Tag Archives: Sensitive Scene or Issue

Dirty, Reckless Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbour #3)

By Lexi Ryan

Synopsis

I’m in love with a man who tried to kill me. At least that’s what they tell me . . .

Six weeks ago, paramedics found me unconscious in my apartment. Beaten. Bruised. Hardly breathing. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember the last three years or anything about my life in Jackson Harbor. They tell me my fiancé, Colton McKinley, is on the run for what he did to me. They tell me I’m safer if I stay away.

I don’t care if my memories ever come back. I want nothing to do with those missing years . . . until a sexy stranger with angry eyes shows up on my doorstep and demands I stop ignoring him.

Levi Jackson is my fiancé’s best friend, but seeing him sparks something inside me. As the truth unravels in my mind, I know they’re wrong about Colton. My own secrets are far more dangerous than the man I was engaged to.

I return to Jackson Harbor to search for answers and find myself running from a faceless boogeyman and seeking refuge in Levi’s arms. And in his bed.

I can’t deny my feelings for Levi. But as the pile of lies between us grows, I realize that sometimes the truth can’t set us free. Sometimes, it’s the very thing that can destroy us.

Review

Levi, Ellie, and Colton each brought their own vulnerabilities to this love story which makes you fall in love with all of them.

Dirty, Reckless Love is full of twists, lies and lust and love that goes deep in your bones.  Ellie is passionate, confused, headstrong and determined for a better life full of love.

The story is past and present and we move between the two effortlessly as the author weaves her tale.  As the ending nears the gap in Ellie’s memory connects the two periods of time until they clash.  There are moments you think you know who the danger is and I did not pick this twist.

The dynamic between Ellie, Colton and Levi’s friendship provided moments of heartache and passion Whilst not a full on love triangle which I hate, this is told really well.  I put that down to Levihonoringg his friendship with Colton at the beginning but then like all romantic love stories the heart takes over.

What i loved about the ending was how the author gave Ellie her time at the conclusion to find herself before she found her true love.

Whilst this is a series, I have not read the others and this story is a standalone.

Quote:  “Yes, but if you’ve only ever seen sunshine, how do you know you can face the storm”

Dirty, Reckless Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbour #3)

My Rating:  

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Unbreak This Heart

By Betty Shreffler

Synopsis

Ever since that horrific night, I’d shut men completely out of my life. I’d gone from the spunky, fun, Alex DeMarco to a broken woman terrified of intimacy. Easing me back into dating, my best friend sets me up with kickboxing lessons from my charming and perfectly sculpted instructor—Carter Maxwell.

Carter’s goal is to break through my emotional barrier and mold my heart just like he molds my body, but trusting men is a battle I’m not ready for. What’s worse is my ex fiancé, Todd Livingston—the man who tore my heart in two—wants me back, and as much as I’d like to deny it, the feelings are still there.

Both men want what I can’t give—my body and my love—and neither are willing to give up the fight. But only one of them can unbreak this heart of mine.

Review

Unbreak This Heart will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions.  Betty Shreffler has way of drawing emotion out of every scene.  From beginning to end this book will take on an emotional journey.

Alex has been to Hell and back and is a survivor.  After the person who was supposed to be there for her no matter what leaves her after her attack,  she somehow manages to pick up the pieces of her life.  But she is unsure of how to let someone into her heart again.

Carter is a patient caring man who wants to show Alex that he can be the person she needs.  He is a MMA fighter who also is giving Alex some self defense lessons.  He gets to know Alex and is completely taken with her.

This book has an amazing soul. Betty Shreffler takes you on a journey. After reading this book I realized that Carter may be the MMA fighter but Alex is every bit of a fighter as well.  I think that is what makes every character in this book so relatable.  Alex had to fight to live again and find love again.

Unbreak This Heart

My Rating: 

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The Professor (Fox University – FU # 1)

By Luke Prescott

Synopsis

I’m Professor Drake Grayson. I’ve been teaching Psychology for the last few years at Fox University. It’s a great university, filled with a wide variety of students. Some eager to learn, some eager to get in my pants.

I’ve never crossed that line. I’ve never taken advantage of the power I have. I’ve never wanted to bend a student over my desk like I have with Emma Bower. She makes me want to forget I’m her professor and teach her things that she’ll remember forever. But is the risk worth it?

I’m Emma Bower. I’m in my last year of Fox University as a Psychology major. I can’t wait to get out into the real world and pick people apart. It’s been an amazing four years filled with memories that I’ll never forget.

Especially the penetrating stare of Professor Grayson. That man has been in every fantasy I’ve had since the day I walked in his class. I know he’s untouchable, forbidden, he’s my professor, my mentor. But what if his touches lasted longer and his eyes darkened with a wicked grin? What if the professor everyone wants, wanted me? Would the risk be worth it?

There’s only one way to find out.

Review

THE PROFESSOR is the first book that I’ve from Luke Prescott and it won’t be the last.

I really liked Drake. A professor sleeping with his student is scandalous, but you know that he has never done this before and that he fights his attraction to Emma pretty hard. He doesn’t treat her like he has power over her and he was not afraid of his growing feelings for her. I really liked Emma too, who was smart and very mature and not at all annoying like some college-aged characters can be. Though I did roll my eyes when she described being torn in half every time she and Drake had sex.

Speaking of sex, it was good. Some of the hottest I’ve read in a loooong time. Emma and Drake were damn hot together. DAMN HOT!

I really enjoyed this story, but there’s one big reason why I only gave this 4❤ instead of 5❤, and that reason is the ending. The epilogue is sweet but at the same time disappointing because the story felt unfinished. There’s no HEA or even a HFN, at least in my opinion, and the next book in the series will be about another couple. I’m really hoping that we’ll get updates on Drake and Emma’s relationship from the other books coming out in this series.

THE PROFESSOR is told in dual POVs and is the first book in the Fox University – FU series.

The Professor (Fox University – FU # 1)

My Rating:  

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Fox University – FU Series

The Chase (Briar U # 1)

By Elle Kennedy

Synopsis

Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.

Review

THE CHASE is the first book in the Briar U series (a spin-off of the Off-Campus series, which is one of my all-time favorite series) and I won’t lie, I have been waiting for this book for a very long time. Almost two years to be exact and I’m very glad the wait is finally over. As with any book from Elle Kennedy, THE CHASE was a very enjoyable binge read that left me wanting more.

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago I was excited about seeing Fitz.
Now I’m dreading it. My unicorn is no longer a unicorn. He’s a judgmental donkey.

I liked Summer and Fitz, but Summer was definitely my favorite character. She was a breath of fresh air and was so open and honest. A special mention also has to go out to Brenna, Summer’s new best friend and the daughter of the school’s hockey coach, who was just as ballsy and unapologetic as Summer was. Fitz was a good guy, but he did try my patience with how negative he could be towards Summer simply because her personality was different to his.

I’ve made more of an effort to be social, but deep down I’m still the guy who wants to remain invisible.
Summer is the most visible person I’ve ever met.

THE CHASE is most definitely an angsty, slow burn romance, with Summer and Fitz pushing and pulling each other for more than two thirds of the book, which for me was a very long time to wait for them to get together. I was left with a lot of questions relating to both Summer and Fitz, and if those questions don’t get answered in the following books, it will annoy me greatly. I was a little disappointed with the ending because it felt abrupt, came without an epilogue and came almost immediately after a very big scene had been played out.

THE CHASE is told in dual POVs and comes with a nice enough ending for Summer and Fitz. I’m very much looking forward to Brenna’s book, THE RISK, which is scheduled to be released in February 2019, and I’m desperate to know who her love interest will be. Will it be Hollis, Summer and Fitz’s roommate? Or will it be Jake Connelly, a rival hockey player from Harvard? Time will tell, and I for one hope time flies.

* Please note: This book includes talk about—and includes a couple of scenes of—sexual assault, so take caution if this topic is a trigger for you.

The Chase (Briar U # 1)

My Rating:  

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Briar U Series

Road-Tripped (Ad Agency # 1)

By Nicole Archer

Synopsis

What’s worse than driving across country in a phallic-shaped RV with a coworker you hate? Falling in love with them.

Copywriter Callie Murphy has a bad attitude, a vicious tongue, and a serious aversion to Shimura Advertising’s resident manwhore, Walker Rhodes. Know where he can stick his good looks and Southern charm? She can think of a few creative places. Avoiding him wouldn’t be a problem, except her boss threatens to fire her if she doesn’t go along with him on their RV client’s cross-country tour.

Walker is sick of his job, tired of women, and in a big old creative rut. The upcoming client road trip is just what he needs to shake things up and rediscover his lost passion. But his plans go south when his partner drops out at the last minute, and Callie, the foul-mouthed tiny terror, takes her place. Unless he can find a way to thaw his icy coworker, he’s looking at two months of pure hell.

Review

I am clearly in the minority here because I did not enjoy ROAD-TRIPPED like so many others have.

I wasn’t a fan of either Walker or Callie, who both frustrated me beyond belief. For almost the entire story, one of them would be moody and unpleasant while the other tried to win them over, and every time they were finally in a good place, some comment would send them spiraling back into enemy territory. Don’t even get me started on Walker taking a photo of a half-naked Callie while she was asleep (before they became friends and lovers) and then lying to her about it when he was caught. Or that he insulted and slut-shamed a female co-worker to her face AND in front of another co-worker.

I found the story hard to get through and not as funny as other reviewers had made it out to be, though there were a handful of good scenes which is why I’m giving this debut novel 2❤ instead of 1❤. ROAD-TRIPPED is told in dual POVs and ended with a HEA for Walker and Callie.

Road-Tripped (Ad Agency # 1)

My Rating:  

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Ad Agency Series

Holding On (Colorado High Country # 6)

By Pamela Clare

Synopsis

A hero barely holding on…

Harrison Conrad returned to Scarlet Springs from Nepal, the sole survivor of a freak accident on Mt. Everest. Shattered and grieving for his friends, he vows never to climb again and retreats into a bottle of whiskey—until Kenzie Morgan shows up at his door with a tiny puppy asking for his help. He’s the last person in the world she should ask to foster this little furball. He’s barely capable of managing his own life right now, let alone caring for a helpless, adorable, fluffy puppy. But Conrad has always had a thing for Kenzie with her bright smile and sweet curves. One look into her pleading blue eyes, and he can’t say no.

The woman who won’t let him fall…

Kenzie Morgan’s life went to the dogs years ago. A successful search dog trainer and kennel owner, she gets her fill of adventure volunteering for the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. The only thing missing from her busy life is love. It’s not easy finding Mr. Right in a small mountain town, especially when she’s unwilling to date climbers. She long ago swore never again to fall for a guy who might one day leave her for a rock. When Conrad returns from a climbing trip haunted by the catastrophe that killed his best friend, Kenzie can see he’s hurting and wants to help. She just might have the perfect way to bring him back to the world of the living. But friendship quickly turns into something more—and now she’s risking her heart to heal his.

Review

I don’t know if it was me or the book, but I found HOLDING ON to be just an okay read. I’ve read and enjoyed many books from Pamela Clare, but when I got to the end of this one, I realized that I had not been invested in the story or its main characters.

That being said, I did like the sweet and emotional ending. I also liked Kenzie, who was ballsy and laughed in the face of danger when she was terrified.

HOLDING ON is told in dual POVs and while it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. However, when Meg was updating Harrison about everyone back home, there were a lot of names thrown out and even though I’ve read the previous five books in this series, I felt confused trying to remember who everyone was.

While I didn’t love HOLDING ON, I would gladly read more from this series.

Holding On (Colorado High Country # 6)

My Rating:  

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Colorado High Country Series

Giovanni

By Natasha Knight

Synopsis

I’m the right-hand man of the mafia king.
She’s a girl with a past she’s desperate to hide.

But I need something from her.
And I know she won’t help me. Not willingly.
She’ll need some persuading.

Lucky for her, I can do that.

Something about this girl makes me curious, though, and it’s more than the scars that line her back. She’s on the edge of something. Something bad. She’s like a perfect, beautiful doll coming apart at the seams. And the last string is about to snap.

She thinks I’ll hurt her. Break her.
But thing is, she’s already broken. And she and I, we’re two peas in a pod. She’s my match, the perfect opponent. She’ll fight me to the finish, but I’ll win. I always do.

Because I’m a man used to getting what I want. And what I want is her.

Author’s Note: Giovanni is a STANDALONE dark mafia romance set in the Benedetti Brothers Mafia World. It’s an emotionally gripping enemies-to-lovers romance with a hard-earned HEA.

Review

Firstly, I got to chapter 22 and literally put the book down, I took some deep breaths and thought to myself you need to see this story through.  Be like Emilia, this strong and courageous woman, I was beside myself with fear and what a reward for the ending.  When Emilia faces her past to try and move forward, amazed at her bravery.

I loved, loved, loved this story, Giovanni captured me from those first few pages and Emilia takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.

You know Emilia’s story is harrowing but I had no idea the depths of deception she endured.  Giovanni is her saviour, her warrior, and her lover and he balances those throughout this story perfectly.

Their passionate scenes are off the charts however the depth of emotion these two encounter is what surprised me.  This is more than just a mafia romance, so many layers for both main characters that just make this story simply perfect in my eyes. Again this author has given us a wonderful Mafia story to be addicted to and devour in a day.

Quote:  “To answer your question, no, I don’t think I can break you, Emilia. I think you’re already broken”

Giovanni

My Rating:  

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A Change of Pace (Northern Lights #3)

By Freya Barker

Synopsis

Once a man who lived by the letter of the law.

Newt Tobias will do anything for his little girl. Even take early retirement, sell his city home, and move to cottage country, hoping that the simpler life will provide a better balance for his troubled teenage daughter.

Yet, not long after they’ve settled, he finds himself toe-to-toe with a stubborn, fiery-tempered woman with pretty brown eyes.

Once a recluse preferring to live alone.

Working with troubled adolescents, Frederique Marchand doesn’t suffer fools and won’t put up with bullies. Especially handsome strangers like Newt who think they can run roughshod over her. She loves her work, but on her own time, she much prefers the company of her menagerie of animals.

But with the welfare of a teenager at stake, she must put aside rocky first impressions and work with a man who needs her as much as she’ll come to need him.

Review

A Change of Pace is now my favourite of this series, I did not think anything could top Book 1 but this Author has told such an incredibly heartfelt story with too many wonderful characters.

I simply loved the dedication at the beginning to motherhood – it sets the tone of the entire story.  A woman can be a mother to a child without giving birth, love knows no boundaries.

The journey that Freddy and Millie take together was just inspiring and to see Millie grown as a young woman will melt your heart.

With sensitive subjects covered we are given moments of small-town humour and adolescent struggles.  The story continues with so many rich layers of new families forming and solid friendships.

The menagerie of animals and children and the concept of different families strengthened the message in A Change of Pace of motherhood in all different forms.

These characters, in particular, the trio of Freddy, Newt, and Millie all had battle scars of loss.  They all fought in their own way to want to live fulfilling lives and believe in love and second chances.

Newt’s love of his daughter knew no bounds and his desire for her to find herself again by trusting others.  Jim and Jordan’s storyline is another I loved as father and son and what a surprise with Phyllis – loved that curveball.

Finally, the Epilogue gives hope and also wonderful closure for Millie, Newt and Freddy.

Quote:  “Sometimes you need time to slow down so you can appreciate the wealth around you.  Most days we just run past it”

A Change of Pace (Northern Lights #3)

My Rating:  

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Doppelbanger

By Heather M. Orgeron

Synopsis

Doppelbanger; A person who bangs someone solely because they look similar to another person they want to bang.

At thirty-five, Gina Bourque is still playing the field. If he’s single, in his early twenties with dark hair and brooding eyes, there’s a damn good chance you’ll find him in her little black book.

Jeffrey Ryan never imagined that at nearly forty he’d find himself widowed and a single dad. But here he is—stumbling through this thing called life with two impressionable daughters watching his every move.

When Gina and Jeffrey meet while cruising the Caribbean, sparks fly and not in a good way. He’s too old. Too blond. Too stiff. Yet she’s still drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She’s too vulgar. Too sassy. Too wild. But she ignites something inside of him he can’t ignore.

We all know what happens when you play with fire. . . someone’s bound to get burned.

Review

I quite enjoyed DOPPELBANGER, which is the second book from Heather M. Orgeron that I’ve read.

“You burst into our lives like a bomb, when our world needed nothing more than to be shaken up.”

I liked Gina, who has a heart of gold but a mouth that gets her in a lot of trouble. I loved, loved, loved all the kids. Gina’s nephews⏤Landon, Lake and Kyle⏤were a handful and hilarious. Jeffrey’s daughters⏤Evangeline and Willow⏤were feisty and adorable. I loved the scene were Gina and Jeffrey meet, which was awkward and hilarious at the same time.

Unfortunately, Jeffrey wasn’t as likable. Some of the things he said to Gina were so hurtful and some were downright unforgivable. It was so disappointing to see a man—who loves his daughters and loved his wife—treat women so badly. That being said, he was a wonderful father to his two girls, and he did redeem himself in the end, but I still spent most of the book wishing I could kick him in the balls.

DOPPELBANGER is told in dual POVs and, while it has a connection to BOOMERANGERS, you don’t need to read that book to enjoy this one. DOPPELBANGER was very funny, but as with the previous book, some of the humor did feel forced. DOPPELBANGER comes with not one, but two epilogues, both of which were lovely and sweet and perfect ways to end the book. But the extended epilogue—set twelve years in the future—was my favorite one for sure.

Doppelbanger

My Rating:  

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The Accidentals

By Sarina Bowen

Synopsis

Never ask a question unless you’re sure you want the truth.

I’ve been listening to my father sing for my whole life. I carry him in my pocket on my mp3 player. It’s just that we’ve never met face to face.

My mother would never tell me how I came to be, or why my rock star father and I have never met. I thought it was her only secret. I was wrong.

When she dies, he finally appears. Suddenly I have a first class ticket into my father’s exclusive world. A world I don’t want any part of – not at this cost.

Only three things keep me going: my a cappella singing group, a swoony blue-eyed boy named Jake, and the burning questions in my soul.


There’s a secret shame that comes from being an unwanted child. It drags me down, and puts distance between me and the boy I love.

My father is the only one alive who knows my history. I need the truth, even if it scares me.

Review

THE ACCIDENTALS is the first young adult novel by Sarina Bowen, and while I don’t usually read young adult, I’ll read anything written by Ms Bowen. Told only in Rachel’s POV, we follow her as she mourns the death of her mother, moves to a different state, goes to a new school, makes new friends, loses old friends, and struggles with intimacy, all while she navigates a relationship with her father, who she knew about but had never met prior to her mother’s death.

Going by the blurb, I thought the relationship between Rachel and her father, Frederick, would be the primary focus of the story, but it wasn’t. There was a lot of other stuff going on, which for me was too much and detracted from what I was really hoping to read: a story about a teen-aged girl and her previously absent father. Rachel and Frederick barely spent any time together, and when they finally had their heart-to-heart, it was done so at the 93% mark and only lasted seven pages. This was where I was expecting to have my heart broken for Rachel. Instead I felt nothing for a scene that felt incomplete and left me wanting.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, but I didn’t love it, and I think that’s because I had expectations that this would be an emotional read, and for me, it wasn’t one. I also felt that some threads were left hanging and when the book ended, it was very sudden and again, felt incomplete.

I’m a huge fan of Sarina Bowen, so it pains me when I (very rarely) give her a not-so-glowing review. I think a lot of readers out there will enjoy THE ACCIDENTALS, but sadly it just wasn’t for me.

The Accidentals

My Rating:  

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