Torn ~ C.J. Fallowfield

Amazon US / Amazon UK

Torn - One will break her trust - One will break her heart - One will kill for her. 

When Sky’s parents moved from San Francisco to Boulder City in Nevada, she thought her life was over, until she met the Hudson boys. Two years older than her, tattooed bad boy Nate was confident, cocky, good looking, and a straight talker. He was the unattainable guy that all the girls wanted, but the one their fathers warned them to steer clear of. Josh had all of his brother’s looks, but he was the sweet charmer your mother would beg you to marry. Their cousin Billy lacked the brothers’ good looks, so relied on his quick wit to attract the girls. 

When all three of them set their sights on Sky, they became competitive, and cracks in their close bond began to form. 

Torn between her loyalty to all three, and feelings for one, Sky was faced with a dilemma. 

When she made her decision, she had no idea that her choice would set them all on a path that would tear the group apart. 

Torn is a standalone new adult erotic romance novel, heavy on the angst. Tissues may well be required!

This story stuck with me days after I finished it. It was moving right along, I was completely falling for the characters, deciding who I thought Sky should choose and then BAM! Plot Twist. Holy Crap, I wasn’t expecting that.

I was Team Nate the whole time. I mean, I understand he had a reputation, but as we learn more about him, like Sky did, you couldn’t help fall for him. He became the man of the house when his father passed away and starting burning the candle at both ends with school, work, baseball and taking care of his brother and mother. He’s a stand up guy that his brother Josh looked up to.

Josh, Josh, Josh…. At first, I felt bad for him. The geeky kid that’s hidden by his brother’s shadow, but as time went on; he started to grow into his own. He starts to take on more responsibility at home and alleviate the pressure from Nate. I because really proud of Josh. He definitely grew into a great man….who still fell for Sky.

Billy, Nate and Josh’s cousin, rubbed me wrong. There was something off about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. There were too many things that made me question his intentions with his cousins and Sky. He seemed to use the boys for their generosity, yet at the same time, he would but heads with them. I was not a fan.

Sky frustrated me a bit, by not going with her instinct or her feelings in the first. While I didn’t agree with how she dragged things out, I also understood that she was young and faced with the affection of three guys, when she never had this type of attention before. That being said, Sky has a huge heart and she is great to these boys. She’s smart, sweet and has a great head on her shoulders. She loves with her whole heart.

I was definitely on a roller coaster ride, especially that last 45% of the book. The plot twist and turn of events had me floored. The emotions….gah, the emotions. I was smiling one minute, crying the next and then preparing to throw my kindle. Definitely stuck with me days later.  

RUSH (Montgomery Men Book 1) ~ C.A. Harms

I was running from my husband, a man I thought I’d known. Running from the hell he had put me through.

He’d nearly destroyed the woman I had once been and I would do whatever it took to regain my freedom.

I would lie, and cheat. I would steal if it meant that I never had to go back there.

I’d run and keep running…

But there was one problem. I hadn’t planned for Ashton Montgomery.

He was a distraction I couldn’t allow. Not if I wanted to stay safe. I had to remain distant, but he was relentless and had other ideas.

I caved because I hadn’t thought it all through, not in detail.

If I had I would’ve realized that you can only live in a fantasy world for so long before everything came crashing in around you.

And those lives you’ve destroy along the way, make you no better than the monster you were trying to break free from.

How could I have been so careless? It wasn’t meant to turn out this way. But the Rush of my freedom took control and I forgot how important it was to keep the secret of who I had once been.

And now I had nothing… 

Only the fear that the man I’d run from would find me again, and finish what he started.

I absolutely love C.A. Harms’s stories. I am floored at how creative she is and how many characters her mind thinks up. Rush is another fabulous read and I cannot wait to get more of the Montgomery Men!

I have a soft spot for books about abuse. Whether it’s physical, emotional or mental abuse, I want to cause extreme hurt to those that dish it out. That is unacceptable! What hurts even worse are those that feel that they cannot get out from underneath it. That they “hang in” there for someone else, for their children or that they feel they have no one and nowhere to go. It’s heart breaking.

When Kinsley runs, I could not be more proud. It takes something fierce to pick up and leave everything. No money, no clothes, just up and disappear to get yourself out of a terrible situation. But Kinsley did it and she is stronger because of it. She has had to try to get back the old her that was drained from her by her husband. She doesn’t back down now and I love that sassy quality she has.

Kinsley has met her match when she meets Ashton. Not one to be known for his gentle and kind ways, Ashton is smart, sarcastic and at times, a dick. But he had a soft spot for Kinsley. Or maybe it was more of a “hard” spot, since she didn’t fall into his games right away. She made Aston work for it and deservedly so. She wasn’t like other girls and he was completely head over heels.

Unfortunately, Kinsley’s secrets started to unravel. Things she didn’t want known come out and strain the relationship she and Ashton built. Kinsley begins to live in fear again and the thought of losing Aston destroys her. She wrestles with the thoughts of leaving again and just running. In her eyes, it’s not fair to bring Aston into this, but selfishly, she wants her happily ever after with him.

I can’t describe how much I enjoyed the writing and the story. C.A. does such a great job with the descriptions of her characters and their personalities that you get invested in them right away. She is definitely a go-to author of mine. 

Prisoned: A Dark Twisted Erotic Standalone by Marni Mann

When I opened my eyes, I was in a cell, my body covered in bruises.

Not a jail.

I’d been kidnapped and imprisoned.

I wasn’t alone. I shared the cell with Garin Woods, the man I’d loved since I was a kid.

The man I couldn’t be with because of the secret. A man who would kill me if he found out what that secret was.

Someone wanted to torture me.

Torture us.

One of us deserved it.

It wasn’t Garin.

 Holy crap!! The whole time I was asking, what’s the secret? What’s going on? Will someone tell me the secret? AARRRRGGGHHH!!

Man, was this book was a mind f*%k. I had my suspicions on what was going on, but I was still surprised by some of the twists Marni threw in. Well done.

I knew there was something Kyle was hiding and I was dying to know what it was. I could not put this book down and there were times I wasn’t sure how much Garin knew…or didn’t know for that matter.

The torture, the cell, all that Kyle and Garin went through in that cell, along with how they grew up, broke my heart. The thought of them never getting out alive was very real. The torture of their captors was disgusting and downright terrifying. But being in that cell brought the two closer together.

This book made me say “What the f*&k!” several times. The angst, anticipation and suspense kept me up way past my bedtime because I had to know what happened next. 

Savage Things (Chaos & Ruin #2) ~ Callie Hart

Zeth

At the eye of a violent storm, everything is calm. It’s only when the storm shifts that your life explodes into chaos.

The $#*& is finally about to hit the fan for Zeth. After months of blissful quiet, the wolves are at his door, teeth bared and snarling, baying for blood, and the sinister elements of the Seattle underground are closing in tight. In other words, things are about to get bad. Real fucking bad.

Zeth Mayfair isn’t your average criminal, though.

If the New York mob wants his allegiance, they’re gonna have to force him to submit. If the cops want his ass in chains, they’re gonna have to catch him first.

He’ll kill the wolves. He’ll ride out the storm. He’ll make his enemies suffer. Zeth Mayfair is about to crown himself ruler of the city, and fuck anyone who dares to take on the king.

They will obey, or they will fall.

The choice is theirs.

Sloane

Death is a bitch.

Sloane Romera sees death every day, looks it square in the eye, and she does not flinch. When Mason Reeves brings his little sister into St. Peter’s emergency room, a dark cloud hangs over the kid—one Sloane recognizes all too well. Millie is gravely ill, but it's not too late. Sloane's determined to do everything in her power to help her, regardless of the cost, regardless of how many rules she must break in the process.

Mason’s struck a deal with the devil, though. A deal that has painted a huge target on Sloane’s back. There’s every chance she’ll be dead by morning, and the man she loves might not be able to save her this time.

If there’s one thing Sloane knows, it’s that you can’t cheat death. When the Grim Reaper demands a life, a life must be given. Bargaining won’t work. Begging is futile.

A life for a life.

The debt must be paid in full.

OMG! Why, oh why do I do this to myself?! It’s because I love Zeth Motherfucking Mayfair!!! Gah Callie Hart does it again with another fabulous installment in the Chaos and Ruin series. I just can’t get enough of Zeth and Sloane. And Michael too!

I know Zeth is supposed to be the asshole of all assholes, but he keeps surprising me and I can’t stop loving him. He is a changed man since the first book of the Blood and Roses Series, but I love him even more. He is the Alpha Male personified, but he has his sweet spot for Sloane. Only for Sloane. Always.

Sloane is one bad ass bitch. To be able to work as a doctor, face death, destruction and pain every day, but still want to help others….that takes a special person. On top of that, she’s not afraid of Zeth. Well, she may be afraid of how he’ll react to things and afraid that someone may try to take him from her (kill him), but she’s not afraid to stand up to him. That takes some balls. Balls that some of the men that come in to contact with Zeth just don’t have.

"I know my life changed irrevocably when I met him. That change is burned deep inside my very being - in my mind, in my heart and in my soul." ~ Sloane

Mason....The twists that are happening with this kid, I just can’t even. The burden he bears by taking care of his sister Millie, coupled with the guilt he must feel….Well, I wouldn’t want to be those shoulders. I am hoping he starts to see clearer and not blame himself. I hope that he can find peace in where his life is at. My heart breaks for this kid, but if he pulls out of this mess, he will be that much stronger. He will be a force to be reckoned with.

I could read about these characters forever. And don’t even get me started on Michael. There are some things going on with him that I’m dying to know what they are, but he’s such a closed book. I need more. I cannot wait to read more about them. Zeth, Sloane and Michael are more of a family than they realize. Their love for each other is overwhelming and powerful. I hope, for Mason’s sake, he’s brought in to their fold. They all are going to need each other’s support.

I absolutely loved Savage Things. I cannot wait for the next one and for that matter; I hope I’m not waiting too long. Hint, hint. Callie Hart is definitely a go-to author of mine and Zeth and Sloane will always have a place in my heart. #ZMFM

Neighbor Dearest ~ Penelope Ward

After getting dumped, the last thing I needed was to move next door to someone who reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, Elec.

Damien was a hotter version of my ex.

The neighbor I’d dubbed “Angry Artist” also had two massive dogs that kept me up with their barking.

He wanted nothing to do with me. Or so I thought until one night I heard laughter coming through an apparent hole in my bedroom wall.

Damien had been listening to all of my phone sessions with my therapist.

The sexy artist next door now knew all of my deepest secrets and insecurities.

We got to talking.

He set me straight with tips to get over my breakup.

He became a good friend, but Damien made it clear that he couldn’t be anything more.

Problem was, I was falling hard for him anyway. And as much as he pushed me away, I knew he felt the same…because his heartbeat didn’t lie.

I thought my heart had been broken by Elec, but it was alive and beating harder than ever for Damien.

I just hoped he wouldn’t shatter it for good.

Damien! The sexy and brooding, jerk of a neighbor. I was so angry with him, before I even knew him. He lets his dog bark at all hours in the morning and then he listened to Chelsea’s therapy appointments through a hole in the wall!! Granted, he was a 100% correct that her phone therapy sessions were a sham, it was super embarrassing for him to listen in to all Chelsea’s insecurities. I felt shy and insecure after all that and I wasn’t in the book.

That being said, the more Chelsea and Damien hung out, the more we could see that he really is a good guy. He’s an amazing artist and ends up coming through for Chelsea at one of her shows, when another artist cancels at the last minute. Not only does Chelsea start to fall for Damien, Damien’s dogs, Dudley and Drewfus, completely fall for Chelsea.

I think Damien is falling for Chelsea as well, but he won’t let himself truly realize it. He’s fighting against something he promised himself he couldn’t have. His secrets that he’s keeping from Chelsea are really holding them back from becoming more. Chelsea realizes she really can’t have what she wants with Damien, so she decides to move. It’s time for her to move on and hope that they can still remain friends.

I was really hoping that Damien would pull his head out of his a*$ and go after Chelsea. Gah! So frustrating, but when we find out why Damien’s been holding back, it completely makes sense. Not that I agree with it, but Damien’s intentions were always good. There’s a lot that can go wrong, but I still think these two would be perfect together.

I really loved Damien and Chelsea’s story. I liked getting a glimpse in to each of their families and to watch their friendship grow. They are truly two great people and their love could be great as well. There was happiness and sadness, some hot sex and an ending that left me emotional. Well done Penelope. Well done.

Kaden (Recherché series) ~ Brit Lauren

I’m selling your fantasy. Are you buying? 

My name is Kaden Ryan and I’m a male escort. I never intended to become an escort, but an opportunity fell into my lap and I took it. It was simple: get paid for sex, an orgasm, a night of pleasure. It's certainly an easy way to work my way through medical school. 

But not everyone's fantasy is as simple as an orgasm. Some women like the game, and one in particular wants to push me to places I never thought I would go, paid or otherwise. She's going to be the one to give me a real education.

Kaden Ryan is a sexy, smart and young male escort. This profession was supposed to pay his way through medical school and he actually completes his rounds at the hospital before his nightly activities. I liked that he stayed focused on his goal to become a doctor even though he was making good money as an escort.

His simple plan was to get paid good money, pay for school and have a few orgasms. Why not, right? Little did he know that he would learn a lot about women and dare I say, get a little attached? Not that he meant to, but one woman became more like his friend and another taught him how to be a complete alpha male. She taught him how to take what he wanted and she showed him how much that turns us ladies on.

While I enjoyed the story, the super hot sex scenes, I do have to say I was not expecting the ending. It completely threw me for a loop, but also made me really proud of Kaden. He took what he learned and used it to make him better. No matter how much it still stings, he used his experience to help him grow and he continued to pursue his dream to be a doctor.