LUCAS (A Preston Brothers Novel) by Jay McLean

Blurb:

In a sprint, every millisecond counts.
When you’re waiting for love, those milliseconds can feel like eons.

High school senior Lucas Preston has it all: star of the track team, a scholarship waiting for him, an apartment to himself and a revolving door of girlfriends. He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other.
His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven.
A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage.

It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love.
Eight life-changing seconds.
It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.

Find Lucas on Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2f06Ntc

Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2e4wRyI

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2eTpjk5

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2dUEKvj

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: October 2016.

I'll be honest, when Jay McLean first spoke of writing and releasing Lucas I was a tad worried, I adored the More series, all of it, each book made me fall a little more in love with the author's words, with the worlds she created, so much so More Than Enough found itself on my Platinum Lipstick - favourite of all time list and it's dedication would end up being inked on my skin, that kind of love is difficult to emulate, in fact I was scared that I wouldn't love Lucas the same way I had loved it's predecessors. The truth however is that I needn't worried, this story was a perfect combination of sweet romance and thrilling suspense and raw heartbreak.

"You're my best friend, Luke, and you're standing here right now on the side of a highway telling me I should hate you while driving to a store an hour away. For me!"

Lucas Preston and Lois (Laney) Sanders met as children and became firm friends, their young friendship saw more than most high school crushes , the setting of college dreams, the bond these two developed was raw and real in the best possible way, equal parts childhood naivety and adult reality, their relationship blossomed into something bigger and bolder along the way leaving them trying to navigate what it meant for them now. Granted from my words, you would be expecting a teenage friends to lovers romance much like I did, but Lucas was so much more than that, much like the relationship that developed between Lucas and Laney, this story was bigger and bolder than that, it left me gripping my kindle to my chest, swallowing down panic, desperately hoping something (yes I'm being deliberately vague here) to happen.

"And so without meaning to, without wanting to, I started to fall in like with a girl who would later become my best friend. My confidant. My courage... A girl who would later crush my heart and destroy me."

This is the point when I'd usually tell you about the story and the impact it had on me, I'd tell you all about how certain scenes left me reeling or made me feel exuberant and joyous but inside I'm going to beg to experience this book the way I did...blind. Know that Lucas is part YA/NA, part coming of age, part friends to lovers, all heart wrenching gloriousness that had me addicted, everything about McLean's latest work was impossible to put down. For fans of the More series, Lucas will delight and intrigue, it will easily fill the void left by a beloved series ending, for those new to the world of Jay McLean Lucas will easily enrapture leaving you wanting More. (See what I did there )  Allow McLean to steal your heart the way she did mine, with two characters who feel more like family as they take on adolescence and high school crushes, adult issues and everything in between, allow McLean to take you on a journey that you won't soon forget.

About Jay McLean:

Jay McLean is an international best-selling author and full-time reader, writer of New Adult Romance, and most of all, procrastinator. When she’s not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her two little boys, playing house and binge watching Netflix.
She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her hurt and make her feel.

Jay lives in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in a forever half-done home where music is loud and laughter is louder.

Connect with Jay on Facebook

Harley and Rose by Carmen Jenner

Blurb:

Ever since she was a little girl, thirty-year-old Rose dreamed of the day Harley would carry her across the threshold on their honeymoon. So what if this isn’t her actual wedding day, and that she’s only here because Harley was left at the altar just a few hours earlier?

Trading San Francisco for paradise and swapping her bridesmaid’s bouquet for a Blue Hawaii, Rose hopes she can finally escape the friend zone.

Once upon a time they had been more than friends, but life got in the way. She’s spent every day since wishing Harley would get a clue.

She’s always been his best friend.

He’s always been hers.

She’s in love with him.

He’s … not in love with her.

He’s … marrying someone else.

He’s … hiding something.

He’s … well—it’s complicated.

Find on Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2dXSSkZ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2eM3tlL

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2dKNsZ6

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: October 2016.

It's a truly unexplainable feeling beta reading for an author you admire, it's a process like anything that grows and develops and inevitably changes over time. As the reader you continue to grow, you become more and more widely read, your tastes change and that thing you look for when wanting to lose yourself within the pages of a book continues to develop, mature, it's the nature of being a book lover, what you read and loved years ago might not hold that same wow factor were you to pick it up for the first time now, with this you hope that the Authors you read change with you, holding onto some modicum of what makes their stories uniquely theirs, and yet develop and change and hopefully still grab you by the collar and demand you sit up and take notice. When Ms Jenner first mentioned Harley and Rose over a year ago now, the words sweet and light and funny were thrown around, when she dropped hints like friends to lovers and second chance romance I may have inwardly cheered, for anyone who knows me, they know the affinity I share with friends to lovers and their elk, my imagination almost immediately ran wild with images of funny, sweet interludes, of childhood bestfriends who grew into the strongest of lovers, yet for almost a year after that moment Harley and Rose was shelved in favor of other stories needing to be told. When Harley and Rose once again became a living breathing entity and found itself on my kindle I felt a heady sense of trepidation, the images I created in my mind were vivid and full of beautiful colour, I found myself questioning how I could read and critique something I had already built up such lofty expectations for? What if the story the Author told weren't what I expected?  What I couldn't have anticipated was how much this story would claim my heart or how sorely mistaken I would be thinking that the images that originally flooded my mind would have ever done these characters justice.

"Do you love her?"

"Rose - "

"Do you?"

"I don't know. Yeah I think so. When I'm with her I'm a different man, but when I'm here with you, I'm...I'm me."

"God, That's so much worse."

"I know." 

Harley and Rose have never done anything the easy way, from the moment they met as children, their lives have consisted of epic adventures, of great loves and harrowing heartbreaks, as teenagers we tend to romanticize every moment, our first loves should inspire sonnets, our heartbreaks enough to wage wars, every moment and every part of adolescence is filled with a sense of manic desperation that feels too big to be contained. For Rose, her entire life is filled with Harley, her past, her present and her future is consumed by a boy who would always be the Peter Pan to her Wendy, the boy who inspired girlhood crushes and adult lifelong loves regardless of which twists and turns their lives have taken, despite lovers who may come and go, part of her heart would always belong to the boy who never grew up.

"Over it? I laugh but there's no humor in the sound. I wish I could put you aside as easily as you seem to be able to dismiss me, but I can't, because I've been loving you so long I don't know how to stop."

 I have so much I want to say here, so much I want to tell you about why Harley and Rose was nothing like how I expected nor wanted, and yet everything I needed, I want to tell you how indelibly Rose left her mark on my heart, how much her pain and heartbreak seeped into my very being, causing wave upon wave of raw emotion to wash over me, I want to tell you how much I pride myself on not crying in books and yet how Harley and Rose broke my tightly held control and left me blinking through tears begging for relief from the pain that I *knew* would only grow. I want to tell you how much I wanted to crawl into the pages and hold Rose, comfort her, hold her through all those moments that saw her struggle for breath, to give her strength. I want to tell you one of the things that cemented Carmen Jenner as a much read author for me was her ability to craft strong willed heroines that are also beautifully broken, her ability to showcase the dichotomy of the human condition in her characters, especially in her leading ladies is a feat few authors truly accomplish for me. Rose with her tenacity and quite strength intermingled with her vulnerability and inability to walk away even when self preservation calls for it cemented her as a character that will remain in my mind long after her story ended. But mostly, I want to implore you to read this book, avoid spoilers, go in as blind as possible and allow Ms Jenner to steal your heart with her heady blend of raw emotion, humor and sizzling chemistry of two people who were always destined to be in each others lives.

About Carmen Jenner:

Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something, USA TODAY and international bestselling author of the Sugartown, Savage Saints, and Taint series.
Her dark romance, KICK (Savage Saints MC #1), won Best Dark Romance Read in the Reader’s Choice Awards at RWDU 2015.
A tattoo enthusiast, hardcore MAC addict and zombie fangirl, Carmen lives on the sunny north coast of New South Wales, Australia, where she spends her time indoors wrangling her two wildling children, a dog named Pikelet, and her very own man-child.
A romantic at heart, Carmen strives to give her characters the HEA they deserve, but not before ruining their lives completely first … because what’s a happily ever after without a little torture?

Contact Carmen on Facebook

Twelve Truths and a Lie

Blurb:

Aurora Jones has it all—a job she loves as a child and family therapist, supportive friends, and a decent place to live. What she doesn’t have is much luck when it comes to dating men. And not only are her choices terrible, she also hasn’t been boyfriend free since she was a teenager. So she places herself on a sabbatical of sorts. No dating for twelve months.

Cameron Miller has had a crappy year. His girlfriend fell for his best friend and to ease the pain, he drowns his troubles in more booze and women than he can count. When his buddies finally slap some sense into him and urge him to focus on his new position as a special education teacher in an urban school district, he decides to get his act together.

Away from the prying eyes of their mutual friends, Cameron and Aurora agree to hang out once a week in their newly dubbed Chastity Club. Number of members? Two. It’s a chance to find solace, companionship, and something neither anticipated – a burgeoning attraction. But when Cameron invites Aurora to be his fake date at the reunion his ex-girlfriend and best friend will be attending, their passion ignites. What happens in Chastity Club stays in Chastity Club, right? Until they discover that a year of self-truths might actually lead them to true love.

Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2d7NRJA

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2cFwcsS

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2cA0MyS
B&N: http://bit.ly/2cF5PkW

iBooks: http://apple.co/2cnB802

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: September 2016.

Holy Moly!!! Where do I even start... from the very moment I laid eyes on the cover for Twelve Truths and a Lie I was intrigued, and that title, I was sold by that alone, I experienced that rare connection immediately, I *needed* to read this book, once I read the blurb I was already over halfway to be absolutely smitten, with that much excitement building inside of me any number of things could of gone wrong, I could of failed to feel that connection to the words, the one that we as readers need to live and breathe. Twelve Truths was my first foray into Christina Lee's work, within the first chapter I was enchanted, by chapter two I was hooked, I devoured Lee's words like a Lush imbibes on wine, I was utterly and hopelessly invested in Aurora and Cameron's lives and to be honest sitting here writing this review, my hands anxious, my heart still racing, a smile on my face, I'm envious of those who get to read this book for the first time.

"Nobody's normal, no matter what they tell you."

Aurora and Cameron are each fighting an uncomfortable truth about themselves, Lee's exquisite prose serves to draw reader in, there is a rawness to their journey's, one that resonated deeply with me, in a world where these two spend so much of their professional lives being a voice of reason and support for those less fortunate, those battling larger demons than themselves it's inevitable that there's comfort in finding someone who understands the world they inhabit. Twelve Truths is simultaneously sweet and funny and raw and profound, filled with a tenderness that perfectly showed the vulnerability of the human condition interlaced with the tenacity of the human spirit, Lee encapsulated exactly what we seek, true love. A love built on more than purely animalistic attraction, or chemistry, a love so profound that you only truly understand its depth when you surrender your heart to it, a love that opens you up to life, a love that challenges you, a love that both makes you vulnerable and strong.

"You walk in the room and I can't catch my breath. My heart goes crazy. You're like this warm and commanding light that I can't turn away from. My very own Northern Light. I want to be near you all the time."

I want to divulge all the moments that made my heart skip a beat, I want to regale  you with all the moments that had me giggling, I wanted to share with you all the moments that I felt that blush creep up my cheeks, everything about this story was addictive, like a compulsion I could not bare to put this book down. Twelve Truths and a Lie absolutely stole my heart, I had a sneaking suspicion this book would be right up my proverbial alley, however I could of never had anticipated how ardently I would love it. I implore you to spend some time in the world Lee created, and allow Aurora and Cameron to captivate and enchant you the way they did me.

About Christina Lee:

Once upon a time, Christina Lee lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. She spent her days getting in cabs, shopping for photo shoots, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at her favorite hangouts.

Now she lives in the Midwest with her husband and son—her two favorite guys. She’s been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn't until she wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that she realized she could turn the fairytales inside her head into the reality of writing fiction.
She’s addicted to lip balm and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

She writes Adult, New Adult, and LGBTQ romance.

Connect with Christina on Facebook

Wasted Words by Staci Hart - Review

Blurb:

Some universal truths refuse to be ignored.

Peanut butter and jelly are a match made in heaven. Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.

She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.

Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.

*A romantic comedy inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma*

 

Find on Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1OsdgtG
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1TUhgSA
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1sdHk1T
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1TUij4R

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: May 2016.

There was nervous excitement picking up Wasted Words, I stumbled upon Staci Hart last year when the cover of With A Twist  stopped me scrolling my newsfeed, literally reaching through social media, grabbing my collar while screaming STOP STOP STOP LOOK AT ME!!! For anyone who follows me they know with certainty that the Friends to Lovers trope is my ultimate, from that moment on I was enamoured, my love of Ms Hart's covers wasn't relegated to only that title, as Chaser and Last Call hit the interwebs I was once again enchanted, the author's ability to catch every aspect of the characters and bring them to life not only on the cover but again in her words held me captive, she made me fall in love with this quirky group of friends, with their lives, with their sorrows and their triumphs, when whispers of Wasted Words began I was intrigued, for lovers of the Bad Habits series Cam was a newly introduced character, even in the brief mentions she was quirky and fun and I couldn't wait to discover more about her.

Cam has her world carefully organised like the books she loves, everything on its right shelf grouped with their suitable partners, she's friendly and outgoing, loved by those who know her, with a knack for match making Cam derives joy out of nudging people in the direction of their soul mates, finding ingenious ways to get people to connect organically leaving them none the wiser to her meddling ways, being able to zero in on possible love matches comes naturally, but when she turns her hand to pushing her bestie / roommate into the path of another woman things begin to change.

"It was in the mundane moments that I noticed her...

"I wondered, and not for the first time, if she would ever date me. If she'd let me kiss her. If she'd kiss me back." 

Tyler had the world at his feet until an on field injury ended his dreams of going pro in the NFL. Years later Tyler has recovered and moved on with his life, he has a dream job as a sports agent, after being unlucky in love Tyler somewhat removed himself from the dating market, no longer actively looking for love, content focusing primarily on work, his spare time spent with his roommate and closest friend, the pocket rocket that is Cam, frequenting her work Wasted Words, taking part in her singles nights, spending weekends camped in front of the television together, going to NFL games, their bond unbreakable, when Tyler is introduced to someone who would usually make perfect sense for him he's rattled that he isn't excited in the way he should be.

"All this time, I had my eyes peeled for a match for Tyler, and now I found one. I just couldn't figure out why I felt woozy about it."

Built on a solid foundation of friendship, everything about Tyler and Cam should be easy, it should be effortless, their connection is undeniable, their chemistry, explosive but when love doesn't come in the shape and form you expect it there can be dire consequences. All of the emotions that bubble up inside telling you how right this is, can't change your head telling you that it can end in disaster. Waging a war on heart and head is tricky when you don't know who you want to win. There's a beautiful message in Wasted Words that reminds us to look outside of what we've conditioned ourselves to believe, Hart urges the reader to question the imaginary shelves we put ourselves on, to question the fences we build to keep people out, to prevent the chance of future hurt.

"This is supposed to be easy. When you fall for someone, shouldn't it be easy? I don't feel like we're the same. We're not equals."

Ultimately the beauty of Wasted Words is in more than just the witty banter, which Hart writes with perfect comedic timing, more than the sizzling chemistry between Tyler and Cam, which abounds, more than the urge to climb into your kindle and butt their heads together urging them to open their eyes, to see what's right in front of each other, which happened more than once, the beauty of this story was in those moments where I connected with Cam, when I felt her fear and trepidation, when I felt her confidence slip and her anxiety increase, it was in those moments when she became a friend, someone I wanted to wrap my arms around, and not just read about her. It was the moments when she was lost inside her own head trying to navigate her way out of past hurts. It was in the moments when Tyler stood sure and proud, when he knew what he wanted and went after if, when he said the perfect words to have me swooning and wanting to climb within the pages for very different reasons to those previously. Friends to Lovers isn't a new trope, and it's certainly not new to me, Hart crafted Wasted Words in a way that left it feeling fun and fresh, she made loving not only the hero and heroine but all of the characters...wait well not ALL of the characters but you'll need to read the book to find out, effortless. Eloquent, refreshing and a pleasure to lose myself in, Wasted Words was everything I hoped for.

 

 

 

 

About Staci Hart:

 

 



Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life: a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.

From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics.

Connect with Staci on Facebook

Mad Addiction (Crazy Beautiful #2) by Jessica Serra Huizenga

Released: May 8th 2016.

Blurb:

Kelley Brooks is saving herself for Prince Charming.

Ryan Blake, while charming, is definitely not a prince.

Always straightforward and realistic, Kelley Brooks and Ryan Blake know they are not right for each other. Kelley believes in fate and waiting for “the one” while Ryan prefers maintaining distance and control with unattached one-night stands.

But after indulging in a single, meaningless wedding hookup, unexpected circumstances force them into one hell of a complicated situation.

After agreeing to a fake engagement, both Ryan and Kelley must confront their pasts — and true feelings — causing them to question everything they thought they knew about family, commitment, and most importantly, love.

A lie brought them together, but will the truth tear them apart?

And what the heck does happily ever after really mean, anyway?

**This books is for readers over the age of 18 due to strong language and explicit sexual content**

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1TcfonZ
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1TZ8i8y
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1TcfzQ6
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01E2T3D3A
iBooks: http://apple.co/1WovEVA
Signed Paperback: http://bit.ly/25Ux9iq
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1MBjd6u

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: April 2016.

In Crazy Beautiful the reader is introduced to Kelley and Ryan, respectively as Kinsley and Lucas's best friends, two incredibly loyal and determined  people that would do anything to ensure their best friends happiness, unfortunately that's where the similarities between the two end, where Ryan has mastered the art of the hit it and quit it move, Kelley dreams of Prince Charming and happily ever afters. Ryan is content to sow his oats as it were as far and wide as possible, he never promises anything more than he's willing to give which is sex only, no strings attached, he doesn't need to, he's smart, attractive and has enough charisma to make even his toughest female critic swoon, and Kelley would know, because despite her absolute vehemence for his lifestyle she can't fight her attraction to him, even Kelley can admit that despite his sexual activity he's a good guy, he may not be boyfriend material but he's kind and considerate and he's there for his friends without a word, Ryan has become a quasi friend, but she's not looking for one night, Kelley is desperately seeking the kind of love that will light up her life, the kind of passion and need that will change her world, and she's not willing to settle for anything other than that.

One moment of weakness however changes everything, when the King of One Night Stands and the Queen of Happily Ever Afters collide, everything they had planned shifts, now pregnant and expecting their child, Kelley is forced to put her dreams of a White Knight riding to her romantic rescue on hold, and Ryan is forced to confront his worst fears, parenthood and being accountable for someone other than himself. Desperate not to face judgement and ridicule from those around them, Ryan and Kelley come up with a deal, a fake engagement so that Ryan doesn't appear to be reckless, and Kelley isn't just another notch on his rather large bedpost. They've already had sex, she's already pregnant, what could possibly go wrong?

"I just didn't realize how comfortable I would get around you. It's sort of how I always pictured my life, but twisted and backwards."

Mad Addiction is at times uproariously funny, and yet tender and sweet, the more Kelley reflects on her past failed relationship and what she wants from her future, softens to the idea that there could be more to Ryan than what he's willing to admit, the more Ryan unpacks his past struggles, his sense of abandonment and fear of repeating the actions of others when responsibility became to heavier burden, the more he grows as both a man and a soon to be father and partner. For fans of Crazy Beautiful, the glimpses of Lucas and Kinsley throughout made me smile, but mist of all what I truly adored was the scope and growth you see for both Kelley and Ryan, the moments of pure anguish as you see two people shackled to their pasts, and the absolute soaring joy or seeing them look at what their future could be if they are brave enough to chase it.

"We're real. This is real. You spout all this bullsh*t about true love but I don't think you even know what that f*cking means."

The author shows a talent for drawing in the reader, for crafting a story that is witty and smart, and funny and sweet, where Crazy Beautiful grabbed my attention, it's follow up Mad Addiction had me grinning like a goon, desperate for more of these characters that I couldn't stop thinking about. Engaging from the first page, captivating to the last line, Mad Addiction quells the theory that the follow up never measures up to the first, for an author who is new to book world, she has cemented her place on my MUST READ list.

"And that's the sad, harsh, ironic truth - a lie brought us together, and the truth tore us apart."

About Jessica:

When she’s not making confetti as head honcho over at The Confetti Bar (theconfettibar.com),
co-dreaming with creative women through Monarch Workshop (monarchworkshop.com), and
blogging about her health & wellness journey going sugar-free at Simple Unsweet
(simpleunsweet.com), Jessica loves to spend her nights getting caught up in imaginary worlds.
She lives in central CT with her husband, Clifford, and the cutest cat EVER, named Curious.
She loves colorful things, making people smile, things that smell good, and is obsessed with
lemon water. And glitter. Lots of glitter.
She also loves, well…love. (She’s a sucker for a sweet story.)
You can check out what she’s up to at JSH Books and on Instagram (@jshbooks)
Want to know anything else?
Feel free to say hi at lovejshbooks@gmail.com!

Fame (Not Like The Movies #1) by Lauren McKellar - ARC Review

Blurb:

She’s supposed to cover the stories.
Not be one.

Madison Winters has life in the bag. Gorgeous fiancé? Check. Promotion to become editor of the country’s hottest fashion magazine? Check. Limited edition pair of Manolo Blahniks? Checkity-check.
Catching her fiancé with his pants down isn’t something she expects. In the space of twenty-four hours, Madison loses it all—not even her shoes will be saved.
Swapping sass + bide for sweatpants and Dior for the downward dog is going to be hell. The last thing Madison’s broken heart needs is a run-in with America’s newest playboy. Can she ever recover from this?

Tate Masters has it all—Hollywood’s latest golden boy has washboard abs, a killer smile, and a leading role in the next A-list movie.
Until a secret from his past is splashed all over the headlines, and that ‘good boy’ image fast-tracks to the gutter.
Now the media hunt is on, and they’re baying for Tate’s blood. One night of wild behaviour sees him wake up next to a gorgeous Aussie brunette—and she’s everything Tate’s afraid of.
Keeping secrets has never been this hard.

Find on Goodreads

Purchase Links:

iBooks: apple.co/1Ucw1iP

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1XHjE0l

Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/1L4N9qN

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1TuNDrL

Amazon AU: bit.ly/1oCTUGM

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: January 2016.

For me Lauren McKellar's writing has always been evocative, her prose beautiful, her Crazy in Love and Emerald Cove series have broached a line between what I would call older YA and NA, veering on the "safer" when it comes to sex, not necessarily fade to black or suggestive romance like what I've come to expect from YA, but her writing has always focused on the connection between in more than just the physical sense. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Fame, the premise intrigued me, the idea itself felt fresh for McKellar, I was in need of something light, something funny, something sexy, something I could lose myself in, forget about my worries and just slip into reader space and be entertained, Fame was effortless, in every sense of the word.

When Madison Winters walks into work one morning she is prepared for her life to change, she certainly wasn't mistaken, the cushy promotion she expected...gone...her loving fiancé...gone...catching him in a compromising position with another woman will tend to do that... in the blink of an eye everything changes, when she's sent to an exotic island for a yoga retreat she figures this might be the break from her new reality she desperately needs, I mean how much else can actually happen to her right?

"The first rule of one-night stands is that you don't stick around, not unless you're hoping for something more."

Tate Masters is living a dream existence, as Hollywood's golden boy, with his squeaky clean image life is good, until tales from his past come calling, suddenly the golden boy is just like every other Hollywood bad boy, his future success depends on his ability to shush the nay sayers and put out a united front with his girlfriend, and keep his head down without raising anymore questions, shooting on an exotic island seems like the perfect thing for him, and really how much could go wrong there?

Madison is strong, resilient, brave, even in the face of her life crumbling she keeps going, from the high flying lifestyle she was quickly becoming accustomed to a much less exotic life, she knows her only option is to not give up, interspersed with sharp wit, exotic locales so beautifully described that the sights and smells bounce off the page and sinfully sexy moments are heartbreakingly honest and raw scenes where you truly feel what Madison is thinking and feeling, the crushing grief of saying goodbye to the life she had imagined, of realising that what she had always believed was true and real had long since disappeared into the ether. Ironically losing everything might just be exactly what she needed in order to figure out what it truly is she wants from her life, written in a way that Fame had me simultaneously devouring the pages whilst trying desperately to savour the feeling that McKellar conjured.

The author shows her depth here, having cemented her place as a go to writer of heavy emotion, one who's ability to discuss even the hardest of topics with sensitivity transcends the usual YA/NA crossover, her talent not limited to one genre, where my previous favourites by the author left me feeling solemn and introspective, Fame was a breath of fresh air, hilariously funny, incredibly sexy, ultimately swoon worthy, Madison and Tate left me smiling long after I turned the last page.

About Lauren McKellar:

Lauren K. McKellar is the writer of contemporary romance reads that make you feel. With a passion for all things fiction, she is a hybrid-published best-selling Australian author of young and new adult books.
In addition to her fiction work, Lauren edits manuscripts for both publishing houses and a host of successful independent authors, working on both structural and line elements. She loves working collaboratively to achieve a common end goal.
Lauren lives by the beach in Australia with her husband and their two dogs. Most of the time, all three of them are well behaved.

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Finding North by Carmen Jenner - Review

Released: 25th February 2016.

Blurb:

Red Maine’s blue-collared bad boy, North Underwood, has a dirty little secret—Will Tanner.

Friends since kindergarten, North had been the one to jump first, and his fall into Will’s bed ten years ago had been no exception. Will and North had been inseparable, but things change, people grow apart, and even a blazing flame can dwindle to a dying ember over time.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

After a run in with a bottle of Bundy rum, Will and North find themselves in a compromising and all too familiar position.

Blurred lines, bad decisions, and one wrong foot after another lead these two down a spiral of sarcasm, secrets, and sex, but when North’s hetero status is called into question he can’t figure up from down. And despite Will telling himself he wouldn’t fall again, he’s head over heels and wandering without a compass.

Love is love.

Love is truth.

Love … shouldn’t be this damn hard to figure out.

Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1KMDLYO
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1RytLUy
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/242eXme
Amazon AU: bit.ly/1VbnvkE
iBooks: apple.co/1R161pY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1NDhCvy

B&N: http://bit.ly/20Jv3Q5

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: January 2016.

"North was my childhood. My first love. But he's nothing to me now. We're nothing. We stopped freefalling, and now we're standing still."

I've read quite a lot of MM over the past few years, and while most undoubtedly have got me hot under the collar, feeding off a raw sexual magnetism that the characters possess, few have truly found a place in my heart for examining what it means to find a bond with someone that so much of the world tells them they shouldn't be attracted to, for me so much of the MM I've read has focused solely on the sexual connection, without focusing on the soul deep connection. We live in a world full of stereotypes, of ideals like falling in love is joyous, and yet accompanied by addendums like, only if the person you fall for doesn't deviate from the preconceived norm, it's a unfortunate fact that even in 2016 people still fear what they don't understand, and the reality is there is so much fear and repression surrounding homosexuality, it goes against so many religious and cultural teachings, as far as the story goes boy and girl meet, fall in love, get married, have babies, that's it, the end... but what happens when despite all you've been taught growing up flies in the face of what you feel, what you have no choice but in feeling, in knowing to be true?

"Hell, I didn't fall. I'm still f*cking falling, and there isn't a safety net in the world big enough to catch me."

For Red Maine's resident manwhore North Underwood, life is well...it's pretty average actually, he spends his days at the mill doing physically demanding work, he drinks at his local after knock off, he's had his fair share of willing women to warm his bed, what he doesn't have is a connection to his once best mate Will Tanner, the once inseparable pair now have little to talk about, they certainly aren't friends, their conversation is limited to ordering a drink across a bar, years of friendship during their formative years is a distance memory, until North is given a chance to reconnect with Will, and he'll be damned not to take advantage of it, despite the lewd comments that get thrown around touting Will's sexuality as anything other than normal, despite the hate speech and vitriol that his homophobic father and co workers are sure to send his way, there's a sense of longing for what was, and of hope for what never may be.

"When his eyes meet mine they're both furious and full of fear. That's all he is: fear. From head to toe, a frightened little boy, so afraid to feel. So afraid to be found out as a faggot."

It's no big secret that I often listen to music when reading and reviewing, there's a line in Hanging By A Moment where Jason Wade croons that's he desperate for change, starving for truth, there's a feeling that in that moment it's both Will and North he's singing about, Will having spent so many years waiting for North to admit what he was feeling and North desperate for the courage, the strength to go after what he's wanted, when Wade sings "I'm closer to where I started, I'm chasing after you." there's that sense of being on a merry go round, the sense that the past twelve years apart have faded into dust, that North has got one foot out the door, and Will is still standing in the same spot he was all those years ago, still chasing after the idea of something that could be great but only if they both are willing to take a chance.

"I'd go through all of that for just one day of not having to hide, but it doesn't matter, because North will never change. Twelve years on and I'm still his dirty little secret. And the thing that tears me apart is the knowledge that this is all I've ever be."

There's a strangling sense of repression in Finding North, much like the title suggest, Jenner's latest work examines more than just coming out and sexuality, more than predetermined gender roles, bravely looking at sexuality as fluid, as more than black and white, as more than I like men or I like women, it takes a look at small town life, where sometimes the most convenient way to live is buried deep in the closet, where discrimination is more than just shouted words, or rude gestures, it's hatred, and violence, and destruction, it's FEAR.

"The fear, a blackness that roils constantly in my belly, threatens to overcome me and all I want to do is sink to my knees and sob. Instead, I fall into Will, and I find it's a pretty soft place to land."

There's so much more here than two men fighting and falling for each other, there's more than childhood bestfriends realising that there was more there for them, there's more here than a man who isn't quite sure what he identifies as or who he is. Finding North captivated me from the very first page, Will's voice full of innocence and wonder cemented that I couldn't put it down. Jenner's writing continues to go from strength to strength, her multi dimensional approach to contemporary romance means that Finding North is about more than steamy MM sex scenes, while are present - there's a element of it feeling natural, raw, unscripted, and more than that, her ability to create places like Red Maine that feel so inherently real that you can feel the dust swirling around your skin, sense the sun beating down hot on your face, but the thing that cements her place as author who leaves me giddy with anticipation for what's coming next, is her ability to create characters that are flawed, passionate, selfish, nervous, angry, sarcastic, loving, desperate... relatable...REAL...characters like Will and North, who wear their pasts, their indiscretions, their faults and their flaws like a badge of honour, saying this is who I am, I'm not perfect and that's okay, because who I am is enough.

 

This story gives a voice to anyone who has ever felt alone, unaccepted, unloved, it begs them to believe a little more, to accept those parts of themselves that cut like shards of glass tearing away at their strength, at their hope, Finding North tells the reader that we're all a little bent, a little broken and that's okay.

 

 

About The Author:

Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something, USA TODAY and international bestselling author of the Sugartown, Savage Saints, and Taint series.
Her dark romance, KICK (Savage Saints MC #1), won Best Dark Romance Read in the Reader’s Choice Awards at RWDU 2015.
A tattoo enthusiast, hardcore MAC addict and zombie fangirl, Carmen lives on the sunny north coast of New South Wales, Australia, where she spends her time indoors wrangling her two wildling children, a dog named Pikelet, and her very own man-child.
A romantic at heart, Carmen strives to give her characters the HEA they deserve, but not before ruining their lives completely first … because what’s a happily ever after without a little torture?

Website / Facebook

Wicked Sexy LIar by Christina Lauren - Review

Blurb:

When three college besties meet three hot guys in Vegas, anything can—and does—happen. Book Four in the New York Times Wild Seasons series that began with Sweet Filthy Boy (the Romantic Times book of the year that Sylvia Day called “a sexy, sweet treasure of a story”), Dirty Rowdy Thing, and Dark Wild Night.

For two people ambivalent about dating and love, they sure get naked around each other an awful lot . . .

London Hughes is very content to surf daily, tend bar, hang out with her group of friends, and slowly orient herself in the years after college. Everything’s going great and according to the non-plan.

But when a wave knocks her for a loop one morning, then Luke Sutter’s flirtatious smile knocks her for another that evening, she veers slightly off course…and into his path. Sure, he’s a total player, but the Why not—it’s only one night is a persistent voice in her ear.

For his part, Luke’s been on hookup autopilot for so long that he rarely ever pauses to consider what he’s doing. But after an amazing time with London, he realizes that he hasn’t been moving on from a devastating heartbreak so much as he’s been drifting to wherever—and whomever—the current takes him. With London he wants more.

Every relationship involves two people…plus their pasts. And as much as she enjoys her fling with Luke, when London learns about his past—more specifically, who’s in it—everything becomes the brand of complicated she strives to avoid. It’s up to Luke then to change some things in order to try and ensure he’s not something she’ll outright avoid as well.  

Find on Goodreads

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: February 2016.

Okay, I'm just going to admit it, I am crazy fangirl for Christina Lauren, truly I look all put together on the outside, but every time a new book is announced I do a little happy dance, I still remember hearing about Beautiful Bastard years ago and umming and ahhhhing about it, reviews were mixed, I couldn't decide, but this writing duo had a cult like following, I purchased the book and dove into Chloe and Bennett's world, I felt as though I barely drew a breath, I was instantly hooked, I purchased every remaining book in the series that had been released at the time and read them back to back, then I watched social media waiting for the slightest hint for what was coming next... not much has changed since then, when news of London and Luke's story hit social media, I again did my happy jig, and I've been checking my mailbox obsessively so waiting to get me greedy little hands on it, the second the trusty postie dropped it on my frontdoor, I was tearing into the wrapping so I could dive in. I didn't move, I read Wicked Sexy Liar in one sitting, savouring the words, and speeding through it at the speed of light because I couldn't get enough. I was convinced this book would be fun and sexy, and then reading lines like this, left me no doubt that the authors were going to give me more than I bargained for.

"Do we ever see the big things coming, though? A predictable life never changed anyone."

London is confident, sassy and one of those women who just seem to have life figured out, she's got a college degree and qualifications behind her, but instead of suiting up and doing the 9-5 grind she's surfing all day and bar tending by night, London does what she wants, when she wants, she's made new friends, and life is good, with no time for men or the delude of heartache they bring with them, London is focused on keeping her no muss no fuss life exactly as it.

Luke once had life mapped out, he was other half of everyone's favourite couple, but when Mia was involved in the accident, everything changed for more than just Mia, in the blink of an eye, Luke lost everything he had planned. Side note, I'm going to be honest, I didn't much like Luke in the previous books in this series, sure I felt bad for him when Mia moved on and found her happy with the sexy French man and he seemed to still be hanging on to the past, I had my reservations whether I could truly care about his fragile male ego, the glimpses of London we had in Beautiful Stranger and Dark Wild Night cemented for me London was definitely a new favourite heroine of mine, but Christina Lauren had their work cut out to convince me that there was more to meet the eyes with Luke, but from the very first interaction I found myself rooting for him, I was either giggling at his stupidity, rolling my eyes at his naivety or swooning at those moments that showed me, without a doubt that this dynamic writing duo know how to redeem a character, make you cheer for them, make you want to console them when things go wrong, make them feel real, and honest. Watching the Manwhore Luke meet someone like London, who both drew him close and pushed him away in equal measure made me love them both all the more.

"falling in love isn't about who makes you feel the best, but who could make you the most miserable if they leave."

Everything about Wicked Sexy Liar drew me in, I wanted to know more about Luke, I wanted to know why London shied away from the chance of letting people in, I wanted them to find something that opens you up to new experiences, that changes the way you see the world, and I wanted to follow their journey, through their eyes, and Christina Lauren did that, I felt every moment of trepidation that London felt, every inch of joy that Luke felt at rediscovering love, that all encompassing feeling that bolsters your spirit, the butterflies that buzz in your tummy, the anticipation that builds when you can't wait to see the other person. I felt it all in spades, every second of the this wicked sexy story left me sated and yet desperate for more.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1UJ3IIY
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/1JXx8Tz
Amazon UK: amzn.to/1NPq3z1
Amazon AU: bit.ly/1PgeFOE
iBooks: apple.co/1MoUWOa


About Christina Lauren:

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced eleven New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 23+ languages. (Some of these books have kissing. Some of these books have A LOT of kissing.)

Contact Christina Lauren on Twitter @seeCwrite for Christina and @LolaShoes for Lauren

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Chasing Spring by RS Grey - Review

 

 

 

Blurb:

 

 

I thought I’d left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn’t belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn’t listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.

I didn’t ask for a hero. I don’t want to be saved.

To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin’ out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I’d assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.

I didn’t want to be her hero. Some girls don’t need to be saved. 

Find on Goodreads.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RUVRu9
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/1PKOY8e
Amazon AU: bit.ly/1nHe6aa
Amazon UK: amzn.to/1SSB3Dw


Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: January 2016.

Where do I even start with Chasing Spring, I had grown accustomed to Grey's quirky yet heartfelt romances, and I was expecting more of the same, I was expecting light and sexy, while still packing an emotional connection that I often find in her work, and instead I found so much more. Lilah left her old life in Blackwater Texas, sure that she would finally be free of the guilt, pain and sorrow she felt there, but when he father advises her that she has to return home to finish her final year of high school, the new carefully constructed life Lilah had created for herself looked to be slipping away, not only was she back home and struggling to hold on while the inner turmoil she felt was threatening to pull her under, but her once best friend, Chase Matthews was now living in her family home, with only hallway separating them, Chase had always been the golden boy, and Lilah was determined to steer clear of his light, instead preferring her own darkness.

Everything about Chasing Spring stole my heart, breathtaking in it's entirety, Grey's words eloquent and inspired, I left my preconceived expectations at the first page, and took the journey that Lilah and Chase begged me to take with them, Chasing Spring is a poignant, often times heartbreaking coming of age story, that showcases how resilient the human spirit is, with moments of sheer brilliance where Lilah can see past her mother's sordid past, past the lies and deceit, past the guilt and fear, to the golden boy that she's always loved, to the man that's standing before her now, begging her to give him a chance, to give them a chance, to cut the ties that bind her to a future that can only be filled with heartache and misery, as it threatens to shackle her to a past that is not her own. These characters may be young, but they have both faced more than most of us will in a life time, with a wisdom that surpasses their years, Chasing Spring's raw emotion, it's ability to sucker punch you right in the feels, to break your heart, and simultaneously piece it back together for me came from Grey's ability to show that dichotomy of not only Chase and Lilah and the way they face their collective pasts, but the warring sides of Lilah's mind as she seeks to protect herself, with almost a devil may care attitude, while also holding Chase above all else, her need to ensure his heart is protected is tantamount to a sacred oath she made with herself.

"I thought you said you wanted to give me a happy ending?"

"Maybe instead I have to satisfied with a happy middle." 

Grey shows her depth here, while I have LOVED every book of hers, the fun, the quirky, the sexy, the emotional, nothing has gripped me the way Chasing Spring did, the way Chasing Spring has, because it's been days since I finished, and I find myself idly reading quotes, smiling wistfully as I remember moments, that so perfectly detailed the joy and heartbreak of first loves, of love in general, Grey has publicly spoken about the two years that she's been working on Chasing Spring, the fear that she had of ever publishing it, and I have to say, Ms Grey, your fears may have pushed your limits, but Chasing Spring will stay in my mind for a very long time to come.

"Think about it. Does the ending even matter? Shouldn't the middle be the happy part? It's the biggest chunk of our life..."

About RS Grey:

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.




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