5 Smooches!

Synopsis

*** Inspired by a community tragedy ***
(Characters and other events are a work of fiction)

“Forgotten Treasures is beautifully layered with twists and revelations you will never see coming! Dani Hart keeps the pages turning in this sweet romance sprinkled with the hope of undying love. I found myself engrossed, demanding to know what happens next. Each revelation is another key to the puzzle. Perfectly complex! Mesmerizing.” Addison Moore, New York Times Bestselling Author

“I have read some great books so far in 2015 but this one is definitely in the top 3 for me. I could not recommend this book any more- you should not let this one pass you by.” Kellie, Eye Candy Bookstore

In the aftermath of destruction, hearts were destroyed, strengths were stripped, and vulnerabilities were exposed.

A community was ripped apart after a tragic accident, and the loss hit one family particularly hard as it claimed the lives of three, leaving only one surviving member to pick up the pieces and move forward.

Baylor’s life was wiped clean in the blink of an eye. No family, no home, no name. That is, until she met Brandt. He took a chance, giving her hope and a reason to start over. A reason to rebuild a life full of forgotten memories. A reason to trust. A reason to love.

Finding love in all the right places should be easy, but when truths are revealed, it’s anything but. Brandt will help her rediscover the true meaning of unconditional eternal love that will prove painful, life altering, and redeeming.

Together, they will try to face the future and will use each other’s strengths to learn how to live again. Can they rewrite history, or in the end, will the tragedies of their pasts be too much?

Music Lyrics by Brogan Kelby 

Review

There are those books that we read to lift us up. There are those that we read to make us laugh. As romance readers – be honest now – some of the books we read are purely for their smut value. Every once in a while, we come across a truly special book. Something so profound and meaningful, a book that invokes such deep feelings and responses in us merely by what we read on its pages. This is one of those books.

Truthfully, I didn’t want to read this book. I even put it off for a few days. I picked it up, started it and put it back down to return to later. I’ve had a long, scary and depressing week, and I was fully expecting this to be nothing more than a morose and tragic sob fest that I wasn’t sure I was up to reading. But this is what my RCR blogger boss lady assigned to me, so this is what I was reading. And I couldn’t have been more wrong. Oh, don’t misunderstand me, this was book was tragic alright – immensely, overwhelmingly, horrifically tragic – but it was also surprisingly full of hope and a love so deep, true and pure that it was staggering. No, I wasn’t expecting that, not at all.

“In my eyes, you will always be my little girl. No matter how old you are, I will always come to your rescue.”

Baylor lived a golden life, adored by her loving parents and Tessa, her best friend/sister. Tessa was in the throes of her own beautiful love story with her high school sweetheart, Grady Reilly. Through them, Baylor is introduced to Grady’s stepbrother, Brandt, and that meeting was the unmistakable beginning of a special, once-in-a-lifetime love story. It’s benign to say that Brandt and Baylor’s “attraction was instantaneous” because, really, how can you describe the moment that two halves destined to become a whole meet? There is no way to adequately describe that, but yet somehow the talented Dani Hart managed to capture this poignant moment between Brandt and Baylor perfectly.

“I love you, Bay. You’re the reason I breathe.”

Two years after they met, surrounded by the ones they loved most, Brandt and his Bay married in a touching private ceremony. Little did Brandt and Baylor know that that day, one filled with such happiness, promise and love, would also be a day so heartbreakingly, horrifically and tragically life-altering for all of them.

“My heart was bleeding a pain that no one could ever explain.”

Unfortunately for Brandt and his Bay, the aftermath of their wedding was but the first stop on their tragedy train ride. Fate had more pain in store for them, so much more that, frankly, it left me breathless. But through all of this pain, through all of this tragedy, the one constant force that held them up and together was the love that Brandt and Baylor had for each other. That love fed their strength and their wills to move forward.

“You’ve always had so much strength. Where does it come from?”

“From loving you, Bay. It all comes from loving you.”

This was one hell of a long and painful road these two had to travel to get to their happily ever after. The thing is, while it was painful and difficult to read at times, it was honest and real and yet still had this undercurrent of hope and love running through it. Brandt never wavered in his love of and devotion to Baylor, and even while she was so immersed in her pain and the all-consuming darkness she felt, the one thing – the only thing – she knew was that she loved him, and she clung to that love with both hands.

“…fate has it’s own plans and failed to ask us what we thought.”

This book is an epic journey of the promise of real soul deep love, loss, healing and, finally, redemption. It is one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read. I started this book warily and with a very heavy heart, I just knew I was in for a deep and heavy read and I wasn’t sure I was up for it. I finished it with a much lighter heart, one full of hope and reminded of the beauty of true love. It’s an amazing experience when an author can make her readers feel so deeply and honestly, it’s a rare gift and the mark of true talent. This book was so well written, so richly developed and the characters and their stories so remarkable, it has earned 5 smooches from me!

“Their love story may have started out tragic, but they were destined for a happily ever after ending.”

~ Danielle Palumbo

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

The List. Twenty things every girl must do before she turns twenty. . .

Body piercing
Get drunk
First kiss

But thanks to her crazy, over-protective father, Annie Roth is way behind schedule. Good thing it’s her first semester of college, because Annie is more than ready to start checking off items. . .

Fake ID
Skinny dipping
Road trip!!!

Where it gets complicated? Ryan and Chris. Best friends. Both sweet, funny, totally hot, and totally into Annie.

But there are some things on The List that Annie only wants to do with Ryan. . .

Lose it
Get Heart Broken
Fall in love

Review

I just happened upon this book on Netgalley and decided to give it a go.  I liked the cover and the synopsis sounded like a book that I would enjoy.  I am really glad that I gave this author a chance.  I really liked this first book in a series based in South Carolina.

I do like books based in SC because it is my home state and I thought that Kate did a beautiful job of portraying a gorgeous state that is dear to my heart.  I also really enjoyed the premise of this story.  Annie has been sheltered her entire life by her brothers and father but now that she is away at school she wants to do it up.  So her and her crazy and sweet college roomie make a list of all the things she would like to do now that she is free.

“Kind of like a bucket list for your teen years.”

While Annie is trying to complete her “list” she runs into all kinds of trouble.  The kind of trouble that happens when your a teenager out on your own for the first time.  The kind of trouble that is THE LOVE TRIANGLE kind.  I do adore me a love triangle because I love angst and this book had plenty of it.  It is also why I love these college romances.  Because let’s face it, we make the poorest decisions of our life at this age, but we have a hell of a time doing it.  😉  Annie sure does.  I knew right away who Annie needed to pick but of course she, Ryan and Chris all make their share of bad choices that lead to more bad choices and even  worse consequences.

“If I could have one wish, I’d wish for you.”

If you are a fan of NA books then this is definitely something I would recommend.  I really enjoyed it and I am really excited about the future books in this series.  I loved the side characters just as much as the main ones and I think these books are just going to get better and better.  Cannot wait!

~Amie

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Lydia Kincaid’s shipping back to Boston, but she’s not happy about it. She left to get away from the firefighting community—her father was a firefighter, her brother’s a firefighter and, more important, her ex is a firefighter. But family is number one, and her father needs her help running the pub he bought when he retired. Soon, Lydia finds it hard to resist the familiar comfort and routine, and even harder to resist her brother’s handsome friend Aidan. 

Aidan Hunt is a firefighter because of the Kincaid family. He’s had the hots for Lydia for years, but if ever a woman was off-limits to him, it’s her. Aside from being his mentor’s daughter, she’s his best friend’s sister. The ex-wife of a fellow firefighter. But his plan to play it cool until she leaves town again fails, and soon he and Lydia have crossed a line they can’t uncross. 

As Aidan and Lydia’s flirtation turns into something more serious, Lydia knows she should be planning her escape. Being a firefighter’s wife was the hardest thing she’s ever done, and she doesn’t know if she has the strength to do it again. Aidan can’t imagine walking away from Boston Fire—even for Lydia. The job and the brotherhood are his life; but if he wants Lydia in it, he’ll have to decide who’s first in his heart.

Review

I am a sucker for a fire fighter book and a brother’s best friend book is a supreme weakness of mine. So when I read the blurb and then saw that AMAZINGLY HOT cover I had to get my hands on this book! Heat Exchange is my first book by Shannon Stacy and it was an easy beach read with a decently hot heat factor.

Aidan is a hot firefighter who has always had a thing for his best friend’s older sister but she was married and when her marriage went south she moved away. But now she is back to help her sister run the family bar while her sisters struggles to save her own marriage. Lydia has one rule when dating, NO FIREFIGHTERS. Her firefighter ex did a number on her and no matter how attracted she is to her bother’s best friend she is just not sure she can ever go down that road again.

‘He’d hoped kissing Lydia would get the need out of his system, but it has backfired on him. It might have gotten the overwhelming need to kiss her out of his system, but now he’d been left with an even more overwhelming need for more. More Lydia More kissing and more touching. More of her voice in his ear when it was low and husky with desire.’

While I really enjoyed this story my main concern was that I was way more into the side characters, Ashley and Danny. I wanted so much more of them. Danny’s dark bruiting nature called to me and my heart hurt along with Ashley’s. Still though, Aidan and Lydia were a couple I could easily root for. They didn’t always make the right choice and sometimes I wanted to tell them to get it right but they needed to make those mistakes to learn from them.

Overall, Heat Exchange is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys sexy fireman, witty heroines and a little sneaking around. This was a book easy to get lost into and was a great escape from the drama and trials of real life.

~miranda

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4 Smooches

Synopsis

The fourth and final installment of the Only series. Must be read in order.

There comes a time when Emma must face the secret she’s kept from Grayson. But she never thought it would be while she stood on stage at Emerald’s. The seconds she has to convey that her life is in danger are lost in the devastation that she sees rip through him.

She pinches her eyes closed. “Don’t leave me. No matter how mad you are, please, please don’t leave me here alone.”

But there’s more on the line than just Emma’s safety. There’s the danger that brought Titan’s Delta team into the strip club in the first place. A threat that’s too close to home, too close to the family Grayson plans to claim.

I push away the sudden spring of fear. Life’s too unknown, with hidden enemies and unseen terrors. The idea that I could lose her again… it’s unbearable.

A love story like Grayson and Emma’s needs a forever love, and somehow they’ll find their way to her fairy tale.

Review

“That’s my girl on stage. None of this makes sense. Sweet, innocent Emma. In what world is this happening?”

This is the final installment in the Only Series by Cristin Harber and while I am sad to close the door on this loving couple/family I am excited to explore more of the authors works especially her Titan series which ties in with this series. Emma and Grayson have been through it all and this reviewer was very excited to see them finally get some peace and move forward as a family.

“Life’s too unknown, with hidden enemies and unseen terrors. The idea that I could lose her again . . . it’s unbearable.”

If you are reading this review I would like to assume you have read the first three books in this series and if not please go back to those reviews so nothing is given away. Only Forever picks up right where the last book left off and Greyson has just found out that Emma has been stripping to support their daughter while he was missing. Devastated and sad that he put her in that position he nearly blows a job and  a chance at a stable future when he reacts based on emotions. In the middle of all this Emma has accidentally gotten herself involved in a seedy underground with the club owner and is completely scared.

“You’re mine, Emma. But really, pretty mama, I’m all yours.”

Grayson and Emma as well as those friends and family all work towards acceptance and moving forward setting up their happily ever after in this conclusion to the Only Series. While I loved the whole subplot revolving around the club I would have almost preferred it come out more in an earlier book so that there would have had more time to develop it and make it into the action packed suspense it could have been. Still the whole book was a good wrap of a series I very much enjoyed and this having been the first thing by the author I read I am looking forward to exploring her work more.

~miranda

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