Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Review: My Lucky Days by S.D. Hendrickson



He was an up-and-coming country singer.
She was the last girl you'd ever see in a bar.
But one night, under those neon lights,
Lucky and Katie found each other.

Beginnings are always exciting.
Always fun. Always hopeful.

Katie was in her last year of college.
Lucky was still playing local stages.
She fell for his voice. She fell for his words.
They fell in love.
It was beautiful.

But time changed their world.
She was alone. He was on the road.
Life happened.
And that love was torn apart.

Endings are always painful.
Always heart wrenching.
But not always final.

One day, Lucky came back to Katie.
And this is their story.


Review
4.5 out of 5 stars


Okay, okay, I admit it.  I am a sucker for sweet, genuine love stories that involve musicians.  I don't care if it is a rocker like Kellan Kyle or a country music singer like Lucky in this book, I fall so hard for them!  My Lucky Days is especially heartwarming for me because every chapter has a song reference at the top and being the huge country music fan that I am, it was such a wonderful touch.  The book has it's own playlist for every chapter.

The heroine of the book, Katie, is such a wonderful character.  I adored her personality and the way she is fiercely independent.  She is selfless to a fault.  As a college senior she is level-headed and smart.  Even though she came from a family with money, the one thing she never had was a home.  One evening she has a chance encounter with an up and coming country music singer and her life is forever changed.

Meet Landon "Lucky" Evans.  Lucky is one of the best characters I have read in a long time.  He is sweet, attentive and can make a girl swoon with a single text message.  I adore his back story and the fact that he loves with every fiber of his being.  Of course the guitar playing and singing don't hurt his case either!

I already knew that S.D. Hendrickson is an amazing author.  I fell in love with her writing style and story telling ability when I opened The Mason List, so I had extremely high hopes for My Lucky Days.  I was floored by my love for My Lucky Days.  All of the characters had such wonderful personalities and I felt a true connection to them and their story.  You will laugh and cry in this story.  While it is somewhat predictable, it is so well written that I did not mind that at all.  Well done, S.D.!

Monday, December 12, 2016

Review: Dark Surrender, by Rachel Van Dyken


I grew up as a prince...
And lead the life of a King.There isn't anyone or anything that doesn't want me, that isn't attracted to me. They can't help it. And I sure as hell don't want them to. I live for their lust, I crave touch like an addiction, I make them beg on their knees for one, simple, caress.As a male siren it's my job to feed off emotion.And I was happy to do it.I am happy to do it.What I'm not happy about? Being told I have to mate with some withering human and stay loyal to that one person for the next few centuries. There's a war coming and being the idiot I am--I offered to take one for the team in order to help a friend.Now my sexual appetite is taking a freaking kick in the nuts.And I'm left wondering if it's worth it.If she's worth it, with messy hair and dirty human hands.But I have a world to save.A job to do.Now, if only, she would just let me do it rather than fighting me at every turn. I've lived lifetimes as the most irresistible being on the planet.Only to meet my match.With one.Measly.Human.They say hells hot. They're wrong.Because Hope, my little human, is way hotter.And before this is over--she may just singe me alive.


Review
4 out of 5 stars


Rachel Van Dyken’s The Dark Ones Saga is by far one of the most interesting paranormal series I have ever read.  Her spin on Vampire, Werewolf, Angel, Demon, Siren and Elf is definitely unique, which is one of the reasons this series is so much fun to read.  

Book 3, Dark Surrender, tells the story of Alex. He’s a siren who has no problem getting people to fall in “lust” with him.  But Cassius has commanded he find a mate, so how does the world’s most powerful siren find a person who will love him for him and not just be in lust with him?   

Alex goes from cold to hot at the drop of a pin when it comes to his love interest, Hope.  I felt as though his emotions were a ping pong ball that couldn’t get on course.  It was extremely hard to connect with him and Hope.  I wish Rachel could have slowed the pace of this story, given time for their feelings to gradually increase, allowing us readers time to connect, to be able to know them each well enough to genuinely want to pull for them to find their HEA.  In addition, this book was far more sexual than her previous stories in this series.  Don’t get me wrong the main character is a Siren, so of course sex is going to be a large part of the story, but the content of some of the scenes just didn’t work for me.  It felt forced and a little bit unnecessary.

All those things aside I did enjoy being back with the gang and am looking forward to Mason getting his very on HEA.  The love between all the characters and their familial banter with one another is what keeps me coming back each time a new book is released.  This installment may not have been my most favorite one of the series but I’m still a fan and cannot wait to see what happens next.  I swear Rachel Van Dyken can literally write about anything.  I love watching her character’s journeys unfold, because in the end she never disappoints!