Book #2 -Pieces Series

5 Smooches

Synopsis

After a myriad of mistakes and a devastating breakup, Lily Hamilton is no longer the impulsive, selfish person she had once been. Now, she longs for the chance to make it up to the one person she knows holds the key to her happiness. But can he get beyond who she was and love her for who she is now? Or is history destined to repeat itself?

Adam Carter has gone through his own metamorphosis. His days of serial monogamy are long gone, and he’s been burying his hurt by dating women he has no intention of committing to. But when he sees Lily for the first time in months, he’s reminded of the man he used to be; the man he wants to try and be again–for her.

Max Samson is on the downward spiral from hell. Drinking and meaningless sex have taken over his life once again, causing him to revert back to the man he’d been before Lily fell into his life. But when his mother invites Lily back into his world, he suddenly remembers how good it felt to have her there. Even if he might not get to keep her.

Find out how Lily gets her happily ever after in this final installment of her story.  This book is recommended for mature audiences due to language and unbelievably awesome sexual content.

Review

Picking up the Pieces is the conclusion of the story Pieces of Perfect and features characters from the novel Sex Snob as well. I was so excited to get this book, I LOVED Pieces of Perfect and was dying to find out who Lily ended up with! DYING!!

This story picks up right wear Pieces of Perfect left off and Lily is alone and has been traveling Europe. Picking Up the Pieces is told from the point of views from Lily, Adam, and Max, which does help see and understand some of the decisions these characters made. When she returns, although she tries to stay away it really doesn’t take long for her to start a friendship back up with both Adam and Max, which causes some major tension among all three characters. It is clear from the get-go that both men still love Lily, but are trying to fight those feelings because of what played out in Pieces of Perfect. This novel is full of love triangle angst and drama. Which took me for an emotional roller coaster. I feel like I was more emotionally involved in this story than I was in the first.  I was constantly tore up about who she would end up with.

I cannot say that I always agreed with Lily’s decision making process but I do honestly believe that it was important for the story. I did find myself yelling out loud a few time “Just Pick One” (secretly I wanted her to pick who I was rooting for of course).

I can’t really blame Lily though, If I had to pick between Adam and Max I would have an impossible time too! They are both so incredibly YUMMY.  Personally I would just want both (hehe). But that really isn’t an option here in book two.

Two more characters that need to be discussed are Amanda and Shane! Thank goodness they are in here! I fell in love with them in Sex Snob and they were needed in this story in order to provide some comedic relief from all the tension. Amanda seriously cracks me up and I loved how much more she was in this book! I was rolling, I was laughing at the things she said sometimes!

I don’t want to go too deep into this story because it is one stories where you are scared of giving anything away. So instead of talking plot, lets talk SEX! This story is HOT! The chemistry between the characters in this book jump off the page! Lucky Lily is all I have to say about that! Even the masturbation scenes left me a bit tingly!

Overall, Anyone who has read Pieces Of Perfect (and really that should be everyone) needs to read this book too! All the story lines are wrapped up nicely and everyone gets their HEA in the end! It was a drama whirlwind but one that was well worth it!

3 Smooches

Synopsis

Kate Jackson is listlessly floating through her life having no idea what or who she wants to be and burdened by the pains of her past. That is until she meets Derrick Kane.

A whirlwind romance leads Kate to believe that Derrick is the answer to all her questions and the patch to heal all her wounds.

Derrick and Kate’s love is quickly tested as a shocking crime forces Kate to have to figure out how to take care of herself and leads her into a mystery that only Kate has the key to solve.

Can she catch an extremely dangerous criminal and keep the love between Derrick and her alive? Find out the conclusion of this thrilling crime drama and contemporary romance in the following books of The Photographer Trilogy.

Review

Lots and Lots of Back Story

4 Smooches

Synopsis

Rory is a simple girl in a simple world. It wouldn’t take much to make her happy, but that’s a goal she gave up on long ago. Now her only goal is to simply, survive. Rory used to count down the days until she could leave, but now with a younger brother in tow, it would be hard she could never leave him. Rory is trapped in the Trailer Park like a princess in her tower, with her mother playing the big bad drunken fire breathing dragon. The dream of her knight coming to save her faded away about the same time her goals changed. Feeling useless and angry Rory starts her new school and gets trampled by none other than Monroe Falls Golden Boy Tobias West. She finds herself seeing him as the knight she dreamed of, though she believes it to be just that, a dream. Tobias (Toby) is Mr. Popular/ Mr. Perfect/ Mr. Money in the bank. He is too high on the social ladder to step down to her level. Or was he?
Toby was smitten with Rory. Toby’s ex, Ashley refuses to lose out to trailer park trash, and Rory finds herself the fuel to Ashley’s new found hate. On top of Monroe Falls High School drama, Rory still has to deal with her drunken mother and needy brother. She doesn’t have time for childish games. Reality hits Rory hard when her mother brings home a ticking time bomb for a bed mate and the need for that shiny knight becomes real.
Rome appears like she conjured him up out of thin air with magical powers, and instantly becomes her best friend. He seems to always be around when she needs someone to talk to and seems to always know just how to fix it. (Did I mention he is drop dead beautiful?) Two knights in shining armor? Nope!! That doesn’t happen, not in fairy tales, and definitely not in real life. Rory finds herself realizing there is a thin line between relationships and friendships lines that are starting to blur. Toby is getting ready to leave for college, Ashley’s nonstop meanness, and Rome showing up can Rory handle the pressure?
Her old friend reality takes another whack at her, causing her dread and despair to take over. Rory is questioning herself and its wrecking havoc on the strong girl she’s always considered herself to be. Has her poor choices doomed her to life in the trailer park or will she be able to exceed even her own expectations? Will she ever realize she is truly a princess worthy of getting her prince? Or will she simply survive? How does Rory’s story end?
This book is suited best for readers over the age of 17 due to sexual content and some language. As well as a few different types of abuse that is rarely talked about. (Verbal, Mental, and to some extent sexual and psychical)

Review

I love a book with a good strong and witty lead female and Delia Steele did not let me down. Rory lives in a Trailer Park and this makes her less than desirable at school. Toby should have been her hero, the handsome popular boy, who liked the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. But right from the part where he wouldn’t stop his truck in the trailer park, only slowed down, and made her jump in did I get a weird vibe about him. Then when he doesn’t stand up for her to his “I’m better than everyone’ mother I decided in my mind he just wasn’t right for someone as smart and strong as Rory! Enter Rome, a hidden hero, I don’t want to give too much away but I LOVED him and was rooting for him for Rory.

Rory has been through so much and it feels like her life is a constant uphill struggle. I think Delia Steel did an excellent job of writing a female lead that is different than most out there. It was nice to see the point of view of a girl from the “poor” part of town and for her not to be ashamed of who she is. I loved that she was determined to do more in life but not at the expense of caring for her little brother.

This story was interesting and the plot well formulated. I did find my copy to have some formatting and grammatical errors but not so much as that it was distracting from my reading.

~miranda

Synopsis

Zeke Reed lives his life by his rules, the biggest one being that he refuses to settle down. Through the years, it has become a running joke amongst his circle of friends that his condo would be well served by the installation of a revolving door.

That’s what makes his friendship with Mary and Jeff work. All three of them are looking for some no-strings-attached fun. Until fate steps in, making them all take a look at what’s been developing while they’ve been busy fooling around.

Unfortunately, every decision in life has consequences. When you choose to openly share your life with more than one person, things get complicated. Will Zeke, Jeff and Mary be able to stand together as the world tries to pull them apart?

Review

Oh how I LOVE this series. I was hooked with the first, Unexpected Angel, and the story just keeps getting better and better. Unexpected Consequences is the love story between Mary, the friendly lawyer, Zeke, the laid-back music promoter, and Jeff, the down-to-earth doctor.

As you can imagine, a relationship between three adults can be…tricky, especially if they have their own baggage that hasn’t been dealt with, and that is the case with these three. What is extremely prevalent though, is the bond that is formed at the very beginning of the story between them. Even though they try and mess things up between them, you can tell that the undying love is real and everything will work out in the end.

Sloan Johnson’s writing is so meaningful, so heartfelt, so REAL. I love how she delves deep into the relationship aspect of the characters. Yes, there is EXTREMELY hot sex, but it’s not the main focus. How the characters are guiding their lives and what they find passionate is what shines through. I love the constant switch between the character point of views. I love getting to see how each character sees a given situation through their eyes. I love how the past that threatens to cripple the budding relationship between Mary, Zeke, and Jeff is gently revealed to the reader through flashbacks. Character development is huge when I read and Sloan has done a fabulous job of not only making her main three characters beautiful, but also adding more layers to all her Isthmus Alliance posse. One of my most favorite things about reading a series where each book deals with a different couple, is the fact that you still get little glimpses from the previously introduced characters. I loved reading more about Dylan and Tasha and Tommy and Holly.

Unexpected Consequences was an amazing read that left me feeling giddy and a little sappy. It was wonderful to read a story about an m/f/m relationship that was different than others I’ve read before. Mary, Zeke and Jeff are such a fun, sexy couple. Their growing love was so rewarding to read about. I truly hope there is more in the works for the Isthmus Alliance crew! They are a delight to read about.

5 lovely smooches from me!

~Nicole

4 Smooches!

Synopsis

The story of Kate, Kyle and Reed continues in this second novel of The Perfect Series.

Kate (Katherine) Monroe is finally coming to heads with the decisions she’s made in the past to keep herself distracted at any cost. Learning to move on and forward with the conflicts in her life is harder than she expects though. With Kyle continuing to attempt reconciliation and Kate’s mom back at home, avoiding and running are no longer an option.

All along Kate’s mind and heart are consumed with Reed, but she fights to push her feelings and desires to the side. Despite the obvious pull and connection she has with Reed she finds it difficult to let him in… and trust in herself. However, Reed’s perseverance and patience never wavers and eventually he uses the one thing that had always brought them together… tennis.

As Reed and Kate begin to embark on a new relationship they face the past and the present head on. Along the way, new challenges and emotions arise testing the direction of their future together.

Can Kate forgive herself and trust Reed in order to latch onto the one emotion she needs most… love?

Review

Tiffany

But It Now