Thursday, November 30, 2017

Review: The Bachelor Contract by Rachel Van Dyken




She's everywhere.

Ex-wife.

Love of his life.

The last person in the world he wanted to see...ever.

And now that he's working beside her every day, he can't escape her. Her scent, glimpses of her smile, even the tension in the air that makes his body hum with the kind of need he'd only experienced with one person-all of it is driving him over the edge.

Brant Wellington was certain of three things: 

Alcohol wasn't going to solve this. 

He really was losing his F-ing mind. 

And his gorgeous ex-wife was going to be the death of him.



Review:  4.5 of 5 Stars

I really enjoyed the previous books in The Bachelors of Arizona series by Rachel Van Dyken and I was excited to get started on Brant's story. While the other Wellington Brothers entertained me and I loved them, I was really anxious to read more about Brant. He definitely had the most history and the most intriguing story that I wanted to know.

When you meet Brant you see that he is an alcoholic that is trying to fill a void with a different woman every night-he has a history. And that history is the ex-wife Nikki he can't forget. Life dealt them some terrible blows and instead of facing it together, Brant did not know how to deal.

Nikki has been struggling with getting over Brant as well. And once Grandma Nadine gets involved, all bets are off. The unique thing about Nikki? She is blind. I work for an ophthalmology group, so I think for me, this characteristic hits especially close to home. Nikki is a great person and she is determined to keep moving. She is a survivor and I love that.

As for their love story, it is really well thought out and I enjoyed reading every minute. I mean, we all know that when Grandma Nadine is involved she is going to win and love will prevail, but I love to see the journey to get there. Great book, Rachel!

Monday, November 13, 2017

Review: Love (The Keatyn Chronicles #12), by Jillian Dodd



From USA Today bestselling author Jillian Dodd comes the last book in the addictive Keatyn Chronicles series. Discover a breathless fairy-tale romance with swoon-worthy characters set in a glittering celebrity world. Fans of reality TV will devour this pulse-pounding, sexy Hollywood drama.

Follow the lives and loves of those who work at Captive Films:

Riley Johnson — Captive Films’ CEO and millionaire playboy is hot, privileged, and seriously single. He’s got it all—a brand new jet, exotic cars, a luxury penthouse, and a different aspiring actress (or two) in his bed every night. His life is perfect until the only girl he ever loved walks back into it, causing him to wonder if he truly has it all.

Keatyn Douglas — Hollywood’s sweetheart and owner of Captive Films leads a chaotic, glamorous life. But running a successful film studio, writing scripts, and her own acting career leave little time for the things she dreams of, like marrying the man she loves and having babies. When drama starts at work, she may decide to give it all up for life out of the fast lane.

Dawson Johnson — The dark and dreamy marketing consultant joins Captive to escape his past. For the last two years, his sole focus has been on caring for his adorable daughters after tragedy struck their lives. He comes to Captive looking for a fresh start and, if all goes well, he might find a lot more than that in Hollywood.

Knox Daniels — Considered the sexiest man alive by a certain magazine, the sentiment is echoed by the actor’s adoring fans. While romance abounds in the roles he plays, he’s convinced he’ll never find his own happily ever after—until he meets a woman who just might change that.

Shelby Benson — The beautiful cocktail waitress and wanna-be actress struggles to make ends meet. A chance encounter with Riley Johnson is her lucky break and the golden ticket to everything she’s ever dreamed of—fame, power, money, sex, and love.

Written soap-opera style with multiple points of view, you can expect lots of drama, sex, and tabloid-worthy events.
 


Review
4.5 out of 5 stars

I have to admit as soon as I got notification this installment was loaded onto my kindle I wasted zero time sitting down and diving right in. I loved it! Seriously, it was a very well written, fun, happily ever after for ALL of our favorite and even not so favorite characters. I even found myself smiling and enjoying the conclusion to Shelby's story line and for the last several books I pretty much hated her! 

We have watched Keatyn and her friends grow and mature. We've been there through all their ups and downs, good decisions and all their really horrible ones. I've enjoyed every single page of this series and I'm genuinely sad it's over. 

Love is more than just a romantic feeling between two people, it's also found in the bond between family and friends, especially when those friends are as close if not closer than family.  It's all encompassing. It's sacrifice and selfless. Sometimes it's big gestures and other times is the every day small details and this book captures them all.  I think it's why I've constantly gotten sucked in and can never put the books down until I've read to the end.

Yes I wish we could have seen a little bit more of Riley's HEA but I also think we got enough and can you our imaginations to fill in the rest because we know him so well!  The Keatyn Chronicles will probably also be one of my most favorite guilty pleasures and I encourage everyone to let themselves get sucked into this incredibly fun and addicting series!

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Review: Darkest Temptation by Rachel Van Dyken


I'm a werewolf King who chose to step down out of grief for my mate.
For centuries I've been alone, choosing to live a life of modesty despite the wealth surrounding me.
I deserve to be punished.
I crave things I have no business craving.
And it is manifesting itself in a way I'm terrified I won't be able to control any longer.
Especially since she arrived.
Vampire. Orphan. Beaten beyond recognition.
My blood calls to her in a way that makes no sense.
I'm a wolf.
She's a vampire.
The two don't mate.
They barely tolerate one another.
All it takes is one slip of control on my part — one taste.
And I doom us all.
Then again, I never knew what is lurking inside has the power to balance good and evil.
 

Review:  4.25 of 5 Stars

I fell in love with the Dark Ones Saga and in particularly Mason from the first book.  He has always been my favorite character because of his complexities. He is a wolf that deprives himself of anything good because of the guilt he feels over losing his first mate.  He has such a complicated and wonderful backstory and I just knew that I would love reading about it.

Serenity is a vampire that has never really been a good vampire. She feels like a failure at everything and is all alone.  So why is it the one person that makes her feel more alive than anyone happens to be a wolf?  Vampires + Wolves are never a good combination, but something is different about Mason.  

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish.  I love the relationship that Serenity and Mason have and how it has to come full circle.  But mostly, I love that Mason got the story he deserved.  My only complaint if you will, is that this story is fast paced and I found myself having to re-read parts of it to fully understand what was happening.  The Dark Ones Saga is a wonderful series, but I think I would have enjoyed this book even more if I had a refresher course prior to reading it.  As always though, fantastic read from Rachel Van Dyken.