Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Desert Flower


 4 of 5 stars false
Bodies have a canny way of finding Samantha Jean Haggert—the first, the dead body of her mama; the second, a naked man in the middle of the Arizona desert. For Sam, dealing with one dead body in her lifetime is more than unfair. Two is downright cruel.
Seven years after running from West Virginia, Sam's now a young woman of nineteen, trying to put the pieces of her life together with the help of her family—Jacob, Boone, and Laura. But the naked man in the desert spirals her world out of control, resurrecting past hurts and revealing old secrets. It also pits against one another the two men who vie for her heart: Carson, her friend, her first kiss, and the one man who knows everything about her past and loves her despite it; and Turner, the stranger who knows nothing, but who excites and frustrates her all at once.
When bad choices made as a child lead to more bad choices as a young adult, Sam finds herself at a crossroads, forced to face her demons head-on if she plans to have any future at all—with Carson, with Turner, or with anyone. But fixing the wrongs of the past takes time, and learning to forgive one's self is damn near impossible.
Visit old friends in this harrowing sequel to Desert Rice, in which award-winning author Angela Scott brings back the characters so many readers have loved.

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour, I was given a copy for my honest review****
Samantha finds what she thinks is a naked dead man in the desert, only he is alive.  This is the second dead body that she has found, the first one was her mother when she was 12. Seven years later and she is working towards becoming a veterinarian. She is torn between two men and a past that just won't stay hidden. This is actually the second books in this series and I would really recommend reading Desert Rice before starting Desert Flower, it's not necessary but it helps with Samantha's backgrounds .  I liked this book, I can't pinpoint exactly why, it made me cry and the love triangle was a bit frustrating. However, there was just something there that made me not want to put it down. The emotional depth to this novel was refreshing, the characters have a sense of maturity not often seen in young adult novels. The authors writing was impeccable, the characters emotions leap of the page and I could see the scenes playing out like a movie. Desert Flower is a great book, just make sure you have the tissues ready.
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Transcend Time Book Blitz



Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet. Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind? Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.
Links: Goodreads Amazon  Barnes & Noble Kobo iBookstore




  How far would you go to get revenge? When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy. Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay? Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga. *Vengeance is the short story that bridges the events in Remembrance and the final novel in the Saga.*
Links: Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo iBookstore
 





IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME. In Remembrance, Lizzie and Drew changed the course of fate so they could be together. In Vengeance, Chelsea set fate back on its original, deadly path. Now, strange things keep happening to Lizzie. Things that are omens of darkness to come. A curse has doomed her to die an early death, just as she did in her past life. To make matters worse, even if she can figure out who cast the curse, it's irreversible. There's only one option left for her to save herself. It's crazier than anything she's heard yet, and to do it, she'll need Drew and Chelsea's help. Because to make things right, they must go back to when it all began ... and Lizzie discovers that the final events in her past life were more sinister than she ever imagined.
Links: Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo iBookstore 




This book is available for free on Smashwords
INCLUDED IN THE BONUS PACKET:

- Sneak peak of Remembrance
- Bonus scene for Remembrance
- Deleted chapter from Timeless
- Character extras for Lizzie, Drew, Chelsea, Jeremy, and Hannah
- Author interviews
- Essays written by Michelle Madow about the series

The Transcend Time Saga is about a high school student named Lizzie who has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England, but doesn’t realize it until she meets her soul mate from the past and he triggers her memories to gradually return. The series began with Remembrance (published July 25, 2011), was followed by the short story Vengeance (published December 8, 2011), and concluded with Timeless (published November 20, 2012). The series has sold a significant number of copies, and has received much praise from reviewers

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Chef's Delight 18+

The following review is for 18+ readers.
  
Links: Goodreads 
 4 of 5 stars false 
Ex-SEAL and next-door neighbor Joss Stone has taken everything from diner-owner Heather—and he’s the one man who can give it all back…and more.
Heather sighed as she watched Joss jog away, his fine tush showed to advantage in thin knit shorts. She was so hot for his bod and all she got from him was a peck on the cheek. Wasn’t that the story of her life? Men thought of her as a friend or sister, rarely as a lover.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she was too nice.
And maybe she needed to do something about that.
A few weeks ago she wouldn’t have done it. She’d be too timid, too nice to contemplate such a bold move. But the hurt she’d suffered and the resulting anger gave her an edge. She didn’t really care if she provoked a little anger in exchange.
She climbed into her car, drove ahead of Joss, and leaned against her car waiting for his arrival. As she anticipated, he stopped when he reached her. Lord, he wasn’t even breathing hard. But he had removed his shirt and his broad chest glistened with sweat.
He had a light dusting of dark hair on his pecs that narrowed into a thin line bisecting his abs. She licked her lips. Sometimes a girl had to go after what she wanted.
“What?” he demanded.
“This.” And she threw her arms around his neck. Dragging his head down to hers, she plastered her mouth to his running her tongue along the seam of his lips.

 Review


****This book was part of a blog tour, I received a copy for my honest review****
Heather dropped out of college to help her father at the diner; she has spent all her time there. She runs things, takes care of the customers, listens to them and gives them advice. Joss is her neighbor and an ex-seal; he had a rough child hood and doesn't believe in long term relationships. Heather has the rug pulled out from under her; her Dad has gotten married and sold the diner, to Joss. Joss needs her help to run the diner and Heather eventually gives in and helps him. The two of them give into their lust and start a no string attached relationship. While trying to run the diner together, the both of them discover the relationship that was supposed to be easy and carefree, is anything but. I liked Heather from the other books so I was happy to finally get her story. She is a sweet, giving person, she always puts other peoples need in front of her own, and she has a back bone. Joss is a nice if somewhat emotionally distant man; he can be really sweet at times and a jerk at other time. I liked that this book was a fast read, it was a bit of a fluff book, but overall I really enjoyed it. Chef's Delight was the perfect book to end this series, the epilogue really tied everything together and it was nice to see all the ladies show up in this book
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Going Under



Going Under
Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.
Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.
(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains graphic sex and language and a description of sexual violence.)


S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she's not writing, she's thinking about it.
She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and follow her blog at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com where you can get up-to-date information on her current projects.
 Links: Blog  Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads


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The Avery Shaw Experiment



Title: The Avery Shaw Experiment
Author: Kelly Oram
Publisher: Bluefields
Format: ebook
Genre: YA contemporary romance
Release Date: May 2013

Summary:

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Teaser One - Avery

Grayson finally noticed Aiden and I on the couch. “What are you two dorks doing?”

“Learning about steroids,” I said cheerfully. “You should probably know that using them can cause acne, testicular atrophy, decreased sperm count, prostate enlargement and gynecomastia.”

Grayson looked rightfully appalled. “Gyneco-what-ia?”

“Enlarged breasts in men,” Aiden translated. “So you should lay off the juice before you have to start borrowing Avery’s bras.”

I gasped at the mention of my underwear and whacked Aiden’s shoulder hard.

Behind me, Grayson laughed. I knew he was about to deliver a comeback, but I refused to look at him. Seconds later his breath was warm on my neck. He whispered just low enough that his mother couldn’t hear what he said. “I like my bras colorful and lacey, Aves. Not sure your collection would do it for me.”

Total mortification. Grayson may be as close as family to me, but he was still one of the hottest, most popular guys in our whole school. Him discussing my bras in that low sexy voice that could stop a girl’s heart on the spot made my lungs constrict. Plus, he was right of course. My bras were all of the plain white cotton variety.

Teaser Two - Grayson

I started to leave the room but she stopped me at the door. “Grayson?” Her tone tugged at something inside me. “You really want to take me with you tonight?”

She sounded so small and unsure of herself. It was how she always sounded at school and around strangers, but never when she was at home with us. I think my brother had really broken her. I was seriously going to have to beat him sometime.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know I really freaked out on you earlier, but I promise I’ll be fine. Aiden’s right.” She swallowed back a lump in her throat. “I’ll manage without him somehow.”

“Aiden’s a tool. You can learn how to manage tomorrow. Tonight’s New Years Eve and for once in your life you’re going to spend it without Aiden or The Discovery Channel.

I knew I was making progress when she cracked a smile and asked, “What about Whootylicious in 7 B?”

I thought of the luscious booty I’d originally planned on seeing tonight and sighed. “That will be an unfortunate loss, but, like you, I will just have to deal.”

I winked and then decided I’d give her ten minutes before I came back and physically dragged her out of bed.

Other books by Kelly Oram




About Kelly Oram...


Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

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Monday, March 18, 2013

Strength


Strength (Mark of Nexus, #1)
3 of 5 stars false
When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.
Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…
Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.
They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.


(Upper YA/New Adult)

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour, I received a copy for my honest review****
I have to start by saying from the front cover, I was expecting a totally different sort of book,maybe more romance and passion than mystery .
The beginning of this book starts out exactly like the blurb says, with Rena bumping head first into the chest of outcast and all round mysterious character, Wallace. I must admit with all the nighttime going's on in his room I was thinking this book was going to take a completely different paranormal path, but I was pleasantly surprised. Through Rena's sleuthing, trying to get to the bottom of the puzzle that is Wallace, she finds herself unexplainable drawn to him. The more she digs, the more questions she has.... and meeting Wallace's family doesn't help matters, if anything it causes more trouble.
My favorite part about this book was Rena, I am a sucker for dry humor and wit and she had it in spades. She made the bits that could have dragged in this book funny and entertaining.It was well written, however, I didn't have any heart pounding moments and the actual bad guys at the end seemed a little anti climatic. I mean they were bad, but then were they? You will understand when you read the book, as I don't want to give to much away,but everyone else seemed to feel differently about the circumstances than Rena. Me and Rena were on the same page and freaking out a bit about the future.
Although the cover makes this book look rather raunchy, I will say that this is definitely a Young adult/ new adult book. Nothing really bad in the story that couldn't be read by a younger reader, so don't let the cover fool you.
It will be interesting to see where this paranormal series goes. The powers they have and the development of the nexus bond between Wallace and Rena, has pricked my interest.It was an original concept and as I stated at beginning of this review it was a pleasant surprise to have. I will look for the next book.


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Addicted to Ansley Book Blast

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a $20.00 Amazon gift card.
Addicted to Ansley 
 
Through all the years that passed, the memory of their love never faded.

Motivational speaker and drug rehab counselor Ward Gemmell can hold an audience in the palm of his hand-because he knows what it's like to have everything he loved slip through his fingers. When a particularly heartfelt speech reunites him with the daughter he never knew he had, suddenly the love of his life is back within his grasp. What could a guy like him do to earn a second chance?

Good girl Ansley Marlow was heartbroken the day Ward revealed his hidden life-the kind of secret that would tear anyone apart. But so many years have passed and so much has changed that it isn't as hard now for her to believe in fate and redemption, even when those around her are unforgiving. All she needs is the strength to reach out and reclaim the beautiful life she should have had so long ago.  

  

Eyes of Ember


Paperback, 380 pages
Expected publication: April 6th 2013 by Imdalind Press
Eyes of Ember is the second book in Ethington's Imdalind Series.

Joclyn is in hiding, hunted by the man she still desperately loves. Ryland is gone, his mind erased, no memory of Joclyn remains. But, Joclyn’s heart desperately begs her to hold out hope. While, in reality the black eyed monster that possesses him, attempts to kill her over and over.

If it wasn’t for Ilyan, Joclyn would be dead by now.

Ilyan. The man who once stalked her, is now Joclyn’s protector, the only thing she has left. He protects Joclyn from the men who seek to end her life, and while she is haunted by dreams where Ryland begs her to break the bond between them.

Ilyan is there. Always there.

Ilyan trains and prepares her, teaching her everything she needs to know in the hope that one day she can avenge Ryland, if not protect herself from him.

And then there is her father.

The man who has never been there, is suddenly responsible for everything. And who he is has made Joclyn into something she never wanted to be.

The Silnỳ.



Kiss of Fire (book #1)



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Finding Eden 18+ (Eden #2)


The following review is for 18+ readers.
Finding Eden (Eden #2)
4 of 5 stars false
Book two in the Eden series. Handsome, angry and spoiled, Danny Carlow struggles to find his place in the world when his hatred for authority makes survival difficult. The only thing keeping him from completely giving up and turning to a life of crime is his friendship with clean-cut Paul Mattling. More than his conscience and best friend, Paul's also the one Danny secretly pines for with every ounce of his being. Paul is a natural over-achiever with a football scholarship and straight A's to boast about. Yet he's haunted by an abusive childhood that's left him more scarred than anyone realizes. Looking for an escape from his demons, Paul has his own deviant secrets, ones he doesn't want anyone, especially Danny, to know about. When dark desires are accidentally revealed, Danny and Paul end up coming together in a clash of wild passion more tumultuous than either of them could have anticipated. Tasting the forbidden is sweet, but it turns the tables on their relationship, putting everything, even their lifelong friendship, in jeopardy. Reader Advisory: This story visits the dark side of BDSM, where the only thing more intense than the scenes the characters participate in, is the love they have for one another. Please note there is a very brief F/F encounter.

Review

This is the prequel to Beyond Eden and I think it did a fine job giving us a different perspective, letting us know what actually happened to Paul Guy and Danny Boy when Evie left them.
"Letting her go will be the worst mistake you ever make," Danny warned. "You'll never forgive yourself for it."
We never actually see anything from Evie in this book, it is purely Danny and Paul and it was great.
What struck me about the first book was all the sacrifices that Danny Boy made for the people in his life, although he came across as cruel and uncaring, a real son of a bitch, nothing could have been farther from the truth. I think this book really let's us see the lengths he went too and the things he promises, going against things he had been fighting his whole life, to keep Paul safe and to make him his.
"I don't ever want you getting from another man what you can get from me. You hear me, Paul Guy, it's mine."
We get to see that deliciously dominating side come out in Danny and it was wonderful to see.
We have a story here with characters we already know, given a new light, a new side. I loved getting to know these boys all over again and understanding more of how they tick.
If you haven't read the first one, I would advise you to do so before reading this. Although this is a prequel, I think it is meant to be read the other way round. I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I hadn't. Also if you have read the first one, you will see what Danny evolves into, to satisfy Paul, some of these scenes were particularly hard to bear, definitely not for the weak hearted, this once again shows the necessity of all that. I feel like a all had been explained, thank you Kele Moon.
Very well written, and paced, not a dull moment. 4 stars!

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Starfish and Coffee 18+

This review is for 18+ readers.
Starfish and Coffee
5 of 5 stars false
On the island where they first met two lovers from opposite sides of the tracks are reunited. Now jaded and broken, Alex and Matt still can’t deny their sizzling connection or the memories of one perfect, uninhibited year together.
At twenty-two, Matt Tarrington is rich, good-looking and destined to be powerful, but behind that confident exterior lurks a man who resents the life his family thrust upon him. Desperate for an escape, Matt heads to Mirabella Island off the coast of Florida for a year of relaxation and some wild nights with vacationing party-girls.
Matt never expected to find real passion in the arms of Alex Hunter, a handsome, laid-back local.
Alex is gay, but closeted. Matt should be completely off limits, but Alex finds the deeply in denial rich boy too tempting to ignore. Especially when a bet has them working together, fighting the heat in the rundown, beachside cafe where Alex sweats for every dollar.
Their love felt inevitable until youth left them vulnerable to hatred and greed. Now after six years of hating the lies they live, Alex and Matt will have to risk it all for the second chance they both desperately need

Review

This story is one of those where you start at the end, then see the beginnings and come back to the present again and go from there.I always find this tactic to be a bittersweet one, seeing their current situation, then going back to see how good things were, and then now....gah! But it really works for me on the emotion side of things. This way I get drawn in and I am on tenterhooks the whole way through wanting to know what goes wrong and when.
Alex has been living a empty life for the past six years. The only good thing about his life is that he has bought and brought life and success to a coffee shop, Starfish and Coffee. This shop is where he and Matt, the love of his life, got together, and found an unexpected love with one another. Matt was the island's golden boy, rich and spoiled he was looking for an out from his preplanned life of business and shallow relationships.Alex was a closeted gay and their relationship was kept completely secret until something happened that tore them apart. Six years later Matt is gone and has been for a long time, all that is left is a broken heart and an empty existence for Alex.
This story of finding love, losing it and then reclaiming it again is an emotionally charged one. Made especially hard by the fact that these two men are having to hide everything. Neither has outed themselves to their family or friends and as Matt is destined to inherit his father's business and social standing and Alex is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, there is enormous pressure to stay hidden. The stolen moments between these two are intimate and special and sometimes I really felt like I was intruding on something beautiful. From the initial awareness of each other, to there first interlude ......"You wanna try something different?"....to the moment they thought they might actually like a relationship..."I wanna make this real, Matty," Alex said once he found the ability to speak again. His thoughts were fractured, and his voice was still raspy with pleasure. " Like.....boyfriends, not rent boys. Okay?" and finally the I love you,( perfect day) I was completely drawn to this couple. The sexual tension was off the charts and I was fanning myself throughout just to deal with how explosive and hot these two were together.
Alex and Matt's personalities were just so likable, Alex even though so strong and dominant had a vulnerability about him. Matt who could have been a shallow little rich boy had depth and his honesty and caring nature really won him over for me.
This has been my favourite read of the year so far. I don't know what else I could ask for in a romance novel, but to me this book lacked nothing. Great plotline with an undeniable connection between characters, wonderful visually attractive setting,so well written I could smell the beach I swear.A heart wrenching story so good, that I couldn't help but shed a tear or two. Dammit, I wanted these two boys to have their happily ever after. The secondary characters Holly and Will, who I am hoping we will see again in their own story, were a welcome addition and also well developed. I cannot gush enough about this one.
Kele Moon has a knack for getting that something special in her relationships and transferring it to paper in a way that I feel it. I have enjoyed all of her stories, short or long, but this one is tied for first alongside Beyond Eden.
This will definitely be a book I come back to, I would recommend it to all m/m romance lovers,but especially those who like something sweet and hot.

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Surrender Your Love 18+

The following review is for 18+ readers.
 5 of 5 stars false
Meeting Jett was like lightning. Dangerous. Better left untouched. And better forgotten. But lightning always strikes twice.
Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, doesn’t do relationships. When she’s sent to a remote estate to finalize a real estate deal, she discovers her new boss is no other than the guy she left naked in bed.
Sexy, dangerously handsome, and arrogant Jett Mayfield attracts trouble, and women, like a lightning rod. But the night he meets Brooke he gets more than he bargained for. The green-eyed millionaire playboy isn’t used to taking no for an answer, and he isn’t about to start now.
When he proposes two months of no strings sex, Brooke is intrigued and accepts his proposal. Little does she know Jett’s determined to claim the one woman he can’t have, pulling her deeper into his dangerous world.
A man who doesn't take 'no' for an answer.
A woman afraid to surrender to love.
Two lives that are about to cross...and secrets laid bare.
Excerpt
 A penetrating ringing noise woke me up too soon. I groaned and covered my ears with my pillow, silently begging whoever was making such ungodly noise to shut it. It took me a moment to realize it was my alarm clock. I rolled on my side and knocked it over in the process. A male voice let out an amused snort. I jumped up, instantly awake. My gaze settled on the guy on the left side of my bed and I felt the telltale heat of a major blush rushing to my face. He was propped up on one elbow, one arm tucked beneath his head, his chiseled chest with dark hair trailing down his flat abdomen on full display. The sheet covering his modesty left nothing to the imagination. In fact, it only managed to stir an unwelcome pull between my legs. Not only was he strikingly good looking, he was also well endowed. A heady yet dangerous combination in a man. My tongue flicked over my suddenly dry lips as I pried my gaze away from the bulge that was evident beneath the thin sheet.
What was he doing in my bed? And why was he naked?
What do you think, stupid? It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Just look at his smug grin.
I peered at his face. In the bright morning light falling through the window he looked younger than last night but just as arrogant. His gorgeous lips curled into the most stunning smile I had ever seen. A panty-dropping smile, as Sylvie would have called it. I paled at the realization. Had I dropped my panties for him?

Review

****The author provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review****


Brooke took a job right out of college; it was supposed to be temporary till she could get something better. When her boss sends her to a meeting and she thinks she is being played with, it will change her life. Jett is the owner of a big company, he goes to the meeting with Brooke pretending to be someone else, and after talking to her he decides to hire her. Brooke has to take the job with the Mayfield Company; her first assignment is to go to Italy with Jett. The two of them of undeniable chemistry and Jett gives Brooke a contract for no strings attached sex. As they get closer secrets start to come out, Brooke and Jett are tangled in a web of lies, deceit, danger and growing love. First I have to mention the cover, how could I pass up doing a review for this book with a cover like that. I want a full size poster of it. I enjoyed this book a lot; there were surprises and a mystery to it that I wasn't expecting. Brooke is hardworking, nice and she has scars from her past which make it hard for her to trust people or have a real relationship. Jett is a hot, rich businessman with scars of his own. The sex between the two of them is red hot, they also have an emotional connection that both of them keep hidden. The mystery behind the property in Italy had me constantly trying to figure out what was really going on. The ending of this book had me holding my breath in places and yelling in other ones. While I am not big on cliffhangers, this one was done really well. I immediately e-mailed the author and asked for the next book. Surrender You Love is among my top five reads of this year, great characters, wonderful plotline and love scenes that have you fanning yourself. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book to find out what happens.

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Tainted Love


Tainted Love
My name is Isabel Cruz, and I’m nineteen years old, almost twenty. I go to Lincoln University where I’m majoring in English. I’m a straight-A student, and I know what I’m doing with my life, but things weren’t always that way. Or rather, I’ve always known what I wanted, and it just hasn’t always gone along with society’s views. In high school, I had an affair with my swim coach. I wanted him, and I took what I wanted. We were together until I graduated, but he had a wife and kids, and I left him behind to come here. I left everything behind to come here. At least that’s what I thought.”
Isabel was never like the other girls at her school in the sleepy town of Hillside, California. At sixteen she fell in love with Tom, a married swim coach at Royal Oaks High School; their exhilarating and sultry affair continuing in secret for several years. Finally, Isabel realized that her own future had to come first, but even after relocating to Washington, D.C. to study at Lincoln University, she finds herself still wracked by guilt over jeopardizing the happiness and security of Tom’s young family. Now almost in her twenties and desperate to start a new chapter in her life, free from past controversies, Isabel will once again find that her beauty and precociousness will captivate another older man, this time a professor at her university. Confronted by this burgeoning affair, Isabel realizes just how deeply she still loves Tom and, in spite of the disapproval of her hometown community, her feelings become too strong to deny.
When Isabel returns to Hillside, reunited with Tom, she feels herself falling for him all over again, only this time with the tantalizing promise that things could really work out for them, especially since she is no longer the naive teen she used to be. But all is not as it seems; Isabel begins to hear rumors about Tom’s involvement with other girls at Royal Oaks High. Quickly this salacious gossip leaks to the local media and the authorities begin to investigate the claims. Only then does the true gravity of Isabel’s misguided choices begin to profoundly affect those around her and threaten to derail her life completely.
Tainted Love is the thrilling follow up to Sweetest Taboo by Eva Marquez, and rejoins Isabel Cruz as she tries to put her complex and forbidden romance with Tom behind her. Written from the perspectives of both Isabel and Tom, the irrational and desperate love they share is brought to vivid life by Marquez. Inspired by the conviction of one of her former high school teachers for sexual misconduct with a minor, it addresses a poignant modern taboo, one that is becoming increasingly common in the US, with unnerving insight and precision. Tainted Love is a must read for young adults, their parents and all fans of romantic fiction.


Review

****This book was part of a blog tour, I was given a copy for my honest review****
This book did not go as I expected to. Following on from the blurb I thought that Isabel would be sucked into the relationship again, falling back into an old pattern. The blurb leads you to believe that Tom goes behind Izzy's back with some other students. If you had read the previous book you would know that him doing this would completely undermine what they had as a relationship.
The tone of this book starts things off totally differently. For one we start off with a preface from Tom's point of view


"Have you ever really been in love? I am not talking about infatuation, co- dependency, or being with someone for such a long time that you feel used to him or her, so used to them that you wouldn't know how to live without that person. I am talking about the type of love that you know, that you feel in every fiber of your being, a feeling of comfort of being at home in the arms of that person, knowing that even if you never saw him or her again, you would continue to love them unconditionally with all your heart for the rest of your life?"
You start to see Tom very differently from the seedy, student nabbing teacher in the first book, to a very sad man, living a disappointing life who falls in love with a beautiful girl.We get more information into his relationship with his wife. I started to feel sorry for Tom, who's character was starting to seem more of a pushover than a pursuer.
Izzy's character in this book disgusted me on many levels, she just loved to make excuses for her own irresponsible behaviour. Their relationship barely had a chance to begin because of her. Now I have to ask myself,why would I want this relationship to go any further? I simply don't know, but in this book I was mad at Izzy and her mistreatment of a man that she professes to love, yet has no qualms walking all over and leaving behind to face a storm on his own.
At the end of this book I was ready to kill Izzy, to me she has no redeemable qualities whatsoever. However there is more to this story, another whole book!!! I am intrigued as to where this story will go.
Does this couple  have a chance at happiness? Or has the circumstances of their relationships origins tainted everything ?
I honestly cannot say I enjoyed this installment of this story at all. It was irritating, aggravating, lies, cheating, miscommunication and characters sticking their noses into it, making everything worse.It ended I feel a horrible melancholy, something I don't like feeling when ending a book.  Knowing I have to wait for the next installment just aggravates me more. But I finished it and it did provoke emotions from me, so I had to have been engaged in the story and drawn in enough to feel for the characters. For that I will give it a 2.5 star rating, I just don't know if I would have put myself through this emotional wringer if I had known the outcome.

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Saturday, March 16, 2013

The Sweetest Taboo



Sweetest Taboo
4 of 5 stars false
Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart.
This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.
Join Isabel as she makes her way through this dark love story, hiding from teachers, lying to her parents, and defying the authorities to make a life with the man she loves. Watch as she discovers the wonders of love and romance, and the terrible betrayal of jealous friends. And cry with her when she learns the hard truth about life and the people in her world.
Sweetest Taboo is inspired by the true and tragic stories of students who fall in love with their teachers, and live with the hard truths of forbidden romances. In a world full of after-school specials on sexual predators, this touching book seeks a different path, casting both student and teacher in a gentle light, and showing that true love may lie at the base of even the most illicit romance.

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour, I received a copy for my honest review****
I am really not sure what to say about this book. I started out nervous,I finished it anxious and nervous and all in between I yo yo-ed between uncomfortable, shocked, angry.
This is a very thought provoking story and I am sure there will be many of you out there who will not be able to see it in the light it was supposed to be portrayed. I am not sure myself if I do.
So let's review the simple things. The writing is very good,the words just flowed and I didn't have any difficulty hearing the voice of Isabel in my mind.
I loved that it felt like it was based in the nineties, Marquez did a really good job of setting the scene.
The music titles for each chapter was a real plus for me. I grew up and went to school in the nineties and I recognized all the songs and it really got me in that nineties frame of mind.
Okay, now let's do the hard stuff.
At the beginning of the book there is a preface from Claire Stevens that tells us that this is based on a true story, in fact it is based on her mother.
She explained that her mother wanted to show the world that these sorts of relationships although frowned upon aren't always what they seem. Sometimes love is at the core of relationship.
Now I am a person who does see the gray areas, I am not all black and white.So I started this book thinking I was going to be open minded and not judge. However the further I got into this book the more I just couldn't let go of certain things. Tom Stevens (see the name link there, the plot thickens) is more than double her age,Isabel is fifteen and he is in his late thirties and he is MARRIED! He also has two children. He gets jealous of Isabel spending time with other boys but he goes home to his wife and children. He says he doesn't love his wife, but he won't leave her. Does this sound right to you? Also Isabel is very immature, to me, she flounces about telling everyone of her affair. Arrggghhh.
I understand that this is a taboo topic, the relationship between a teacher and a student. So I understand that it is bound to be full of things to provoke you, make you think, make you angry. The reality of this particular topic to me is that Isabel is still a child. I know at fifteen I thought was grown up and worldly wise, but I was not.
I thought through reading this book I would see things in a different light, but I didn't. I still feel that this is line that should not be crossed until the minor is of an age to make the decisions with some worldly experiences behind them. I also think that cheating is never acceptable.
So , I bet you are wondering what the four star rating is for since I have just bagged the story. Well the fact is I still like this book and just because the authors views are not mine doesn't mean I think she wrote a bad story. It wasn't, it was very good. Engaging, I read it cover to cover in one sitting.
I am going to very soon dive into the next in this series... so as you can see, I haven't been put off.
My advice to you would be to read this book, but go in knowing that it will definitely not be all sunshine and roses and that it will provoke you into some sort of emotional response. Be prepared, but try and enjoy, it is not an easy read, but it is a good one.
 

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