions elicited throughout the stories.

Unwanted, though… wow.

The emotions will hit you on every page. Every. Single. Page. The emotions do not let up, and you will be an emotional mess by the end of the story. Although the prior two books made me feel, neither compares to the continuous onslaught of emotion fired at you throughout this book. It is painful to read at times, but it is beautiful in the pain.

In many ways, I would not label this book a romance like the prior two books. There is certainly romance throughout the book – in fact, it is very much a story of falling back in love with someone – but I feel as though it is better described as a solid piece of contemporary fiction. It deals with real life issues, and it does so in an amazing way. The romance is secondary to the intense events, merely something that is already in place and is tested. It is a beautiful romance, I cannot deny that, but it is not the focal point of the story.

Honestly, I could say so much about this one. It was beautiful in so many ways, and you really do need to have a box of tissues ready, but I do not want to say more. I do not wish to be the person to spoil the book – so just know I’m forewarning you of how heartbreakingly beautiful this story is.

Without a doubt, this is my favourite book following this family thus far, and I cannot wait to pick up the next book.

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Review: Unacquainted

Unacquainted by Leigh Lennon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Leigh Leonnon’s Unfiltered we were introduced to Justine’s eclectic family. We were given an insight into the drama and love they exude, shown the kinds of things we could expect. Although you do not need to read Unfiltered to understand Unacquainted, I would certainly recommend giving it a read first. Reading Unfiltered makes the powerful standalone that is Unacquainted even more powerful.

Unacquainted takes places a few years after the main events in Unfiltered came to an end. Those who read Unfiltered are given an insight into things through the epilogue, with this book picking up a few weeks later. In this one, we are given Rose’s story. We still get plenty of insights into the rest of the family – we follow Justine some more, and get to see what we can expect in the future books – but this one is all about the life changing year of Rose’s life.

From the very first page, I was sucked into this one. This book may not have used my favourite romance trope – but it certainly won me over. In fact, I can easily say I enjoyed Unacquainted even more than I enjoyed Unfiltered. Both were wonderful books, both kept me turning the pages, but my second Leigh Lennon book griped me harder. In truth, I think this is because I found Unacquainted to be even more intense than Unfiltered, and that is what gripped me extremely hard.

You see, Leigh Lennon is an author who takes the difficult elements of life and turns it into something beautiful. I experienced so many emotions throughout Unfiltered, and Unacquainted followed suit. As soon as I read the synopsis of Unwanted, the third book following this family, I knew things would only get more emotional. Without a doubt, this is a series where you need a box of tissues whenever you jump into one of the books.

As I mentioned, you experience so much throughout the telling of this story. You’re sucked in on the very first page, and the events continue to hit you as you work your way deeper into the story. You fall in love with the characters, you feel what they feel, and you cannot help but hope for the best. Although you are given something beautiful, Leigh Lennon makes sure it is realistic. There are difficulties to overcome, issues that need to be dealt with, and these continue to hit you until the very end of the book. There are shocks to be had, and emotions to be felt, and you’ll come out of this book feeling so much.

There is no doubt Unacquainted solidified my feelings about this series – it is intense in the best way possible, ensuring I will continue to grab the books.

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Review: Unfiltered

Unfiltered by Leigh Lennon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I will be completely honest – when I started Unfiltered, I was a wee bit nervous. It was an interesting story, but it did not grab me in the way I had initially hoped it would. It was a three-star rating, possibly a three-point-five-star rating, but once we got deeper into the story I found myself being won over.

In fact, the later parts of the book shocked me.

The main reason this book is a solid four-star rating is due to the events that occurred towards the end of the book. There is such an unexpected twist, such an emotional twist, which I was not expecting in the least. It broke me, the way the event came so out of left field – yet it so accurately reflected real life. It was brutal, but it was realistic.

In so many ways, this book is so much more than a simple romance. There is a romance element throughout the book, the couple we follow do fall in love, but there is so much more to experience. There are so many heavy emotions to deal with throughout, related to many different elements of the book. It is not a book for the faint of heart, as it really is an extremely heavy read – however, if you’re willing to take the leap into a heavy book this one is seriously worth it.

If I’m being completely truthful, although this book is labelled a romance, the romance was my least favourite part. In my opinion, things happened much too fast. Even with the characters acknowledging such a fact, I found myself feeling overwhelmed by how quickly the romance progressed. This is a bit of personal preference, though. I favour slow burn romances, and this one happened much quicker than I like.

However, the depth of the everyday life won me over. It amazed me how much pure emotion was in this book. We deal with so many topics throughout. Even without the hard hitter at the end of the book, we touch upon so many real life issues. Everything is dealt with wonderfully, each element given attention, with real responses being seen throughout. I loved how real this book was – it wasn’t filled with unnecessary fluff to lighten the load, instead it reflected real life in a specular fashion.

Fear not – the book isn’t heavy on every single page. As I said, it reflects real life wonderfully – this means there is humour to be found within the pages. It is nowhere near the point of rom-com level, but there are certainly a few moments that will leave you chuckling.

I think the only issue I had (once I was sucked in) was with the dialogue. Some of the conversations felt unnatural, stilted. There are references made to the speaking manner of one of the characters, but there were quite a few points where I felt as though the conversations didn’t flow as well as they could have.

Overall, though, I adored this one. It was a seriously heavy read, but it was more than worth it. As soon as I finished Justine’s story, I jumped into Unacquainted – more than willing to work through this series following one eclectic family.

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Release Day Blitz: Unwanted.

Title: Unwanted

Author: Leigh Lennon

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 26, 2018

Blurb

Emma

A baby is all I've ever wanted.

After almost dying on the operating table,

I despise everything about motherhood,

especially the little girl I brought into this world.

It makes me sound awful; hell; I am awful.

How can I make myself fall in love with a baby

I feel no attachment to?

Tyler

I don’t recognize my wife anymore.

When I thought I might lose Emma during our baby’s delivery;

she survived only to reject the baby I love so much.

When I hold this baby, I fully understand unconditional love.

How do I make the woman I love want this little girl I would move heaven and earth for.

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Excerpt

Emma:

I open the door to the guest quarters where we are staying this weekend, and I don’t see him, but his luggage is in the middle of the little apartment. I hear the faucet in the bathroom turn on, then off. The door opens, and out walks my Tyler. He seems to have gained a touch of weight, but it looks good on him, and his hair is very short. His eyes meet mine, and he stops in front of his luggage. He comes to me, but it only takes me a second until I kick the door shut and take off my shirt and he has my bra unlatched.

I don’t say a word to him, and only crash my mouth to his, while I unbuckle the belt on his jeans. Within record time, his pants are off, and his large hands are around me, cupping my ass. He has always been an ass man, but when he trails his fingertips down my back, massaging my butt slow and deep, my core is instantly wet. I need to feel him inside me, and we still have not talked. I pull back and say, “Hi, you.” With a big smile, I move his one hand to the front of me, giving him access to my pussy. As much as he loves my ass, he loves my pussy too. He falls to his knees, looking up at me.

“Hi, to you too,” he says as his mouth finds its way to my core. I’m so wet that all he has to do is touch my inner folds with his tongue and I could cream on him. My hands find their way to his dark hair, and I’m rubbing his head, moaning. “Fuck, Ems. You are so wet.”

“What can I say, I fucking missed you. I won’t last long, Ty. Make me come and do it now.” He always loved my bossiness, and it doesn’t seem to have changed. His tongue works its way, circling my clit, and I’m glad he has not forgotten what makes me hot and bothered. It takes less than thirty seconds, and I hold onto him for dear life as my entire body spasms. “Fuck, Ty. I missed your tongue.”

Standing up, he crashes his lips to mine, and when his tongue collides with me, I can taste myself on him. “I fucking taste great,” I say.

“Yes, you do.” He agrees with me, taking my hand as we find our way to the bedroom. Pulling the blankets back, he places me on the bed, sliding in next to me. “As much as I need to be in you, Ems, I need to take you in.” Settling under the blankets, he pulls them back again as he searches my body up and down. “I want to sit here, holding you for now.”

“Okay, I can agree with that.” With a mischievous look on my face, I continue, “Your dick had better be inside me in the next ten minutes.”

He wears a cheesy smile while I ask, “What?”

“I missed your bossy little mouth more than I can tell you.” He’s pulling my hair back, looking at me intently as if his gaze would burn a hole in my soul. “Shit, Ems, I knew I missed you, but it all hit me right now how incomplete my life is without you.” Placing his hand on my cheek, he strokes my face gently. “Babe, you look good. I mean, I see a little of my old Ems in you right now, and it gives me hope.”

Rising on my elbow and placing my hand on his chest, I feel a tear run down my cheek. “Fuck, Ty, I’m so sorry. I mean, why are you still with me after all the shit I pulled? I put you through so much and here you are.”

“Ems, I would walk over broken glass for you. Don’t you know that by now?” he asks, kissing my forehead. Tyler pulls me close. “Ems, our problems will still find us tomorrow, but for now, all I want is to make love to my wife.” He is right, and for that very reason, we fall onto the bed, in a tangled heap, as he ravages my entire body.

Tyler:

Emma’s hand finds mine, leading me to our bedroom. She hasn’t initiated any affection toward me in a long time. More so, her touch stops me. It is the gentle Emma touch I fell in love with years ago. Turning to her as we enter our room, I see something in her eyes that I haven’t seen in ages. “Ems?” I ask as I desperately want to touch her too. Fuck, do I want to touch her.

“Ty,” is all she says to give me the permission I need; by the way her eyes water and her mouth shows just a hint of a smile, one that has been missing from my wife’s face forever, and I melt. It is less than a second, if that, before I crash my mouth to hers. Her hand instantly finds my hardness, and without thinking, I grab her as she wraps her legs around my waist. “Ty, I need you.”

She takes the words out of my mouth because at this very moment, I have not needed anything as much as I do her now. Once we are wrapped in each other’s arms, the postpartum, the guilt she feels with Aspen, the attempted suicide, the fact she’s leaving for LA soon—it all fades away.

I place her gently on her back. Crawling onto the bed, I straddle her, taking in the sight of my wife. Over the years, her almost raven-colored hair has become a touch lighter, her deep jet black eyes still captivate me, but it is her smile, the way she tweaks her mouth just enough to look both fucking sexy and innocent all at the same time. In her smile, I can forget everything that is against us. Right now, all the shit we have in our past and ahead of us fades, and I’m left with only my wife.

“Ems, I have fucking missed you so much! You are my world.”

“Ty, I’m so sorry.” Hell, now she’s crying. I can’t have that ruining this moment, when the same Emma I fell in love with years ago is back with me.

“Shh, babe, I’m here. I’m yours. I’m going nowhere. See, as much as you have tried to push me away, I’m here.”

Again, she smiles, and this time, when it reaches her eyes, I’m a goner. The things she can do to my heart and, well, other parts of my body leave me speechless. I push her hair out of her eyes and kiss every part of her face, wiping away the tears. After that, I need to be inside of her and have the urge to take Emma roughly. And though I know she loves it when I ravage her, taking her deep and hard, she needs soft and sweet right now.

Standing up briefly, I yank her yoga pants off her while she tries to take care of her shirt and bra. Stopping her, I simply say, “I want to soak in every moment, Ems. Let me do that.” Again, she smiles at me, and my heart is truly hers again. Not that I ever wanted to admit defeat with us, but she’s giving me a glimmer of hope, one I haven’t had since Aspen was born.

I bring Emma up to me and pull her simple black top over her head and reach behind her to unclasp her bra in one fluid motion, something I have been known for. She laughs. “You haven’t lost your move, there, buddy,” she says with a bit of a flirt in her voice. The rasp in her tone is exactly how I remember her when she’s turned on. Oh, how I have missed that rasp.

“Never, babe,” I say as I urgently undress. But she stands, taking control. She slowly unbuckles my belt. Taking it from the loops very slowly, she draws out the need and the desire I have to plunge into my wife right now. But I give her this control. She needs something that is hers. As she reveals my skin millimeter by millimeter, her smile grows.

“Fuck, Ty, your body is like that of an Olympic god.” She has used this little tagline for as long as I can remember. The rasp of her voice causes my dick to stir. It has a mind of its own, and like me, Emma owns it.

I push her back gently and crawl on top of her now that both of us are naked.

Taking her large D cup boobs in my mouth, I massage the nipple with my tongue as a slight moan escapes from her. Wow, I’m turned on when I massage the other nipple with my hand, squeezing the tit with my fingers. Her hand moves to my erection, pumping it the way I like.

Before she can demand entrance, I drop my head between her legs and open those sweet lips. My head finds its way to her wet pussy, and my tongue finds that sweet spot only I know when it comes to my Emma. She starts to writhe, but the second my free hand touches her stomach, she calms at my touch, allowing her the ability to enjoy the upcoming orgasm. The more I work her clit with my tongue, the more I can feel her release building. In a matter of seconds, she’s pushed over the edge and comes all over my face. I can’t help but lap up every drop of her.

I don’t give her any time to think, though, as now I’m in front of her face. Her greedy little pussy is waiting for my entrance, and I don’t disappoint. I ram into her hard, and she smiles that sexy fucking smile again, but then I slow. I want to relish every little movement I make inside her.

Looking deep into the black irises of hers, I realize I love her more, more than I care to admit and more than I ever thought possible. This time, Emma has given me hope.

Now that we are finally together after our time apart, we move in motion as if we were never apart. I grab her face, moving slowly and methodically, relishing every second I’m with my wife. I make her look in my eyes, and I continue to soak her in and burn this to memory.

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Author Bio

Leigh Lennon is mother, veteran and a wife of a cancer survivor. Originally with a degree in education, she started writing as an outlet that has led to a deep passion. She lugs her computer with her as she crafts her next story. Her imaginary friends become real on her pages as she creates a world for them. She loves pretty nails, spikey hair and large earrings. Leigh can be found drinking coffee or wine, depending on the time of the day.

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Release Boost: She Asked For It.

Title: She Asked For It

Author: Willow Winters

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: January 23, 2018

Blurb

DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. 

You’ll tell me you don’t… but you already think you know what my story’s about.

You have no idea. 

Just like the people sitting in this courtroom. 

She asked for it.  That’s what they keep saying.

And no, it’s not because my skirt was too short or I was drunk at a party. 

It’s nothing like that.  It’s because of what I like and how I like it. 

They’re judging me as I sit in the front row, my eyes drawn to the man on trial. 

If I’d known it was going to end like this, I never would have gone home with him. 

But he’s the type of man I just can’t say no to. 

I wanted to feel his lips kiss down my neck. 

I dreamed of running my fingers along the rough stubble on his jaw.

I craved his hands on me, pinning me down.

I needed to whisper his name in the dark, late at night. 

You still think you know what happened? You don’t. 

He’s innocent and I enjoyed every second I was with him.

Let me tell you my story … all about how I asked for it.

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Author Bio

Willow Winters is so happy to be a USA Today, Wall Street Journal and #1 Contemporary Bestselling Romance Author. She likes her action hot and her bad boys hotter. She certainly doesn’t hold back on either one in her writing!

Willow started writing after having her little girl, Evie, December 2015. All during her pregnancy with Evie she continued to read and she only wanted to read romance. She was reading a book a day — sometimes two.

In January 2016 Willow was staying up late with Evie and just thinking of all these stories. They came to her constantly so she finally sat down and just started writing. She always wanted to do it so she figured, why not? Today Willow cannot be happier for making that decision!

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Review: Captive Beauty

Captive Beauty by Natasha Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Beauty and the Beast retellings, be they fantasy or contemporary. I also love dark romances. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to hear Natasha Knight’s Captive Beauty was screaming at me from the moment my eyes fell upon the synopsis.

I’ll be honest, despite my excitement a part of me was worried. I love dark romances, but often find the books are nowhere near as dark as I would like them to be. Fortunately, Captive Beauty delivered the darkness. I have no wish to jinx myself, but it seems I’m stumbling upon quite a few authors capable of writing truly dark romances as of late and I’m loving this current trend in my reading.

Although Captive Beauty is very clearly a dark romance I was surprised in many ways. There was plenty of darkness to be found throughout the story – in terms of the characters and the events that played out – yet it managed to be dark without going into overly graphic detail. Compared to some of the books I have read, the details in this one was rather tame. That is not a bad thing at all, it was simply surprising. Some of the content in this book would have been touched upon in more graphic detail in other dark romances I have read, and it was refreshing to be aware of the details without things being overly graphic. I’m not saying it is without graphic detail – there is plenty throughout the story – it simply wasn’t to the level of some dark romances, and I liked it more than I thought I could like such an approach.

I think it is safe to say this is one of my favourite dark romances. I was captivated from the very first page, addicted to the story. I was turning page after page, unable to put the book down until I knew how everything would come together. The characters were wonderful, the interaction between them great to watch, the storyline was gripping, and the way everything developed throughout kept me hooked. As I mentioned, it was two of my favourite things put together – Beauty and the Beast and a dark romance – and I positively loved the outcome.

Without a doubt, I’ll be picking up more Natasha Knight in the future!

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