Logan (Preston Punks #2) by Jay McLean

Blurb:

As a kid, Logan Preston was a brat.
Through his teens, he became the bad boy.
Now, at nineteen, no one knows what the hell to expect.

High school dropout, Logan Preston is a
good-for-nothing stoner.
A black sheep.
A disappointment.
The worst Preston Punk of the lot.
At least that’s how everyone in his small town
makes him feel.
But Logan Preston has secrets.
Secrets so dark and so deep below the surface that the only way he can fight them is to stay high, high, high.
He wears cockiness as a mask.
Arrogance as his armor.
Until one girl, one night, asks one life-changing question:
What's beneath the bravado, Logan Preston?

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2xOHgf2...
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2ygJfu2
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2xKDZvz
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2x6ljJA
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2ke16LR

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: September 2017.

Over a week has passed and I’m no closer to adequately describing the raw and unrelenting beauty this book possesses. From an auspicious beginning to an absolutely breathtaking ending, Logan captured every emotion leaving me desperate for more while delivering the story I craved. Everything about this story had me utterly invested, from the first moments Logan was an enigma, a boy that went off the rails somewhere along the lines and seemed content to remain there. His weekends of  debauchery seem to be early adulthood rebellion at it's finest, until it isn't anymore. The more McLean hinted to demons darkening his door the more his methods of letting go had a sinister twist. 

Keeping secrets isn't exclusive to Logan, Audrey has a past of her own, and much like Logan uses quick wit and sarcasm with a healthy dose of bravado to cover the things she best keep hidden. Two people trying to just be without divulging their past hurts to the world, two people using everything at their disposal to guard their hearts from further devastation. Two people who absolutely and utterly stole my heart.

I wanted this review to scream from the rooftops my absolute adoration for this author, I wanted to tell you how this story shattered me in all the ways a great book can, I wanted to shout my love for these beautifully broken characters and the way they made me feel and the journey they took me on. I wanted to revel in the emotion they wretched from me and tell you at great length how bereft I felt as I turned the last page. More than any of this, I need you to read this story, I need you to allow yourself to be swept away by two young people who asked each other the only important question there is... what if we try?

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.

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Commitment by KM Golland - Exclusive Excerpt & Review

 

Release Date: 21 August 2018.

Blurb:

Natasha Jones loves her life, her husband and their two young sons. She works hard both at home and as an Events Supervisor at City Towers. But when a relationship with her work colleague unexpectedly progresses, Tash begins to question whether or not her marriage has passed its ‘Use by’ date.

Dean Jones is a numbers man but has no idea that his number could be up where his marriage is concerned. Never one to really speak his mind, he has always opted to just go with the flow in order to keep his wife happy.

Passion, intimacy, and communication have taken a backseat to demanding careers, a mortgage and family life, and it’s not until Tash and Dean stand to lose everything they have built together that the spark between them begins to flicker again.

And boy does it flicker ...
and ignite ...
and nearly burn the entire neighbourhood down!

Can Tash and Dean keep this newly lit flame alive and save their marriage? Or will temptation make the commitment seem too much to bear?

GPI Exclusive Excerpt:

I didn’t want to be disappointed with how our anniversary had panned out, but I was. It had just been another normal day, except that we had sex. Not sexytimes. Just sex. Plain old boring sex that nearly put me to sleep.

After dinner when he’d suggested we watch “Captain America” instead of “Love Actually”, my desire for anything intimate had long passed, and all I’d wanted was to just go to bed and read because, nowadays, the pages in my books gave me more sexual gratification than the man who slept beside me.

It was sad but true.

When he’d mentioned ‘looking for my cat’, ‘my cat’ had figuratively hissed in warning. I hadn’t wanted to play hush-the-kids-are-asleep robotic, shitty sex, even though I’d given in out of guilt in the end and played it. It was disheartening, really, having sex with my husband because I felt guilty for not having it with him. Sex shouldn’t be like that when you love someone. It should be exciting, rewarding … enjoyable. It shouldn’t be an obligation or a score settler. But that was exactly what it had become where I was concerned. And I hated that.

Sighing, the mere thought of feeling that way pained me. I loved Dean wholeheartedly and I always would. He just didn’t push the buttons on my body that I wanted him to press. And I wasn’t sure at what point in our marriage that had changed or why, nor was I sure if it were his fault or mine. Because, although small, my porthole sized libido still existed. I wanted sex. I just wanted something different. Something new. Something surprising.

I wanted something a little less predictable.

Unfortunately, Dean was as predictable as a clock. Rhythmic. Formulaic. He liked routine. Did that make him boring? Yeah, kinda. Yet I couldn’t deny that his consistency was comforting, because he was also dependable and reliable — a double-edged sword with a bittersweet slice.

Lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, I wondered if ‘comfortable’ was what a marriage should be above all else, if ease and the absence of irregularity really were the key to sustaining longevity within a partnership.

“God, I hope not,” I said quietly to myself. That notion didn’t sit well with me at all, but maybe that notion was the answer and my expectations of spontaneity were unreasonable. Maybe I was just greedy.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2uV3trV

Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2uVjrm5

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2x2PEFc
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2x2UZwa

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: 2017

There's a point in every wedding ceremony, when saying one's vows that we utter promises to one another, we promise to love each other, in sickness and in health, richer or poorer, we promise to forsake all others, we essentially promise to choose each other, every day, every month, every year of our forever's.

When standing there in front of a priest/officiant, in front of our families and friends it seems so very simple, because for most of us, we chose this person that moment of our first date, first kiss, first intimate moment, we chose them when they got down on one knee or in my case passed me a ring box while overlooking Saddleback Mountain, we chose to spend our remaining days building a life with our partner. As sure as I am that we are so very sure of our vows on that day, I also know that more often than not we find ourselves questioning our choices, our commitment at some point in our marriages. Be it five years, ten years or twenty years, most of us will feel stifled by that tricky bitch complacency, that honeymoon phase we fondly remember seems so long ago, jobs, children, pets, household chores have taken precedent, we forget about who we once were before the dreaded C word, and often we find our once bright and vibrant relationship...stagnant. Getting dressed up for date night is a thing of a past, sexy lingerie sits long forgotten in the back of the draw, the I love you's  still fall quickly from our lips but now out of routine.

Commitment tells the story of Tash and Dean, their story is heady and romantic, over a decade together, a lifetime, two beautiful sons, surrounded by good family and friends, their marriage seems solid,  they say I love you freely, easily, they share a connection that only comes from many years together, even after all the years that have passed Dean still see's the beautiful sexy woman he married, Tash still see's the handsome man who once stole her breath, but she also see's the man who can't for the life of him hang his keys on the hook near the door, and he see's the woman who falls asleep far too quickly and leaves him to jerk off in the dark.

I'll be honest, in true KM Golland style I was expecting a funny, sexy romp with Commitment, a story purely about bringing the sexy back, what I found instead was a poignant tale of two people who truly love each other but aren't quite sure what they are missing that their friends seem to have. That old saying that you can't see the wood for the tree's resonated so deeply for me here, I've had those moments, I've felt unsure in my marriage, I've felt like everyone else must be in on some secret I wasn't privy to, I've felt under appreciated, invisible, like a flatmate instead of a lover or a spouse, I've lost that spark and wondered if marriage is truly supposed to last forever, in truth I still do at times, I had moments reading Tash's thoughts sure that Golland had somehow hijacked my brain and scooped out my most secret thoughts.
It was confronting, and so very real that I found myself sitting in my bathroom quietly crying, because finally I could give voice to these thoughts swirling in my mind, but more than that for once I felt a little less alone.


There's so much beauty in Golland's words, there's a honesty in this story, there's a rawness that is so very confronting, it makes you think, but more importantly, it makes you feel. Mixed in between sassy banter, uproariously funny exchanges, swoon worthy romance and scintillatingly sexy hijinks is a story that needs to be told. I've often regarded author's like Taylor Jenkins Reid as the creator of life lessons instead of a writer, after finishing Commitment, KM Golland has cemented her place as the teacher of truths, the creator of life lessons, a writer of real life.

About KM Golland:

“I'm an author. I am married. I am a mother of two adorable little people. I'm a bookworm, craftworm, movieworm, and sportsworm. I'm also a self-confessed shop-aholic, tea-aholic, car-aholic, and choc-aholic.” Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, K.M. Golland studied law and worked as a conveyancer before putting her career on hold to raise her children. She then traded her legal work for her love of writing and found her dream career.

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The Way Back Home by Carmen Jenner

Blurb:

August Cotton shouldn’t be here. When a tragic accident calls him home to Magnolia Springs, this returned Veteran adds his parents to the list of things he’s lost in recent years, right along with his IED detection dog and his left leg. As the sole guardian of his four-year-old sister, August must rely on his Marine training in raising a tiny hellion who’s as stubborn as he is. But the Corps could never prepare him for this. Nor could they prepare him for Olivia Anders, a woman who’ll stop at nothing to get her way.

As owner of Paws for Cause, Olivia is no stranger to the broken men and women who return home from war. She’s no stranger to broken dogs either. In fact, she’s made it her mission to pair the two and enrich both of their lives, but pairing ornery and aloof August Cotton will take some work. The last thing August wants is some pushy southern woman occupying his parents’ bed and breakfast and forcing him to open up about the hell he narrowly escaped, but that’s exactly what Olivia intends.

They complete one another, and yet they can’t stand to be in the same room.

Can Olivia make this hardened Marine feel again and finally show his heart the way back home?

*** Intended for a mature 18+ audience only. This book may contain triggers for some readers.***

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Purchase Links:

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

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

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2qA7qQU

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2rjIwSC

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: May 2017.

When I read my first Carmen Jenner book I remember thinking, wow she writes tattooed bad boys so well, then when she turned her hand to rock stars I again had the same thought, would you believe it, with each of the new tropes she tackled, from motorcycle gangs, to small town factory workers, to returned veterans, she has captured the very essence of characterisation that allows the hero and heroine to exist in a real state, off the page, and in our hearts.

"There's nothing like feeling lonely when you're surrounded by a crowd."

When I first met Olivia Anders, it was her take no sh*t attitude and resilience I adored, she was strong and feisty, determined to do her part to keep making the world a better place. There was a sense of someone who had seen and experienced far more than she had let on, and it was both endearing and inspired.

"Every day I tell myself I'm brave, I'm strong, that the past does not dictate who I am or the woman I've become. I keep hoping that one day it'll stick."

August Cotton has had a pretty crap run, he enlisted and went off to war, never really expecting to return to the life he left behind, returning home under the worst of circumstances has left the brittle and battered man even more determined to steer of everyone and everything in his small town. August has lost too much, left to rear his baby sister, the last thing he needs or wants is a pushy Olivia telling him what he needs and wants.

"Because wounds on the inside can be so much harder to heal than those of the flesh."

In true Jenner style, The Way Back Home is full of angst and emotion, everything about Olivia drawing you in, while August resolutely pushes you away, the building tension and blinding chemistry make this story impossible to put down, but its true beauty comes from those unparalleled moments of raw and real anguish, the moments that we watch as the walls these two people painstakingly built come crashing down, it's in those moments that Carmen Jenner truly shines, as she tugs and pulls at your heart, bruising it, battering it, before piecing it back together slowly and surely and sending you on your way.

About Carmen Jenner:

Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something, USA Today and international bestselling author.

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 makeup 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?

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