Red Cheeks Reads - Part 520

Apr 30

Elements Of Chemistry: HEAT by Penny Reid Release Blitz and Giveaway

By Miranda Arnold in Reveals & Tours

Heat

Publication Date: April 30, 2015

Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance

Tour: Heat by Penny Reid

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iBooks

Elements of Chemistry: HEAT is part 2 of a 3 part series (65k word novel) and ends in a cliffhanger.

**Blurb contains spoilers if you haven’t read Elements of Chemistry: ATTRACTION**

Four days left.

Private beach (…and boat).

Not so invisible girl.

And maybe less of a jerk-faced bully than originally thought.

What’s the worst (or the best) that could happen?

Kaitlyn is finding life outside of the science cabinet of obscurity to be quite illuminating …and so are her pants.

When things heat up between Kaitlyn Parker and Martin—previously known as the jerk-faced bully—Sandeke, she places her trust in the one person she never thought capable of earning it, let alone keeping it safe. Fortunately or unfortunately for Kaitlyn, where she gives her trust she can’t help but also give her heart.

But how will the world beyond the sanctuary of their newfound connection react to their relationship? Soon senators, chinless billionaires, and elements beyond Martin and Kaitlyn’s control want to weigh in on the young couple’s future.

Navigating the chaotic inferno of new love might be more than Kaitlyn bargained for, and much, much more than her trust—or her heart—can handle.

Check out our 5 smooches review HERE.

About Penny Reid

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Apr 30

Fall For Me by JC Emery Release Blitz

By Miranda Arnold in Reveals & Tours

Melanie Kincaid is a trust-fund baby with a knack for sassy comebacks and unnecessarily complicating her privileged life. So, of course she would have to fall in love with a man she can’t have.

Jameson Hayes is a NYC firefighter for Manhattan’s oldest ladder company with big shoes to fill and a city to protect. He’s strong, sexy, and not looking for the complications Melanie brings. But he can’t stay away from her either. The attraction between them is immediate and the pull between them is crazy powerful. But she’s only home for the summer and long-distance relationships never work.

Unfortunately, Melanie’s beauty and smart mouth are a lethal combination and Jameson isn’t the only Hayes who’s interested. As if his brother isn’t enough to compete with, now the city’s most famous arsonist wants to claim her as his next prize. Jameson can’t stand to watch Melanie get hurt and she can’t seem to keep herself out of trouble.

Fall for Me is the first Ladder Company novel, a stand-alone companion series about New York’s most elite firefighting family with hot alpha heroes, snarky heroines, and an arsonist hell-bent on destruction.

ADD TO GOODREADS

“Mom!” I move through the foyer and into the open great room— a large, open living/kitchen combo— where I leave my suitcase and kick off my flats before I hit the carpet. What the hell is she doing with gas? That stuff is toxic.

“Well?” Mom says, appearing at the edge of the hall on the other side of the kitchen. She has a hand towel around her neck and one of her many yoga-specific exercise outfits on. This one is a light blue and she’s barefoot. Monica Kincaid is dedicated to many things in life— her husband Christian, her daughters (the youngest, especially), and her charity projects— but yoga is the one out of all of it that I don’t understand. It puts her at peace, she says.

“Well?” I ask and drape the dress bag over the island counter top in the kitchen and move around to prop myself up on one of the bar stools. God, that gasoline smell is driving me mad.

“Are we planning a spring wedding yet or what?” Mom says with a grin. Her nose wrinkles, catching the scent of the gasoline, I’m sure. “Janet and I have been taking bets.”

“God, Mom,” I say and place my head in my hands.

“No really,” she says, “Tell me.”

“Nothing happened,” I say. Verbalizing it is even more disappointing than it probably should be. Apparently, Mom and Dad were also in on Jameson and Royal’s surprise trip. It took all of an hour after they landed for Janet Hayes to text me telling me she wishes she could have been there. It was sweet, but then she suggested she needed to leave me alone so I could spend as much time as possible with Jameson. And that we shouldn’t be disturbed. While the level of investment our mothers have in our has-yet-to-happen relationship is borderline creepy, the support is pretty awesome. It’s a rarity to find a woman as kind and loving as Janet Hayes is. Even if she doesn’t really know appropriate boundaries and likes to talk about when her sons were starting puberty… in all the gory details. I know more about Jameson’s solo activities when he was a kid more than I care to.

“You must be joking,” she says and heads to the fridge where she pulls out a single-serve cup of yogurt. “That man flew down to that god-awful place—,”

AMAZON US /

As a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say, some things never change. Now, as an adult, she divides her time between the sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live inside her head and pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English. JC is a San Francisco Bay Area native, but has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. These days she rocks her flip flops year round in Northern California and can’t imagine a climate more beautiful.

JC writes adult, new adult, and young adult fiction. She dabbles in many different genres including science fiction, horror, chick lit, and murder mysteries, yet she is most enthralled by supernatural stories– and everything has at least a splash of romance.

WEBSITE TWITTER FACEBOOK AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE GOODREADS

Apr 29

Art & Soul by Brittainy C. Cherry Review

By Amie Knight in 5 Smooches, Reviews

5 Smooches!

Synopsis

I had always been the invisible art student in high school.
Passed by. Glossed over. Unnoticed.
Now I was Aria Watson… that girl.

After one bad decision, and being labeled a slut, I was no longer unseen. I was the whore. The ignoramus. The tramp.
I would never be invisible again.

Particularly to Levi Myers. He was the odd boy with the beautiful soul who accepted and understood the broken girl inside me.

Falling in love wasn’t the plan. But how could I resist his promises of hope? Of forgiveness? Of a future I had stopped dreaming of?
We were shattered. We were scarred. We were something strange and beautiful.

We were two lost souls holding on to the only thing that could keep us together.

Each other.

**Full Length, Standalone Novel, Coming Spring 2015.**

Review

The feelings, omg the feelings!!! From the author of Loving Mr. Daniels, came a book that brings on so many emotions! I am in love with Brittainy C Cherry! I could not get enough of this book. When the story began I was instantly drew into the story.

“I wanted Dad to want me a little. I wanted my Mom to stop wanting me so much. I wanted to be wanted, but not wanted a lot.” ~Levi

Levi Myers moves from Alabama to Wisconsin in hopes of rebuilding the relationship with his father. There are so many unanswered questions and he wants to know what he needs to do to be loved by his father.

Aria Watson begins one heck of a junior year with a shocking surprise. For a girl that’s always been ignored, she gets a type of attention she didn’t desire to have. But her saving grace is her art and it’s history. One class assignment brings the boy with the violin, Levi, and Aria together. Both uncertain with what their future holds, seek comfort in one another and collide into one.

Brittainy has done a beautiful job with Art and Soul. I could not get enough of Levi. His personality was so infectious. He rarely let his feelings show, he hid his sadness so well. Levi is a handsome young man but it wasn’t what made me fall in love with him in this book. He truly cared for others, he didn’t want to become popular, he just genuinely wanted others to be nice to one another. He did not care about social suicide with whom he spoke with, he was a beautiful young man!

Now onto Aria, I commend her ride on one heck of an emotional roller-coaster. The decisions that had to be made for a 17 year old made me sympathize with her. She is a good girl, just didn’t think before she acted. And I don’t blame her at all for what happened. I felt as though she was taken advantage of. The way she was able to cancel out the world and make her masterpieces was brilliant.

All the characters in Art and Soul tugged at your heart strings. I felt like I was part of the community, like I was there in the lunch room with Levi, Aria, and Simon. Or the treehouse with Levi. The writing style was beautiful and breathtaking. I would smile, frown, laugh, and cry as the words flowed off the page and into my heart. Congrats Brittainy on your well deserved 5 smooches review! I look forward to reading more of your books!

~Sarah

BUY IT NOW

<br />

Apr 29

Stepbrother Fallen by Aya Fukunishi Review

By Amie Knight in 4.5 Smooches, Reviews

4.5 Smooches

Synopsis

Everything is going great for Madison Moriarty. She’s got nice parents, good friends, and she’s headed to UCLA at the end of the summer, the first step on an exciting journey towards becoming a world famous author just like her late father.

OK, so she may dress like she survived an explosion at an uptight, buttoned up Martha’s Vineyard branch of Tommy Hilfiger, but she’s a good girl, damn it, from her boring top-siders to her preppy sweaters right down to her stupid My Little Pony laundry day panties.

Rafe Stone… well, Rafe Stone is an asshole, and he’s going to fucking jail. That’s what happens when you steal your foster parents’ Camry and drive it halfway across Colorado, the passenger seat strewn with empty beer cans and a homemade bong. He’s been lucky so far, but this time the judge won’t be satisfied with a slap on the wrist… unless Maddy’s stepfather takes him in.

This is what happens when two worlds collide.

This is what happens when a nice, polite little princess gets thrown in with the stepbrother she never knew she had, a tattooed thug with a tight t-shirt, torn jeans, a pack of smokes and a bad attitude.

This is a story of love, hate and David Fucking Bowie.

You’re gonna love it.

Review

Well, color me surprised. I’m going to be honest here. I was nervous when my RCR blogger boss, Miranda, assigned this book to me. But, ever the team player, I chirpily replied “sure thing” when she IM’d me about it as I internally panicked while sitting on my couch, iPad in hand, fretting as I read the blurb. First, I haven’t ventured into the stepbrother pool yet. What can I say? I’ve been ambivalent on the concept; not put off, not freaked out, just kinda “Meh” about it. I’ve been wavering lately, though, thinking about wading in but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. Second, I really couldn’t see how I was going to relate to Rafe and Maddie; they are teenagers – high schoolers – for crying out loud! How could I possibly relate to them, I thought, I’m almost 30 years older than them! Well, guess what? I freakin’ loved Maddie. She was smart, she was funny, she was insightful, and she was honest.

“This abso-fucking-lutely isn’t the first impression I was hoping to make.”

Madison Moriarity, an 18-year-old recent high school grad, is preparing to leave for college just as her home life is totally upended by the arrival of her heretofore unknown stepbrother, Rafe. Maddie, or Princess Maddie as Rafe calls her, is a self-described “normal girl.” An average B student, blonde, Maddie describes her wardrobe as “an explosion at an uptight Martha’s Vineyard branch of Tommy Hilfiger.” She dreams of becoming an author, following in the footsteps of her deceased father, but she just doesn’t have the tales to tell. Yet.

“Oh, sweet. My room comes with a free girl.”

Rafe Stone hasn’t had an easy life. The son of a former punk musician, Mia Stone, he was raised by her and her second husband, a 9/11 first responder, who used booze and his fists on his wife and stepson to beat out the demons in his head leftover from his experiences that fateful day and the days that followed. Rafe and his mom finally escape from his stepfather and settle in Colorado to start over. Mia, for reason known only to her, commits suicide leaving a 15-year-old Rafe to the foster care system. An angry young man turns angrier, and in a final act of defiance, the judge gives him a choice – move in with the biological father he has never met for one year or head to prison. He chooses his father, but he doesn’t make it easy on the man. He arrives at the Moriarity home with a chip the size of a surfboard on his shoulder, and he doesn’t give a single inch at all to his father or stepmother the entire time he is there.

“Those piercing blue eyes…those eyes cut through to the depths of my soul.”

This book chronicles Maddie and Rafe’s brief time together. Maddie developed a crush on Rafe, and she’s struggling with it for a lot of reasons. He’s her stepbrother, and despite being so hot he renders her a stupid, stuttering mess, he’s also a big, fat ass who manages to push every single button sending her straight into one heck of a pissed off girl. Their next few encounters go much like the first, but then something happens one night and Rafe swoops in to Maddie’s defense. The next morning, it’s Maddie’s turn to rush to Rafe’s defense. From there, their relationship changes drastically. That is until the consequences of that night force Rafe and Maddie apart for seven long, eventful years.

“…those piercing blue eyes…In them I see not just love, but our future rolling out ahead of us. I see endless possibilities, excitement and adventure.”

While this book was a super fast read (I knocked it off in under 2 hours), it was very well written, it was witty and it was a complete and total surprise of the best kind. This story is a great example of not judging a book by its cover, or in this case title. The author advises in the blurb, “You’re gonna love it,” and I did, I really, really did!

A gem of read and a helluva fun way to kill a couple of hours, Aya Fukunishi’s Stepbrother Fallen gets a lip-smacking 4.5 Smooches from me!!

~ Danielle Palumbo

BUY IT NOW

<br />

Apr 29

Twisted Bond by Emma Hart Cover Reveal

By Miranda Arnold in Reveals & Tours

I’m an Italian-Texan woman in a family full of cops. I’m passionate and shoot before I think. You only f*ck with me if you’re stupid.

Photograph cheating spouses. Hand over the evidence. Cash my check.

That was my plan when I returned home to Holly Woods, Texas, and became a private investigator.

Finding the dead body in my dumpster? Yeah… Given the choice, I think I would have opted out of that little discovery, especially since all three of my brothers are cops. And my Italian grandmother is sure the reason I’m single is because of my job.

Of course, my connection to the victim is entirely coincidental. Until I’m hired by her husband to investigate her murder and shoved bang-smack into the path of Detective Drake Nash.

My nemesis, a persistent pain in my ass, and one hell of a sexy son of a bitch.

Shame he still holds a grudge from that time I shot him in the foot twelve years ago, or we could have something. In another life.

So now all I have to do is avoid my nonna’s blind dates, try not to blackmail my brothers into giving me confidential police files, and absolutely do not point my gun at Drake Nash. Or kiss him. Or jump his bones.

All while I hunt down the killer.

Sounds totally simple—until a second body proves that sometimes things that start as coincidences don’t always end up that way…

(Twisted Bond is book one of the Holly Woods Files series and while it does not end in a cliffhanger, it is not a standalone.)

ADD TO GOODREADS

“Get out!” I yell, my voice hoarse.

“I’m sorry?” Drake recoils.

“Get out. Of my building,” I add, moving toward him as he walks backward. “If you don’t have a warrant in your ass pocket, get the fuck out. Now.”

He grabs my wrist and pulls me into him. “Listen to me, cupcake. Someone got real lucky last night, and that someone was you. You weren’t here when your killer wanted you to be. Yeah, I said yours. They know you’re waitin’ for ‘em. Most nights you’d be here, right? But last night, because I pissed your ass off, you weren’t. Know what that tells me?”

“I’m sure you’re gonna tell me,” I manage through gritted teeth.

“It tells me this killer is watching you. You ain’t safe. They’re waiting to strike, and it’s gonna be the second you’re alone. We’re close. I can feel it. You’re their target now. And this killer? They want to kill you.”

“No shit,” I whisper, looking away from him. “I won’t back down. I don’t care what you say. They can try and kill me. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“Stop being a pain in my ass.” He grabs my chin and forces me to look into his eyes and all their devastatingly icy glory. “Someone. Wants. To. Kill. You.”

“I know.”

“Yet you don’t care.”

“I care,” I whisper, holding his gaze. “But did you ever think that I’m your best bet at catching this person? If they’re watching me, if they want to kill me, they’re there. Waitin’, like you said. And that means they’re gonna come to me. Not you. Not anyone else. Me.”

“Yeah, I thought it. But I don’t like it.”

“Ain’t your job to like it, Detective. It’s your job to deal with it.”

“You’re right. It ain’t my job to like it, but I ain’t exactly dealing with it either.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means,” he leans in, his touch relaxing just a smidge, “It means that I don’t like it. I’m not dealin’ with it. And the thought of you bein’ in the kinda danger you are scares the ever-lovin’ fuckin’ shit out of me.”

By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books.

Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.

She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

NEWSLETTER FACEBOOK TWITTER GOODREADS AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Apr 28

Be The One by Nina Levine Cover Reveal and Giveaway

By Miranda Arnold in Reveals & Tours

Title: Be the One

Series: Crave #2

Author: Nina Levine

Cover Design: RBA Designs – Romantic Book Affairs

Release Date: June 26, 2015

Synopsis

Jett Vaughn has one thing on his mind these days – Presley Hart. He will do anything it takes to make her his. At least, he thinks he will.

Presley Hart wants one thing in life – a man who will make her his number one. After being married to a man who never put her first, she swore she’d never settle for second best again. At least, she thought she wouldn’t.

When Jett’s life comes crashing down around him, his flaws are laid bare for all to see. Presley stands by her man but there’s only so much she can do to help him. She loves him and wants to be with him but she has her limits and Jett’s about to reach them.

In the midst of hurt, loss and destruction, can love win out? Can a man who is struggling to find his way, show the woman he loves just how much he wants her to be the one? Or is there only so much a heart can take before enough’s enough?

ADD TO GOODREADS

Pre-order Links

iBOOKS / KOBO / B&N

Available Now

Title: All Your Reasons

Series: Crave #1

Author: Nina Levine

Release Date: March 2, 2015

Synopsis

When heartbreaker meets ball breaker, sparks will fly.

Rockstar, Jett Vaughn, isn’t against settling down, but no woman has ever held his attention long enough for a relationship to develop. That is until he meets Presley Hart. She’s confident, opinionated and headstrong. She drives him to the edge of crazy, but he can’t deny how she makes him feel.

He wants her heart, but she only wants his body.

Presley’s not against giving her heart to a man, but she has too many reasons why he’s not the one to give it to. Jett isn’t a man who will take no for an answer though. He’s about to declare war on her reasons and take what he wants.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Links to Buy

99c

AMAZON US / UK

iBOOKS / KOBO / B&N

GOOGLE PLAY

Author Bio

Dreamer.

Coffee Lover.

Gypsy at heart.

Bad boy addict.

USA Today Bestselling author who writes about alpha men & the women they

love.

When I’m not creating with words

you will find me either creating with paper or curled up with a good book and

chocolate.

I love Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Pink, Florida Georgia Line, Bon Jovi, Matchbox

20, Lady Antebellum and pretty much any singer/band that is country or rock.

My favourite word. If this offends you, you won’t like my books…

I love to chat with the readers of my book so please visit me or contact me

here:

Author Links

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

READERS GROUP

PINTEREST

NEWSLETTER

GOODREADS

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment

Apr 28

Unruly by Cora Brent Cover Reveal and Giveaway

By Miranda Arnold in Reveals & Tours

Unruly

by: Cora Brent

Publication Date: May 2015

Cover Designer: Mayhem Cover Creations

Synopsis

Forbidden hookups are rarely simple.

Claudia Giordano only plans to be home long enough to watch her eternally irresponsible father marry her high school nemesis.

She never expects to embark on some horny sex odyssey with a wild nineteen-year-old baseball player.

Easton Malone is cocky, crude and off-limits on so many levels.

That hot, reckless week should never have happened. The only option is to forget.

But life’s triumphs and heartbreaks keep bringing Easton and Claudia together again.

And again….

In the beginning they only find lust.

At the end they find each other.

Along the way they find everything else.

WARNING:

There will be sex. (A lot of it.)

There will be grief. (You might find yourself ugly crying.)

But there will also be redemption in the face of tragedy.

And yes, love will prevail.

About the Author

Cora Brent was born in a cold climate and escaped as soon as it was legally possible. Now, she lives in the desert with her husband, two kids and a prickly pear cactus she has affectionately named ‘Spot’. Cora’s closet is filled with boxes of unfinished stories that date back her 1980’s childhood and all her life she has dreamed of being an author. Amazingly, she is now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of contemporary romance and begs not to be awakened from this dream.

Social Media Links

Goodreads – http://tiny.cc/3ynhxx

Facebook – http://tiny.cc/eznhxx

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Apr 28

Asking For It by Lilah Pace Review

By Amie Knight in 5 Smooches, Reviews

5 Smooches!

Synopsis

“This is who I am. This is what I want. Now I need a man dangerous enough to give it to me.”

Graduate student Vivienne Charles is afraid of her own desires—ashamed to admit that she fantasizes about being taken by force, by a man who will claim her completely and without mercy. When the magnetic, mysterious Jonah Marks learns her secret, he makes an offer that stuns her: they will remain near-strangers to each other, and meet in secret so that he can fulfill her fantasy.

Their arrangement is twisted. The sex is incredible. And—despite their attempts to stay apart—soon their emotions are bound together as tightly as the rope around Vivienne’s wrists. But the secrets in their pasts threaten to turn their affair even darker…

Reader Advisory: Asking for It deals explicitly with fantasies of non-consensual sex. Readers sensitive to portrayals of non-consensual sex should be advised.

Review

Who are you Lilah Pace and where did you come from? Because your book just blew me the hell away. It was phenomenally well written, fast paced, erotic, emotional, and touched on subject matter that could have totally gone wrong for this author. But it didn’t. It was amazing. I really expected this book to be a dark and somber type of novel but it wasn’t. Yes the subject was very serious and sad but the story itself was kind of uplifting and freeing. I so enjoyed it.

“How did this man with the power to terrify me also become the one person who truly makes me feel safe?”

Vivienne fantasizes about being taken brutally by a man, one who won’t take no for an answer. She is also smart enough to know that this is also very very dangerous, however some fantasies just cannot be helped.

“I don’t get off unless I’m imagining being raped.”

Once stone-faced Jonah Marks learns that Vivienne’s fantasy coincides with his, he makes her an offer that she should absolutely refuse, but she just can’t.

“Probably I should feel insulted, or scared. Instead I am powerfully, almost painfully turned on.”

So commences this odd and erotic relationship; scheduled meet-ups for the brutally punishing sex that both of them seem to crave. Only, you know the whole time something is coming. How they be normal and want this? What happened to these two to make them want this type of affair? What secrets are they hiding and what will happen when they all come to light?

“We can’t fix this; we were smashed up long before we ever met.”

Dear Lord, Vivienne and Jonah’s relationship is definitely a tumultuous and angsty one. So much drama and I loved every minute of it. It is also incredibly sexy. Whew. I really loved all of the characters in this series; the whole cast of them just made for a really really great story. The writing is amazing and the story did not let up one bit. I pretty much read this one in just a single sitting. There is a big cliffy at the end of this one but I find I like the anticipation of a second book and it gives me an excuse to read the first one again before the next comes out. Great job job to this author who is brand new on my radar. I am paying attention now though, Ms. Pace and I am highly anticipating September.

~Amie

BUY IT NOW

Apr 28

Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven Review

By Miranda Arnold in 5 Smooches, Reviews

5 SMOOCHES

Synopsis

Despite destroying Cassie Taylor twice before, Ethan Holt now wants another chance, but how can she possibly take him back knowing it could all go to hell again? And yet, knowing how much she still loves him, how can she not?

Second chances are hard to come by. Third chances, even more so.

Shakespeare once wrote, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Next to that quote, he should have included a picture of Cassie and Ethan.

Review

“He’s right. I am hollow without him. I always have been. But what do I have to offer other than a shell of the woman he fell in love with.”

The moment I finished Bad Romeo I knew I would be on eggshells waiting for answers. Answers only Broken Juliet could give me so when an advance copy arrived at my house months before the release I don’t think I had ever been happier. Cassie and Holt had taken over my heart and my brain and I needed to how everything went down and exactly how Holt managed to fix any of it.

“Loving you, is the stupidest, most selfish thing I’ve ever done, but I can’t stop. God knows, I’ve tried.”

Switching between the present and the past allows Broken Juliet to walk the line between Contemporary and New Adult exceptionally graceful. Fans of both genres will be delighted with the beauty of what Leisa has done. I am typically not a fan of books that span years, often getting angry over the wasted time but somehow the way Leisa go about it, swapping throughout the whole book instead of separating the book into two parts, makes the time passing not only bare able but enjoyable.

“You can’t just swear off all men because Holt broke your heart. Men are like vibrators. Just because they’re dicks, it doesn’t mean you can’t use them to have a good time.”

Picking up where Bad Romeo left off Broken Juliet fill in the blanks on the two times Holt broke Cassie’s heart and makes you fully understand why she is unable to move forward with him and how impossible it is to just trust him. Never have I doubted that Ethan loves Cassie but he has never been able to love Cassie the way she deserves. Now years later and infinitely wiser, Ethan has worked restlessly on his issues determined to be a better person. The kind of person who deserves love and can love others the way they deserve as well.

.“Ethan. Bastard Ethan. Beautiful Ethan. My Ethan. Forever mine, regardless of whether we’re together.”

Now, after all these years it seems the roles have been reversed. Holt is fully in and desperate for a commitment, it is Cassie who is running and scared. So much is the same and so much has changed. Rightfully, Cassie is untrusting of Holt and his ability to have done an about face and for his part Holt is determined to prove that he can be who she needs.

“You walk into this party looking like sex in woman form and expect me to be anything but hard? That’s fucking laughable.”

While much of this book is serious and thought provoking, much like it’s predecessor, Bad Romeo, it is full of witty one-lines that break up the angst and prove once again that Leisa Raven can write her ass off. I often say that humor, knowing where to inject it and where to hold back a bit, is harder to master than any dramatic scene. Leisa gives us just enough to make the story sparkle and helps us get through the toughest of times. Times where our hearts are breaking and we can see the end of what was coming. She guides us along with the quick wit of the youth and the refined quirks of years of wisdom mixed with beautiful banter.

“Do you think it’s possible that soul mates who love each other aren’t actually supposed to be together?”

Breathtaking, powerful and tense Broken Juliet is a story that will withstand time. I was deeply affected by this series and have found myself recommending it to anyone who will listen. Holt is a hero you can love and hate and Cassie can be easy to love and deeply frustrating all at the same time. Leisa Rayven is an supreme writer and I will forever read anything she produces.

~ miranda

Buy It Now

<br />

Apr 28

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy Review

By Miranda Arnold in 5 Smooches, Reviews

5 Smooches

Synopsis

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

Review

“Lusting over your best friend’s girlfriend sucks. First off, there’s the awkward factor. As in, it’s really fucking awkward.”

The Deal was the new adult gold that none of us expected so to say I was eager to read The Mistake would be a vast understatement. The minute the book appeared on my kindle I was desperate to devour it and devour it I did. I sat my butt down and did not get up until the story was complete and I was sad it was over.

“John Logan is on my bed. I am so not prepared for this.”

The beauty in this story is not in the utterly swoon worthy book boyfriend, John Logan (although we will get to why I loved him HARD soon), but in the transformation of the heroine Grace Ivers. When we meet her she is a shy and introverted freshman who cannot believe campus hottie John would ever look at her. But after he toys with her emotions (intentional or not) and makes a mistake he just cannot undo she stands firm and moves forward, without him. After a summer apart Grace returns stronger, bolder and everything I want the woman in my books to be.

“His mouth captures mine in a blistering kiss. Belonging. It’s the only way to describe the exquisite rush of sensation that washer over me. His lips belong on mine.”

John is fighting a battle he cannot win. He has fallen for his best friend’s girl and he knows that Hannah will never look at him the way she looks at Garrett. Top that off with a home life that would leave anyone longing for an escape, John is determined to push though and make the most of his last few college years. While trying to distract himself from the doom he feels he meets young, fun, and virginal Grace. What starts out as a way to pass time turns into a real friendship and bond. He feels deeply for her but the feelings he has for Hannah cannot be ignored. Is it fair to string along this girl while he falling for another?

“He’s got this whole manly thing going on that makes me want to rip his clothes off and lick him like an ice cream cone.”

Elle Kennedy does a phenomenal job of mixing a dramatic story line with witty and titillating humor. One moment these characters would have my heart clenching and the next my belly aching from laughing so hard. The perfect mix made the story flow and the romance blossom so smoothly you don’t even realize how much you have read till the book is almost done.

“I don’t make you nervous anymore, do I?” “No.” I’m lying. He absolutely makes me nervous. He’s John fucking Logan,

There are not enough synonyms of LOVE to explain how much I enjoy this series. Take heroines you can relate to and hockey players you can lust over and mix that with splendid writing and what is produced is something that is impossible not to rave about. Complex yet not somehow The Mistake just works perfectly. An easy read that will still make you stop and think Elle Kennedy has once again proven that she can deliver a New Adult book that blows many others out of the water.

~miranda

Buy It Now

<br />