Dared: A Boneyard Bad Boy Series by Kristina Borden

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RxjBSx

Damien: I am Damien Cole. Manager of Dallas' Top Tattoo Shop "The Boneyard." I play the game by my own set of rules. I discard women left and right. Their only purpose is to cater to my sexual appetite. No woman will ever tame my bad boy ways. I am at the top of my game. Summer: I am Summer Montgomery. My face has graced magazine covers all across the world. My looks will deceive you. I am a bad girl with a smart ass mouth and the attitude to back it up. Playing with me is like playing with fire. I will consume you and swallow you whole. When faced with temptation, which of these two badasses will fall first?

 

Usually, I gravitate towards the heroine of the story and feel all her emotions, frustrations, etc. Unfortunately, Summer fell short for me. She was so stubborn and so selfish, that I got annoyed with her. I guess that is testament to the author’s writing that she wanted me to see Summer as a dramatic and selfish person. She did a great job on that.

Damien, on the other hand, hit all the right buttons. Sexy and tattooed, sign me up. Maybe its just me and I have a thing for the wounded bird, but I felt really disappointed that Summer didn't fight more for Damien. Don't get me wrong. Damien is messed up and was not by any means perfect, but he had a lot to work through before he could bare his soul to Summer.

When I got to about 60% in, I started to enjoy the story more, but there was still this niggling feeling about Summer. Her views were unrealistic and she tried to be a hard ass so much that it pushed Damien and almost her mother away. Summer's mother is a Saint BTW. Just saying.

The overall chemistry and sex was hot. There was definitely a fire between Summer and Damien, but want too much game playing. It was exhausting. I did have some confusion on names here and there, since I think they changed a couple times in the story, but overall, it was a good story line. Just fell a little flat for me.

Finley ~ Ella Frank

It's time to come home, Finn.

It’s been seven years since Daniel Finley left his hometown in Florida for the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s city life.

Since then, he’s worked hard for his position at the prestigious law firm Leighton & Associates, even when it’s caused distance and isolation from his family and friends. But that’s all about to change.

On his thirtieth birthday, he receives the one thing he never dared hope for. Something that was promised to him years earlier—a note. One simple sentence from the man he’s never been able to forget.

Six words will forever change the course of their lives.

Brantley Hayes has it all. Or so he thinks. When he first made the decision to take a job down in Florida, his family thought he was crazy. But, after years of living in the quiet beach town, he finally feels a sense of community. He’s surrounded himself with friends who are like family, has a job he loves, and owns a spectacular beachfront property that is his sanctuary.

Yet he still feels unfulfilled, as if a piece of the puzzle is missing, and he knows exactly which piece it is. On an impulse, he follows through with a promise he made years earlier. A promise to call home the one he sent away.

Nothing is as simple as it seems.

After years of separation, the former lovers are reunited, but Brantley wasn’t expecting to encounter the high walls now guarding Daniel’s heart.

Daniel may not be the same person he was when he left, but he knows that the first step to healing is the note in his hand.

So this was my first book from Ella Frank (hangs head in shame), so you can understand why I am kicking myself for waiting so long to pick her up. Well not her specifically, but…well…you know what I mean. LOL

I really liked Finn and Brantley’s story. Besides their hot-as-hell chemistry, they seemed to really love each other. This is why it kills me that Brantley sent Finn away! I mean, I get that Brantley wanted the best for Finn, but the Finn that went away and the Finn that returned are two different people.

The heartache that they both went through just guts me, since they both loved each other so much. I still think Brantely has insecurities about his age, but I could feel Finn’s love through the pages. Brantley never needed to question that his age was an issue, but like all people, we all have our own struggles.

Even though I didn’t read the temptation series, I was able to follow this story and can definitely be read as a standalone. The only thing that bugged me is at times I had a difficult time with the his on his this, or he and he that. I was trying to keep track who was stroking or kissing whose stuff, but got a little confused. Other than that, I loved Brantley and Finn!! I’m dying to know what’s up with Derek and Jordan though….

Knox (Sexy Bastard) ~ Eve Jagger

Blurb

Sexy. Famous. A player on and off the field.

Cooper Knox has a body built for sex and sin, and he's my dirty little secret.

He was supposed to be a one-night stand - but now he’s back in town, and he’s going to find out the truth.

I’m his best friend’s little sister: off-limits and totally out of his league.

We swore we’d stay away from each other.

Our secret could destroy everything.

But Knox always gets what he wants.

And he wants me

Review

I love me some sexy baseball players and Knox does not disappoint. As much as it sucked that Knox was traded, I’m actually happier that he ends up being a Brave….and so are his friends. It’s like a coming home for him and now he can spend more time with Shelby if he can find her again.

When Cooper Knox finds out who Shelby really is, man does that throw him for a loop! And Shelby, thinking that she won’t be seeing Knox again for a while, gets a big surprise when she realizes he will be very much around.

Shelby and Cooper’s chemistry is off the charts. Why they try to stay away from each other may look good on paper, but it doesn’t take long for them to say “consequences be damned!” Shelby is one awesome chick; smart, sexy and witty. How could Knox possibly stay away? The problem is if Jackson, Shelby’s older brother and Knox’s best friend, finds out.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I loved Shelby and Knox’s story. It also gives us a chance to see the other Sexy Bastards again and what’s going on with the whole gang. I need to know more about Jackson though. I hope his story is next (Hint Hint).

A Thousand Boy Kisses ~ Tillie Cole

Amazon US ~  Amazon UK

One kiss lasts a moment.

But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.

One girl.

A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.

A bond that neither time nor distance can break.

A bond that will last forever.

Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?

Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

Standalone Young Adult Tearjerker Romance.

For ages 14 and up.

I can't even begin to say how amazing this book was. Life-altering, inspiring and uplifting are a few words that come to mind. This book completely filled my heart and was a total ugly-cry. Absolutely loved it!!

Rune Kristiansen is the ultimate book-boyfriend. I want to leave this review spoiler free, but I will say that quiet boy was loyal and was way stronger than he gave himself credit for. He went through things that adults have difficulty dealing with, let alone a hormonal teenage boy. But Rune was not your typical teenage boy. I love Rune!!!

Poppy Litchfield is an amazing, strong and beautiful young woman. Always the girl on the adventure, she doesn’t let anything slow her down. She found her very own Viking in Rune and never looked back. She thought of everyone, but herself. Poppy is selfless, loving and just a gorgeous person inside and out.

"Poppy and Rune for Infinity"

These two characters filled my heart, “it almost burst.” There is not a rating high enough to really convey how amazing A Thousand Boy Kisses is. Tillie Cole outdid herself!

Just A Number ~ Fifi Flowers

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Not looking for love.

No details.

Follow rules and restrictions.

Only fun. No feelings.

Forever--not an option.

Simple Flings.

They were all just a number.

Dash Oliver and Willow Dane both shared the same philosophy.

That is, until a merger of sorts.

Thrown together by fate or serendipity, was their connection... their chemistry... their compatibility enough to convince them that their rules were made to be broken and that they belonged together?

This was a sweet, quick read. After reading this I definitely wanted to start doing yoga. I mean, a hot, sexy and smart male yoga instructor, who wouldn’t want to? Dash is not what I was expecting, but was pleasantly surprised. When he reveals his other profession, I was definitely shocked.

Willow is a strong business woman and very forward when she’s drinking. Fortunately for her, she is able to get away when some stress comes up at work and meets the sexy yoga instructor, who she doesn’t remember meeting before, but can’t keep her eyes off of him during yoga class.

Dane and Willow can’t keep their hands off each other and they definitely had chemistry. While I enjoyed the story, I couldn’t really connect with the characters. The characters didn’t interact verbally as much as I would have liked, except towards the end of the book. During those exchanges is where I really enjoyed these two. 

Killer ~ Heather C. Leigh

UnthinKable. UnimagInable.  UndeniabLe.  UnforgivabLe.  SalvageablE.  Redeemable.  

Ten years ago, their lives shattered to pieces...

And he's the KILLER that has to live with it.

Two people. One incident. Interwoven between two damaged souls in ways they don't understand.  

***

"The fact I feel anything should let me know I’m headed in the wrong direction, headed down a path of darkness, destruction, and failure. A path that will dig out memories so painful I’ve created an entire persona to avoid dealing with them. Yet I know—I’m going down that path headfirst no questions asked, no matter the outcome.

I might be a monster, but I’m a selfish one."—Keller Keating

"When his strength envelops me, every wrong becomes right, every anxiety melts away, every doubt disappears. I feel calm, safe, whole. The spark of life that’s been missing inside burns bright, lighting me up like a solar flare, sizzling white-hot through my veins. Keller brings me out of the darkness and into the light."—Britton Reeves 

OMG! I loved Killer. So, initially I wanted this book to be a standalone, but I loved the characters so much that now I want more.

Keller (Killer) I know was supposed to seem like a total dick, but he was in pain. He was suffering and that was the only way he knew how to cope. His guilt overwhelmed him and I could actually feel it coming off the pages. He hated himself so much that he would never believe he could deserve anything as good as Britt.

Britton is one kick-ass chick!! The battle she went through, not just with the incident, but with the recovery and her narcissistic mother, was something not many can overcome. I was filled with pride when reading all the things she accomplished and the other goals she set for herself. She is a truly beautiful person inside and out.

How, you ask, is it that two opposite ends to the spectrum collide? They both have this pull towards each other, while not really even realizing how interwoven their lives are. Well, not realizing until everything come crashing in and they are both left to deal with their pasts. Both pushed it aside for their own understandable reasons, but it could now push the two of them apart.

This book is about the victims of a tragedy; how they cope and deal with whatever life it is they have left. Many times the victims are forgotten about and the suspects are glorified. It drives me crazy. The way Heather was able to capture how the victims and their families moved forward got to me and hit me right in the feels. This book was written beautifully and I liked Heather’s move into a little darker of a story. Absolutely Excellent!

Hooker (L.A. Liaisons #2) ~ Brooke Blaine

Whoever said singles were missing out by not finding true love and getting married before the age of thirty had never experienced the sheer pleasure of nightly romantic comedy viewings in their underwear while eating one of Licked’s famous Crazy Cat Lady sundaes. Because life just doesn’t get better than that. 

At least, it doesn’t for Shayne Callahan. It didn’t take more than a handful of broken hearts after college to solidify that she was better at pairing up those around her than herself. As a matchmaker at the elite HLS—Hook, Line, & Sinker Matchmaking Company—in the City of Angels, she has a knack for finding the other halves of even the most eccentric clients:

Sugar daddy with a foot fetish? Gross, but no problem.

A severe case of nudophobia? Match made before lunch.

But even the most happily independent of women can find their best-laid plans screeching to a halt when they meet that guy. For Shayne, that guy comes in the form of boyishly handsome, suspender-lovin’, dimple-poppin’ Nate Ryan on a pantsless (we’ll get to that later) Metro ride. 

Of course, relationships can never be easy. Before the destined lovers can ride off into the sunset, they must overcome a power-hungry and sexual-punning boss, a celebrity scandal and cover-up, and let’s not forget Shayne’s dreadful foot-in-mouth disease—with which there can never be a happily ever after. 

Will fate throw Shayne a freakin’ bone? Or will she be destined to live out her life as sexy(ish), single(ish), and L.A.’s finest Hooker.

What a fun and sexy read! I completely love Brooke’s characters in the L.A. Liaison series. I feel like my friends and I could hang with these ladies. They are all independent, strong women, but they belong to this group of girls and each of them contributes something to their crew.

"All right slutbags. Let's do the damn thing."

Shayne and Nate. Gah! That chemistry, the sparks that flew. I wanted to smack Shayne a couple times for being so rough with him, but apparently Nate liked the challenge since he kept coming back for more. He’s persistent, stubborn and sexy as hell. Exactly what Shayne needs.

Let’s get to the only thing I disliked about Hooker…..Shayne’s boss Val. That woman is a B*&ch!! I hated how she treated Shayne and wanted to punch her in the throat several times. She is just a nasty person and I’m wondering what happened to her to make her that way. I guess it’s just a testament to Brooke’s writing to make me feel so strongly (in a negative sense) about a character.

Not giving too much away, I’m extremely proud of Shayne and truly feel she followed her own path. She did her best to make it on her own and took so much pride in her work that she stuck at a job for years that paid her crap. But she kept at it because she loved what she did and she did it for the couples she worked with. That takes determination and pride. Shayne kicks ass.

Nate’s not too shabby either. He had a lot of obstacles to go through to hook Shayne. It wasn’t an easy pursuit, but he kept at it. He was sweet, romantic, but also was one of the people who felt Shayne needed to get away from her boss (but supported whatever she decided).

Hooker was fun, sexy and also touched my heart. People were hurt, treated terribly, but also loved fiercely.  I cannot wait for the next in the series.