Curiouser

4 to 4.5 STARS

The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh takes you to Mallorca, the Mediterranean island where Jenn and Greg, an English couple, are spending their holidays.



It’s not the couple’s first time on the island, every year, they spend a week there, along with their 15 year-old daughter, Emma. But, this year, Emma, is bringing a guest - her 17 year-old boyfriend,Nathan.



Jenn is discontent and frustrated with her life and it’s fascinating how the author explores Jenn's self-awareness and the way she deals with aging, in relation to her stepdaughter’s youth. From Jenn's part there is a sense of longing, sorrow, regret and envy towards Emma and this is only heightened by Nathan’s presence.



Nathan is the "intruder", his presence affects the family's dynamics and is the catalyst for a turning point in their lives. Jenn is captivated by Nathan’s youth and he represents an escape from her reality. Their affair is not romanticized, there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments, it is graphic and intense but, if you are an adventurous reader, who likes to delve into risqué/taboo stories, you might enjoy this story.



The Lemon Grove is a tale of a forbidden relationship between a married woman and her stepdaughter’s boyfriend but, it goes beyond that. One of the most interesting aspects about this novel is the way it explores Jenn and Emma’s relationship: when Emma was a kid, they had a loving stepmother-stepdaughter relationship but they became distant, Emma is now a teenager and Jenn can’t "reach" her and she struggles with that change and with her role in Emma’s life.

The author doesn't make it easy for the reader to “stomach” Jenn's betrayal to her husband and to her stepdaughter. The nature of Jenn and Emma’s relationship and the history between them, makes the “rationalization” of the affair even more challenging for the reader.



Don’t be fooled by the summery cover, this is not a light read and it’s not a romance. I think some of the low ratings might be a result of misguided expectations, this is the opposite of a beach/chick lit read - it’s full of atmosphere, it has evocative descriptions of the island and it makes you feel like you are in Mallorca, but this “relaxing” holiday setting contrasts with the story’s depth and intensity.

The characters aren’t loveable or redeemable, they are deeply flawed and can be easily misjudged, you only truly “know” the characters in the end of the book. The story is original, smart and unpredictable, it’s a short and compulsive read that it will keep you guessing until its very clever ending and even after that.



The writing is brilliant, I’m impressed with the complexity and depth of this novel by Ellen Walsh, it gives a frank and unforgiving approach to a controversial subject and when it comes to provocative reads this is one of the most interesting I’ve read so far.

2.5 to 3 STARS

After finding her boyfriend cheating on her,Kinsley Bryant,a 19-year-old, promising soccer player decides to give up on relationships and make her career her first priority. The day before the beginning of the university's soccer training camp, Kinsley and her team mates, decide to go to a party organized by the top soccer team in the US and at the party, she meets Liam Wilder.



Liam is the sexiest man alive and the best soccer player in the US and Kinsley is immediately attracted to him but, Liam stops her first flirting attempt, when he reveals that he’s going to be her coach at the training camp.



The book had a good start, I liked the MCs confident attitude in the beginning. I liked that, even after being confronted with another cheating boyfriend, she doesn’t throw a pity party and decides to focus on herself and on her goals but, despite this positive attitude, after meeting Liam, I felt a big change in her. There were moments when she acts like a fangirl and during some interactions with him, she comes across as really immature and insecure.


(ouch!)

This leads me to one of the aspects that bother me the most – Liam’s character development: despite his reputation, we soon find out that Liam is a “reformed bad boy” and while the author doesn’t use the man whore/bad boy formula, Liam, is just too damn perfect. His qualities are overemphasized throughout the story and this happens through other characters’ perceptions of him, it’s like they are telling you that he’s perfect and, in my opinion, this just makes him less interesting. I think a character can be “swoon worthy” without being an unattainable fantasy and without having the female MC gushing about his attributes.

This is your life now. You are the person that sleeps next to this set of abs. Also, this set of abs is attached to a man that probably has some major neurological damage since out of all the models in the world, he’s chosen you and your flat-ass.

When I was with him, there were no consequences.

The forbidden element of their relationship was well developed. There is a connection and chemistry between them and you can feel the tension associated with the situation. Despite the fact that they don’t pick the best places to be together (which makes it really easy for the relationship to be uncovered), I liked the way the author decided to expose the relationship because it wasn't predictable and it was low on drama. Unfortunately, that was not the tendency on the second half of the book.



The second part of the story focus on Liam and Kinsley public relationship but we also have a parallel romance between their best friends, I got a bit bored because I was not invested in this other couple. The persistent ex-boyfriend and the scenes with the paparazzi/blackmail were excessive, the focus on the "complications-of-being-famous-angle" is overdone and overused and it only served to create unnecessary drama.

I felt that, from the moment their relationship is exposed, the book became a bit predictable and cliché, it used some really common plot-devices and I really struggled to finish it.

But I did finish, after an epilogue with cheese on top.



Finally, the humor. The book had some really funny moments and I think I have a high tolerance for silly humor (when the MC compares her vagina to a dirty bowling alley and to Lois Lane, I think you can call it silly) but, in this case, it needed to be more subtle, it's trying too hard to be funny and that exaggeration affected my interest in the story.



I understand why the book has good reviews and while I had some fun reading it, I had too many issues with the story, to give it a higher rating.



SCORING WILDER is a well-written, light, sexy, summer read and while this particular story didn’t work for me, I’m still interested in reading other books by this author.

Mateo's POV
Olé! :)


my favorite latin lover


nom nom nom nom nom



*drools*



Can't wait :)



<3

A new Friend-Zoned book!YAY!



BLURB
Max Leokov has watched the people around him find love.
At one point in life, he not only wanted that, but lived for it.
He loved once. He loved with all his heart.
His heart broken, he was left to care for his young daughter.

He deserves a second chance.

Helena Kovac has spent years studying.
She has worked her ass off to get her degree.
She doesn't have time for love. Hell, she doesn't have time to mess around, even.
Books and work are her life. Everything else comes second.

When Max and Helena join forces to help his daughter, Ceecee, they are shocked at the spark between them.

A cynic.
A workaholic.

When love hits, it hits hard.

And sometimes, love hurts

SPOILER ALERT:
There will be cupcakes in this book (like on the other 2)


#Quidditch World Cup(cake)

NOTE TO SELF:
Buy cupcakes to eat while reading this book!

CAN'T WAIT!

1.5 STARS (the half-star is for the laughs)

"Shit happens and if you don’t die you pick yourself off the fucking pavement before a dog claims you as his turf"

The other day, when I turned on the TV (which, for some kind of freak accident, happened to be on MTV) a show called The Geordie Shore was on. And sometimes, even when you know it’s degrading, for that half an hour, it's like you lose any kind of self preservation and out of morbid curiosity, you keep watching just to see how bad it can possibly get.

Reading this book was like watching that show.

About the book:

The MC, Paisley, comes from an ultra-conservative family of Spanish Catholics, she's the black-sheep of the family, a troubled, crude, 18 year-old, who has problems with drugs and while everyone around her thinks she’s a slut, she’s actually still a virgin, so Paisley is shocked to find out she got pregnant at a party, after some guy jerked off all over her:

"My eyes cut to the test. “Shit on a stick,” I croaked. “It’s positive.”

After finding out that she’s now a "pregnant-virgin" and drowning this news in vodka, she considers having an abortion but soon finds out that this is not an option for her, because she’s not eligible to do one on the UK's NHS and she also doesn’t have enough money to do it any other way.

"My world was shrinking to the size of the little parasite inside my...Womb."

Paisley is constantly being humiliated by her family and always lived in the shadow of her “perfect” older sister, soon after learning that she's pregnant, her sister brings her fiancée home and for Paisley, it’s lust/love at first sight:

"I gaped at James like an idiot, my lips parted and my eyes fixed on his. They were jade green with little flecks of gold, bright with intelligence and humour—and something else I felt stab through my stuporlike wild fire. I was mesmerised, lost in the expanding black of his pupils, reading him effortlessly while my heart pounded in my ears. The air between us charged as the frenzied atoms zapped his thought straight into me, possessive and indisputable. Mine"

Before I go any further, you need to know two important things about Paisley: she has "the longest nipples in the world" and she can read minds:

"It’s more like I can read single words or phrases when I look at people.(...)It started when I was a child, when family and friends would pinch my cheek or sit me on their laps. My candid readings and blurted answers to their unasked questions caused my parents a lot of angry embarrassment"

Just like sparkles.

You know you have a winner when: to taunt her sister about sex, the MC compares a penis' head to a nazi's helmet and out of hatred for her sister, she shamelessly flirts with her sister's fiancée (some of this happens telepathically):

"I didn’t trust myself to speak out loud.
::I’m eighteen today, actually.::
He raised an eyebrow. ::Could’ve fooled me::
I blinked. He had not shot a mental comment at me, had he? Nobody I’d met could do that, see what I was thinking and answer back. James turned away, leaving me to bite my lip in confusion."

The turning point happens, one night, when Paisley is sleeping naked in Caroline’s bed and James comes to their house drunk and it’s very romantic because, he has sex with Paisley thinking he’s with his fiancée (Caroline )but, at the same time, James is fantasizing about Paisley, the sister he's actually fucking. This is how Paisley finally loses her virginity.

The words popped out before I could stop them.
“Do it then. Pretend I’m Paisley and get her out of your system.”
(…)
“Darling, this isn’t you,” he said, sounding dazed.
“That’s right,” I whispered.
“I’m Paisley, remember? And I...”
I gulped and took a deep breath. “I want you to fuck me.”

After that, they part ways and only get to see each other again at his wedding, where the groom still has time to flirt with Paisley. At the wedding, Paisley gets drunk and spills what happens in front of the entire wedding party and in the process, lies to James and says that he's the father of the baby she's carrying.



Like watching a reality TV show, out of morbid curiosity I kept reading this story and the second part turned out to be just like changing the channel and start watching a soap opera.

The second half of the book takes place 7 years after the previous events and we follow Paisley (who left for Spain after the scandal) as she goes back to the UK, where she manages to get a job at James firm'. Paisley is now a different person, she grew up, but that doesn’t stop her to make the most absurd decisions, like infiltrate as a waitress at a party in James’ house, to see her son. Here's what happens when she sees him for the first time:

“Wait,” I cried, then clamped a hand over my mouth.
He stopped and looked back at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
::You can’t catch me::
My response was instinctive. ::You wanna bet?::
His eyes widened and then he giggled and sped off. As for me, well, I was shell—shocked. Seeing my son not five feet away from me after seven years was stupefying, but mental chit-chat?

Because her powers are hereditary.



After that, you can expect lots of self-loathing from the MC, pining over the perfect James and also jealousy, this overshadows her primary purpose – building a relationship with her son.



Then you have more stupid decisions, slut-shaming, offensive remarks and a superficial approach to serious subjects like substance dependence and sexual abuse Paisley was abused by her uncle when she was a child, which explains her erratic behavior. No one believed her, in fact, her sister, who is a psycho, told the police that Paisley was lying, she did this out of jealousy,because she was in love with the uncle.

On the second half of the story, for the sake of drama, Paisley has a confrontation with her abuser and, of course, James intervenes, acting as a hero.

+ Plot twist: James was, after all, the father of the baby, so yeah she wasn’t a "pregnant-virgin" and after some more drama, they get their perfect HEA



Except for some really weird choices on the sex scenes e.g:“I gushed like a fountain, covering his cock in hot fluid.”, overall, the writing was decent but, the story is probably one of the most ridiculous I’ve read lately.



A pseudo-inspirational/provocative romance (paranormal-romance?), full of gratuitous angst, exaggeration and ridicule.
A lost opportunity of writing a good NA book or, at least, another Twilight parody.

3 STARS

"Love is some messed up shit."

So are my feelings towards this book.

Tempted by Megan Hart had some really good moments and it was sensual and intensely erotic but it left me with too many conflicting emotions to give it a higher rating.I liked the unconventional theme and the first half was entertaining and engaging, but I felt my initial interest getting weaker as the story progressed.

I don't need to like the characters to enjoy a story but I could never connect with the MC or empathize with the couple’s relationship, which prevented me from experiencing all the emotional turmoil that this situation is supposed to convey. The characters are flawed, but not very interesting and the story has a realistic quality to it, it addresses some real-life problems and while I appreciate that, at the same time, it all felt flat, cold and devoid of emotion.

Another connection that I didn’t feel was the one between Anne and Alex. I understand why she felt "tempted" by him but the sudden strong emotional attachment that she claimed to feel for him, just wasn’t convincing enough.

I am aware that this isn't a typical romance and given the circumstances, I wasn’t expecting a satisfying ending but the one we got was very disappointing, especially regarding the relationship between Jamie and Alex, I felt that it ended leaving many unanswered questions and many unexplored possibilities.

This story left me with a sense of restlessness, but despite my feelings towards this book, I have to say that I really liked the writing, it was compelling enough to make me want to read more books by Megan Hart.

DNF at 48%

At Your Beck & Call is not your common contemporary romance about a male escort, which is not a bad thing. Escorts/strippers/pornstars (whatever the latest trend is in this genre) are not my favorite subject or something that would compel me to read a book but, in this case, the promise of a story with more depth, along with the unconventional romance got me interested in reading this book.

Initially, I liked the narrator's voice, but he got a bit rude along the way(is this a tendency on male's POV?) and some of his statements were a turn off, nevertheless, the story is convincing and it had a good start: the way he became a male escort is realistic and I think the author’s purpose is to offer an insight into an escort's life and to convey the impact that leading this kind of life has on a person. I was really looking forward to this, because it is an original concept in this genre and I like that the author, until this point, doesn't try to romanticize this reality.

Unfortunately, the first half of the book only delivers Hallen's back-story and the retelling of his first 7 years as an escort, which means 170 pages (approx.) of job after job, client after client - it’s tedious and when you fall asleep during a sex scene is not a very good sign...I understand that, perhaps, the intention is to show that there is nothing glamorous/exciting about an escort's life but, unfortunately, while I liked the story’s concept, its execution was disappointing, it became extremely repetitive which made me lose interest in the story.

Finally, I have to say that I loved some of the author’s previous work, I really like her writing and I’m looking forward to read more from Jane Harvey-Berrick but, unfortunately, for the reasons I mentioned before, I'm going to have to DNF At Your Beck & Call

1 STAR

Before starting this review, I need to mention that, on a note in the beginning of the book, the author explains that this story is inspired by a personal experience - the disappearance of someone close to her. I would like to say that it is not my intention to disrespect the author in any way or to show any disregard for her suffering and I would also like to acknowledge her brave decision to approach such personal and devastating experience.


My review only concerns this particular work of fiction - Life After Taylah- in which we meet Avery,a dancer and aspiring ballet teacher, who was just a kid when her mother, Taylah, disappeared without a trace. This tragic event damaged her relationship with her father and her brother.

If you read the blurb you saw that this story involves a forbidden relationship, in this case that means that both MCs are in relationships when they first meet: on one hand, we have Avery that, to please her father, is engaged to Jacob, who is set to take over her father’s business, and then we have Nate,a Motocross racer, who is married and has a young daughter.

One of this story’s major flaws is the character development:
while Avery is presented as someone talented, innocent, vulnerable, hardworking and responsible,Nate’s wife, is the complete opposite:Lena has a drinking problem, is irresponsible, self- centered and a negligent mother.

Like Avery’s fiancé, Jacob, who comes across as cold and ambitious, the MC's wife also doesn’t have any good qualities and in several moments her flaws are emphasized. Lena's behaviour is seen as sole reason for the loveless and broken marriage, IMO, this character's vilification serves as a mechanism whose purpose is to “soften” the infidelity and make it more "acceptable" for the reader.

The story is told in dual POV - Nate’s POV is too short and rushed some times and the pace is also messy, there are also random time-jumps and a few editing issues throughout the book. Other particular aspect about this story is that every character is beautiful - on Avery’s POV, every single time she comes across a new character, we are offered a detailed description of his/her beauty:

"Her name is Dante, and she’s so stunning it’s hard to look at her and not get sore eyes. I’ve always admired her. She’s got this long, blond hair that’s so influenced by the sun that it has at least five different shades, like she’s spent hours at the salon. It’s got darker bits of her natural color, which is somewhat like a light brown, then it’s got a range from honey-blond to white-blond scattered throughout. It’s gorgeous. Her eyes are steely-gray, and against her suntanned skin it just takes your breath away. I envy her; she got hit with the good stick."

Someone I want to hit with a stick is the male MC,Nate who Avery meets at a party at her brother’s house. Nate is, of course, also stunning and famous:

"My mouth drops open as I take him in. Not only is Nate extremely talented, he’s also a favorite amongst women around the world. Girls go to his races just to see him. He’s the rock star of the motocross world."

But he also has a temper and after their first conversation, Avery, has a confrontation with her brother and Nate, the gentleman, offers to give her a ride home, which goes like this:

“Get in the car, or I’ll get out and throw you in,” he orders.

I stiffen and turn, glaring at him. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“One.”

I gape. “Are you seriously counting at me? I’m not a child.”

“Two.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“Three.”

Well, he managed to make a lasting first impression.

Avery and Nate quickly become friends, result of several convenient circumstances - there are too many coincidences along the way, too many accidental encounters between them - it felt forced. This friendship was rushed and the "deep connection" was too sudden.Also, the presence of his daughter during some of their fortuitous encounters made me a little uncomfortable.

Before I go any further I would like to say that cheating is not something that would deter me to read a book. I have enjoyed many romance novels with cheating before, and my rating has absolutely nothing to do with the cheating per se, however, it is related with the way the author opted to develop the affair between the MCs.

Once their relationship evolves to something more than friendship, it begins a never ending cycle of misunderstandings, immature decisions and overly dramatic arguments that, more often than not, end with them having sex and immediately regretting it.

But, the guilt is not reason enough for them to try to make things right and this is hypocritical on his part: he won’t leave his wife because of his daughter, but they continually disrespect their daughter and his marriage with some very careless actions, not only that, but he also mistreats Avery who, along the way, gets consumed by this toxic relationship and loses any sense of direction, self preservation and self-respect.

Some moments between them are downright degrading,


In one scene they are at a lake and she decides to give him a blow job and this is his reaction:

“You sucked that like a boss,” he rasps.

I burst out laughing, shaking my head from side to side at his comment. “A boss? Really? You felt that was the most appropriate comment at a time like this?”

He chuckles and looks over at me. “Seriously, you just took that shit like a pro. Are you a pro?” He cocks his eyebrow at me.

“No, I’m not a pro. I just . . . I like it.”


On other occasion, after having sex at a party, they get in an argument because, after the last time they saw each other, he went home to his wife and had sex with her, so Avery has an epiphany and finally realizes that she’s the "other woman":


“Shit, Avery – this is the first time since you. (…)

I’m a mistress. I’m the other woman. I’m the one he goes to when he’s feeling down, but he always, always goes home to her first and who the hell am I to judge him for that? She’s his fucking wife. Tears glide down my cheeks as I realize what a fool I’ve been.

“Avery,” he whispers, stretching a hand out. “It wasn’t what you think.”

“Leave, Nate,” I gasp through sobs.

“It’s not . . . She’s my fucking wife – how can you be angry at me for that?”


But she always goes back to him because she can’t live without him:

“I don’t want to breathe without you. I just want you, because I fucking love you. I know how much it burns.”

Like when she goes to him after a race, he fucks her on the side of a truck and then dismisses her, like this:

“Don’t you ever, ever fuckin’ come near me again. Do you hear me, Avery? Leave. Leave me the fuck alone.”

As if this wasn’t bad enough, some gratuitous plot devices are thrown in the middle to create even more drama one of them is a fake cancer, part of the wife's manipulation to keep the MCs apart also, the mystery surrounding her mother’s disappearance gets overshadowed with all this drama and I have to say that while the twist was somewhat believable, the events that followed included a really sensible topic just for the sake of drama suicide attempt - after she learns the truth about her mother’s disappearance she tries to kill herself and is saved by Nate, of course, this was approached in a very superficial way.

Finally, I need to say that while I acknowledge the author’s effort and intent, unfortunately, in my opinion, the story’s meaning got lost in its exaggeration. This book manages to convey many of the elements that I try to avoid in romance: cheap melodrama, cliches, poor character development, lack of depth and a superficial treatment of very serious issues. This was a really difficult, frustrating and exhausting reading experience and my rating and review reflects that.

4.5 STARS

"He wished that the mathematics of the world were like the mathematics of the heart - then his equal love and hate would mean he felt nothing instead of double."



The Prince (The Original Sinners, #3), is the most intense and complex book in this series so far. Following the events of the second book of the series, in this 3rd book, we are taken to Kentucky for Nora’s reunion with Wesley and at the same time, we follow Kingsley and Søren, that return to the place where they first met, in order to find out who is the person behind some mysterious threats.

Simultaneously, we also get a better understanding of Kingsley and Søren's past, provided by an additional storyline that takes place during their school years.

In books with more than one storyline, I find it difficult to be engaged in each one of them equally, in this case, while the pace, suspense and transitions between each chapter are flawless and the writing is, once again, brilliant, I felt like the chapters in the present were overshadowed by the intensity of the chapter in the past: Søren and Kingsley's school years, which was the best part of this book for me.



The chapters in which we follow Søren and Kingsley’s were utterly compelling, giving us a bigger understanding of both characters and a deeper insight into their relationship dynamics. Disturbing yet fascinating, for me, the highlight of this book was the undeniable chemistry (yet fucked up) between Kingsley and Søren, which conveys an intensity that I’m yet to feel between Nora and Søren.



This was definitely the most heavy/dark book so far, extremely violent at times and both emotionally and psychologically challenging - definitely not for the faint of heart.



On the other hand, while entertaining and emotional, the chapters set in the South/Present were a bit of a let-down. Nora and Wesley have lost their "spark", which is probably a prediction of what's to come.



I think this 3rd book is more revealing about Søren but, I'm still trying to warm up to this character, while I understand his appeal, I'm still trying to feel it. This is probably related to the fact that my perception of Søren is mostly being formed through the other characters observations of him.This 3rd book is more revealing and Søren had some significant moments in it but I need more actions from him, more show and less tell, which I hope to get in the following books/novellas.

"For to get close to Søren meant walking through fire, stepping on glass, crawling through hell."



Overall, except for Kingsley, which is my favorite character in this 3rd book, I feel like I'm less invested in the main characters, especially Nora ( my favorite character in the first book)

Also, the mystery reveal felt a bit anti-climactic, it was perhaps a little far-fetched. After the panic inducing cliffhanger at the end of this book I had to start the next book right away (in part, because I wanted to confirm the “thief” identity, I guess I was in denial) and I’m slightly disappointed with this aspect.



Finally, I have to say that despite my issues this was still a terrific book, another page-turner with phenomenal writing that delivers some heart wrenching, disconcerting and unforgettable moments. This series is truly one of a kind, one of the most original and interesting stories I’ve ever read.

An absolute must read (and probably re-read).



“I’m currently imagining a few creative ways of causing you extraordinary amounts of pain.”
Kingsley raised his chin. Mere inches separated their faces.
“Stop flirting. You know we don’t have time for that.”

On hold at 20%
I've been reading this back-to-back but I decided to take a breather from all this intensity and postpone reading the final book for a while. It is temporary though, because while I am a reader that doesn’t need a satisfying ending to enjoy a story I think that, in this case, it’s practically impossible to not be curious about the ending and want some kind of resolution. I just need to be in the mood for it.

4 STARS

“I’m in love with all of me. I’m a very lovable pervert.”

Oh my, yes you are, Sir.

I'll be honest, before reading this novella I was intrigued by Kingsley Edge but until now, I've been picturing him like...



Or something, I blame his preference for "victorian" indumentary but, after this novella, OMG, the joke's on me.

Bring on the...



.....because I'm blown away by Mr.Kingsley Edge!




adieu Fabio, Salut, you bête sauvage!





Oh la la.



It was short but it was intense and fucking hot.
This short novella is deliciously decadent, just like the mysterious Mr.Kingsley Edge, the man, the myth, the sexy beast, pancakes lover, king of the underground!

I loved it!

Can this series get any more kinkylicious?

"You' ve always been this bad?" she asked as she ran
her hand up and down his bare chest.
"Au contraire. I've always been this good.




Touché, you pervert aimable, touché!

Thank you, Kim B and Kim for your advice to read this novella before [bc:The Prince|15704485|The Prince (The Original Sinners, #3)|Tiffany Reisz|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344776840s/15704485.jpg|21366587]. <3<br/>
C'est tout.

5 "OMFG this series" STARS!

I need to read the novella+ The Prince ASAP so, for now, a quick gif reaction to The Angel.



AWE!






I LOVE THEM so HARD!







LET HER KEEP BOTH!





I'm not even sorry.


FUCKING BRILLIANT, that's all.

5+ STARS

A story about love, not a romance.
The kind of love that only comes out after dark.



The Siren (The Original Sinners #1) by Tiffany Reisz is, without a doubt, the best book I’ve read in this genre. To start this review, I can't think of a better way to explain how this book makes me feel, than with one my favorites songs:



Song to the Siren by Tim Buckley

noticed a common theme there?

For me, the song and this story match. Not only in their concept but they also coincide in the emotion evoked:

an alluring melancholy - beautiful, destructive, haunting.

♪ I did all my best to smile
'til your singing eyes and fingers
Drew me loving to your isle ♪

BDSM is not a subject that would compel me to read a book, I find it interesting - even more after reading this story - and, in this case, the author doesn't romanticize this subculture. I wasn’t hesitant about how intense it could possibly get (which it does,blood,sweat ropes, crops, handcuffs - extreme kinky fuckery), it's twisted and fucked up, it is brutal.



Also, despite the hype, I didn’t know that many details about the story beforehand (which is good, you should go into it blindfolded, so you won't find many details in this review either) but, you should know, that this is one of those stories that demand an open minded reader and high pain tolerance. It approaches very sensitive topics and it will definitely challenge your moral boundaries.

Having said that, my high expectations were more than exceeded. This story offers interesting and complex characters (ok, maybe this is an understatement)...

Nora the Woman, the Myth, the mistress/writer

"I’m no optimist, I’m just a realist who smiles too much."



Zachary, her editor



Wesley, Nora's 19-year-old virgin "intern" and my boyfriend, let me hold you! voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?


*sigh*

and the Man, the Myth - Søren,


Master of half of my GR friends :)

...

You can expect plenty of dark, raw sexuality,debauchery without borders...




SEXEH



But, this story has substance, depth - it’s intriguing,extreme, unforgiving.



While I was expecting a great book (i trust my friends), I was not expecting for it to be so spellbinding, to evoke such deep emotions or for it to be so thought-provoking.



♪ "Broken lovelorn on your rocks
For you sing "touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow." ♪

Come back tomorrow...to a love that, even when you are aware of its destruction, of its violence, you still return to it?

I loved this book, the writing is fantastic, witty, humorous and the story is brave, emotional, smart, sensual, dark, unpredictable, disconcerting and dangerously addictive. It "shows, doesn't tell" and leaves you with many unanswered questions yet hopeful for all its possibilities.



Finally, if you’re curious, read this story and, like the song, allow the Siren to seduce you and let it enfold you.

Hello GR kingdom, behold...



A new book by Tarryn Fisher:

Marrow

-Expected publication: December 2014-

From Tarryn Fisher's FB:






BRING IT!
MUAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

3 STARS for Point of No Return (Kathleen Turner, #5)

4 STARS for the Kathleen Turner series.

Since this is the final book of the series I think I should also rate it as a whole so, the second rating reflects my overall enjoyment of the Kathleen Turner series but, to be honest, this final book, I didn't enjoy it as much (2 STARS for the first part and 3-3.5 for the rest).



After the 4th installment - Out of Turn -that, in my opinion, was the best of the series- my expectations were high for this last book but I felt that the direction it took, just created unnecessary drama.

back and forth - back and forth - back and forth



There was some disappointing options with the character development and overused, unoriginal and predictable plot devices.



Why, oh why, oh why ?



So yeah pop some candy or drink some booze and blame it on the hormones (ice cream worked for me)



While I loved the final outcome HELLYEAH to the dark knight in black armor

...the road to get there was not the most enjoyable one, it was one hell of a ride on the drama-llama.



Still, there were some good surprises along the way and some enjoyable heartwarming moments(although there was also lots of CHEESE towards the end) and delicious sexy times.



Despite its flaws, I had some fun while reading this book and that's the thing about this series: it's FUN, addictive and highly entertaining.

Overall, I really liked the Kathleen Turner series by Tiffany Snow, it is a great read: action-packed, suspenseful, sexy, funny, well written and engaging. I'm looking forward to the spin-off.



Thanks for the BR ladies! <3

2.5 to 3 STARS



My overall opinion about this second installment of Reasonable Doubt by Whitney Gracia Williams is that we are exactly in the same place that we were on, at the end of book 1. Except for a few revelations about Andrew's past, I felt no evolution whatsoever in Aubrey and Andrew's relationship.

What I pointed out as one of the things that I really liked about book 1 - the balance between the "steam" and the plot development - in this second installment, i feel like the opposite happened: there was too much focus on the steam and none on the story development. I need more depth in this relationship, with a good balance between the amount of sex scenes, sexual innuendos and meaningful conversations.



About the characters: Andrew is still an asshole and while we have more explanations about his past and his antics, I felt that some scenes were there just to reiterate that he is an asshole - I found him less loveable in this book.



But my major disappointment is with Aubrey’s character. I really liked her in the first book, but some of her attitudes in this one make her seem weak/ spineless: it was not enjoyable for me to see her cave so easily to Andrew, and in those circumstances ?! in the bathroom, while he was on a date with other woman, really? , it shows no self-respect on her part.

Where is the fun banter that we had on book 1?

Also, during their "arguments" I never felt that there was a balance between Aubrey and Andrew: he always had the upper hand, she was "all talk", no real actions. Please don’t take the same route of the other 100001 books in this genre: don't turn the female character into a damn doormat!



Finally, I have to say that I still enjoyed the humor and the writing but, in the next book, I really need Aubrey to step up her game and I need to see some real, substantial story development.