Tag Archives: Tattoos

Castle of Kings

By Betty Shreffler

Synopsis

Jake F*cking Castle
When he walks into a room, he owns it. He consumes my very breath and melts my delicate little panties. From the moment he set eyes on me, he decided I was his. No one – not even my brother, Nix – was going to tell him otherwise. It doesn’t matter that Nix is President of the Kings MC Club. Jake wants what he wants, and he’ll set out to get it, whatever the cost.
Jake may be an arrogant asshole, but there’s no denying the hold he has over me. His fierce, carnal need to make me his, and his alone, is a snare I can’t escape. And truth be told, I don’t want to.
But when my life becomes threatened, Jake Castle is the only man my brother trusts to protect me. He knows Jake will do anything to keep me safe.

Review

Castle of Kings is the first MC Romance for Betty Shreffler and the first one for me to read. Liz is the sister of Nix who leader of The Kings MC Club. She just got back from school and her bother has some of the club bothers that he thinks she should meet. One of those bothers does not include Jake Castle. As soon as Jake saw Liz he knew that she was special. Throw in trouble for a rival club and you have a mixture for an intense relationship.

I instantly fell for Jake. He is arrogant and possessive. And you can’t help but want to make him the center of your world. Jake understands the dangers of his world and his only desire is to make sure that Liz is safe. I also love his nickname for her.

I loved Liz. She is tough but she understood this MC lifestyle having grown up in it. She has great friends around her. She also has a great brother who only wants to see her safe and happy.

I have to say that this was a very quick read for me. I couldn’t put this book down and I really wish that I had a Jake to take me for a ride on his bike. This relationship is intense. They understand each other. Even though Nix doesn’t like it, he knows that Jake will keep her safe. I can’t wait to see what Betty has in store for us next.

Castle of Kings

My Rating:

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Under Her Skin

By Adriana Anders

Synopsis

Her Body is His Canvas

A darkly possessive relationship has left Uma alone and on the run. Beneath her drab clothing, she hides a terrible secret—proof of her abuse, tattooed onto her skin in a lurid reminder of everything she’s survived.

Caught between a brutal past and an uncertain future, Uma’s reluctant to bare herself to anyone…much less a rough ex-con whose rage drives him in ways she will never understand. But beneath his frightening exterior, Ivan is gentle. Warm. Compassionate. And just as determined to heal Uma’s broken heart as he is to destroy the monster who left his mark scrawled across the delicate tapestry of her skin.

Review

Under Her Skin is a debut novel.

The synopsis grabbed me from the start and I loved the cover however I have a really strong opinion on one of the main characters and I have to just get this off my chest. This character actually made me struggle with this story.

Mrs Lloyd, she was simply too harsh, I mean considering her own background I think this story could have had such a deeper impact with the personal demons of Uma but giving her a sympathetic soul to nurture and provide her a safe environment. Uma was on the run, escaping a brutal man with next to nothing. I would have loved to have seen that Mrs Lloyd saw the damaged and tortured creature upon her porch that was Uma and immediately provide her a safe haven. The poor girl is recovering in one chapter from the procedure she undergoes, Mrs Lloyd makes comments and I thought oh finally the woman is going to show compassion and yet nothing – go clean my kitchen you useless girl. It actually made me hate Mrs Lloyd and I quite honestly did not like her for the rest of the story. When her own personal history was revealed I was like – I don’t care – she was just mean. I know she had issues but I would have loved for her to be the mother figure that Uma obviously needed considering her own mother provided nothing to her. If Mrs Lloyd had showed some of the tenacity when she was holding that shotgun towards helping Uma breathe new life into her soul then I would have probably fallen in love with the old dear but by the 96% mark to finally show some human spirit – it was too late for me.

Personally this story did not pick up until after half way which was a shame as there were some great characters namely Jessie and I did love Steve. I thought the scenes with Uma and Ive were sensual and really well written considering her issues with touching and showing her demons. I also enjoyed when she visited the practice and I wish I could have read more on her visiting and building a relationship with the doctor who was creating a new skin for her to live her new life.

The ending felt rushed and too quickly tied up especially with Uma’s ex partner – you knew it was coming – I was glad we got the HEA with Ive and Uma though.

Under Her Skin

My Rating:

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Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4)

By Kristen Ashley

Synopsis

Get ready to ride . . .

Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now, she’s back on track and looking forward to her new, quiet life. Until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila-and the best sex of her life. She knows it isn’t the tequila and hot sex talking. He’s the kind of man she’s always wanted. Unfortunately, he’s also her new boss . . .

Kane “Tack” Allen has a rule. He doesn’t employ someone he’s slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. Yet when Tyra stands up to him and fights for her job, Tack is intrigued. He tells her she can keep her job on one condition: no more sex. Ever. But as things heat up between them, Tack finds that he’ll be the one breaking all the rules…

Review

Motorcycle Man was my most favourite of this entire series which just seemed to get better with each book. The characters Hawk, Brock and Mitch make a stunning and incredible force to be reckoned with when Tack needs their help. Tyra of all the women in this series to me has the greatest sacrifice and personal trauma for the love of Tack. You knew going in it was going to take a special woman for Tack and she out of all the women was my absolute favourite.

The way Tyra loves Tack’s kids especially Tabitha and when she goes all Momma Bear angry on her boyfriend was one of my favourite parts. This section also cemented Tack and his extreme love for this woman when fallout happens.

Tack colours Tyra’s world. Throughout this book Tack shows this woman how to live by the words of Chaos. Motorcycle Man takes you on a fast ride, plenty of characters return from the Dream Man books and we are given light moments inbetween the heavy MC club darkness.

I had tears in my eyes for Tyra – she is a fighter and that is why she is with Tack – they are perfect together.

There is a spin off series to the Motorcycle Man – Tabitha, Rush and Hop have a story to tell and I for one are going on that ride.

Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4)

My Rating:

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Jester (No Prisoners MC #2)

By Lilly Atlas

Synopsis

Thrust into a world of danger and fear, first grade teacher, Emily, is forced to comply with a terrifying MC president’s demands in order to save her only brother’s life. Her only port in the storm is Jester, a member of a rival MC she’s supposed to use and betray. Jester proves to be the opposite of everything Emily expects, and before long she’s in his bed and he’s in her heart.

Jester would give life and limb for the No Prisoner’s Motorcycle Club. His sole focus should be on the impending attack against their enemies, the Grimm Brothers. Meeting sweet and innocent Emily wasn’t part of his plan, and falling for her is out of the question.

Can Emily save her brother’s life without destroying the man who opens her eyes and heart to an amazing world of pleasure? She’ll do anything in her power to help her brother while protecting Jester, but when Jester finds out she was sent by his enemy, she may lose everything she’s trying to preserve.

Review

So Jester is a standalone within the No Prisoners MC Series but I for one will be going back and reading Striker, there are so many great characters we meet and I want to know all their stories.
I also love both the covers of Jester and Striker.
Two characters I fell in love with were Striker and Lilly and I want to read their story. Lilly was a great supportive character for Emily and even Striker stepped up when Jester was struggling with betrayals.
So if Striker is anything like Jester, I am thinking I will not be able to put it down.
So onto Jester – I LOVED it and can happily say this is going to be a new favourite MC series for me.
I started reading this, could not put down, finished in two days (in between my day job). We got romance, suspense, drama and the all important kidnapping and her love coming to her rescue.
Jester and Emily are strong characters, I immediately connected with them, the flow of the story was perfect and all importantly their sex scenes were both physically passionate but then also really emotional at times.
Only thing that grated on my nerves was the constant thoughts by Jester that Emily was hiding something, then another drama would happen to stop him asking her and next thing we know the betrayal hits.
Acer was a character who played his part for supporting Emily and grew on me so I look forward to reading his story too.
There is an intense scene when Emily is taken by the rival MC gang and it had me shaking but we do get a HEA so no complaints from me.

Jester (No Prisoners MC #2)

My Rating:

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Unexplained (Higher Elevation Series Book 1)

By Renee Regent

Synopsis

When it comes to love, some things just can’t be explained….

A skeptical reporter who witnesses the unbelievable…

It’s the late 1970’s, and tenacious journalism student Sarah McKenn doesn’t believe the rumors of strange happenings in her small college town of Fort Winston, Colorado. But a supernatural event she experiences while chasing down a story for her school’s newspaper leaves her questioning everything. In her quest for understanding, she meets and falls for Chris, the only man she believes can help her unravel the truth.

A psychology student determined to prove his psychic talents are real…

Christian Levine is on the cusp of a bright future as a research psychologist when he agrees to participate in a secret experiment at the request of his mentor. Though it’s the perfect opportunity to prove his psychic abilities, the project turns deadly when Chris discovers the real motivation of the man in control of it all. Chris is forced to choose between his own freedom or saving the lives of his mentor and Sarah─the woman he loves.

A bond that transcends all boundaries…

The chemistry between Sarah and Chris surprises them—a soul-filling passion and a deep psychic connection neither thought possible. Can they discover what their bond means before their lives are ripped apart?

Review

Renee Regent has carefully crafted several stories lines into one book called Unexplained. There are several characters and they are equally important to the outcome of this story.

Chris is immediately attracted to Sarah. He can’t explain why he can’t stop thinking about her. They go through all the normal new relationship issues except for the fact that there is a psychic element in the mix. They both have secrets that they are keeping so that makes for interesting challenge in trust. But their chemistry is amazing and keeps them coming back together.

Sarah also has a story line with Zach, her best friend. Zach is a photographer and they are on a story together. They are trying to figure out all of the strange gossip in town and if there is any truth to the psychic phenomenon that is going on.

Chris has a story line with Dr. Engle and Ridgebock. Both are using him for something. Dr. Engle for scientific curiosity and Ridgebock to get rich.

The story lines are independent of each other and they are carefully woven together and lead to an exciting ending. The beginning took a while to set up each character so at times it seemed long. About half way through I became really invested in Sarah and Chris’s story and had to see how the different characters were going to come together. Unexplained is a great start to this series and it will be interesting to see where Renee Regent takes these characters.

Unexplained

My Rating:

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Tonic

By Staci Hart

Synopsis

Joel Anderson doesn’t take anything seriously.

Not his relationships, which have been few and far between since his brutal divorce. Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlor, which seems to be around every corner. When things get him down, he smiles and cracks a joke. But he’s not the kind of man you cross, or you’ll find yourself at the wrong end of his fists.

Annika Belousov takes everything seriously.

Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. Or her love life, which is defined by a series of requirements — affluent, ambitious, accomplished, to name a few. Definitely her family, who worked their whole lives to afford her every opportunity, a sacrifice she doesn’t take lightly. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way.
The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open, but she’s not having it. He’s all wrong — too crass, too hairy, too un-serious. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line.

Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.

*** A standalone Romantic Comedy ***

Review

Tonic invigorated and strengthen my love for romance, it balmed my heart with humour, passion and tenderness. Joel and Annika were a breath of fresh air and I devoured this story.

If you love watching the TV Show UnReal then this story is for you, it has all the drama, double crossing and emotional consequences. I have not read a romance story with this outline of a TV show filming in a Tattoo parlour so it was pretty cool and I enjoyed this base from where we then had fantastic characters. You follow the behind the scenes on the TV Show and the feeling of dread builds up and when it explodes it does not disappoint.

Joel “Hairy” was a perfect, his age difference with Annika was just spot on, their banter with each other was humorous, passionate and so emotional. I loved how his more mature outlook evolved within the romance story with has past hurts.

The story flowed really well for me, at no time did I feel rushed or wanted to story to speed up and I also love the cover.

Annika’s and her Russian family was one of my favourite components of this story and really explained so much of her personality and outlook on life.

Joel and Annika are Fire and Ice and the way they fed off each other was just so brilliant and created so many favourite chapters.

I highly recommend this wonderful story.

Tonic

My Rating:

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Tyed

By L J Shen

Synopsis

Rock bottom has built way more champions than privilege has.

Blaire, an underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you) needs something from Ty.

Mixed Martial artist Ty, a soon-to-be Welterweight champion of the Xtreme Warrior League and the hottest guy in the Bay Area, wants something from Blaire.

But Ty has a secret.

And Blaire can barely even handle his truths.

Life is about to throw a few knockout punches at both of them. Can they handle the pain?

Tyed is a standalone novel.

Review

Ty is definitely one dynamic and hot champion and owns the pages who kept me reading this even when I found Blaire for the first half of the book a bit annoying and a bit blah. She came into her own but my god her sister annoyed me no end and I felt frustrated by their relationship as she was a very self centred character. I wanted to throttle Blaire’s parents and I just would have liked the family dynamic explored just a little more as they were thrown in at parts and glossed over in others, especially when Blaire graduates. Blaire had such low self confidence and seeing how her parents and sister walked all over her, well no wonder. The whole scene at Las Vegas with the wedding just felt weird one day all drama then next at the wedding chapel.

I liked the second half of this book more, it does not slow down and works you up to a ending that is simply perfect and gives you your HEA. I loved seeing the characters find their own way back to each other and I did not pick Ty’s secret until all was revealed so that was great writing.

Cameron was a great character to introduce when Blaire needed someone and I must say that Shane also created drama and more questions and I enjoyed him.

This is my second book by this author, I have read Sparrow (two times) still one of my favourites from this year.

Tyed

My Rating:

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Dirty Neighbor (The Dirty Suburbs #1)

By Cassie-Ann L. Miller

Synopsis

Keeland Masters… Growing up, he was the boy next door, my older brother’s best friend, the guy who asked me to the prom…and then stood me up. He just vanished into thin air.

Now that he’s back in town, he wants to come over to play. And I’m not talking hopscotch.

But he’s hurt me once, so I’m sticking to my side of the fence no matter how good he looks pushing that lawnmower in all his tanned, toned shirtless glory.

Samantha Trotten… I should have been her first kiss. I should have been her “first time”. Instead, I ended up being the first a**hole to break her heart. But a lot of things were outside of my control back then.

I’ve been to hell and back over the past few years. She doesn’t even know the half of it.

But now, I’m back in town. And though I know I should keep my distance, all I want is a do-over…And I won’t quit till I get it.

Review

Dirty Neighbor is a story of lost crushes and second chances. A man, Keeland Masters, comes back to his old neighborhood to find his home again. He has a lot to make up for because when his family left town they left a lot behind.

Sammie is grown up now. She isn’t that same girl that he left standing on her porch waiting for her prom date (Keeland) to arrive. Keeland was her crush and she won’t hurt again.

I liked Sammie’s character. She was still vulnerable enough to make her human. She still wants Keeland but she knows what he is capable of and she isn’t going to risk her heart again. But that doesn’t mean she can’t have some great sex. She is out of work and Keeland needs help with his bookkeeping so that means they get to see each other on a regular basis.

Keeland was also a great character. He hasn’t had sex for three years because of being incarcerated and he is looking for his first bed partner. But he sees Sammie and old memories came back. He still has feeling for her and now only she will do. The only problem is he promised Sammie’s brother that he wouldn’t touch her but what happens in the suburbs stays in the suburbs.

Cassie-Ann L Miller put together a novel on relationships. They aren’t always pretty and they take work and I think that Cassie-Ann does a good job of writing that. (Especially with Sammie’s brother.) It will be interest to read about the next suburb escapade.

Dirty Neighbor

My Rating:

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The Reaper’s Sacrifice (Deathmark #2)

By Abigail Baker

Synopsis

It’s been two years since I tried to overthrow Death…

Now, all I have to show for it is a life in exile without my lover and personal Grim Reaper, Brent Hume. He bargained his soul for my safety. If I could get him back, I would, but I don’t don’t have the first idea how. So I live for the night when Reaper’s bring nightmares to the living—and Brent visits me in mine. Doesn’t make for a good night’s sleep, but I’ll take what little of him I can get.

When Death comes calling, sending me into an old foe’s camp as a spy, my inner rebel awakens once more. If I play my cards right, I might improve upon my growing Master Scrivener powers and finally free Brent so that we can be together for good. I know he’ll do anything to keep me safe—even if it means I’ll never see him again. And that scares the Hell out of me.

Review

The Reaper’s Sacrifice is book two in this series and The Reaper’s Kiss should be read first. The story begins two years after the first book.

Ollie is an exiled scrivener because she helped in a rebellion against head Grim Reaper Marin. She places a deathmark on someone that is getting ready to die so their soul can be ferried over to the Afterlife. In book one, half of her soul is transferred to Brent Hume, her Reaper and lover. He transferred it in order to save her because now he is the only one that can ferry the rest of her soul. As punishment for their involvement in the rebellion the are forbidden from seeing each other. Their only form of communication takes place in her nightmares. Ollie finds out many truths on her journey and she has to keep her head clear.

This story is action packed from beginning to end. Throughout the story I didn’t know who Ollie could trust and I was always looking for someone to betray her. She feared for her loved ones but she never let that fear stop her. She had a strength in character that kept me engaged.

The Reaper’s Sacrifice

My Rating:

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Dirty (Dive Bar # 1)

By Kylie Scott

Synopsis

Love—on the rocks….

The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that come with her.

Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to scream or cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together.

Just when this runaway bride has nowhere left to turn, a handsome stranger offers her a broad, muscular shoulder to cry on. Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessmen she’s normally drawn to. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and is facing his own crossroads. But Lydia’s already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong–maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.

After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?

Dirty is the first book in the Dive Bar series from bestselling author Kylie Scott.

Review

On the day of her wedding, Lydia finds out that her soon-to-be husband is in fact gay and that he’s been using her to hide the truth from his family and friends. Having only arrived in town a few months earlier, she wasn’t aware that his sexual preference was the town’s worst kept secret. She meets Vaughan when she breaks into his bungalow to hide away from the world…in his bathtub. It doesn’t take Vaughan long to figure out that the woman in his bathtub isn’t insane, just upset and in need of a friend and a place to stay.

I liked both Lydia and Vaughan and how their relationship progressed. Yes, they fall in love in under a week, but they spend almost all their time together during that week and gradually work their way up from like to love. If it wasn’t for the author telling us how much time had passed, I would have assumed the period of time was longer, it just seemed that natural.

“Something you need to know, before tonight.”
“What’s that?”
“I put out on the first date. That okay with you?”

DIRTY was a good start to Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar series and we were introduced to a slew of new characters that all revolve around the bar. The bar is owned by Nell (Vaughan’s sister), Pat and Eric, but tensions are running high between the business partners as their personal relationships fall apart. Nell was hilarious to begin with, but she’s dealing with some major issues that make me feel really sorry for her. I think out of all the new characters introduced, her story is the one I’m really looking forward to. It appears I’ll have to wait for her story though, because book two, TWIST, will be about Eric’s brother, Joe.