Blog Tour ~ Review ~ Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Reviewed by Willow and Donna

**ARC received for honest review**

Instead of doing a joint review for this one, we 've done separate reviews. These were written totally independently yet the book evoked the same thoughts and opinions in us, which is testament to what a fantastic book this was, that you may find similarities in our reviews. Happy reading!

What Willow says  ~ 5 I loved it to life Stars

" Love isn't always pretty, Tate. Sometimes you spend all your time hoping it'll eventually be something different. Something better. Then, before you know it, you're back to square one, and you lost your heart somewhere along the way."

Wow, Wow, Wow! Yep, It's that good! Emotionally charged and beautifully written, you will laugh - a lot, and you will cry - big fat ugly tears. Colleen is a master with words that suck you in and make you FEEL everything. I don't think my review can do this book justice and convey just how much I loved it! I went into this book not knowing anything except the title and that it was by Colleen Hoover. I was totally unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster I would go through over the next few hours ~  I couldn't put it down!

There were so many scenes and favourite lines in this book that made me swoon, laugh out loud and make my heart break and I marked them all. Here's what my book looked like when I finished it.....

The main characters in this book are Miles & Tate ~ "The Invader and the Infiltrator." The book starts being told from Tate's pov. She is moving in with her brother for a while whilst she looks for a job. Only when she gets to her brothers apartment, she can't get in - there's a drunk guy asleep, propped up against the apartment door, after a very funny scene that had me laughing and smiling, Tate eventually gets into the apartment. However drunk guy - named Miles - seems to think Tate is someone named Rachel and something he feels he has done to Rachel is obviously eating him up inside.

The book jumps back 6 years earlier and is then told from Miles' pov. We get to see when Miles met Rachel. The chapters alternate between Tate, here in present and Miles,  6 years in the past. You see what you are actually getting here is two stories. The story of Tate & Miles and the story of Miles & Rachel. Both of them have highs and lows with plenty of laughter and plenty of heart break!

Back in the present, once Miles is sober, Tate & Miles do not get off to a flying start. Tate finds Miles non expressive, unfriendly and closed off.

"Jesus Christ, this man. Does he not realize that facial expressions are supposed to accompany speech?"

But it soon becomes undeniable that they are attracted to each other....

"You make it so hard to breathe" 

Miles does not want a relationship though, he can't, but he still wants to taste Tate. They agree to a sexual relationship only and Miles sets two rules for Tate ~ don't ask about his past and never expect a future. When they finally give into attraction there are some very hot sex scenes and a very hot kissing scene up against a bathroom wall! But this book isn't really about sex. Its all about the emotion!

Although Tate agreed to Miles' rules, Its harder than she thought it would be, she desperately wants to know his past, know about Rachel and the scars Miles carries, but more than that,  she is slowly hoping for a future that Miles is continuing to remind her she can't have.

"If I were capable of loving someone..... it would be you. But i'm not capable"

Colleen has done an amazing job of making you feel the highs and the heart breaking moments Tate goes through whilst trying to justify and work through the decisions that keep her continuing to see Miles. Now I realise I've not mentioned much about Miles and Rachel's story, but make no mistake this is not just a side story, this is a brilliant story in it's own right and pivotal to Tate and Miles' journey. I just don't want to give anything away so I'm keeping quiet about it!

I can't finish this review without mentioning Cap, an eightyish year old man who assists people with the lifts in Tate's apartment building. I loved his character, he was funny and wise and I'm sure will remind some people of a sweet old man they used to know.

Once again Colleen has delivered a beautiful complex story, well two stories, that will suck you in and spit you out once its got every single emotion out of you. I know I'm going to have a book hangover now and it's become one of my favourite reads. I cannot recommend it enough.

"I feel it. All the Ugly parts of it. It's in my pores. My Veins. My memories. My future."

What Donna Says ~ 5 stars!!!

“Sometimes a man’s spirit just ain’t strong enough to withstand the ghosts from his past…maybe that boy just lost his spirit somewhere along the way.”

OMG, just WOW and WOW and WOW, I just didn’t think that Colleen could get better but each and every book she writes just manages to elicit more, more emotion, more angst, more love, more pain just more. This book is all about “the feels,” my favourite part of a book, as I have said many a time in my reviews, I want to live and breathe a book, I want to feel it all, the passion, the heart break, the angst, the love, just give me sensory overload…it is what I crave, what I love and this book delivered it in spades. I was emotioned out by the end, devoid of all emotion, just that ache, that feeling deep down in your gut when you know you have read something amazing, something that is going to take a while to recover from, something that will eat at your brain and you won’t stop thinking about it for days…yep you get it…major book hangover! This book decimated my heart, it was shattered, scattered tiny fragments that were slowly pieced back together as this book progressed, but it was so worth it. This is a piece of literary genius, something that Colleen always manages to deliver, something so unique, so thought provoking and a book that I can say with 100% certainty is her best book yet.

“He leads. I let him. Because he’s a solid and I’m a liquid and right now, I’m just his wake.”

This isn’t just a book, it is a journey, a journey that you will live and breathe for the hours that it takes you to devour. Make sure you have the time set aside to read this in one hit as you will not be able to put it down. Miles will steal you away, you will “fly” with him and his heart breaking story, you cannot help but be sucked into this emotional vortex that disguises itself as a book, this book deserves your undivided attention, live it, breathe it, inhale it and devour it. I did.

“…don’t you dare try to tell me you’ve been clear from day one, because you are the murkiest goddamn man I’ve ever met.”

This book centres around Miles and Tate, Miles is a pilot and Tate is a student nurse. This book starts with Tate moving in with her brother until she can find a job to support herself while she is training and studying. Her brother is also a pilot and is Miles’s best friend. When she arrives at her brothers apartment there is a drunk propped up at the door and she cannot get in. Scared for her safety she calls her brother and finally manages to get herself in. It turns out her brother knows the said “drunk” and tells her to drag him in and make sure that he is OK. Between the sight of him and his drunken ramblings, Tate realises that there is something eating away at him, something so bad that he has tried to mask it with alcohol. After caring for him and making sure that he cannot choke should he be sick, she goes to bed. The next morning “the drunk” is awake and the mask is in place, totally devoid of any emotion, Tate is finally introduced to Miles. To say they don’t hit it off in the beginning is a bit of an understatement, but there is an undercurrent of simmering chemistry, Tate knows it but does Miles? Is Miles willing to recognise it? Can Miles even recognise it?


“Don’t ask about my past,” he says firmly. “And never expect a future.”

This book is like two stories in one, the present is told in Tate’s POV and the past in Miles’s POV. There is a reason for Miles’s mask and slowly but surely Colleen eeeks this out. It is obvious that something happened to him in his past, something that was so bad that he felt that he didn’t have a future and that he didn’t deserve a future. It was painful to read at times, because you felt so bad for him. Through the glimpses of his past, you saw the real Miles, you knew what he was capable of, and you knew that the “present” Miles was in no way a true representation of the “past” Miles. You just wanted to get inside his head and tell him, you deserve this, you need this, and you are so much more than “this”. He had a fortress around his heart, guarded by heavy artillery, he was letting no-one in, he was impenetrable…or was he? Could that special someone manage to “Infiltrate” his defences? What would it take for someone to make Miles realise that he does in fact have a future and that he is worthy. He was so worthy, he was just damn perfect!

“You make it so hard to breathe.”

Tate was totally and utterly adorable. Throughout this book, she puts her own feelings and heartache on the back burner while she tries to get to know Miles better. She knows there is more to the man than the little slithers and scraps he throws out there. He is the master of “the mask” but every now and then she sees little glimmers, little shards of light that give her that faint ray of hope that maybe just maybe Miles feels the same about her as she does about him. Miles has “Invaded” her heart and her head, she cannot help it, her heart calls for him, she wants him, she needs him, she loves him, but is he capable, can he give her what she craves, can she fix him?

“If I were capable of loving someone…it would be you.”

This is a heart breaking story about a man that is so caught up in his past he cannot live, he just exists. A barren apartment that is a complete reflection of his heart and his soul…barren, nothing, just desolation, empty, devoid and bereft, so twisted and tangled he cannot escape the “Ugly Love” the invader needs to be infiltrated, but is Tate the woman for the job?

“I didn’t fall in love with you, Tate. I flew.”

This book is flawlessly written, it packs such an emotional punch, one that will leave you breathless. But this book is also a new side to Colleen, this is hot…there are some steamy scenes in there and she nails them, not too much and not too little, that perfect balance, just enough for you to connect to the characters even more, you feel their passion, their chemistry, you just feel, feel and more feel.

Once again I cannot salute Colleen enough; this woman amazes me every time she puts pen to paper or fingers to keys. I went into this book blind, all I knew was that it was Colleen Hoover and it was called Ugly Love, but that is enough, it says it all, it says 1click now, it screams perfection and it was. SO DAMN PERFECT!

“I love you to life.”

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1zy97sH
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1twoAsD

Release Blitz with Excerpt ~ Rogue (Real 4) by Katy Evans

 

Book Description:

HE SAYS HE’S NO GOOD FOR HER.
SHE HATES THAT HE MIGHT BE RIGHT.

Brook Dumas found Remington Tate in REAL, and now it’s her best friend Melanie’s turn to find the man who makes her heart sing. After years of searching, one night in the rain, the strong and mysterious Greyson King comes to her rescue. He’s bold, and maybe just the lover, friend, and protector she’s been searching for. When they make love, he says her name like it means something. Like she means something—and that’s everything she’s ever wanted.

He disappears for days without a word, and when he’s around, he says he’ll only hurt her. Buy when he’s away, her heart hurts more.

Then Melanie uncovers the dark world he’d been determined to keep hidden, and suspects that their random first meeting might have not been so random after all.

Caught in a free fall of emotions, Melanie has no one to catch her but the man she should be running from. . .

But what do you do when your Prince Charming has gone Rogue?

Find it on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17830561-rogue

 

Excerpt:

The doors burst open and a couple walks inside, soaking wet, the woman shaking her damp loose hair, laughing.

“Omigod!” I cry, my stomach plummeting when I realize it’s fucking raining.

I run to the door when a man grabs the handle with a black-gloved hand and gallantly pulls it open for me. I almost stumble outside, and he grips my elbow to steady me. “Easy,” he says in a rolling voice as he steadies me on my feet, and I blink desperately across the street at the light blue Mustang. All I have in my name. All I have to sell because I desperately need the money and who will want it now? It’s a convertible and a little old, but it’s as cute as it is unique, with white interior seats to match the tent top. But now it’s outside in this rain, with its top down, becoming my very own Titanic with wheels.

My entire life is sinking right with it.

“I assume by that sad puppy-dog look on your face that that’s your car,” the rolling voice says.

I helplessly nod and lift my eyes to the stranger. A flash of thunder cuts through the distance, illuminating his features.

And I can’t speak.

Or think.

Or breathe.

His eyes grab me and won’t let go. I stare into their depths while also registering that his face is stunning. Hard jaw, high cheekbones, strong forehead. His nose is classic, sleek and elegant; and the lips beneath are full and curved, firm and . . . god, he’s edible. His dark hair flips playfully in the wind. He’s tall and broad shouldered and dressed in dark slacks and a dark turtleneck that makes him look both elegant and dangerous.

But his eyes.

They’re an indecipherable color, but it’s not the color, it’s the stare, the incredible shine. Framed with thick black lashes, his eyes shine as brilliant as the brightest lights I’ve ever seen. As they quietly assess my features in return, those narrowed eyes feel as powerful as X-rays, and they seem to be sparkling especially because I—me—have somehow done something to amuse this man, this . . . fuck, I have no name for him. Except Eros. Cupid himself. God of love. In the flesh.

I used to think Cupid used an arrow but I don’t feel as if I’ve been pierced by an arrow. I feel like I’ve been hit. By a rocket.

As I keep standing here, floored by the over six feet of total hotness before me, he grabs my keys from me with one gloved hand and puts his other free one on my hip to hold me in place. And I feel it. I feel the touch race down my hips, knotting in my stomach, pulsing in my sex, straight down my thighs, curling my toes. “Stay here,” he says into my ear, then he pulls up the collar of his turtleneck until it becomes a hood in the back, and he runs across the street.

I watch him head to where my car is getting soaked. The wind whips through the streets so hard, I have to use both hands to try to flatten my skirt so it doesn’t fly up to my middle.

“Put the top on!” I force myself to yell through the pounding rain, suddenly as determined as he is to save my car.

“Princess, I got this!” He leaps into the front seat, turns on the car, and the top starts coming up until it . . . doesn’t.

It gets stuck.

After a squeal of protest, the fucker starts coming back down.

“ARGH, SHIT!” I hurry into the street and suddenly the drops of rain bombard me like little cannon balls, soaking me in a second. I swear I want to yell Fuck you! at them. My car, the one thing in my life that hasn’t been shit on, is being ruined and I want to scream.

“Are you kidding me? Get under the roof!” The guy leaps out and then pulls off his sweater in one quick jerk. He spreads the material over my head, using it to shield me from the rain while he herds me back to the small awning over the building entry.

“No! I’ll help you. My precious car!” I cry and push at his chest, trying to get him to back off, but he’s a head taller and built of steel.

“I’ve got your car,” he promises. He hands me his soaked turtleneck and adds, “Hold this,” before he runs back out.

He’s wearing a white crewneck undershirt, and it clings to his sculpted torso as he tries to manually override and pull the top of my car back in place.

Raindrops sluice down his bare arms, the soaked cotton of his shirt plastered down on his chest, revealing every muscle in existence. Fuck. He’s off-the-charts gorgeous; he just broke my Man Hotness Radar. I can’t take my eyes off every inch of his body or the way it moves.

Thunder shakes the city again when he finally latches the top of my car on and signals for me to come over. He opens my car door from the inside, and I hurry into the passenger seat and shut it behind me.

My cold, slick clothes cling against my skin while he sits behind the wheel, looking big and manly, and suddenly we’re ensconced in the small, almost cramped interior of my car. The seats are flooded with water, and when I shift to face him a little, I hear a squish that makes my cheeks burn in embarrassment.

“I can’t believe this,” I whisper. “My best friend tells me I’m the only idiot with a convertible in Seattle.”

His eyes are openly amused. “I dig your car.” He reaches out to the dashboard, and the hand he runs over it is covered in an elegant lambskin glove that makes my skin prick with goose bumps. He shifts his big torso in my direction with an irresistibly devastating grin. “Everything wet gets dry; don’t worry, princess.”

I can hardly take the way he says wet.

Or the way a raindrop clings to his dark eyelashes. Water sluices down his tanned, corded arms. His hair is slicked back, enhancing the beautiful face he has. I have seen works of art and beautiful men, beautiful buildings and beautiful rooms, but at this moment as he looks at me, I can’t remember ever seeing anything besides him.

He’s a ten. I’ve never, ever, been with a ten. And the way that he looks at me . . . I’ve seen that look before. The look that Remington Tate gives Brooke. That look. He’s giving it to me and I’m dying inside. Can I die from one look? And if one look can kill me, then what would one touch do?

“So,” he says softly, his voice textured. He waits a little before speaking again, and it surprises me that he still only looks at my face, not my wet chest, not my bare legs—he’s looking at nothing but my eyes while absently stroking the circle of my steering wheel.

“Want to go somewhere with me?” he asks, then reaches out with his free wet black glove to brush my hair back behind my ear.

What I feel is so far beyond lust, I can hardly answer him.

I tremble. “Yes,” I say, dizzied with want.

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1t5FyOc

​Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1uXlAnn

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1AhjFxn

 

About the Author:

My Life in 8 Words: “Hectic, wonderful, complete; everything I ever wanted.”

Katy Evans grew up with books and book-boyfriends until she found a real sexy boyfriend to love. They married and are now hard at work on their own happily ever after. Katy loves her family and friends, and she also loves reading, walking, baking, and being consumed by her characters until she reaches “The End.” Which is, hopefully, only the beginning…

Author Links:

Site: http://www.katyevans.net/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/authorkatyevans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatyEvans?fref=ts

Review ~ Wife Number Seven by Melissa Brown

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 Stars

“Instead, I’m wife number seven. My husband shares my bed one night a week. And although I don’t love him, not in the way I’d always hoped I’d love the man I’m bound to for eternity, I find myself dreading the moment he walks out my bedroom door every seven days. My existence is a lonely one. Lehi relieves that loneliness for the twenty-four hours when I pretend I’m the only one he lays with. And I do pretend. Every waking hour.”

We have all seen it on the news, read about it and even seen it on reality TV shows but have you ever truly wondered what really goes on in these polygamist cults/compounds, well wonder no more as Melissa Brown goes there. This is a compound whereby the husbands can have as many wives as “The Prophet” deems and The Prophet receives all his instructions/visions from The Lord. Yes this does have some religion in it, but is by no means the crux of the story; please do not be deterred from reading because of the religion aspect, because this story is so much more than that.

Brinley was 19 years old when The Prophet assigned her to one of the Elders, they were soon married and she became “Wife Number Seven,” the seventh wife of the Elder Lehi. Every girl really wants to be the first wife but beggars cannot be choosers and you have to abide by what The Prophet dictates. Brinley’s home is managed by the Elders first wife and each wife has to conform to what the Elder and The Prophet expects, keep the Elder happy, the home running smoothly and birth the Elders children. Seven wives equate to a lot of children in the house, a lot of mouths to feed, a lot of laundry to do and the money has to stretch. Each wife has their chores to do, their roles to play and they each have an allocated night to “service” their Elder. When the Elder you are married too is 50 years old you can understand Brinley’s reticence and the fact that she doesn’t love her husband and that she will do whatever she can to avoid getting pregnant. Contraception is not tolerated at all in the compound and it takes a savvy Brinley to be able to obtain what she needs. Her cousin left the compound years ago and works in a health centre so when Brinley is sent on her errands she diverts to the centre, gets her months’ supply and has to hide them away. Three years later, not having conceived, the wives feel sorry for her but only Brinley knows the truth. She wants more from life, she wants a proper husband, a proper relationship, she wants to love and be loved, but can she get it?

“I, however, was not. As far as anyone could see, I was an obedient, even-tempered, and loyal wife. I helped with the cooking, the cleaning, and the child-rearing. I’d never tried to secretly cut my hair or wear the color red. But I had my secrets. A voice inside told me I didn’t belong here, that there was another life waiting for me. And with each passing year, that voice became louder.”
It is on one of her errand runs that she literally runs into Porter Hammond, he was exiled from his family and the compound years back for being a “bad boy,” most people would have just seen him as a normal teenager but because so many of his “crimes” went against the rules set by The Prophet his family was ordered to remove him. Now high on drugs and struggling to survive, he steals Brinley’s purse, causing her no end of problems. Brinley recognises him and after doing a bit of detective work she finds out where he is living, determined to get her purse back and its contents she goes to Porter’s house. Will she get more than she bargained for when she gets there? They had this connection as children and it seems that connection has not disappeared. Can Porter be the reason and the man that Brinley needs to make the hardest decision she will ever have to make? Leave the only life she has known, go against her beliefs and actually break free and obtain what she has always wanted? The journey will not be easy…

I must admit I was wary to begin with as to whether this could be something I could read, but after reading the first few pages I was totally sucked in. Whether it is curiosity, I cannot say, but my interest was piqued. While reading you do get angry with what the wives have to do and are expected to do, but you also have to tell yourself that this is all they have ever known, they know no different. To them this is what life is all about and you just get on and deal. It becomes apparent early on that Brinley is no lamb, she is her own person, she has her own beliefs all she needs now is the backbone to go out and desperately grasp what she has always wanted.

I also want to point out that this is by no means a love triangle, yes Brinley is “married” but even in a polygamist culture only the first wife is legally wed to the Elder, the other wives are assigned and have a ceremony to “celebrate” their union. The wives have no say at all as to who they will be assigned to, and for a 19 year old girl to be assigned to a 50 year old man, is just wrong. She has never ever loved her “husband.” Therefore her relationship with Porter is what in my mind I have deemed her one and only proper relationship.

This is definitely a thought provoking book, one that will leave you thinking about it for days after. Yes it is a tough read, but it is also a beautiful love story. Sacrifices made in the name of love, going against all your beliefs, extracting yourself from a sheltered life and upbringing and taking yourself to the outside. Learning to live a whole new life, with freedom that you have never had, an opinion that you could never voice, and aspirations that were always snuffed out before they could even take flight. It is tough, but it is a compelling read, one that kept me page turning until I had read The End. 

I am no expert by any means so whether this is a true representation, I don’t know, but I can honestly say, it is believable. I can see this happening as much as it pains me to say it and I feel that Melissa Brown has done a brilliant job in conveying this story.

Give it a try, even if it is outside of your comfort zone, this is a story that deserves to read, I did and I don’t regret it at all.

“I would be the first.
I would be the only.
And I would never share.”

Review ~ Promised (The One Night Trilogy 1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3.5 “I concur” stars!!

“I believe that you’re the master of your own destiny – your own decisions and actions are what influence your life course. But unfortunately, the decisions and actions of others impact this course, too, and sometimes you’re powerless to prevent it.”

It pains me to write this as I am a huge Jodi Ellen Malpas fan but this book just didn’t do it for me. It was an OK read but not a fantastic read. I know that I will probably be in the minority but I have to be honest. For me, I feel that this is a backbone book, the foundations have been laid, the back stories told (to a certain extent) and the characters have been introduced. Don’t get me wrong, the writing as always was flawless but I just struggled to read it, it didn’t grip me like the This Man trilogy, I took 3 days to read this and that is just unheard of.

Olivia/Livy was a great character, she had her weaknesses but she kept them all hidden, but on the outside she was all sass and bravado. She was strong, she had hit rock bottom before and was determined never to repeat. She had lost herself for a while and now seven years later she was determined to be more than her mother. She still had that sense of rejection, her mother hadn’t loved her enough to stay, she felt abandoned, and after all, her mother had left her in preference for a life of being a high class prostitute. Her mother would have rather had the money and the life rather than care for the daughter she had, instead she left that to her mother. It seems though that the life had caught up to her as she mysteriously disappeared when Livy was young.

Livy had searched for her mother when she was seventeen, this lead her into the depraved world that her mother was a part of. Her real identity was soon discovered and she was sent home but not before plenty of meaningless sex and a permanent alcohol induced stupor to get her through it. She went back to her Nan who needed her more, she cleaned up her act, has been tee-total since and has not had sex…that was seven years ago. Now working in a coffee shop will her life be turned upside down again?

M…mmmmm what can I say about M…

M is mysterious. M is masterful. M is meticulous. M is masculine. M is memorable. M is mind-blowing. I wanted to know more about him, there is still a lot to learn, he has impeccable manners, he is obviously rich, but where does this wealth come from? He had his own charm and swagger about him but at times he could be domineering. He was suave, he was sophisticated and he was yummy! He had his little quirks, he was OCD, he liked eye contact when being spoken to but he was courteous and polite, he was just a gentleman, but was there more than met the eye?

“I’ll never be a drunken fumble, Olivia. Every time I take you, you’ll remember it. Each and every moment will be etched on that beautiful mind of yours for ever.’ He gently taps my temple. ‘Every kiss. Every touch. Every word.”

Livy and M’s paths cross in the coffee shop when M comes in for some coffee, Livy’s jaw is left on the counter, she becomes a bumbling mess and totally messes up his coffee, M lets her know of course, but it seems that they are both as taken with each other. Is this the start of something beautiful or is just One Night Promised? One Night is all that M is willing to offer in the first instance, it soon becomes twenty-four hours and then he realises that actually, maybe, he doesn’t want this to end? Have M and Livy finally met their match?

“After disposing of the cup, the saucer, and the offending napkin, then locking up with Sylvie, I finally reach the conclusion that M stands for Moron.”

As I said above the writing was impeccable, flawless in fact, I can always appreciate fantastic writing, but for some reason I wasn’t captivated and the most annoying thing is I can’t even really explain why. I loved the characters, I loved the premise and at the end I was left wanting more. For me personally I felt that the pace of the book was a bit off, especially in the middle, Jodi normally has that fast paced, impact style and this was the complete opposite. I did find it a bit slow in places and this is what I think made it drag for me. But please let me remind you that 3.5 stars is still “I liked this book” and as I said I want more, the last 20% really picked up in pace and drama and the ending was a real OMG moment. I will admit I had kind of guessed it but it still had that shock factor when it was delivered. In true Jodi style the book is littered with humour and none more so than from “Nan” who was my favourite of all the side characters, everyone will want her for themselves. All the side characters had their place and added to story. I loved her gay BBF Greg he was hilarious and was always there for Livy. In short, the foundations have been laid and now I am expecting the castle that I know that Jodi will deliver, bring on November!!

Nan ~ “Before you know it, you’re being measured for false teeth and you won’t dare cough or sneeze through fear of pissing yourself.”

Review ~ Lady Luck (Colorado Mountain 3) by Kristen Ashley

Reviewed by Willow ~ 4 Stars

I'm going to start off by saying this was my least favourite Colorado Mountain book, but that's not a negative, I just found The Gamble & Sweet Dreams had an edge to them that I felt this one didn't.

I found the beginning really interesting. Initially told from Lexie's POV, she is sent to pick up a guy from prison and take him where he needs to go. You see this is a favour for an acquaintance who just doesn't say no, so she agrees to this favour get him off her back for a while. The guy she has to pick up? Ty Walker - a man with little words.

I really struggled with Ty at first, he really doesn't say a lot, a few one word answers or commands here and there. I guess I just didn't get him. I was worried that I would feel like this for the duration of the book, but the mystery of why Ty was in prison and why Lexie was caught up doing her acquaintance's bidding kept me reading on.  

What I loved about this book was that, unlike the previous two Colorado Mountain books I'd read, this one is told in alternative POV, which you really need so you can understand Ty much better. I found his parts made it a lot easier for me to connect to him and soon I was loving every part of this book.

Lexie's acquaintance owes Ty and Ty is cashing in, He needs a woman to marry and go back with him to his home whilst he works on his revenge plan for the people who were responsible for getting him sent to prison. The woman he's sent is Lexie. It becomes clear to Ty that Lexie isn't aware of the whole story of why she has been sent to him. Ty lays a deal on the table for Lexie, marry him whilst he gets his shit done, then she can go on her merry way. In return, she gets cash, jewellery but most importantly protection from her acquaintance and a way to escape a life that she's been trying to get away from.

We get to see Ty and Lexie's relationship develop and they start to become a "real" couple. Lexie's back story is revealed and we get to meet some of her family/friends. Back in Ty's home in Carnal, he is intent on getting revenge, but he's up against not only criminals but dirty cops and we start to learn why and by who Ty was set up.

I have to say that whilst the first part of the book was interesting and engaging, I kind of lost my way half way through, it didn't feel like a lot was happening and I ended up putting it down to go off and read other books, though I kept dipping in and out of it.  Eventually it picked up for me again and towards the end, it felt like everything was happening and I couldn't put it down.

Ty and Lexie do have a bumpy road, there are highs and lows. My heart broke for Lexie on more than one occasion. I totally loved Lexie, she's probably my favourite Mountain lady. She was so understanding and open and was willing to put herself out there, she seemed sweet and unsure at times, but other times, she was "throwing sass" and being super "goofy"

You have the added bonus of this being mainly set in Carnal so all the favourites were there, with Tate & Laurie, Krystal, Maggie, Deke, Jim Billy and more plus mentions of Max and Nina and Shambles cakes! (which the descriptions always make me so hungry!)

Although I lost my way half way through, this was still another good read from Kristen, and I know that for some people Ty is their favourite so this book is definitely worth a read!   

Friday Frights ~ PNR ~ Tempted by a Rogue Prince (Eternal Mates 3) by Felicity Heaton

Reviewed by Shirley ~ 4.5 Stars

This is third book in this really good series. Ms Felicity Heaton has done it again. In this book you read about two exceptional people who have got to overcome terrible conditions.

Vail who is from royalty but has been estranged from his realm for millenniums due to coming under the thrall of an evil black witch called Kordula, but on her death during the war between the Third and Fifth realms he finds himself wandering the realms of Hell in torment, fighting battles raging inside him that only he knows about. During his wandering he stumbles into the Fifth Realm. Totally exhausted he his confronted by demon warriors who finally overcome him and takes him to their prison. Because of the injuries he sustained during their fight the demon king, King Bruan, sends a white witch whom he had imprisoned earlier, to heal him as she had healing abilities.

The witch in question is Rosalind. A good person being a lover of nature which in her world she uses for the well-being of the people she treated and helped. Because of Vails total hatred of witches brought on by his treatment he sustained under Kordula, this meeting between Rosalind and Vail did not go well, as Rosalind found out when she entered his cell.

This book tells you how these two people face unbelievable trials of hardship which they have to overcome while being in each other’s company. Vails total distrust and hatred of witches was not easy on Rosalind, but Rosalind being the good person she was, was understanding that there was more going with Vail than meets the eye and also she had her own tortured thoughts to contend with.

The relationship between these two does get better as you will find out as you read along, even to the extent that when in Vails more lucid moments being near Rosalind all he could think of was the name Little Wild Rose. Rosalind was at a loss with this being she was asked to treat, she felt the blackness that resided in Vail but she also saw the handsome man under all his injuries and weakened state and couldn't help being drawn to him even though he totally confused her with his treatment of blowing hot and cold when being with her.

Escape was all that was going through Vails mind and he knew in his heart that he had to take his Little Wild Rose with him.

During this great story there did come a time that desire did flare up between these two and you could say it blew pretty hot

“He snarled and tore at his trousers, freeing his steel-hard length, grasped it tightly in his fist and entered her in one stroke. She cried out as he drove himself to the hilt, her wet heat gloving him as tightly as his fist had. He withdrew and thrust back in, her whimper of pleasure encouraging him to do it again and again.”

So this brilliant story evolves with blistering heat between these two developing as they face the hard trials that was laid before them.

I really loved this book. I have read the whole series up to this point, and you would not be disappointed in reading it to. The characters are written superbly and the story enthralling as only the world of the paranormal can be.

Hats off to you Felicity Heaton on an excellent series.

Blog Tour ~ Review, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ More Than Forever (More 4) by Jay McLean

Title: More Than Forever 

Author: Jay McLean 

Genre: New Adult

Release Date: July 12, 2014

Book Description:

-LUCY-
There is a love so fierce it cannot be measured.
A heart so strong it will never slow.
There is a promise so sure it can never lie.
He promised me that love forever.
Even when it wasn't enough.

-CAMERON-
Forever. Everlasting. Eternal.
There is no measure of time.
No sounds of the ticking of a clock.
Just the rising and falling of the sun.
And our own sense of forever.
But our forever isn't always.

 Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1ryk2yu

 

Teaser:

 

 

Our Review:

**ARC Received for honest review**

Reviewed Donna ~ 5 More Than Perfect Stars!!!

“It’s not fair to the world to limit your love to me alone. Your heart’s too big, Cameron.”

I remember what seems like many moons ago I stumbled across this black cover with some wild blue and red writing and it caught my attention, this was the beginning of a Jay McLean addiction with a very little known book called More Than This. That book decimated me, in a good and bad way, but it started a serious addiction to this More Than series. More Than This has firmly remained my favourite, that was until More Than Forever. I didn’t think that Jay could top More Than This, but she did magnificently with this instalment, being Cam and Lucy’s story.

Cam has been quite quiet in previous instalments, but we were well acquainted with Lucy and all her drunken exploits, she was the quiet one, the reserved one, the one that just spent a lot of time “Hoovering,” until she had a drink and she loosened up a bit.

In More Than Forever we find out the reason behind this quiet girl. Her back story is none too pretty, her mum being ill, her dad working all the hours and with Lucy being the eldest and the only girl, the running of the family home and looking after all of her many brothers firmly rests with her. Lucy stretches herself very thinly with very little time left for her to find herself or be herself, she is Lucy, she is mum, she is cook, she is chaperone, she is cleaner, she is the maid, she is everything a 15 year old girl shouldn’t be.

Cam runs the little league and often sees Lucy sitting in the stands waiting for her brothers, he is intrigued from the start, but he cannot help but see the pain behind the mask and he feels like he has to do whatever is needed to help her. The more he watches the more enamoured he becomes, there is something about her, a gravitational pull that he cannot help nor stop, she is like a siren calling to him and he can’t help himself but answer. Slowly but surely he manages to infiltrate their family home, just being there, helping, trying to break through the impenetrable walls that Lucy has built up around herself. She has a secret and it is not long before Cam sees exactly what Lucy has been hiding.

“So he has flaws, so what? Maybe that’s what makes him perfect.”

Here begins the start of a beautiful friendship, one that starts a solid foundation for what is to come. This is a truly emotional book, you will run through a plethora of emotions, sadness, love, angst and anger to name a few. This book covers a varied range of events that will leave you in tears of sadness and laughter, a few hard hitting sucker punches along the way always help when delivering a thoroughly engaging and captivating story. In true Jay Mclean style though this book has that perfect balance for it is peppered with wit and humour that give you that little escape from the emotion, sometimes a much needed escape.

“I love you before you told me. I loved you before you kissed me. I loved you every day since we were fifteen. And I’ve loved you more with each passing day. But last night, you destroyed me. You took that love and you ruined me.”

This book takes you on a long journey from teens, to friends, to lovers and beyond, a complete package. We go through the first love, the first kiss, hell we get all the firsts. Perfectly executed and beautifully written you cannot help but fall in love with these two and you will be willing them on from the start. This is More Than Love, this is an “Infinity” kind of love. The pages ooze their connection, you feel their chemistry, you feel their love for each other, this is a book cram packed full of “feels,” my ultimate favourite read. I love the “feels” I lived and breathed this journey with them, I felt it all, all of it and I didn’t want to let them go.

“Because he’s Cameron. And you’re Lucy. You’re team Luca. You guys are forever. If you two can’t make it work, then we’re all screwed.”

The secondary characters in this book are all fundamental players in this story and I cannot wait to see More of Them!! I can see a range of new characters getting their own stories and this is one intriguing bunch of people. I have to say that Mark has to be the best Step-Dad ever, I cannot say how much I loved this guy. He brought him a freakin Delorean!!!!

Seriously though, I cannot put into words how much I loved this book, I More Than Loved It, I totally and utterly adored it, I just want More. It is amazing to see how much Jay McLean’s writing has evolved since the beginning of this series, there is more depth, more emotion, more layers, just more of everything. I cannot wait to see where this series is going to go, all I can say is that I cannot get More Than Enough!

Perfect, just totally and utterly perfect!

“Because it’s eternal, the rise and fall of the sun. It’s forever. Just like us.”

 

Excerpt:

"I hate that guy," Logan jerks his head toward Jake and  a new kid.

"The new kid? Dylan?"

He nods. "He thinks he owns the school."

"Really?" I glare over at them. "Apparently he kills it on the basketball court, but I dunno." I shrug. "He  hasn't said two words to me. He seems quiet."

"Those are the ones you have to worry about, Cam. The quiet broody assholes get all the girls. Better watch him around that new girl of yours."

I play dumb. "What new girl?"

"Shut up, asshole. You don't think I notice you watching her all the fucking time?"

I lift my chin. "I think if there's an asshole in this entire school to watch out for, it's you."

He laughs and adjusts his cap. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm not into stealing my friend's girls." He shoves his hand in his catcher's glove and smacks my arm with it. "Say the word. Claim her. I promise to stay away  and I'll make sure she's untouchable to everyone else."

"I'm not an asshole and she isn't property. I can't own her."

"If that's what you want." He raises an eyebrow. "She's cute. In a couple years she'll be hot. Guys will be all over her. I'm just trying to help out."

I think about what he's saying, and he makes a good point. Only he's wrong—she's hot now. "Fine. I claim her.  

 She's mine."

His smirk is instant. "You can't own someone, you pig. She isn't property." 

 I laugh. "Fuck you."

Jake struts over to us. "Ya reckon that new kid Dylan can hang out with us this arvo? He seems like a top bloke."

Logan's gaze moves to me, confusion clear on his face.

I shrug. He lets out a chuckle before gripping both of  Jake's shoulders and shaking him gently. He looks him  right in the eye, speaking slowly and clearly. "I have no idea what the fuck you just said."

 

Buy Links:
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The More Series 

More Than This, #1

 

*Mikayla*

In one night my fairytale ended. Or it may have begun. This is my story of friendship and love, heartbreak and desire, and the strength to show weakness.

*Jake*

One night I met a girl. A sad and broken girl, but one more beautiful than any other. She laughed through her sadness, while I loved through her heartbreak.

*This is our story of a maybe ever after.*

He was right. It made no difference whether it was 6 months or 6 years.
I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t change the future.
I couldn’t even predict it.
It was one night.
One night when everything changed.
It was so much more than just the betrayal.
It was the Tragedy.
The Deaths. 
The Murders. 

But it was also that feeling. 
The feeling of falling.

BUY LINKS

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More Than Her, #2

 

For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction." For every choice you make there are rewards, or there are consequences. It was my choice to walk away the first time. And my choice to chase her the second. But sometimes you don't get a choice, and all you get are the consequences.” "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Unless that someone is Logan Matthews. Because loving him didn't give me the strength to walk away. It didn't give me the courage to fight for him. And when it was over, all it gave me was a broken heart.

 

BUY LINKS

 

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More Than Him, #3

 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." - Marianne Williamson

We live in a world of darkness and shadows,
where monsters hide and aim to ruin.
And they did.
They ruined us and turned our dreams into nightmares.
But now we're back.
And we're fighting.
Not just for us, or for each other, but for our light.

BUY LINKS

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Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ryjUyY
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About the Author:

Jay McLean is the author of the More Series, including More Than This, More Than Her, More Than Him and soon to be released, More Than Forever. She also has two standalones coming soon titled The Road, and Combative.

Jay is an avid reader, writer, and most of all, procrastinator. When she's not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her two little boys, or devouring some tacky reality TV show.
She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her smile, make her hurt, and make her feel.

Author Links:

You can follow Jay on Instagram and twitter @jaymcleanauthor. You can also find her on her blog at www.jaymcleanauthor.com where you can subscribe to her newsletter and get teasers and updates first hand, her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jaymcleanauthor or her fan group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/moreserieslovers, or you can contact Jay directly at jay@jaymcleanauthor.com

All her other social media links can be found below.
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jaymcleanauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4724550.Jay_McLean
Home www.jaymcleanauthor.com

Giveaway:
 

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