Review: Risky Play, by Rachel Van Dyken

Amazon

Goodreads

What else can a virgin do when she’s ditched at the altar? Seattle heiress Mackenzie Dupont is treating herself to a single-girl honeymoon in Mexico and a desire to relinquish her innocence to a gorgeous one-night stand. Fake names. True pleasure. But when she wakes up alone, Mackenzie realizes just how much anger is left in her broken heart.

Suffering a tragic personal loss, pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez has his reasons for vanishing without a goodbye. Right or wrong, he’s blaming the beautiful and infuriating stranger he never wants to see again. They’re both in for a shock when Mackenzie shows up as his new personal assistant. And they both have a lot to learn about each other. Because they share more than they could possibly know, including a common enemy who’s playing his own games. And he’s not afraid to get dirty.

Now there’s only one way Mackenzie and Slade can win: to trust in each other and to stop hiding from the lies they’ve told, the secrets they’ve kept, the mistakes they’ve made, and the attraction that still burns between them.

Review
4.5 out of 5 stars

I have to admit I loved this one!  It was a classic Rachel Van Dyken book.  The perfect amount of angst, humor, chemistry and drama all rolled into one HEA.  Rachel is one of my favorite go to authors, mainly because she seems to nail it every single time. 

Mackenzie is left at the alter on her wedding day - sure she's upset but not in the way you'd expect.  Fast forward several months and in the hopes of self re-discovery she's off on her honeymoon alone.  Here's where Slade Rodriguez comes into the picture and I have to say this meet cute was absolute perfection!

These two connect on a deeper level than either would expect, but to say it's a short lived romance would be putting it mildly.  Here's where the story gets juicy!  Yes, I could give you a play by play but I'm not because this story is one that deserves to be read and experiences first hand!

I loved watching Mackenzie work through her struggles and watching her grow.  From beginning to end it was a beautiful transformation of a character who's been incredibly lost become a strong independent women, who yes would love the support of the man she's in love with, but who finally not only knows what she wants but also has the courage to fight for herself.

Slade is broody, exhausted with the circus that's his life and so angry he honestly cannot stand himself.  But underneath all this is this amazing book boyfriend who's passionate and caring - and let's not forget his looks, basically he's the total package.

They are both lost in their own circumstances but together they make one heck of a couple.  Risky Play is going to be one of those RVD book's you're absolutely going to want to read again and again.  Such a fun escape - thanks Rachel - this is why we all love you so much!!!

Review: Consequence, Book Two, The Confidence Game #2 by Rachel Higginson

Amazon

Goodreads

Consequence, the conclusion to Sayer and Caroline’s epic love story

Five years ago, I escaped a dangerous life I had always wanted to leave. I got away. I found freedom. But it cost me the love of my life.

For five years I lived in hiding, protecting my most valuable secret while Sayer Wesley sat in prison paying for both our sins. I promised to love him forever. I promised to never leave him. 

I broke my promises.

Five months ago Sayer found me.

Five weeks ago, I was forced to face my past.

Five days ago, someone took my daughter. They kidnapped her in order to make Sayer and me suffer. I will do anything to get her back. Even if that means coming clean to Sayer, letting him into my life and introducing him to our daughter.

All I wanted was to protect her from this life and now she’s right in the middle of the chaos. Sayer is the only one that can help me. He’s the only one that can get her back.

But it might mean losing him again.

Fifteen years ago, I fell in love with Sayer Wesley. Now I must pay the consequences for falling in love with a con man. 

Review:
4.75 out of 5 stars

From the moment I finished Constant, I was dying to get my hands on Consequence. I absolutely fell in love with Caro and Sayer and I had to know how their story ended.  Without a doubt my love for mafia drama is what sucked me into this story from page one. 

 Consequence begins exactly where Constant ended.  Juliet has been taken from day care and Caro and Sayer are hell bent on getting her back and exacting revenge on whoever is responsible.  Intertwined in the present day drama are a lot of flashbacks from Sayer and his childhood and what occurred in his life.  Some are the same scenes from Constant but with a totally different point of view.

Caro is still reeling from Juliet's kidnapping and is struggling with trusting Sayer.  She definitely wants to blame him for a lot of things and her inability to see what I could through flashbacks was at times annoying to me.  But, I realized I had the luxury of more information than she did, and so I tried not to let my aggravation with her waffling emotions keep me from liking her character.  One of the things I loved most about Caro was her tenacity.  She is strong, stubborn, smart and she loves with all she has.  She is one heck of a mama bear and will always protect her child.

For me, Sayer is just about the picture perfect hero.  Obviously he's hot as hell with a side dose of brooding and dangerous.  But as much as he's dangerous at his core is also this deep sense of loyalty and protectiveness towards Caro as well as Juliet.  While he's never had the luxury of meeting Juliet in person his parental bond to protect and get revenge is just as strong as Caro's. 

I always worry when starting part 2 of a two book series that perhaps the second book will loose momentum, I was pleasantly surprised this one never lost it's pace.  While I knew in my gut Caro could trust Sayer I loved watching the story play out and was pleasantly surprised to see some twists.  Whether or not you as a reader like Caro or even agree with her dramatics one thing is for certain she loves Sayer, he is the only person for her and Sayer's heart will only always beat for Caro!

Review: Whiskey and Wine by H. Dillon Smith

http://amzn.to/29ktaZl

Ellie Ray Vaughn needs a fresh start. Daughter of a washed-up ex-musician and alcoholic mother, ex-girlfriend to an abusive psycho, and unwanted house guest to her aunt and uncle that have had to take her in. College is supposed to be that fresh start. She has her best friend Annie by her side and a determination to pursue anything but music in hopes of not ending up like her mother. But in Nashville it’s hard to run from the music that runs in her veins. She’s determined to leave her past behind her, but a certain blue eyed, tattooed guitar player refuses to let her stifle her talent...or her feelings. 

Dean Thomas is just like any other arrogant musician. Girls are plentiful and fleeting, music is all that matters, and feelings belong only in the lyrics that he writes. He’s not looking to fall in love, only to leave his painful childhood behind and focus on the future. A future that involves music, record deals, and no one to tie him down. But when Dean meets Ellie he doesn’t hesitate to throw away his one night stands and wild nights for the girl he never thought he would find. He just didn’t expect it to be so hard.

Review:  4.5 of 5 Stars

When you grow up in the south it is pretty much guaranteed that you are going grow up with pick-up trucks, country music and country boys.  It was pretty much what my life revolved around from the time I was 14 or 15 until I got married.  And he still rides me around in his truck while I am blaring country music.  So, when I got a copy of Whiskey and Wine and read the synopsis, it intrigued me.

Ellie Ray Vaughn is a strong lead character that is stubborn as can be.  She knows what she wants out of life, or at least she thinks that she does.  Music calls to her and is in her blood but her mothers obsession with it and the horrible childhood she experienced make her skittish to actually chase her dream.  Ellie also has issues with an abusive ex boyfriend that is adding to her stress,  But after an impromptu gig one night the addiction to music and writing is reignited.  

Now Dean Thomas is just downright swoon worthy.  Yeah, at first you want to smack him for being a manwhore but we all know he acts that way because he is scared and because the right girl hasn't knocked him on his butt yet.  I love Dean's backstory and all the things you find out about his past.  I especially love how much he loves his mama.  Plus, he play guitar, sings and ha blue eyes!  

I throughly enjoyed this book from page one.  The build between the characters and the emotional connection that I had with them was perfect.  Some of the plot was a little predictable, but I loved it nonetheless.  It felt like I was reading a great episode of Nashville.  I can't wait to read more from this debut author!

Review: Until Friday Night, by Abbi Glines

Amazon

Synopsis

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

Review

4.5 out of 5 stars

Confession...from my very first Abbi Glines experience I've kind of been a sucker for her books.  I buy them and read them just as soon as I can.  Of course over the years there are some stories and some characters I love more than others.  Maggie and West happen to fall into the category of ones that I love.  

Unit Friday Night is written with such heart and soul.  I found myself emotionally attached to both Maggie and West.  I worried for them, I cried for them, I smiled with them and loved every second spent watching those two fall in love.    

This is a YA book and therefore it isn't as necessarily as "steamy" as some of Abbi's other stories, but that's not to say this book wasn't full of chemistry.  It just means there is so much "more" to this journey.  There were plenty of moments that will melt your insides and get your blood rushing but those moments aren't all tied to the physical.  The emotional bond between Maggie and West felt real and I commend Abbi Glines for exploring the worry and doubt of two people bonding over life changing circumstances.  For pushing those boundaries and exploring whether or not a real love could even be tangible.  

Maggie's strength was astounding.  Her ability to see beyond someone's facade, to sense beyond the surface and know what a person needs is simply stunning.  Her life wasn't cookie cutter perfect and she has no reason to want to help anyone else, but she does and in it finds a desire to perhaps live more of a life than she's previously had the strength to do.  While West's journey through grief is a predominant theme of this story it doesn't overshadow his secondary journey of falling in love, of recognizing what love really is, how to not only appreciate it's gift but to also cherish it.  Abbi Glines did a really great job bringing all these themes and characters to life.  Without a doubt she captured the essence of everything a YA novel should be filled with.

As the story was wrapping up though I will have to confess I felt as though there were a few loose ends I would like to have seen more tied up.  I know there will be other books in this series, which I will without a doubt be reading, but I have no idea if we will get another West and Maggie book, or if one is even needed.  But I can say I would love to see more of these two.  Speaking of additional books in this series, I have to commend Abbi on giving the secondary characters of this story such dimension.  They weren't just names, she gave those names a personality, she made me want to dig a little deeper into some of them.  Take a chance on Until Friday Night, it's a really great read in what I predict to be another bestselling Abbi Glines series!   

Blog Tour and Review: The Queen B* Strikes Back, by Crista McHugh

Amazon

Synopsis

Alexis Wyndham isn't quite sure what to think about her "friendship" with star quarterback, Brett Pederson. Sure, he has more brains than the entire football team combined. Not to mention that fact he's a great kisser. When he asks her to help him with his college admission essay, she isn't sure if he's doing it to spend more time with her or if he's just using her for her intelligence. But after her nemesis, Summer Hoyt, makes it clear she's not finished chasing after Brett, the war is on, and the head cheerleader will find out that hell hath no fury like a Queen B*.

Teaser

Chapter One

There's a special place in hell reserved for those who wake me up before noon on a Saturday.

And Brett Pederson was on that list.

I'd forgotten that he was on my preferred contact list, so his call came through the Do Not Disturb feature on my phone. Two weeks of a school project with him and now he was ruining my first day without Junior, the mechanical mutant baby that had been the bane of my existence.

The phone wouldn't stop ringing, so I was forced to pick it up. "Give me one reason not to make you the topic of my next blog post."

"Aw, Lexi, you wouldn't do that."

"Don't call me that, and yes, I would."

After all, I was Alexis Wyndham, the Queen Bitch of Eastline High School. My blog, The Eastline Spy, was notorious for taking members of the in-crowd down a peg, and as the hottest guy in school, Brett would be an easy target.

Too bad he'd somehow earned a soft spot in my heart. It was not something my cruel, hard image as the Queen B* would allow, and even though I'd convinced him we were better off as friends, I'd started second-guessing my decision the moment he walked away.

"I was calling to make sure you were ready to go to the senior class carwash. I'll swing by your house in ten minutes to pick you up."

Before I could protest, he hung up.

I glanced at my alarm clock.

8:32 a.m.

Crap!

A) Where does Brett get off thinking that I want to have anything to do with the idiots I refer to as "classmates"?

B) Why in hell would he think I'd want to go to this event, let alone with him?

But the butterflies in my stomach overruled my brain. As much as I loathed the idea of getting wet all in the name of raising money for a stupid class gift, the idea of Brett picking me up was enough to make me crawl out of bed.

Besides, if I arrived with him, it would piss off my nemesis, Summer Hoyt, to no end. She wanted him, but he wasn't interested. In fact, he seemed more interested in me. At least, if I believed yesterday's conversation behind the scoreboard.

Brett wanted to be more than friends, but I wasn't ready to go there.

At least, not yet.

I'd spent three years building a rep as the hardest bitch in school, and if the star quarterback started dating the Queen B*, then both of our positions in the high school social hierarchy would suffer.

But if we weren't at Eastline…

My thoughts wandered to a few days ago, when we'd hidden in a janitor's closet to keep Principal Lee from catching us in the girls' locker room together. Brett had taken the opportunity to kiss me, and before I knew what was happening, I'd lost my shirt. At least now I understood how my best friend, Morgan, could lose her head over so many guys and end up naked in bed with them. Teenage hormones were powerful things, especially when you factor in a great kisser like Brett.

I rummaged through my drawers until I found the perfect T-shirt. The mid-September day promised to be warm and sunny, but the hickey on my shoulder prevented me from wearing a tank top, so I paired it with a pair of shorts and threw my frizzy hair up in a ponytail.

The doorbell was ringing as I ran down the stairs. I opened the door and pulled Brett in before someone could see him. "You must have some kind of death wish."

"Just want to make sure you show that Eastline pride," he said with a charming grin. "After all, I am SGA president."

Brett was so perfect, I had to force myself to stay angry at him. He was more than a hot bod, although I'd seen enough of the muscles under the shirt to want to run my hands over them. He was more than a handsome face, although there were times I could lose myself while staring into his warm brown eyes. He was more than the star of the football team, although I admit I was beginning to have new appreciation for the sport since watching him play.

He was an annoyingly all-around good guy with a sharp mind and a personality that seemed to put everyone at ease, including me. He was the only person who could get past my prickly outer shell and make me swoon.

Of course, I'd never let him know that.

He handed me a rolled up T-shirt. "I brought you one of my Eastline shirts."

"Why?" I unfurled it and made a show of wrinkling my nose as though I were disgusted. It was a standard Eastline football shirt with a number on the back—one I'd seen dozens of players on the team wear around town. But then I caught a whiff of his scent, and my pulse cranked up a notch. Dear God, the shirt smelled like him. I resisted the urge to cuddle with it, especially since the source of the scent was standing right in front of me.

"So when you're sitting in the stands next to Richard, you'll at least show some school spirit." He winked before he closed the gap between us. "I thought you weren't going to come to the game last night.

"Richard needed a ride," I lied. In truth, I'd been the one to offer him a ride. I'd become a Brett addict over the last two weeks, and I couldn't decline a chance to watch him play. Thankfully, Richard—my other best friend next to Morgan—was a huge football fan.

"I could've sworn I saw you cheer when I threw that touchdown pass."

"I think you may have suffered a concussion when that lineman buried you into the turf." 

He chuckled, but continued to inch closer until his lips were a mere breath from mine. "Brushing up on your football slang?"

"Only because I have to listen to Richard." My mouth was dry. My voice was shaking, and I wasn't even sure I could form a coherent sentence, but I refused to give in to him. If he knew how attracted to him I really was, he might use my dark secret against me.

After all, that was what my former best friend, Summer, did to me in junior high.

A hint of a challenge danced in his eyes, making the golden flecks in them appear brighter than before.

My head swam, and my knees wobbled. Even though my mind was screaming Danger! I couldn't look away. If he kissed me again, would I fold

Review
4.25 out of 5 stars

The Queen B* Strikes Back was a great 2nd installment in Crista McHugh's The Queen B* Series.  I enjoyed it even more than book #1.  Maybe it's because we know Alexis better and we are rooting for her and Brett, even though she of course just wants to be "friends."  She's seriously fooling herself and we as readers know it but seeing Alexis trying to sort out her feelings is what makes this story so good!  Watching her navigate those tumultuous high school years while trying to deal with hormones gone wild are the perfect mix for a fun and addictive YA series.

Lexi may just want to be "friends," but Brett isn't ready to give up on her just yet.  He seems to be the only one who can push her boundaries, she knows it, he knows it and he never lets up.  I LOVE watching this girl fumble all over herself.  Her brain is telling her one thing, her heart is saying another and she is spiraling out of control when she cannot keep everything at an arm's length.

Summer, her former best friend, had a pivotal role in pushing Alexis into becoming the Queen B*, but it's time for Alexis to break the mold.  To be the person she keeps hidden away and not the person she created in order to survive the high school social hierarchy.  Is Brett the one who will be able to break down her walls so everyone can get to know the real Alexis?  Can he be trusted?  And if so does she even want to trust him?

Author Crista McHugh has created some very endearing characters who are easily likable, who you will not be able to help but fall in love with.  She sucks you into this story and it's like getting sucked into a good gossip chain.  Once you get a little taste you won't be able to help but keep coming back for more and more.  While this book ends on a high note, I am definitely not ready to end my time with the Queen B* and football star.  I cannot wait to see where she takes us next!  This series has me hooked and I'm highly recommending you take the bait as well!

About Author Crista McHugh

Crista McHugh is an award-winning author of fantasy and romance who writes heroines who are smart, sexy and anything but ordinary. She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.
She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America (including the Greater Seattle Chapter and the Seattle Eastside Chapters), and Romance Divas.
Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she's had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.
And she's also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

Find Crista McHugh Online

Website Goodreads Amazon Facebook Twitter

Review: Anchor, by M. Mabie

Amazon

Synopsis

I believe in love at first sight.
Now I know soulmates exist. 

Nothing has ever been easy for us.
Every fight, every struggle, has been worth it. 

I’m stubborn, but what woman isn’t?
She’s hard work and I love the overtime. 

He’s frustrating and unpredictable. I hope he never changes.
I love driving her crazy. That’s half the fun. 

Lou’s sexy curls.
Honeybee’s pink nose. 

He still looks at me like I’m precious and unflawed.
She treats me like I’m the center of her world. 

Our future will be full of happiness.
Despite everything, we’re two of the lucky ones. 

I took the bait.
She was a lucky catch. 

He is the wind in my sail.
She’s the anchor that grounds me. 

The wake our love made is beautiful.
Every day I thank God for her. 

No matter the hurdles, we’ve jumped them side-by-side.
No matter the obstacles, we’ve made it through together. 

For better or for worse, I’d do it again.
I’ll love and protect her all the days of my life. 

We made it.
We always will.

Review

5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't have been more excited for the release of Casey and Blake's HEA!  If there was a couple who ever truly deserved a book dedicated solely to happiness and love it would be the two of them.  Bait, book 1, took us on such a roller coaster that by the end of it, not only was I dying to see where the story would go but I was emotionally exhausted.  I felt strung out, but I LOVED every minute of that book.  Sail, while good, felt really strung out and a little slow to me, but Anchor absolutely blew me away exceeding every single one of my expectations.  I'm not sure a better conclusion to a trilogy has ever been written.  That's not an exaggeration either, this book is simply that good.

Author M. Mabie goes above and beyond in Wake.  She answers every single one of our questions, and leaves us with an epilogue that honestly may be the most perfect thing I have every read.  Wake picks up post Blake's accident, so what is going to happen?  What kind of fall out will this couple have to deal with and how will it affect their relationship?  Will the stars finally align?  Obviously yes they do and the journey taking us there is magnificent.

Off the charts chemistry, playful banter, love, devotion and determination, all are a great way to describe Casey and Blake's relationship.  These two have had one hell of a fight, but love isn't supposed to be easy and the journey itself is oftentimes what cements a strong deep love and connection between two people and M. Mabie has captured this essence brilliantly, she absolutely nailed it!

This series and these characters demand every ounce of you attention and their story will stay with you long after the final pages are turned.  I love how M. Mabie fed us just enough tidbits to pique our interest into hopefully another book for some of the secondary characters in this series.  I for one am truly looking forward to seeing what M. Mabie has up her sleeve.

Review: Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

Amazon

Synopsis:

Rachel Blum and Andy Landis are eight years old when they meet late one night in an ER waiting room. Born with a congenital heart defect, Rachel is a veteran of hospitals, and she's intrigued by the boy who shows up all alone with a broken arm. He tells her his name. She tells him a story. After Andy's taken back to the emergency room and Rachel's sent back to her bed, they think they'll never see each other again.

Rachel, the beloved, popular, and protected daughter of two doting parents, grows up wanting for nothing in a fancy Florida suburb. Andy grows up poor in Philadelphia with a single mom and a rare talent that will let him become one of the best runners of his generation.

Over the course of three decades, through high school and college, marriages and divorces, from the pinnacles of victory and the heartbreak of defeat, Andy and Rachel will find each other again and again, until they are finally given a chance to decide whether love can surmount difference and distance and if they've been running toward each other all along.

With honesty, wit, and clear-eyed observations about men and women, love and fate, and the truth about happy endings, Jennifer Weiner delivers two of her most memorable characters, and a love story you'll never forget.

Review:  3.5 of 5 Stars

I requested a review copy of this book from Atria Books as soon as I read the synopsis.  Having never read any books by Jennifer Weiner, I had no idea what to expect when I began this novel.  The story itself was beautifully written and there is no doubt that Ms. Weiner is extremely talented.

At the beginning of the book, in the prologue,  you are in the year 2014 and can tell that something tragic has happened in Rachel's life, but you are uncertain what exactly has transpired.  The first chapter flashes back to 1985 and Rachel Blum is an 8 year old child.  She was born with a serious heart condition and her mother will never let her forget that it is a miracle she is alive.  No matter what she wants, it seems she is defined my her heart problems.  

Andy Landis, also 8, is in the ER one night when Rachel is "breaking the rules" and visiting the emergency room.  Her goal is to see crazy things there and to tell the interesting stories to her sick friend across the hall from her in the  Miami Children's Hospital.  Andy is stuck in the ER with a broken arm and no adult with him.  Rachel begins to tell him a story to take his mind off the pain and they have an instant connection.  Once his mom shows up, they are separated and don't get to see each other again.  

Honestly, the first part was the most interesting and unique for me.  I loved the scenes in the hospital and Atlanta, when Andy and Rachel finally meet again.  Once graduation and college begins, the story became less interesting to me.  I felt like it did not keep me wanting more, it just made me want a conclusion to the book.  It was well written, but I had a hard time switching from different POV's and listening to Andy and Rachel make horrible choices at times.  It was a constant back and forth and it just irritated me.  

I just felt like it tried to cram too many years and details into one book.  I also felt that if there had been an epilogue that perhaps I would not have felt cheated with the end.  It seemed that there were important pieces of the novel that I didn't think were reconciled to my satisfaction.  That being said, some readers love the details, and adore long books.  If that is you, this book is probably a winner for you.