5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Mackenzie Valentine is wilful, fiery, and determined to prove she doesn’t need anyone. Desperate to break free from the over-protective parents and three older brothers who dictate her every move, she runs away at the age of seventeen to hunt down the only boy who makes her feel alive.

Jake Romero has no choice but to leave the best thing that ever happened to him, taking him down a path that leads to notorious gang, the King Street Boys. When fate throws Mackenzie back in his life, he turns her away in her time of need, knowing he now lives a life in which she doesn’t belong. Except his decision has shattering consequences, leading to secrets, lies, and the ultimate betrayal.

Years later, their lives continue to entwine, and when his past returns demanding retribution, Mackenzie intervenes and gets caught in the crossfire, leaving behind a devastation that no one sees coming. Can their relationship withstand the hell it’s endured, or is it too late for love?

18+ Recommended. Contains adult language and themes.

REVIEW

I didn’t choose the badass life, the badass life chose me.  

I am assuming if you are reading this review, that you have read the rest of this amazing series.  And that like me, you have been waiting on pins and needles for Mac’s story.  Because for many books we have been like: what happened with Jake and Mac?  Why is Mac always so dang angry, and the way Give Me Grace left off we were all like what the what?!

See, Mac is a special character.  She is one of those strong heroines that you cannot help but fall in love with and want more of.  She’s hilarious and witty and smart mouthed in the most awesome of ways.  And you have to wonder through all the books what happened with her Jake.  Because its clear she loves him and he loves her, but why aren’t they together.  The questions were endless with these two, but I am happy to report that this book took me back and explained every gosh darn thing.

Having a goddamn vagina is ruining my life.  

I admit, I was getting little anxious waiting on this book.  I found myself going, come on Ms. McCarthy, get the lead out, but after reading this story, I can say that I completely forgive her for the length in time it took her to write Give Me Hell.  Because the amount of timeline construction and feelings in this book had to have taken forever for her to do this well.  She blew it out of the park and I am willing to bet that this was no easy feat.  Give Me Hell literally starts in Mac’s childhood and goes through every book in the entire Give Me Series, showing us what exactly was happening with Jake and Mac in the background of all of these different stories.  It was SO FREAKING good.

And let me just tell you that Jake and Mac’s story is wayyy harder than I thought it was going to be.  Theirs is one of those epic love stories that make you cry one minute in sadness and yell at your kindle the next in anger.  Gah, it was so good and so many years pass and of course all of the characters in pasts books and future ones impacted their lives so much.  They really made Jake and Mac’s story play out.  Gah. The feels!  The connection!  The writing!  It was all amazing!  One of my favorites of 2017, no doubt!

~Amie

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5 Smooches

Synopsis

It’s easy to lose yourself in someone you love.

Easier to lose yourself in someone you hate…

I didn’t think it could get any worse than having to babysit a bunch of spoiled musicians on set ― keeping them out of trouble is a cakewalk compared to seeing my ex every day.

Seaside, Oregon isn’t big enough for the both of us.

She hates me.

I loathe her.

The plan was simple ― stay the hell away and make sure she gets to set on time.

What I didn’t expect was to be faced with our past in front of an audience ― and be forced to face it again.

It’s torture.

The way she looks at me.

The way I try to look through her.

Words left unsaid.

The lingering aftermath still as powerful as ever.

I feed the chasm between us, for fear that she’ll make me feel again ― and steal the last shred of heart I have left.

We have everything but each other.

It’s not enough.

Not when you’ve lost love.

And replaced it with the only thing left ― hate.

Review

The Seaside Pictures series feels like a breath of fresh air. Steal stole my day away, and I loved every second of it. Angelica was nothing like I expected, I went into this story expecting to dislike her but in an effort to change her path she worked her way into my heart. Then there is Will, could I love him any more than I do?

Steal is a second chance romance with the these tow former lovers trapped in a pain cycle. There is a lot of hurt and anger and they must work through it all to get their HEA. While their story isn’t easy, we luckily have the entire ensemble cast to lighten the moods. This is something Rachel excels at, she uses all her characters to add balance to the story. Their bring fun and excitement to a story that would be so hard on it’s own. This is why we love Rachel books so much!

Steal was the best yet in this series and I can’t wait to see what is next.

~miranda

5 Smooches!

Synopsis

He’s only a friend.

Those words had haunted him from the moment Jessie James had heard them muttered from the girl who held his heart, and whom he thought had his back.
Fourteen years later, he still feels those words like a brand on his soul.
Lucky for him he has a son to focus on, a full-time job that demands his attention the rest of the day, and not a single moment to spare for a woman who won’t stand up for him when he needs her the most.

He’s only a friend.

The words had slipped out of Ellen’s mouth, and before she could recall them, or better yet, explain them, Jesse is gone from her life for good, taking her heart with him.
She tries to move on, to climb her way out of the pit of despair, but not one single person – regardless of how badly she wants to make it work – can fill the void that was left in his wake.

Time heals all wounds.

Or at least that is how the saying goes.

It’s a crock of crap, though.

Fourteen years pass when Jessie and Ellen see each other again without the influence of the town and bad memories surrounding them, and it’s as if not a single day has passed.

Ellen knows the instant that her eyes see her old love that she’s still just as in love with him today as she was all those years ago.

The problem is that Jesse wants nothing to do with her. Or at least that’s what he keeps telling himself.

Review

No surprise here, I adore Lani Lynn Vale’s writing. But the Dixie Wardens Rejects series is fast becoming a favorite. Her writing style, her sense of humor, the way she pairs her couples, the obstacles in their paths—it all works very well for me. The fictional worlds she has created in Kilgore, Texas, Benton, Louisiana, and now Mooresville, Alabama have become some of my top favorite fictional places to visit. Lucky for me, Vale’s creativity knows no bounds, and she takes me on new a trip there once a month.

This is Jesse and Ellen’s story. Teenage first loves, separated by circumstance and parental interference, the love they carried for each other never dissipated. Fast forward fourteen years later and their paths cross again. Though both have attempted to move on, it never really happened for either of them. Their chemistry and attraction to each other was so combustible that when they finally did come together, they exploded off the page. They had a lot of obstacles to overcome and not a small amount of drama to deal with. But they both knew how hard it was to be apart and how much better it was to be together, and they were determined to make it work this time. If only everyone else in their world was on the same page.

I love a good second-chance romance, especially one that began as teenage first loves, and Lani Lynn Vale delivered a fantastic one in The Beard Made Me Do It. Stoking the fires of first love lost but never forgotten, Vale rekindled this couple with plenty of heat, humor and a bit of drama. This story made my heart race, my cheeks burn and kept me laughing out loud well into the night. A stellar addition to an already amazing series! Five smooches from me for The Beard Made Me Do It by Lani Lynn Vale!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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