Tag: review

Posted in New Adult

REVIEW: The Summer I Fell – Sonja Loveday

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

22447685Synopsis

“So you wanna be part of the Six, huh? You wish…”
~Jared, Ace, Mark, Josh, Aiden & Eli

Riley Clifton can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a part of the Six, a group of rowdy boys who would do just about anything for her. Growing up alongside of six guys is never easy. Especially in high school. Falling in love with one of the Six? Even harder when Ace has a hold of her heart, and he doesn’t even know it.
Jake (Ace) Aceton has loved Riley for a long time, but has kept the secret oath of the Six. Riley was off limits. At least until after graduation. When he overhears Riley admitting to her best friend, Paige how she feels about him, Ace doesn’t let his chance slip by. Riley, in his mind, has always been his.
When her college plan falls through, and her future is left to the hands of fate, Riley finds herself scrambling to keep up with all the changes. But that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is saying good-bye, especially to Ace.

Heartache, hard lessons, and a love deeper than her Alabama roots will threaten to crumble Riley’s world as she waits for Ace’s return.

Will Riley and Ace’s love be strong enough to hold them together when life tries to tear them apart?

 5 out of 5 stars

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My Review

 ‘We love you Riley. We always have…we always will.’

I just need to say that as I write this review, I am sobbing my heart out and my vision is definitely blurry. OH MY JESUS CHRIST. My heart is actually hurting and being torn apart by The Summer I Fell. I don’t know how to accumulate all my thoughts because my mind is spinning circles over the ending. I need book two asap, I need to know what the hell is going to happening and if my heart will survive it all.

This is my first book by Sonja and she has me in a tizzy. I always say if an author can make me cry, then their book is a damn bloody great one, and The Summer I Fell definitely is a book you all need to read – right now. Sonja has a flare in which you will go from page to page, relishing in the scenes you are reading, loving the relationship between the guys and Riley, the relationship between Riley and Ace and the whole group dynamic. They just all gel, they wind each other up, they show-off but you know that The Seven of them love each other unconditionally. No one else matters to them, no one will get in between them. You know each of their personalities, know who is who – their voices are distinguished. You will laugh at the craziness of the group, their banter, their comebacks and biting, you will swoon over Riley and Ace, you will feel the heat sizzle between them and then comes to barrage of emotional scenes. The scenes which will tear at your heartstrings, both good and utterly devastating ways. Ways in which you can see above – in which I am an utter mess.

The Summer I Fell is about Riley and her boys – The Six. She has been with them for as long as she can remember and she will do just about anything for them, and vice versa. She doesnt have it easy in school, especially as her best friends are six boys. It’s also hard when she’s in love with one of them – Jake ‘Ace’ Aceton. She just cant tell him.

Ace has been in love with Riley for as long as he can remember, but due to an oath The Six made, Riley was off limits until Graduation. When he overhears her telling her best friend she loves him. It’s fair game now, and he wants Riley for himself. He’s pined and waited long enough.

But with Riley’s college plans falling through, and The Six going their separate ways, Riley is trying o hold it all together, hating the change happening but she cant stop it. Saying goodbye is hard, but saying it to Ace is even harder. But when life comes crashing along, crumbling Riley’s world, all she wants is Ace back.

But what happens if that isn’t possible?

Riley is the glue to The Six. The guys will do anything for her; protect her, tease her, love her, make her feel part of the group and you can really see how much they dote on her and how much she adores them all too – apart from one of them. Jake ‘Ace’ Aceton. She is actually head over heels in love with him. I loved her character. She’s feisty, she’s hotheaded yet there is a vulnerability to her. That comes with a parent who works away a lot, how she feels the guys just put up with her and due to her college dream falling through. But once her gets over her inner battle, she is carefree, she’s caring and just wants to see her friends reach their dreams and leave their small town, even if it kills her that she is left behind.

I understood her pain when the guys left, especially Ace. We all have that constant pain in our heart and chest when the one we love goes away, and although I understood why she cracked, I loved that she put herself back together and got on with it. Got on with filling up her day, trying to keep herself and her mind busy until she could wind down and think about Ace. I connected with Riley, I understand how hard long distance is and not knowing when you are going to speak again but she is strong and she had her best friend, Paige and Ace’s mum around, as well as her job and being a surrogate sister, in a way, to Seth. Who was the cutest little guy.
And then everything came tumbling down within weeks. No joke, I sobbed for the last parts of the book. My chest hurting, my eyes blurry and I wanted to reach through my kindle and hug Riley and sooth her, let her know I was there for her. She has a tough ride – she needs the Six with her and you understand her denying, her pain, her tears; everything that leads her to breaking down. Her life has now been altered and its a lot to take in. Man I cried. And I need book two to know just what the hell is going to happen!!!

Jake / Ace is the strong and silent type. You can see why he choose the career he did. He has a bit of a temper, but the guys and Riley know when to reel him in and calm him down. I truly loved his character because from the get-go you could see how much Riley meant to him, how he would do anything to see her happy, take he pain away and to just be with her; chilling with her, comforting her, loving her.

Riley had an affect on him. He was in a trance when she was around, she was is everything and had been for years, but due to an oath the Six made, she was off limits. I loved that he felt the same way as she did for him. How he didn’t want a life without her in it, damn he didn’t want a future without her in it and you knew, just knew, that wherever he went, he would take her with him.

His love for her was unbelievable. You could see the adoration shine from him, could see that he wanted to spend every single moment with her and never let her go. But then he had to leave and you could see how much he didnt want to, but he had to, it was his dream. I loved the little scenes between he and Riley. The teasing, the love, the declarations he made before I left her. Even I wished I was Riley to have Ace. He was the perfect mix of loving, dominant and everything inbetween. A guy who you would be lucky to have, but he would say he was lucky to have Riley. They were lucky to have one another.

There are some sizzling scenes between the two of them as well. Sonja has written their transaction from friends to lovers perfectly. She has gotten their chemistry down to a T. Every little feeling, look and emotion they both convey for each other, when they were friends and to lovers could be felt and you could see the love they had for one another, the bond they had, both in and out o the bedroom. Yeah, these two have been pining over each other for years and now they have each other, there isn’t anything that can tear them apart…

I’m going to reiterate that ending. THAT ENDING THAT KILLED ME. My heart is in pain and I need book two now. Sonja, please don’t make me wait long to find out what happens. I don’t think I could take it!

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Buy Links

UK || US || CA || AUS

Posted in Book Tours, Jade C. Jamison

BOOK TOUR: Finger Bang – Jade C. Jamison

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

21935699

Synopsis

Orgasmic Meditation? Therapeutic?! Kaylee Baker is horrified when her girlfriends suggest a trip to artsy Boulder, Colorado, to check out the latest craze. What her friends don’t know about Kaylee is that she is a little repressed, bordering on frigid, and the idea of a complete stranger bringing her to orgasm–therapeutic or not–is horrifying.

Blaze Donahue has admired Kaylee from afar for quite some time, and part of the reason he’s kept his distance is because he’s had no indication that she might even be interested. But when he’s given the opportunity to offer her his own version of OM with no strings attached, he makes an offer she has a hard time refusing.

When there are undeniable sparks between the two, Kaylee runs, afraid of the overwhelming feelings she has for this gorgeous, sensitive guy. Blaze feels compelled to convince her otherwise but wonders if he’ll be able to crack through the ice surrounding this sweet girl. Can they find true love or will it just be a one-time O?

4 out of 5 stars

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My Review

Finger Bang is different from other Jade books i have demolished. It’s more carefree, its more humorous and light hearted and i actually finished it pretty damn fast; flicking through the pages, besotted with Blaze and Kaylee’s relationship. I have to admit, it took a little while for me to get into the book, but once i was in, that was it. I adore Jade and her books, none of them ever letting me down, none of them ever the same and Jade certainly knows how to hook you and how to keep you interested in the story, in the characters, in the development. And even though this book is shorter than her previous ones, i still really really enjoyed the premise of it, of the development of the characters, especially Blaze and Kaylee.

As mentioned, Finger Bang is much more light hearted than her previous books but i loved that. I loved that Jade went ahead and wrote it anyway. It’s a light relief with some dirty erotica thrown in too – but of course, with the title, it was going to be 😉

I felt so much sympathy towards Kaylee. How could you not? I never had a strict upbringing, my family arent religious and i was never felt like i couldnt do anything or tell them anything (okay, some things they SHOULDNT know about 😉 ) but other than that, i didnt have anything along the lines of Kaylee’s upbring. It made her reserved, made her afraid and freaked out and closed off and becuase of that, she came across as icy, bitchy and a little up herself but you could see why. See why she didnt go out, why she didnt like to talk about sex and why she kept herself to herself. She was brought up that way and she had believes that were embedded into her that made her that way.

I enjoyed watching her grow, watching her break out of her shell day by day, watching her take charge of herself and with her parents and her relationship. Although at time she was still timid, it was a nice gradual shell-shredding of discomfort and nigglings at the back of her mind, to someone who blossomed with love and her sexuality with the help of Blaze.

I liked Blaze. He was charming and sexy and completely different from all of Jade’s characters, especially his passion for the environment and i really liked him. He is the brother of one of Kaylee’s friends and has always had a soft spot for her. He never knew why she was so frosty and icy towards everyone but the more he gets to know her, the more he understands. I liked him for taking a chance on her, for being there for her and letting her get used to being in a romantic and sexual relationship; for taking it at Kaylee’s speed.

I liked that he awakened her, both sexually and personally. He brought out a little sexy kitten, letting her know it was okay to like sex and orgasms and everything that comes with being in a sexual relationship. They learned about each other’s bodies, what made them tick, what they liked as well as getting to know each other inside out. I liked Blaze around Kaylee. He was perfect for her, the perfect gentleman with a cheeky side, a dirty mouth and amazing fingers 😉

I adored Blaze and Kaylee together, i liked watching their relationship from the start, to the very end, through all the trails and tribulations they go through, alone and together and i loved being inside their heads. Knowing what they were thinking about the other, their feelings and their worries, especially Kaylee and her reserved, timidness but the more time you spend with these two, the more you know they bring out the best in one another and that is what we all want and need in a relationship.

Finger Bang is a great book to read if you are after steamy sex scenes…holy crap, the first one ;), humour and madness from best friends, a shy, timid girl who grows each day and learns to not be afraid and a smoking hot guy who loves his girl and brings out the best in her. I truly truly adore this book and its a refreshing change from all the books I’ve read recently. If you are looking for something different, something sexy and fun, then Finger Bang it all the way 😉

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Excerpt

Kaylee squeezed her eyes closed and she could feel the anticipation build inside her, waiting for his finger to touch her. God, why wouldn’t her heart slow down? Trying to force herself to relax as he’d requested, she let her head fall back against his shoulder. She heard him whisper, “That’s it.”

And then he slid his finger down her slit. Oh. Okay. Oh, yeah. So…that felt really nice. Yeah, she’d have no problems focusing on the sensations he was going to create. That felt spectacular.

Another stroke. Oh, God, yeah. Yeah. Her last boyfriend had gone down on her a couple of times and it had felt nice, but he’d assaulted her with his tongue, and the sensations had been nice but overwhelming, and she hadn’t relaxed. No. She’d been quite tense, in spite of the good feelings.

Blaze, though, he was taking it slow as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Another stroke, and she had plenty of time to think about it, enjoy it, let the music wash over her while she could take in a deep breath of air and relish what was going on.

Okay, so maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe this was a fucking awesome idea, and she couldn’t wait to talk about it with her roommates. It was—

“Mmm.”

Holy shit. She’d just let a noise escape her mouth. Well, it wasn’t like she could have stopped it. It was feeling so damn—

A gasp. Wow. What the hell was he doing? She didn’t want him to stop. It was amazing. Each time his finger moved up and down over her, she could tell now that something was imminent. If he kept doing it, something was going to happen. She was building to something that was going to blow her mind, that much she knew now, and she wouldn’t have wanted him to quit for anything.

That was when she felt his warm lips on her neck, kissing her. Somehow he knew what to do to make her feel incredible, because his lips just added to whatever the hell he was doing below. Her breath was coming in gasps now, deep, hitting the bottom of her lungs as she drew each one in, and she could feel some weird connection between her clit and her brain. They were working in unison now and the world outside her house might have been burning down for all she knew and cared, because now her whole world was Blaze.

No. Make that his finger.

No. Not just his finger. His lips. His body cupping hers.

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About Jade

Jade-red-1-217x300Jade C. Jamison was born and raised in Colorado, moved from one city/town to the next, and she’s decided she likes it so much she wants to stay…although travel is not out of the question. She lives in a big town in Colorado (not unlike Winchester!) with her husband and four children. She is working on becoming a crazy cat lady. Okay, so maybe not.

Still want more? Jade has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Theater, a master’s degree in English, and a master of fine arts in Creative Writing. Obviously, she loves school and the student loan folks love her. She works in human services by day, teaches English and creative writing at night, and—in between playing soccer mom and community leader—writes like a fiend. Someday soon, she’ll narrow it down to just writing, but let’s get all those kids off to college first.

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter

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Buy Links

AMAZON-US || AMAZON-UK || BARNES&NOBLE || KOBO

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Posted in New Adult

Bite & Release – Cory Cyr

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

20983763Synopsis

Ryan Chase left Fairbanks, Alaska, when she was 21 years old to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Somewhere along the way her dreams of stardom crashed and burned, along with her life.

Thirteen years later she is forced to return to Fairbanks because her unforgiving and emotionally-distant father has suddenly died. Ryan seizes the opportunity to not only escape her abusive husband but to be able to attend her best friend’s wedding. What could go wrong? It’s only Fairbanks, Alaska…
While wishing she was anywhere but her father’s funeral and wake, Ryan is struck senseless by a stunning, drop-dead gorgeous man. Her thoughts turn carnal and she desperately wants to know him in every way—and position—possible. There’s only one problem…

He’s the devil’s spawn.
He’s the one who marked her for life.
He’s the kid she used to baby-sit.
And he’s hotter than hell!

Shea Michaels has loved Ryan Chase for most of his life. After surviving an unspeakable childhood, he became a man of whom she could be proud of…if she ever came back.
Now that she’s returned, Shea pursues her with a vengeance, undaunted by the thirteen year age difference that Ryan uses as the shield between them.

Confusion, guilt and lust bombard Ryan as she battles the memories of the little boy she used to know while still being drawn to the heart-stopping man he has become.

***18+ due to explicit sexual situations, graphic language and intense adult themes

5 out of 5 STARS

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My Review

I found out about Bite and Release from a blog on Facebook and am i glad that i downloaded it straight away? HELL YES.  I was hooked from the start and with the twists throughout the book, i was on tenterhooks throughout, needing to know the outcome. I first picked this book up because i was intrigued with the synopsis (the photo certainly helped too). I’m pretty obsessed with friends-to-lover books but this was ex-babysitter/child-now-adult – to lovers (understand? haha). I knew there would be a big age gap and that normally bothers me – dont ask why – but i was happily pleased to find that the age didnt bother it. It was like there wasnt even a gap anyway.

Cory brings out all your emotions. I was laughing, frustrated – in both senses ;), I teared up – both happy and sad. I even shouted at my kindle a few times and i also felt panicky at certain scenes, rushing to read what was going to happen. Seriously, your emotions will be all over the place. AND I LOVED IT! Cory has a writing flare that just keeps you reading page after page until you are at the end and looking at the clock wondering where the time has gone. She makes you feel for the characters, for their stories and i urge everyone to get their hands on Bite and Release and gobble it up just like I did. You will not be disappointed.

Ryan is a hard character at first. She comes back to Alaska after her father dies and its the perfect opportunity to hide from her abusive husband, as well as attend her BFF’s wedding. You can see she has a backbone, that she doesn’t want to be back in Alaska, not after running away from her home town but she has no choice. She’s bitchy, sarcastic and swears like a trooper. Her life hasnt exactly panned out the way she had hoped especially with her acting and with a husband that abuses her but she needs to get away from him, she needs to divorce his ass and hide until everything is final.

Then from across the room at her father’s wake is a sexy, suited up man who has had his eye on her all day. She’s intrigued until she discovers its Shea, the little boy she used to babysit. You can see her conflicting thoughts over seeing him. He looks yummy, sexy, so damn good, but she remembers him as a little devil and he’s 13 years younger than her.

She wants him but she doesnt. You can understand her though, because this is the LITTLE BOY she babysat, the little boy who was a devil and now, well now hes a sexy machine. It’s hard to be annoyed or angry at her back and forth-ness because you could quite possible be thinking the same as her. She had self-esteem issue, she was low in confidence but you watch her grow throughout the book. She becomes stronger and knows exactly what she wants – Shea – even if one part made me gasp in horror and had my heart breaking for her and Shea.

But throughout it all, age is just a number, it doesnt matter and if two people find one another and love each other, no one else’s opinion should matter and that is one thing i adored about this book was that no one took a second glance at the 13 years between them because love is love at the end of the day, and it’s no ones business but your own.

Shea is pretty damn amazing. Even I fell in love with him throughout the book. Despite everything he went through as a kid, despite how tough it was, he got through it and he turned out incredible. Life through him a curveball and he dealt with the hard parts until he cleaned his act up. For a 21 year old, he sure is older and I suppose you would be too. He has loved Ryan since he was eight and she was twenty one and when he sees her again, for the first time in 13 years, his love is still as strong as it was when he was a kid. I adored him from the get go. With his dreamy blue eyes, his tattoos and just his manner. He can turn the charm on full blast but then he can be sweet and vulnerable too. And i think that is what drew me to him as well.

He is such a great character. He knows what he wants and goes for it. He’s a hard worker, wanting to make something of himself and wanting to make Ryan proud of him, to be someone who would want him. You know that he would do anything for Ryan, even if it means staying away from her, but with so many years gone by, he wants her. The things he would say – both steamy and sweet- had my heart and chest clamping together. Gone is the ‘devil’ child and in replacement is the most sweetest, genuine and sexiest guy imaginable. He still habours the pain of his childhood but with Ryan by his side, it become bearable to get over them, to embrace the past to get into the present, into the future.  And what a future they have!

You will most definitely understand where the title of this book comes from too. It’s only a few pages in and in a way, its actually such a sweet memory, even if it wasn’t to those two. But it bonds them together, always has, and always will.

There are a few twists and turns in the book which had me gasping and flicking through the pages so fast because i need to know answers, needed to know just how it was going to end. Cory certainly keep you on edge with this twists that i couldnt put the book down. Not for one second. I stayed in the same place for 3 hours whilst i read Bite and Release, not wanting to put it down for anything.

Bite & Release truly is an awesome book. It was such a relief to see an older woman and younger guy story but it didnt feel like they had an age gap at all – like i already said. There are smoking hot sex scenes, cocky and sweet statements and a whole lot of loving and drama wrapped around. The relationship wasn’t rushed at all, it built up slowly and it seemed genuine and real and it progressed over time – that is what you want in a book. The characters to really know one another, to let each other in and Ryan and Shea really did do that over the book (apart from that one problem that Ryan failed to admit 😉 )

I’m so glad i found out about this book because i truly and utterly enjoy every single minute of reading it!

Posted in New Adult

Dearest Clementine (#1) – Lex Martin

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

22351498Synopsis

Twenty-year-old Clementine Avery doesn’t mind being called bitchy and closed off. It’s safe, and after being burned by her high school sweetheart and stalked by a professor her freshman year of college, safe sounds pretty damn good.

Her number one rule for survival? No dating. That is until she accidentally signs up for a romance writing class and needs material for her latest assignment. Sexy RA Gavin Murphy is more than happy to play the part of book boyfriend to help Clem find some inspiration, even if that means making out…in the name of research, of course.

As Gavin and Clem grow closer, they get entangled in the mystery surrounding a missing Boston University student, and Clem unwittingly becomes a possible target. Gavin tries to show Clem she can handle falling in love again, but she knows she has to be careful because her heart’s at stake…and maybe even her life.

DEAREST CLEMENTINE is a stand-alone novel with two companion novels. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content.

5 out of 5 Stars

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My Review

“Ah, so my book boyfriend is coming over to tutor me? Why didn’t you say so?”

I stumbled upon Dearest Clementine on Amazon and after reading the synopsis and gazing dreamily at the cover, it was an instant 1-Click. Then when I was picking something to read, because we all know how hard it is to choose from the million books we have, I smiled when I came across it on my kindle and I knew I had to gobble it up asap.

For Lex Martin’s debut novel, I LOVED IT! I think I gushed enough…okay, maybe not enough, but I fell head over heels for this book. HARD CORE. The writing is just amazing, its so flawless that you just keep on reading and reading until you are on the last page and wondering just where the time has got to. The emotions that were evoked from me wee constant throughout the book and as a reader, you really want that to happen, to connect with the story, with the words, the characters and I felt like I really did. There is a little bit of mystery surrounding the story too, and that kept me hooked and thinking of different scenarios of what could be happening to certain characters. This is certainly a book I need in paperback, I need to put it on my shelf, so fingers crossed it will be in PB soon. I NEED my hands on it…like yesterday.

Dearest Clementine is about Clementine Avery. She doesnt date, not after being cheated on by her high-school sweetheart. No, she would rather stay closed off, get through college and survive. But when she accidentally signs up for a Romance Writing class, she needs to find material for her assessment. What better than sexy RA Gavin Murphy. He is more than happy to play Book Boyfriend and helps find the inspiration Clementine is looking for.

They grow closer each passing minute and love is just around the corner for them. But they are mixed between the mystery of a missing Boston student and with Clem being a suspected next victim, Gavin does what he has to to make sure she is safe and protected and maybe the best way to do that is the one that hurts the most.

Gavin Murphy. Welcome to the top of my book boyfriend list. Holy Jesus on a pedestal. I haven’t read about a main character in months and months who had my heart fluttering from everything he does and says throughout the whole book. So this makes Gavin utterly irresistible and special in my eyes. He’s a sexy RA majoring in Journalism/English who plays guitar in a band with Clem’s roommates boyfriend and he befriends Clementine on her birthday. This starts the beginning of their friendship.

I don’t even know how to accumulate my thoughts on Gavin because he has actually stolen my heart. He is funny, charming, oh so sexy, and you can see that Clementine has him in a tizzy. He wants to be with her so the only way he can is to be her book boyfriend, to help her write her book and my god does he help her out. He oozes sex appeal wherever he goes, but you know what, he only has eyes for Clementine. He is he utmost gentleman and will do whatever he can to make Clementine see him as more then a friend. He will go slow, he will protect her and he will bear his love for her. There was a small part where my heart hurt because he was pushing her away, and I wanted to slap the shit into him for hurting my girl but then I hated it for doubting him when it all out into the open. I felt so bad that I had been dubious about him when all along it was for Clem. He was the perfect book boyfriend for Clem and he is the perfect book boyfriend for me.

My heart was going ten to the dozen with every single scene is was in. The way he acts around Clem, the words he would say, his actions. He has me head over heels and if you are looking for a new boyfriend, Gavin Murphy needs to be on your list. I just wish he was real. Lex, if you find him, please send him my way, I need a guy like Gavin in my life.

Clementine Avery. She’s a closed off book and she wants to stay that way. He is beautiful but resists all the guys falling at their feet to take her out. She comes from money but she doesnt want it. Her family dynamic is messed up but she tries to ignore that. She is a strong character, she works hard for her money and she is a best-selling author too, under a pen-name, which helps her pay her bills. But now she is in a stump with her romance class and what better way than to take up Mr. Sexy RA’s offer to help her out.

Clem is a sweet girl. She’s been burned by her ex and her best friend, the creepy lecturer she had in freshman is obsessed with her and her family is more than messed up. She’s bitchy, sarcastic and if not a little broken. She doesnt trust easily and has a hand full of friends who know the real her. She hates romance but with Gavin it comes easily. She lets loose, she enjoys her time with him and you can see a change in her. From bitchy and lonely to a girl who has fun and is slowly falling in love. Everyone can see a change in her but she is still protective of her heart, of getting hurt again but she puts her trust in Gavin.

I enjoyed watching the emotions being evoked from Clementine. From her closed off to finally being happy and in love. She started off robot like, not wanting to get close to anyway, being a bitch and just getting through her days, but each passing day, she cracked more and more, until she expressed her emotions, from lust, heart break, love; she went through them all and it made her more human, it made me proud she had opened up, with the help of Gavin and her friends. When you have friends and a boy like that, it’s hard not to feel the feelings rush through you. You will euphoric and seeing Clem like this made me feel like a proud mum.

I loved watching the build up between Gavin and Clem. Watched them turn from friends to falling in love. It was an easy transformation, but one which Clem knew nothing about. As Gavin said:
“Baby, I hate to tell you this, but we’ve been dating” – he leans down to kiss my neck – “for a while”
The build up was melting. I was hooked wanting to know what would happen next and it was beautiful to watch two ‘friends’ turn into something more. It took a while and it was amazing that it wasn’t rushed. That Lex took her time to make these two really see each other to connect to one another and fall in love slowly and breathtakingly.

The secondary characters are just as amazing as Gavin and Clementine. Their best friends are hilarious and you can see how much they care for Clementine throughout everything she has and is going through in the book. They try to open her up, they cheer her up and make her follow her heart. They protect her and will do anything for her. I loved the one game they played over text, and the things they were sending Clementine are just hysterical and I had to wipe away tears because HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS GAME, LEX? I so want to play this game, it sounds freaking awesome.

If you are looking for an amazing book, which will have you swooning, laughing, your chest feelings all tingly throughout it with a little mystery, then pick up Dearest Clementine now. You wont regret reading this book at all because its such a freaking amazing book. I cant wait to delve into Finding Dandelion – which is about Clem’s brother, Jax and her roommate, Dani which is out soon!

Now to go find me a Gavin.

Posted in New Adult

Infinity + One – Amy Harmon

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

20901080Synopsis

When two unlikely allies become two unwitting outlaws, will two unforgettable lovers defy unbeatable odds?

Bonnie Rae Shelby is a superstar. She’s rich. She’s beautiful. She’s impossibly famous. And Bonnie Rae Shelby wants to die.

Finn Clyde is a nobody. He’s broken. He’s brilliant. He’s impossibly cynical. And all he wants is a chance at life.

One girl. One boy. An act of compassion. A bizarre set of circumstances. And a choice – turn your head and walk away, or reach out your hand and risk it all?

With that choice, the clock starts ticking on a man with a past and a girl who can’t face the future, counting down the seconds in an adventure riddled with heartbreak and humor, misunderstanding and revelation. With the world against them, two very different people take a journey that will not only change their lives, but may cost them their lives as well.

Infinity + One is a tale of shooting stars and fame and fortune, of gilded cages and iron bars, of finding a friend behind a stranger’s face, and discovering love in the oddest of places.

4 out of 5 stars

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My Review

“It’s not infinity after all. It’s not even two. It’s one, Bonnie Rae. Didn’t you tell me? You and me? We’re two halves of a whole. We’re one.”

Bonnie and Clyde has always intrigued me. And when I found out Infinity + One was a loosely based upon their story, I knew I had to read it as soon as it came out. A rich country singer who has reached boiling point and who just wants to die, and a nobody who just wants a chance at life. Together though, they may just be the best damn thing to happen but that isn’t what the news channels are saying. But when does the news ever get a story right?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from start to finish. I have been in a major reading slump and then I picked up Infinity + One and I was hooked on it. Amy has me picking up my kindle at every opportunity, wanting to know more about Bonnie and Finn (Clyde), about what would happen when their past and future caught up. I adored Making Faces and I knew that this book would be a great read too, and I wasn’t disappointed. From the maths involved from Finn, and the songs from Bonnie, you can see the passion and the energy and the hard work put into the book and the end result is an awesome read!

As mentioned, it’s loosely based upon Bonnie and Clyde. Despite running from the law, they did one thing right, they loved each other so much they would died for one another. And just like our Bonnie and Clyde who were running away from their past and future, they too, loved each other. This is an instalove book, but it doesnt feel like it. There is so much packed into this book it feels like they have known each other for ages, that their love has evolved and they haven’t fallen in love in the few days they are running away together – it really is a whirlwind romance which will have you hanging onto every step of the way.

Infinity + One begins with Bonnie Rae Shellby having enough of her popstar lifestyle. She’s done with it. She’s been the good girl following all her gran’s demands but shes had enough. And that is how Bonnie is ready to kill herself. But due to fate or just a random act of compassion, Infinity James Clyde, or just Finn, stops her. And that, ladies and gentleman begins the start of their story. One where they are running away together, one where they are running from the media, who are ‘following’ their story and running away from everything, especially each other. But two people who have so much more in common than they thought cant stay away, and its just like the real Bonnie and Clyde, their love overpowers everything else.

I sympathised with Bonnie. She is going through a hard time, she is grieving and I just wanted to give her a massive hug. She’s a hard worker, always having demands thrown at her from her gran and it’s enough. She’s had enough. Her gran is cashing in on her grief and she wants to cut loose. She’s struggling and the only thing she can think to do is take off – run away forever – but fate steps in in the form of Finn and as they say the rest is history. Bonnie is crazy, shes funny and loud and blunt but she is also sad and that is the hardest emotion to hide.

But what I liked the most? She came out of her shell. She had Finn by her side, she had love in her heart and that together is a dangerous combination that worked out amazingly. She grew a pair, she laid down the law and she overcame everything because she trusted in her love, she trusted in Finn and when that is greater than everything else, you know you can do anything. Infinity + One = Bonnie and Clyde forever.

Infinity or Finn or Clyde is trying to get away from his past. He wants to start afresh where no one knows who he is or what is supposedly did. Maths has been his way of life. He loves numbers and it has saved him more than once over the years. Then one night he sees someone and he knows he has to stop whatever is about to go down and this begins his story of Bonnie and Clyde. We get dual POV’s which I always love because we got to see the encounters, the trips and ‘adventures’ from both sides. We get to delve into the silent, strong but scared head of Finn. We get to understand his love of maths and how it saved him, we see his past, from his pov and the media’s and we see how scared he is of his feelings for Bonnie because they consume him and he doesnt know what to do. Whether to kill her or kiss her at times. But even if he knows he would be better off without her, he just cant let her go. He fights it, hell he does, but in the end, its Bonnie. He’s found his other halve again and there are so many signs leading to both of them that maths really does save him.

He’s cynical, he just wants to get to Las Vegas, get on with his life and with Bonnie, well she has switched him all around. For a broken guy who wants to leave his past and live, and from a rich popstar who has had enough of life, they sure inject passion and life back into one another. Reminding one another that they were meant to meet, that the signs were all pointing their way and that despite losing their other halves, they had one another, they were each others significant others. The road certainly led to both of them.

I really enjoyed the new reports following Bonnie and Clyde. I hated how there was so many lies being spouted without any real truth to what was happening. But then I suppose that is what makes this book that bit more real. New channels will report on anything news worthy even if it is a lie (This is coming from a graduate journalist). It makes it for an entertaining story but I felt so sorry for Finn. His past being splashed on the cover of magazines and the TV. My heart went out to him as he was being convicted for something he wasn’t even doing. But you need to go through the hardships to get to the end, and that is exactly what Bonnie and Finn did, what they do.

Amy has written a great book and it is one that you should read. Yano, right now. It is the weekend and that is what reading is for! Now I am off to research more Bonnie and Clyde things, because this book has made me even more intrigued about them.

Posted in Erotica

Hard Time – Cara McKenna

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

19091520Synopsis

In this all-new novel from the author of Unbound, a woman with a rocky past finds romance in the last place she’d ever expect…

Annie Goodhouse doesn’t need to be warned about bad boys; good sense and an abusive ex have given her plenty of reasons to play it safe. But when she steps into her new role as outreach librarian for Cousins Correctional Facility, no amount of good sense can keep her mind—or eyes—off inmate Eric Collier. 

Eric doesn’t claim to be innocent of the crime that landed him in prison. In fact, he’d do it again if that’s what it took to keep his family safe. Loyalty and force are what he knows. But meeting Annie makes him want to know more. 

When Eric begins courting Annie through letters, they embark on a reckless, secret romance—a forbidden fantasy that neither imagines could ever be real…until early parole for Eric changes everything, and forces them both to face a past they can’t forget, and a desire they can’t deny.

5++++++++ stars

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My Review

“Would’ve been worth anything they took from me, just to hear you say my name.”

Before I begin this review, I’d like to say MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER. No joke, I am suffering so much. I have been in a bit of a slump recently, all the book seems to be the same and then BANG Hard Time came along and I was in deep. Hook, Line, Sinker. It’s been weeks since I finished this book and it’s still all I can think about (it’s taken me this long to write a bloody review!) About Eric, about his letters, about Annie and their forbidden romance. Seriously, why hasn’t a movie been made around this topic? LIKE REALLY? I’d be there opening night, front row.

Hard Time is the first book I have picked up and read by Cara McKenna. The topic had me intrigued – a librarian who works in a Correctional Facility once a week and becomes entangled in a forbidden romance with an inmate through letters. Sexy letters at that. I’ve never read anything like this before and Cara really does make you think about if this was your life, you were in Annie’s situation. We all love a bad boy, you know it, but then would you indulge in this ‘fantasy’? Would you reply to his letters and just, for a slight moment, feel towards him, believe him and not be freaked or scared because we know he’s locked away and cant do anything, cant come near you apart from that brief encounter every week? It’s enough to actually think it through and decide if you would play on it or not. And as weird as it seems, I would, because you get to know Eric through his letters and you see him each week; granted there is a police officer in the room too, but its enough to not feel scared for those few hours each week.

It’s taken me so long to write this, because I had no idea how to formulate a review. When I read this book, I spammed my Twitter and Facebook about Hard Time and now it comes to it, its so hard to write a review on a book that took me by storm, but I will try my best. You already know the premise but there is so much more to it. What happens when he gets released? What are in his letters? Does Annie stay away from him or get with him when he’s out of prison? I actually wish this was the book I had written.

I need to begin with Eric. Although a convict, he was like unlike any other inside. He kept to himself but he had authority in the way he came across. He was the strong, silent type who stayed out of trouble but respected why he was inside; what he did. He was the brooding type but you could tell Annie had a massive effect on him and he wanted help from her, which I adored from him. He wasn;t afriad to ask for help and Annie, unconsciously, was the fire he needed to better himself inside with his literacy and writing. Thus beginning the letters he would send to her. The letters are the way into his body, his heart, his soul. He bares all; the romance, the sexual feelings he had towards Annie but also little titbits about himself, revealing himself to her. I was like a dog on heat awaiting the next letters from him, much like Annie was and I was obsessed with knowing what he was going to say next, what he was going to tell her to do, what he wanted to do to her. The way he began and ended the letters made me sigh. For a convict, someone whom, in a way, you would feel scared of, I felt nothing like that. I just wanted him in my bed. But as I said, it felt safe because he wasn’t outside the prison and it was like a ‘fantasy’.

But when he was released, he was the same, if not more timid around Annie. You can imagine her reaction when he was out and he stayed away. He was scared of seeing her, scared of bumping into her. The feelings he had for her were so strong, but he respected her decision. It was all on her terms and I loved that about him. Not all convicts are the same and Eric was definitely not a bad guy. He dud what he did to protect his sister and I understood that when you find out what happened. I saw a passionate guy, a guy who would do anything for the ones he love, Annie included and I saw a guy who was sweet and considerate and worked bloody hard after prison to make a better life for himself. The love he eluded, the passion for his hobbies made my heart sing and I knew that I would totally snatch Eric up if I was Annie because despite spending five years in prison, he was nothing the sort of a convict and he just wanted his life back, he wanted Annie and he wanted to live the rest of his life with her.

Annie was a timid character too. She hasn’t been with a guy in five years, not since her college boyfriend thought to be abusive towards her, which is how she ended up in a small town. Annie is polite, she’s sweet and really, keeps to herself. She doesnt really know anyone in the town and is scared when she begins to visit the prison. She has to be strong though, not show weakness because that is how the prisoners will intimate her and that is what she does. She stands up strong. But then helllllo fitty! She spots Eric and something awakes inside her. Something that has been dormant for five years.

I liked her as she felt real. You could feel her feelings, her emotions and how awaken she felt by each letter she received. During her life throwing colours at her, she came out of her shell, made friends in the pub downstairs and she become stronger. She clung to the weekly letters much as I did and they made her feel great, made HER FEEL again. I was so happy it was Eric doing this to Annie. I loved the forbidden factor as much as she did. But then she finds out Eric is coming out and the fantasy is smashed up. She bounces back and forth about the letters, what they have shared and it shares the crap out of her. You know she feels something for Eric but you know that she was only doing this too because he was behind bars; she struggles with her feelings. I understood her reasons for what happened when Eric got out. How she was scared of bumping into him but after a while she couldnt stay away. She needed him just like he needed her.

I also loved that she could get mouthy, put her point across and be angry, at Eric, at his situation, at his sister too. I enjoyed this part of her. She wasn’t a push over and knew what she wanted, what she didn’t like and told it as it was. She was also a little bit protective over Eric. I truly enjoyed the realism of this character. Of her being shy to growing into a fully blossomed woman with the help of Eric.

When Eric and Annie are finally together, holy hell, you can feel the thick, sexual tension between they sizzling. It is just as strong in person as it is on paper and you know that when they sleep together it is going to be amazing. And reading it, it was. God, you will feel all hot and bothered and hot damn, mixed with the things on the paper and their chemistry together, inside and out of the bedroom, there was nothing that could stop it being utter rubbish sex. No way in hell. Not with those two.

There were two things that irked me and one was the ending. It did end rather abruptly and I would love to know what happened next between them but other than that, i’m not going to drop a star because of the ending. And two; I wanted Eric to meet Annie’s parents. You will understand why when you read it. Other than that, I loved this book and everything inside it.

Seriously, give this book a read. Its sexy, its heartfelt and dangerous 😉 Cara McKenna has made me want to read every single one of her books now, and that is actually what I will be doing! But first, I think a re-read is in order!

(Hard Time is out in the US, and it WAS out in the UK until it got taken down because it got snatched up. It will be back up in November so GET IT THEN!!!)

Posted in Book Tours, Cora Carmack

BLOG TOUR: All Lined Up – Cora Carmock

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

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18505845Synopsis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That’s what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn’t always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It’s obliterated.

Dallas doesn’t know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn’t know that Dallas is his new coach’s daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

5 out of 5 stars

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My Review

“In Texas, two things are cherished above all else – football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.”

Can I just start by saying – HOLY CRAP! This has got to be my favourite Cora book! (I love the Losing It series but this is something else!) I cant even begin to tell you how much I need this book in paperback RIGHT NOW! There is just something about All Lined Up that had me hooked from the very first page to the last and even after this book was all I could think about. Dallas and Carson were and still are embedded into my mind and I seriously need more of these two. I need them in book two and I need to know where they are and how they are and Cora, can we just please have another book or novella about these two? Pretty please with a hot guy on top?

I love football (Sorry, I mean the English Football) but Cora has written the football scenes perfectly for us lot whom have no idea about American Football – like me. She actually made me wish I had grown up in America, going to all these football matches and pep rallies because we do NOTHING like that over here, which is pretty sad and I am going off topic right now. But yes, if you are like me and you earn for that American college lifestyle, Cora makes you feel like you are a part of it, and I could see everything in my mind when she was describing so I pretty much felt like I was there. And of course, with Cora being a Football coaches daughter, she, of course, was going to put her all into this book, let us know her perceptive of growing up as the coaches daughter through Dallas and the hardship of kind of being second best to football.

All Lined Up is captivating, I hung onto every page. Cora has written a fantastic and sexy and steamy college romance novel, with little bits of drama embedded in-between and of course, gossip and football along the way. You will be fanning yourself, swooning, shouting at the characters but most of all, you will fall in love them and the story and hate it when you get to the last sentence because you never want the book to end.

Dallas has always felt she was second best to her dad. Football, then her. It also doesnt help that she is the Coaches daughter and that leads to players using her to get closer to her father but she’s had enough. Her ex was an asshole so she tells herself she is never going to date a footballer player again.

But one crazy night and she meets Carson – a football player who has just transferred to Rusk University. He has no idea that she is the Coaches daughter, but he doesnt care. From the moment they meet, something changes for both of them but Dallas cant be more than friends with Carson and Carson needs to focus on his football if he ever wants to be in the starting line-up.

No matter how much they try to deny the attraction, neither can walk away. But what happens when they both find out who the other is?

I really enjoyed knowing Dallas. She is a dancer, she tries to stay in the shadows and she is the Coaches’ daughter. Plus she loathes football and knows she is second best to it. But she just gets on with it and pretends she doesnt care, but you know deep down she does.
The first meeting with Carlton changes her. In a good and bad way because hes a football player and she doesnt date them anymore but he kind of pulls her from her shell – she feels at ease with him, like everything will be okay. But when she finds out he’s a football player, she just cant go there again. Thus beginning the back and forth between her feelings for him. You really wanted her to say ‘fuck it’ and go with him but I understood her reasoning, guys use her to get close to her dad or get on the team and she doesnt want that again. Not after her dickhead ex-boyfriend but something switches and she cant stay away from Carlton, no matter how hard she wants to. She just keeps going to him, like a magnet.

I understood her need to stay under the radar, to try and not let people know she is the Coaches’ daughter and to pave her own future without her father stopping her. Being under his eye, knowing everything you do – to some extent – would really annoy and infuriated me. Especially to be scared to let loose because you know someone on the team will tell him about your fiascos. But I loved how she become stronger, she laid everything out, she bared her soul and it was really therapeutic for me to watch her do that. For her to say ‘this is what I want and I am going to do it’. I was really proud of her.

I adore Carlton so much. He is pretty dang sweet and funny and you know after that first meeting Dallas has entered and stayed in his mind. But he cant let a girl into his life, he has to concentrate on making the starting team because he wants to be something, wants to help his family. I admired his hard work, his need to be something and he put his everything into his football training and his school work proving that he really wants this. To give something back to his family after everything they face up for him. The only thing I wish we knew more of was Carlton’s family, but other than that I was content in knowing him.

You could see how affected his was around Dallas, how his head was in turmoil over her. He wanted her but he couldn’t too, he had to focus. So being friends was what it was all about. But you knew that the attraction was too much. My heart pain for both Dallas and Carlton over certain scenes and you knew they were both hurting, both stubborn in that they wouldn’t text or call one another but yano, when they get over the shitstorm, the love comes after and Carlton was definitely swoon-worthy. You knew he loved Dallas a hell of a lot and the ending for them was just beautiful. I cant wait to see how these two progress because when you have characters like these two, you know they are in it for the long haul!

I loved the chemistry between Dallas and Carlton, even right from the beginning you see it, feel it and you vow for them to get together; they are absolutely amazing together and every time they were pulled inside their heads, every time they were just friends you wanted to shake them and tell them that they had too much chemistry, too much attraction to stay away, that they had to be together, they needed to be together because they were perfect. I knew they were both scared, they both had things going on but in the end they just gyrated towards one another, let each other in and I just sighed so hard when they finally got their acts together. There are ‘steamy’ scenes, but it just makes their connection all the more real and everything they went though was worth fighting for.

If there is one book you pick up today, let it be All Lined Up. You won’t regret falling in love with Dallas and Carlton!

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Cora Carmack bio picCora Carmack Bio:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She’s done a multitude of things in her life– boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

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Buy Links:

Amazon || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble

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Links:

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** Novel Goodreads

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Posted in Book Tours

BOOK TOUR: Collide – Gail McHugh

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

18775299Synopsis

A missed first encounter…..

Colliding with a second chance…..

On the heels of graduating college and trying to cope with her mother’s death, Emily Cooper moves to New York City for a fresh start.

While harboring secrets of his own, Dillon Parker takes care of Emily through her grief. Knowing he can’t live without her by his side, he’s sweet, thoughtful, and everything Emily has ever wanted in a man.

Until she meets Gavin Blake-a rich and notorious playboy who is dangerously sexy and charming as hell. Emily tries to deny the instant connection she feels, but Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is not inclined to let go so easily. Recovering from his own painful past, Gavin will stop at nothing to win Emily over.

This unexpected encounter compels Emily to question her decisions, forcing her to make a choice that will destroy friendships, shatter hearts, and forever change her life.

 3.5/4 out of 5 stars

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My Review

I have had Collide on my TBR list for months and months. Everyone has been telling me how amazing Gavin is and so when The Hot Bed said they were doing a tour for this week, i had to join in. I want to say thanks to Kate for sending me the paperback – the cover is freaking beautiful and all i did when i received it was stare at it and stroke it. I tend to stay away from love triangle books because they make me panicky and annoyed at the main character and one of the guys – mainly the boyfriend who ends up being a major asshole (I wasnt wrong).

The main reason I didnt give this book 5 stars is down to the fat that i was utterly annoyed at Emily throughout the majority of the book. And also i despise Dillon like no other. I actually ended up skim reading or skipping parts with him in because i hated the way he treated Emily. I just couldnt stand it nor stand how Emily put up with it.Saying that, Gail had me addicted to Collide – I needed to know more about Gavin, what Emily was going to do and if Dillon was going to get his ass handed to him on a plate. Gail really knows how to evoke emotions from you and dear God, i had them all. From swooning, to anger, to tears, you name it, my chest was hurting – good and bad.

As you know Collide is based around Emily. Her mother has recently died and she has uprooted her life to live in NYC where her boyfriend, Dillon and her BFF Olivia live. After finding a job, she goes on an errand and meets Gavin Blake. Just that brief encounter has her twisted up inside and when they meet again she wants to deny the connection but Gavin wont let it go easily. Oh no.

They become friends despite the growing want and when Dillon’s true colours appear she runs to Gavin but when a misunderstanding happens, Emily is torn up inside and does the one thing she will later go onto regret. Will she choose the right path and more importantly the right guy?

I really really wanted to like Emily but deep down she annoyed me. I understood that really, its a massive step to move away from your birth place, to step inside the busy and bustling city where you only know your boyfriend, your best friend and her brother. It’s got to be overwhelming. And really, she did great integrating into this way of life. But what i hated was how she felt she had to owe her life to Dillon because he was there throughout everything with her mother. I felt so sorry for Emily due to her thinking that. When she wasnt around Dillon, I could tolerate her. She seemed to relax, enjoy herself, BE herself and have fun without being tethered on a string.

And then came along Gavin. You could instantly see the connection, but she felt so bad about it because of Dillon. I wanted her to dump his ass and get on the Gavin train because HELLO SEXUAL TENSION. It was off the page with these two and you could very well see the feelings they both had for each other but they hid it well from Dillon but no one else. I liked that she could let loose with Gavin, as i’ve said, be herself, be the girl who can say what she wants, dress how she wants and be friends who whom she wants. You knew how she was falling for him yet she was scared. I did love it when these two were together, it was obvious they felt deeply and I hate hate hate the fact that a major misunderstanding broke both their hearts, until it was really only too late. I’m just glad that Emily, albeit very late, got her ass into gear but is it too late?

I have nothing to say about Dillon. I wanted to stab him (Yes, that’s quite violent but bah). He treated Emily like crap. He was a grade A-Douchebag who manipulated her, who put her down slowly, who got angry at the way she dressed, who she was friends with. And really, he was emotionally abusing her but she couldnt see it…I just got so angry and wound-up that he was doing this to her. And his mother was just as bad as he was. AHHHH i need to see him just gone in Pulse please. Leave Emily alone.

And now the guy who everyone loves – Gavin Blake. I am totally aboard this love train. He is just *sigh*. I feel for him the first meeting. That once glance and Emily and he was a goner. I love that it was the guy who feel first, the guy who, in that instant knew the girl was the one for him. It makes a really nice change. Yes, he’s a smirky, smarmy, cocky guy, but you know, you just know that they way he is acting around Emily, hes in deep. He wants her for his own and he actually doesnt care that she is Dillons. He really doesnt have a loyalty to him. The things he said, the beautiful words that came out of his mouth. The way he will love Emily so hard and deep but then the heartbreak. I could take seeing him like that. Seeing how much it cut him, how his heart broke into tiny pieces that he couldnt take it anymore.

There’s drama and angst and so much confusion wrapped into this book – confusion that comes from Emily about Dillon and Gavin. I didnt like how much Gavin got led on by her, but yano what, shes gotta learn from her mistakes now and how it ended with Gavin, yupp it was her fault and I side with Gavin.

Anyway, if you love love triangles with a sexy, sweet guy, a confused girl and a douchebag boyfriend then pick up Collide and get reading it. It is addictive but I wasnt as addictive as i have been with other books.

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Posted in Emma Hart

Late Call (#1) – Emma Hart

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

LATE CALL COVERSynopsis

She’s a high class call girl. He’s taking over his father’s business.

Seven years ago, they fell in love in Paris.

They walked away at the end of the summer, never imagining they’d meet again.

Now he’s her client. 


We fell in love the way you jump from a cliff. Hard and fast with a reckless sense of abandon. The six weeks we spent together changed my life, but at seventeen, I was naive. I was a dreamer. A believer.

Now I’m twenty-four and cynical. I don’t believe in love. There’s no place for such emotions as a high class escort. The only things I’m allowed to feel are physical – and that’s why it’s so damn hard when the client of a last minute job turns out to be the man I left in France seven years ago. When he buys me for six weeks at triple my rate, my agent makes it clear I have no choice but to take the job despite our previous relationship. And my heart makes it very clear I have to stay firmly on top of the cliff this time.

Because for six weeks, I once again belong to Aaron Stone

5 out of 5 stars

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My Review

You know when you have been with an author from the start? Read their very first books, pimped the hell out of them and then forged an amazing friendship with them? You see how much time and effort they put into their books, how much their writing has gone from strength to strength and how much they appreciate everyone’s help in making that book/series popular?

Well I can honestly say that from all the books I’ve read by Emma Hart (Including two that aren’t released yet ;)) I have to say that Late Call is most definitely a favourite and one that needs to be on my bookshelf. Leaving behind the NA genre and delving into the Adult world, it was only a matter of time before Emma showed us her true calling. (Not saying NA isn’t her calling either, because I LOVE The Memories series and The Game series) but there is just something about Late Call that shows Emma’s style off. From the sexual prowess of Aaron to the sultry sexiness from Dayton.

You would be forgiven for thinking this book was just about sex. No. It’s not. There is so much depth, so much confliction in both characters, especially with Dayton, whom you will feel for, due to the torment she is going through with Aaron. Six years is a long time and to just feel all the emotions you had felt back then, all rush forward will knock you for six. But deep down you know you have to treat him like a client, not like the boy you fell deeply in love with all those years ago. To pretend is so much harder than it seems and Dayton, no matter how hard she tries to keep away, so cant help falling back in love with Aaron, especially when Aaron will use every chance he gets to remind her of their love affair six years ago and THAT is why he buys her time. Six whole weeks to make her remember Paris, the love they had for each other and that she is his and no man will ever love her like he does.

This is a second chance at love story, a love between a call girl and a business man looking to take over his father’s company. But its also about first loves and how they never go away no matter how long time has passed.

Dayton was content with her life. She became a call girl to get through college and after decided she was too good and the pay was amazing so it became her career. She earns a hell of a lot to just give it all up. One night she has to step in to escort and who should she face but her first love Aaron. After that night, Aaron buys her time at triple her rate and she is stuck with him for 6 weeks, getting over the world. Has time passed or is there a chance to rekindle their affair when they were teenagers? I really loved Dayton. She was spunky, sarcastic and independent. She knew her mind, knew what she wanted and how to get it. She was great at her career and its no wonder she was the highest paid call girl on the books.

But underneath all that she is still a woman, a woman with feelings and a woman who was left heartbroken when she left Paris. She had her heart torn out and worked so hard to get over Aaon that old feelings rush back and she has no choice but to push they to the back of her mind, to try and treat him like every other client and not get involved – Call girls don’t fall in love – but no matter how much she tries to push him away, he comes back and in the end her defences drop, leaving her vulnerable to Aaron and she accepts that fact she will always love him, but dude! Shit has gone down and I was in a state of shock much like Dayton. I wanted to cuddle her, take away the pain she was feelings and I watched her defences go back up. I hope everything works out in Final Call and she beats the shit into Aaron.

Now let’s go onto Aaron. I’m not the biggest fan of reading about how the girl falls for the CEO and all that jazz but Emma has made me fall in love with Aaron. He works for his father and will be taking over the business. At first site of Dayton, he cant believe the love of his life is standing in front of him, no less a call girl. He wants to catch up, wants to know everything about her again so when he buys her time, he knows she has no choice but to go where he goes and he kind of loves that – he’s a demanding guy and wont take no for an answer and she is pretending to be his girlfriend after all. He sees this as a chance to show her he still loves her, show her that no one has and will match up to her. Every chance he sets out to show her how great their summer in Paris was and how he still remembers the little things about her, things that shouldn’t matter but they do.

Aaron is just a breath of fresh air; he’s hard working, a guy who wants Dayton to himself and will do whatever he can to get her love back. He knows his way around her body, knows what to say to turn her off, piss her off and leave her hanging. He wants to make her happy, wants to be by her side and he’s fun. No matter how rich or alpha he is, he can let loose and enjoy himself with Dayton, enjoy the smallest luxuries and he’s a romantic too. The things he does, especially in Paris will make your heart soar. The city they fell in love, where they relive the summer they spent together will also be the downfall, the city where love turns to hatred and I hated that for both of them. Hated that Paris turned into a bad memory.

And you will want to smack the ever living shit out of him for that secret he was harbouring. Thank god I get to read Final Call and see how Dayton and Aaron’s relationship progresses. Silly, silly Aaron.

But I still love him. You can see the pain tearing him up. The torment over the secret that has now come out and how he wont let Dayton go. He will fight until his dying day to get her back. Now he had her, he will never let her go. And I hope to god he makes the right decision.

Emma has added a slice of sexiness. Okay, scrap that, the sex scenes and the dirty talking will make you fan yourself. Turn you in goo and wish you were the one Aaron was throwing around and seducing with those freaking orgasm-inducing words and moves. Not only do you feel the connect between Dayton and Aaron, you know for a fact they are most definitely compatible in bed and outside of it. They know what to say and do to turn each other on and leave the other hanging and gagging for one another. I loved how Aaron and Dayton could feel each other, searched each other out and how they were just made for each other and as fate would have it, found one another again.

But my god! I shouted at Emma for the cliffhanger she leaves you with. I didnt’ see it coming at all. No little hints, nothing and it hit me right between the eye so much so I was in complete shock over what I had just read. I just couldn’t fathom it and now I need to know what is going to happen in Final Call and I can. Yes, yes, Final Call is my next read 😉

Posted in New Adult

Tangled – Emma Chase

Posted on by Z. Elizabeth

18297707Synopsis

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? 

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything – or anyone – derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating. 

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life? 

Can Drew Evans win at love? 

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without

3.5 out of 5 stars

goodreads

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My Review 

I despise writing reviews on popular books that everyone loved yet I didn’t. And Tangled is one of them. I read this book months after it was out, not wanting to be a part of everyone reading it at the same time. I wanted to get around to it eventually, and because I really admire Emma Chase and because I have started reading books by authors going to Edinburgh, getting to know Drew Evans was next on my list.

I liked this book, but I wouldn’t say I am in the majority of loving it. There was just something about Tangled that I couldn’t just get into. I cant explain it. I thought it started a little slow and then when you entered Kate the story began to intrigue me. A playboy who sleeps around finally falling for a girl who becomes is everything? I love stories like this. How one girl can change a guy without knowing it. How was all wish we could be that one girl for that one guy. And although I did read on and get involved into the story of Drew and Kate, it wasn’t enough for me to give it 5 stars. And I hate that! But we cant all love the same books now, can we?!

Saying that, Emma really did tune into a guys head freaking brilliantly – it was like it was actually written by a guy. And at parts I was literally like “holy shit, yes, we do think this from guys” and laughing at the truth of what ‘Drew’ was saying, not just about guys and girls but about love and fighting and just the genders in general. Emma got it spot on. She made me really like all the characters involved and she had me laughing a hell of a lot at the interacts of everyone, at the thoughts Drew had, the way he reacts and she made me completely melt and adore Mackenzie, Drew’s niece. That little girl is a bloody hoot. She’s so smart for a young’un, and so incredible unaware but aware at the same time that you cant help but want to see more ‘air time’ of her on the pages.

Drew Evans is a cocky, smarmy, egotistical ponce who sleeps around but I respect him. I respect that he doesnt lead the girls that he sleeps with on. That he doesnt give them any hints of more than one night. It’s just sex – its a release to him and I respect the fact he’s not like all the other playboys who DO lead women on only to fuck them over. He gets what he wants, then goes. Simple as.

He is also work driven, which I really liked. He works hard to win clients, to keep clients and in return he gets respect (that word again) and a big fat pay check. He and his two best friends, really do put the work and hours in to make their father’s business a renowned successful. And then Kate enters and she is even more driven to make a success and a name for herself and rightly so, but Drew doesnt like this and this starts the ‘war’. I understood that Drew hated it. He didn’t want anyone to piss on his territory and although he wanted to bang Kate, his ‘war’ with her seemed to overtake that.

We watch his be a dick to her, say mean things to her but in the end, we know behind all the names is such a strong chemistry and attraction between them that in the end something is bound to happen. They go from enemies, to friends to lovers and you know what they say, there is a fine line between love and hate, and this is most definitely the fact with Kate and Drew.

Their smart mouths, their banter, their chemistry, it all made for good humour and a great love story. They are competitive against each other, also shouting their mouths off but when things change, when they become friends, that’s when the story really gets going. That’s when feelings and emotions get in the way and that’s when you see Drew fucked up. See him want to spend a weekend with a girl and not go out and get laid.

I’d also like to say, HELLO to the sex scenes. Drew has one pretty sexy mouth on him and he definitely knows how to please a lady – well he’s slept with enough to know by now. But he and Kate are pretty adventurous and you know if they are compatible in bed, they are pretty fucking screwed – in both senses. But I loved how comfortable they both were around each other, enough to just stay naked

I loved Kate. She is a strong, feisty woman who has fought damn hard to get to where she is now and shes not going to let anyone stand in her way. She has a smart mouth, she can banter and spare back and forth with Drew but in the end she is still just a woman who has a vulnerable side too. A side in which had no chance against Drew; a side which also yearned for him. I really loved her when everything went down and she didn’t back down. She held her head up and told Drew to basically ‘fuck off and leave her alone’. She didn’t give in and to be honest, I wouldn’t either if that happened to me.

I understood her questioning of his feelings after everything she knows and everything he’s said to her and really, in the end, it was down to her to think things through without being pampered by Drew (despite the fact I did enjoy those scenes), and to think if being with him was worth it, if his feelings were genuine, and you could see underneath the denying, she really was weighing to pros and cons of being with Drew.

This is what you need in books, a strong heroine who doesnt give in to the hero’s idiocy and that is exactly where Kate came in. I really did like her as a character and I like that she was the one to turn Drew’s world upside down. I cant wait to see more of her POV in Twisted.

So even though I didn’t give it 5 stars, I still enjoyed the story, I enjoyed getting to know Drew and Kate and their relationship – from start to finish and I still am going to read Twisted when it is out. Give Drew a go…he is pretty damn hilarious and loveable.