REVIEW: The Siren, Tiffany Reisz
The Siren by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve read many books in my life. But nothing prepared me for this one. And I might just have to kiss the author for it, followed by a swift and brutal punch. (I have a feeling that Mz. Reisz will understand and smile when I say this.)
I can only hope that I will have 1/10th of the honesty she has in her writing someday.
Forever, a piece of me will be grateful for reading it. But in the same token this is a book that shall never EVER be re-read. Because of the moment that I read it. Because of the importance of the message and the characters at this ONE time in my life. All of it may never be duplicated. And I need its moment of perfect perfection.
A re-read might never be the same again and I can’t sully its beautiful hold.
The characters are so honest and so amazing that it was painful to watch everything unfold. The brilliance was terrifying. That the author never wavered, never took the easy route–NEVER let me rest through the book was only part of its power.
Books are supposed to change you.
They rarely do.
This one did.
If I could give it 6 stars–11 stars–100 stars, I would.
Thank you for writing this book.
Thank you for pushing every characters to the edge.
Simply…thank you.
REVIEW: The Witness, Nora Roberts
The Witness by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay…I’m mildly biased about LaNora books. She is my all time fave author. (Yes, I know some will roll their eyes. Seriously, between work ethic and pure talent this woman deserves every success she’s had.)
Brooks and Abigail will stay with me for a long time.
Abigail made me laugh, cry, want to fight, and ultimately made me just sigh in pure happiness. This character has been so much and still had a core of goodness and openness that is astounding. The one thing she wanted was someone to love her–she’d pushed the idea of it away from her for so many years she simply had no idea what she needed until Brooks Gleason walked into her life.
Brooks.
*sigh* Fun loving, fierce, loyal, brave, honest and a host of other things that makes a woman swoon. Not too perfect. Not so that you were sickened. He knew how to compromise. He knew how to love. His family is and will always be the most important thing in his life. He’s a cop, but he’s not a black and white one. His shades of grey made him even more appealing and real to me.
The line of suspense shook you from the beginning and always lingered in the back of the story. The overlapping plot and parallel storyline based in the little town highlighted all the things she was running from and made for one more satisfying layer to the story.
It never slowed down for me. Even in the peaceful moments, it drew me in and seemed to spotlight the ever fascinating way that Abigail’s mind worked.
As an aside, her social awkwardness reminded me a lot the Bones character from the Fox tv show, but it was definitely a different level. Just that logical mind that had to learn to bend and grow and maybe even learn just a little bit more to let love in. Because man…Brooks was SO worth it.
A must read for the Nora fans and a brilliant way to draw new readers as well.
REVIEW: Heart Signs, Cari Quinn
Heart Signs
by
Cari Quinn
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
Okay, you’ll see from the quote-a-palooza on GR that I loved this story. (See them here.) Sam Miller is one of those characters that climbs into your brain and burrows in for a good long stay. He’s emotional, rough around the edges, sad, guilt ridden, hopeless, hopeful, and a host of other adjectives. You know why I can keep listing off things to tell you about Sam?
Because Cari showed me again and again just what Sam was thinking, feeling, and doing all through this novel. And man…I felt for him every inch of the way.
Then you have Rory Fowler. She’s never trusted her own instincts when it comes to relationships. Instead, she hid behind friends with benefits relationships that she knew would never move beyond that level. She liked the uncomplicated. She may have even needed the uncomplicated. Watching her come to terms with the emotions that Sam brings out in her is messy, funny, and sometimes sad. And through it all you couldn’t help but root for these guys.
The sigh factor is about as huge as you can get.
Read this.
NOW.
Even if you’re worried about the ‘sad’ factor because of Sam’s circumstances. It’s worth the journey.
REVIEW: Everything You’ve Got, Erin Nicholas
Everything You’ve Got by Erin Nicholas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh Luke and Kat…I’ve been waiting for you. I horked down the companion book to this one, and here’s my review if you care: Anything You Want. GOD, I just loved the characters. I felt really bad for Luke. Not bad enough to have Marc screw up the AWESOME thing he had with Sabrina…but bad. Because obviously he’s a great guy. And I hate how the world perpetuates that nice guys finish last.
Okay, so I love a bad boy. I DOOOOOOOOOO. But man, someone like Luke? He deserves his happily ever after and Kat was perfect for him. I’m so glad he had to fight for it though. Luke’s been the golden boy of their small town for far too long. So long, that he’s forgotten how to really have to work for something. And believe me, Kat requires some work!!
She’s a great character. I have to admit I wanted to swipe her upside the head a few times because she wouldn’t confide in Luke, but when she did. Whoa boy. Talk about a wild ride of awesome, and conflict and the best kind of love. In the end, I got my HEA and the character growth made me sit there and cheer. (And possibly a booty dance. Just sayin’.)
Thanks so much, Mz. Nicholas, for letting these guys have such a perfectly perfect happy ending.
I can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve.
REVIEW: Anything You Want, Erin Nicholas
Anything You Want by Erin Nicholas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*Insert new fangirl squeal*
I loved this book. I’m officially in love with Marc and could only hope I’m as good at character building as Mz. Nicholas is someday.
What an awesome ride. From the hilarious and somehow sizzling way Marc renamed the place he had to rescue Sabrina from…Muddy Gap (one of his nicknames Dirty Gulch…and there were tons more. lol) to the slow and delicious build of character, I was utterly sucked in.
I loved that she was able to make me like Sabrina when the premise promised anything but a likeable character. I loved the family background and the way she showed that dreams are just as important as being responsible. I love that Mz. Nicholas managed to insert heat and awareness in such a way that it didn’t feel forced or cliched.
I simply loved everything about this book. I don’t want to give too many details because the read and the experience was where the pleasure unfolded.
Read it.
You won’t regret it.
REVIEW: Unlocked, Courtney Milan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Well then. That was my first Courtney Milan and I daresay it will NOT be my last. Everyone talks about her books, but sometimes hype falls flat for me. Yep. The hype is deserved. It was a short story, but Evan and Elaine resonate. Mz Milan knows how to rip your guts out and gives just enough detail in off subjects–in this case, mountaineering and astronomy–that you are interested, but not bored.
The characters were delightful and the love grew between the characters organically, even in a short story setting. (and being an author myself, I applaud that feat. One, I’m still attempting to figure out.)
This was a great introduction to Mz. Milan and I’ve been told to read Unraveled next. Now, all I have to do is dig out from Christmas so I can have my book budget back…
REVIEW: No Dress Required, Cari Quinn
No Dress Required by Cari Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
The friends to lovers trope is always good for me. And this one adds in friend’s brother! BONUS. This was a quick romp through past mistakes, present mishaps, and the oh so beautiful possibilities of the future. Nellie and Jake have been circling each other for ages, both too afraid to face the idea of getting together.
Jake’s a little shaky thanks to a surprise break up with his longtime girlfriend a few months before and Nellie is fed up with waiting for her shot with the man she’s loved longer than she can remember. Add in a car-jacking, fuzzy bunnies, and a snow storm and you get a ton of fun before the ball drops.
With a little convincing and a whole lot of creativity they find their way to a happily ever after that leaves you smiling and wishing your New Year’s Eve ended the same way.
Did I mention I loved it?
If not…LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
REVIEW: Unwrapped, Cari Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I must admit, menage stories really need to draw me in to be successful. Add in my first m/m/f romance and I was a little nervous on the read. Thanks to Mz. Quinn I think I’ll even try a few others. She really captured the passion of a relationship that pushes preconceived boundaries and the aftermath of a relationship that will change your life forever.
When your blood is heated and all you’re thinking about is pleasure you don’t want to think about what’s going to happen when you leave the bedroom. The scenes between the three of them are amazingly hot. That’s trademark Quinn…but what they also do is make you think. Okay, so you might be fanning your face at the same time, but she doesn’t cut corners with the hard choices in a love scene. She will push your boundaries and make you fall in love with the characters just as hard as they do.
Some people may hide a threesome relationship, some may be open about it…but Mz. Quinn takes those steps outside of the bedroom too. And for the characters, sometimes they’re the stumbling kind. That’s why I love her books. She never takes the easy way out of any story.
Tris, Matt, and Caity are an amazing couple. Caity does the most growing in this story, imho. She has to push through family issues, sister troubles, and falling in love with two men and that’s just the start of her troubles.
For a beautiful read about sex, love and what happens next…look no further.
And if you’ve never read a m/m/f menage this will probably convert you. 
REVIEW: A Kiss at Midnight, Eloisa James
A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow.
This was my first Eloisa James and I’ll tell you right now…it won’t be my last. What a lovely story. The characters are so rich and the dialogue had me rolling. Loved the snarky sense of humor between the Prince Gabriel and Kate. There were so many good things I can’t even begin to go through them all. I just sucked down the book like someone was going to take it away from me this morning.
The cast of characters was well rounded and no one had a fade to the background kind of voice. The Prince learned through the book about being a good leader and putting his family—crazy as they were–ahead of his happiness. So much so that he almost lost Kate in the process. The ending really suited the story and I liked that he found his own way around his problem instead of finding himself in a loveless marriage with a rich princess just because he thought that was his only option.
I’m anxious to read more from her Fairytale line.
Amazing job, Mz. James!
REVIEW: Hold Me, Betsy Horvath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay…I need to own The Museum…which was Luc’s family home throughout the story. OMG
Just gorgeous. It was a freaking castle! For real!
Too amazing. I think that alone gave this book the 5th star. I was wavering. I hate to over use my 5 star ratings. But this is definitely a bump for setting. If they’d just used a regular safe house it might not have had the same punch. A very solid suspense story with a ton of character charged moments. I truly enjoyed this book.
Katie and Luc have killer chemistry and each of them come with their own baggage. How they mesh together from a carjacking to living together for her protection, to a history that neither of them could have fathomed…it really just all worked for me. I pounded 461 pages in a very short period of time because the book just drew me right in.
And hell, I cried through the end of it. I’m a sucker for the guy that doesn’t think he’s good enough. He had a rough life with foster homes and all the horrible things he’s done working for the government only compounds that I’m-No-Good-For-You thing that some heroes have. And in this instance it didn’t annoy me as much as it does in other books. A true testament to Mz. Horvath’s writing skills.
And the girl’s got skillz.
I don’t want to ruin the reading of this one for anyone but there’s intrigue, the bodyguard trope, a huge mutt of a dog named Spot, a freaking castle! (I know I mentioned it but…gah! Castle!!) a freakish killer, an even freakier relationship with the killer’s half sister (insert heebie jeebies), and a supporting cast that doesn’t instantly flag series…but probably will get their own books.
A really great romantic suspense, IMHO.
REVIEW: The Next Always, Nora Roberts
The Next Always by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
*sigh*
I love the start of a new trilogy from laNora. Some people feel like they’re just a set up to the series, but somehow it just never is to me. I get to meet a whole slew of new people to fall in love with.
She does it to me EVERY single time.
It’s just disgusting. LOL
I look forward to it every year. This one does not disappoint in my eyes. The romance was a little sweeter, the children definitely put a different spin on things. And normally I’m not really a book-has-kids kind of reader, but I can get swept away. This book, and definitely this author, can do that to me. Beckett Montgomery…*sigh* Yeah—he’s the ultimate yum factor. (tho I will admit, Ryder has officially stolen the show for me. GOOD GOD. YUM! I love a grouchy guy for some reason. LOL)
He loves with everything and Clare has been on his radar since he was a kid. Even with the baggage of being a widow with 3 kids, Clare never makes you think of her that way. She’s strong and resilient. She’s had to take care of herself and her kids even when she was married. (He was in the military) And while she certainly loved her husband with her whole heart, she’s a different woman than the idealistic 19 year old that left with her young husband. This Clare was ready for love and the town she grew up in. She wants the roots and loves owning her own place thanks to her widows benefits.
Now as a Nora fan, I loved reading about Boonsboro–I know it’s a real place that is close to Nora’s heart both because Turn The Page and Inn Boonsboro are real places, and the way she describes them. I’m a sucker for a Nora setting and this book doesn’t disappoint.
At all.
This is heavy on the setting and the romance is definitely a force in the book, but the Inn is definitely a main character. So, know that going and I think this will be the book for you. The characters will win you over, I know it.
I cannot wait to see what happens with the next brother, Owen.
REVIEW: Hot Text, Cari Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hot for teacher takes on a whole new meaning in this book.
Take one editor, add a dash of paint, a bottle of cheap wine, a gorgeous studio and mix liberally with a preschool teacher trying to get a handle on sexting and you get Hot Text.
Divorce is hard on anyone, but when you’re living in a limbo of your own making and come face to face with all the wrongs of your past how can you mix falling in love into that equation? Jeff and Karyn ask themselves that same question and both come up with answers they’d rather not deal with. Not when they’ve finally found that one person that makes each of them feel alive.
Mz. Quinn always treats a short story with a touch of reality to even out all the off the charts sex she unerringly provides. Reality sucks and making those hard decisions isn’t easy for Karyn when she’s finding her way around a new start when she hasn’t even dealt with the end of her marriage.
Bravo, Mz. Quinn, for never letting your characters find the easy way out. It makes for a much more satisfying read.
Truly.
REVIEW: Real Men Will, Victoria Dahl
Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dammit, Mz. Dahl did it to me again. Eric was the most serious of all the siblings and that was very much a part of this story. Serious, overbearing at times, overwhelming, and spiraling out of control. He was my favorite of the brothers because he was the most damaged I think.
Everyone thought he was perfect, but the facade was cracking after too many years of trying to be perfect for everyone.
Beth had a lot of parallels in her story. But instead of perfection, she was trying to show that she could be a badgirl, when that wasn’t ever what she wanted to be.
I’ve loved all the books in this series for different reasons, but I think Eric and Jamie were the ones I identified with the most. They were the flipsides of a coin and the mistakes they made, the way they loved their family, and the way they eventually fell in love were powerful because they had to face so much.
Beth AND Eric had to figure out who they were through the course of this book. It was especially timely for me as I feel like I’m in a similar situation.
Bravo, Mz. Dahl, for creating a lovely world for me to get lost in for three months. That was a very satisfying end to the series.
REVIEW: Bad Kitty, Cari Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Gulped this one down in one sitting–as I do all of Mz Quinn’s books–and ended the book with a sigh and a big ole smile. I’m not so much the joining sort when it comes to Halloween, but I do love reading about masquerade parties. And the who-am-I-really-sleeping-with trope is always fun in these situations.
I don’t want to give too much away since it’s such a short and hot tale, but Patrick and Nikki will make you fan your face and reach for a cold glass of punch more than once.
Sexy costumes galore, sinfully brawny blue-collar worker, a kitty costume that makes use of something OTHER than claws, and a much loved jar of caramel equals 60pages of awesome.
I sincerely hope she gives Easton his own book next Halloween.