Review: Beautiful Boss, by Christina Lauren

Goodreads

Synopsis

The ninth work in the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling series that started with Beautiful Bastard. In this e-novella, Will Sumner and Hanna Bergstrom (from Beautiful Player) find that a wedding and everlasting love were just the beginning.

One Player tamed. One nerd girl satisfied. And one more major life decision to make. When Will fell for Hanna, her quirky sense of humor and fierce dedication to her career were part of the attraction. (Not to mention her coy newbie attitude toward sex and her willingness to let him teach her everything.) But when the job offers start rolling in for her—and oh, they do—Hanna has trouble deciding what she wants, where they should live, and how much she should burden Will with the decision. Magic between the sheets is only one part of a relationship...getting on the same page is quite another altogether.

Review

4 out of 5 stars

I was beyond excited for an opportunity to catch back up with probably my favorite couple of the Beautiful Series.  As we check back in with Will and Hanna we learn things are about as close to perfect as each of them can imagine.  Happily engaged, hours from walking down the aisle, these two couldn't be more ready to begin their journey as husband and wife.  I mean what's a few big decisions neither one of them seem to be able to talk about?

I love that even though Hanna has found the one person who can bring her out of her shell, at her core she is just as nerdy as ever before.  She quite literally has every one of her dream schools begging her to come work for them.  While Will's encouraged her to follow her dreams because he can work from anywhere he didn't expect to be left out of the decision making process entirely.

Hanna thinks she's found a balance between work and having a life, but has she really?  Marriage is about two people make a life together, but old habits die hard and Hanna doesn't even realize she is inadvertently leaving her husband out of the picture.  Throw in her fear of having tough discussions because "they never fight" and you've got yourself a story!  

Will is honestly the best.  He loves this girl and it's clearly evident in his constant support of Hanna as well as his encouragement and leadership in nudging her to to have those hard conversations while at the same time reassuring her that she is still has and will always have his love.  I also enjoyed seeing the gang back together!  This is a fun crowd of book characters and any time spent with them is time well spent.

Review: Hopeless Magic (Star-Crossed #2), by Rachel Higginson

Goodreads

Synopsis
After returning home from Romania, and successfully saving her best friend Lilly, Eden Matthews must now come to terms with her future as an Immortal. She is in love with the Crowned Prince, but he is betrothed to someone else. 

Her family desperately wants her to join their rebellion, but that would mean fighting against her one, true love, Kiran Kendrick. She must fight off assassins that want her dead, an Immortal rite of passage that takes her to India and a deadly disease that no one has thus far survived. Danger seems to lurk around every corner as Eden Matthews struggles to keep her true identity a secret and protect those that she loves. 

Eden must find a way to be with Kiran, or turn her back on him forever and fight to save her people. Hopeless Magic is the second installment of the Star-Crossed series.


Review
4.25 out of 5 stars

Hopeless Magic is a roller coaster of a book!  We begin right after Kiran's big gesture and declaration of love for Eden.  It should be as simple as going home and going public as a couple, except for the issue of Kiran's betrothal and fiance Seraphina, oh and the fact they need to keep Eden's identity from Kiran's father.  Needless to say this perfect couple has a strong uphill battle if they are going to make their dreams a reality.

This second installment really goes beyond the surface, pushing our favorite characters into some pretty difficult scenarios.  Eden's having to walk an extremely fine line between her love for Kiran and her family's desires of joining the rebellion.  I found myself a nervous wreck.  Of course I wanted to her stay true to her heart and Kiran but at the same time I knew all the secrets she was keeping from him screamed lack of trust and let's be honest eventually the truth was going to have to come out.  In addition, not being allowed to be around Kiran for any decent amounts of time and as a result spending more time with Jericho opens another set of doors into her heart, and I couldn't help but agree a relationship with Jericho would be easier and no doubt she is attracted to him.  Yet at the same time I feel like being with Jericho would be settling, it's not a passionate all consuming love she feels for him.

I absolutely refuse to give any spoilers away in this review, because a lot goes down in this book.  I'm not necessarily surprised with Kiran's decision, he's young, he's making decisions based off emotion and not really looking at the big picture.  But at the same time so is Eden.  The two of them have a serious-forever kind of love, found at a really young age, at a time in life when they are trying to figure out the world.  Of course they're going to be forced on journeys down unimaginable roads, that's what makes this whole star-crossed love story so utterly addicting and fantastic!

I also want to touch base on Rachel Higginson's ability to really give each and every secondary character their own voice, their own impact on the story.  Even though we are being told the story from Eden's perspective the secondary characters are written in a way that I find myself just as vested in what's going on with them.  Without Avalon, Sebastian, Lily, Seraphina, Lucan....the list could go on and on.  My point is though without these characters and the depth they bring to the whole story it just wouldn't be as good.  Well done Rachel on a well thought out and brilliantly executed story.

Cover Reveal: Empire, by Rachel Van Dyken

The seventh book in the internationally best selling mafia series as it follows Sergio Abandonato, cousin to one of the most powerful families in the mafia, and an ex FBI agent hell bent on redeeming his name and forgetting the fact that he used to share it with someone long gone. This is the rest of Sergio's story.   

   

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I have lost everything.
My purpose
My love
My soul
Death knocks on my door, I want to answer, but every time I reach for the handle -- the promise I made her brings me back.
So I breathe.
I live.
I hate.
And I allow the anger to boil beneath the surface of a perfectly indifferent facade. I am broken, I don't want to be fixed.
But the Empire is crumbling and it's my job to fix it.
My job to mend the pieces that were scattered over thirty years ago.
A trip to New York, only one chance to redeem a lost part of our mafia family.
The only issue is, the only way to fix it, is to do something I swore I'd never do again.
An arranged marriage.
Only this time,
I won't fall.
Or so help me God, I will kill her myself.
My name is Sergio Abandonato, you think you know my pain, my suffering, my anger, my hate?
You have no idea.
I am the mafia.
I am the darkness.
Blood in. No out.

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EXCERPT

Sergio looked ready to strangle me. “No. I don’t believe I asked for an annoying little sister, but if that’s what you’re offering, please don’t let me stop you. Just know, I won’t hesitate to put you over my knee if you get out of hand.” The minute the words left his mouth. I froze. He froze. The taxi driver stared little laser like holes into the rearview mirror. And Sergio leaned toward me. I swallowed as tension swirled around us. He gripped me by the chin and turned my head to the side, his lips brushing my ear. “It’s like you have a death wish.” “You wouldn’t do it.” He pulled back as both of his eyebrows shot up, and then he looked down, like he had spotted something. I followed the direction of his gaze and let out a little gasp as a gun dug into my stomach. “It’s been directed at you for the last four minutes,” Sergio said through a practiced smile. “I meant what I said. Listen well. I keep my word. Kiss me, and blood will be spilled.” “Y-you’re a crazy person!” I hissed, shoving at his chest. “And I wasn’t going to kiss you!” “Sure you weren’t.” He put the gun away. “Good talk though, right? Oh look, the movie theater.” To say that I scrambled out of the car like a kid running away from her kidnapper would be a gross understatement, but the minute my feet hit the pavement, I paused. My body told me to run. The guy had pulled a gun. On me. I didn’t even watch violent movies.  

Every book in this series is a stand alone except Elude and Empire....
Read and find out why people are obsessed with this made man and the woman who changed him.

 

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Twenty-Four hours before we were to be married--I offered to shoot her. Ten hours before our wedding--I made a mockery of her dying wish. Five hours before we were going to say our vows--I promised I'd never love her. One hour before I said I do--I vowed I'd never shed a tear over her death. But the minute we were pronounced man and wife--I knew. I'd only use my gun to protect her. I'd give my life for hers. I'd cry. And I would, most definitely, lose my heart, to a dying girl---a girl who by all accounts should have never been mine in the first place.
I always believed the mafia would be my end game--where I'd lose my heart, while it claimed my soul. I could have never imagined.
It would be my redemption. Or the beginning of something beautiful. The beginning of her. The end of us.
 

     
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers! Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com.

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Review: Reckless Magic (Star-Crossed #1), by Rachel Higginson

Goodreads

Synopsis

16 year old Eden Matthews has been in and out of private schools for the last two years. She can't seem to stop herself from closing them down. Kingsley is her last chance to finish high school and the last private school willing to accept her. 

She is focused on just getting through graduation until she realizes Kingsley is not like the other private schools she's been to. The students may be different, but so is she. And after meeting Kiran Kendrick, the boy who won't leave her alone and seems to be the source of all her problems, she is suddenly in a world that feels more make-believe than reality. 

To top it off, she is being hunted by men who want to kill Kiran and her best friend Lilly is taken away to a foreign prison. Eden finds herself right in the middle of an ancient war, threatening everything she loves. She alone has to find a way to save her best friend and the boy who has captivated her heart. 

Reckless Magic is an intricate story about mystery, adventure, magic and forbidden love. Eden Matthews is an unlikely heroine determined to save the world and be with her one, true love before it's too late.

Review
4 out of 5 stars

I've found a new YA paranormal series that I'm totally addicted to!  Reckless Magic, the first book of Rachel Higginson's Star-Crossed series was the perfect launching pad into a world full of magic, intrigue, mystery, romance and even suspense.  To be completely honest here I will admit that I'm writing this review after having read the first 4 books of this series.  I enjoyed each new installment so much so that I didn't want to take the time to stop in between and write reviews.  That being said though, looking back on all 4 books I can clearly see #1 was primarily meant to set the stage, so I encourage you to jump right in, especially since it's a free download!  The books get better and better with each story.  I don't think the writing changes, because it is consistently good writing the whole way thru, I think it's because with each book you fall further and further into the the complicated plot author Rachel Higginson's weaving and without even realizing it you'll find yourself heavily vested into these characters lives.

Eden Matthews will be your narrator thru this journey, she is special, but she's been raised as a human so when things start spinning out of control in her normal life she cannot help but think there is something wrong with her.  At no point does she even consider herself "special" or even "powerful."  She works very hard to not hurt anyone and more importantly blend in, the last thing she wants is to bring attention to herself.  But simply blending in was never the path Eden's life was meant to take.

Her first day at Kingsley goes worse than she can expect in large part thanks to another new student, Kiran.  He's gorgeous yet mysterious and while Eden may find him attractive it's definitely not love at first sight, more like hate.  As the story progresses and the two get to know one another friendship blossoms into love, but with Eden's introduction to the world of magic comes complications and that also includes any type of love life with Kiran.

I have to admit Eden seems so clueless at times, it's as though as the reader you're able to put together what's going on long before she does, but at the same time you sympathize with her.  After all, she's just a teenager, trying to figure out life and deal with circumstances way out of her control.  The name of the series is Star-Crossed so obviously Eden and Kiran's love is doomed from the start, but their's is the kind of love you cannot help but want to read more and more about, it's addicting, it's complicated, it's passionate, it's frustrating and it's what keeps you coming back book after book.

Take a chance on this series with Reckless Magic, it's definitely got a Harry Potter vibe, but with it's own unique twists!

Review: Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat…and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

Review

5 of 5 Stars

I have not read Ms. Fisher's Love Me With Lies series.  I know that I will love it and it has amazing reviews and they are all on my kindle.  But I decided to wait to read those.  The only books I have previously read by Ms. Fisher are the ones she co-authored with Colleen Hoover and I love them.  I adore both of their writing styles and couldn't get enough.  I also knew that lots of people who read her LMWL series compared them to Mud Vein so I decided to read them in reverse order.  

I am going to start this review with a warning.  If you are looking for a happy, sappy, feel good book. Don't buy this one because you won't like it.  99% of the time, that is me.  I love the HEA, I love the butterflies and first love feelings that those books bring me.  But sometimes, I need something out of the ordinary and I need to know that it is okay to not be okay....enter Mud Vein.  

Senna Richards is a complicated character.  You are not going to like her at first and maybe not at all.  I can relate to her because I have someone in my own life that is very similar to her.  Senna was dealt a hand that she didn't ask for in life.  She didn't really complain about it but she doesn't think that she deserves any better.  She is a product of her environment and situation and pushes her feelings down.  

I don't want to give a lot of the book away by talking a lot about the other characters and their connections with Senna because while they are important, they are not the point of the story.  To me, this book is written to other people that struggle with their darkness.  It is for individuals that don't know how to embrace the part of them that others might judge or look down on but actually makes them unique and amazing.  We all have a mud vein, but some are darker and deeper than others.  It is my hope that anyone that struggles with these demons will read this book and find the closure and help that they need to be the best they can be....true to themselves.

If you are in for a book full of twists and turns with lots of darkness, you should read this book.  Just remember that you need to go into knowing that it won't be unicorns and rainbows.  As far as writing goes, Tarryn Fisher is flawless and won't disappoint.

Review: Out of Focus by L.B. Simmons

“Shhhh, Cassandra, it’s our little secret.”

Secrets are stubborn things when they refuse to remain hidden. They tear through your soul, clawing and lashing until the pain becomes so unbearable, you’re left no choice but to silently scream your agony. No one hears you, of course. You smile on the outside and drift through life as though your mind is at peace, but all the while, you remain your own tortured prisoner. Sealed inside the darkened, soundproof room of your conscience, deafening cries echo as you plead for someone to unlock the door and release you from your nightmares. And eventually, when no one comes, you find ways to cope. To dull the suffering the only way you know how.

But what happens when you’ve become so numb, when everything around you has become so blurred, that you begin to lose focus on the saving grace standing directly in front of you? When you’ve anesthetized yourself to the point of losing consciousness, forced to watch as his once solid image fades away, lost to your reach in the haze as it smothers you?

What do you do then?

You fight. You heal. Then you bring him back.

Well, my name is Cassie Cooper, and it’s time.

No more secrets.

This is my story.

***WARNING - The subject matter of this novel centers around the psychological effects due to sexual abuse experienced during childhood. For this reason, as well as sexual situations, language, and adult themes, suggested reading age is 17+.***

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Review:  5 of 5 stars

It is no secret that I adore LB Simmons.  The first book in this series, Under the Influence was one of the best of 2015.  I was so anxious to get my hands on book two and it did not disappoint!  

If you loved Spencer and Dalton's story, you will love to learn more about Cassie in Out of Focus.  I have to say, if you haven't read Under the Influence you are missing out.  Even though this can be read as a standalone, I encourage you to fall in love with the characters in the first book since it will just enhance your love of this book.

I thought I knew Cassie Cooper in Under the Influence.  Her sarcasm and love for books and Spencer made her fun to read.  What I didn't know was how much she used those things to hide from her past. She is a beautiful soul that needed to tell her story.  LB Simmons did a fantastic job of exposing her story one piece at a time.  The majority of this book plays out like the ending of Under the Influence. The storyline is playing out in Cassie's life at the same time Spencer is getting her ending and epilogue.  I was so consumed with Spencer and Dalton in book one that I wasn't thinking about what was occurring for Cassie.  Let me tell you, it is a heartbreakingly, beautiful story.

Grady Bennett is one hell of a character.  He is kind, patient, and sees so much more of Cassie than she can see in herself.  He knows how to push her but respect her space.  He lets her open up in her own time.  Grady is a class act and every woman deserves someone that is sensitive to their heart issues.  

Without getting into too many details, you are going to weep for Cassie and her lost innocence and time.  But, you will see that she is a survivor, just like we all are when faced with terrible acts of injustice.  The poignant story will touch your heart.  Yes, it is heartbreaking.  But, LB Simmons will weave everything back together and make it more beautiful than it was at the beginning.  Thank you for writing such amazing stories that are full of emotion!

L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science.  She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years.  She lives with her husband and three daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.

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