Preppy: The Life & Death of Samuel Clearwater PART ONE (KING Book 5) ~T.M. Frazier

Samuel Clearwater, A.K.A Preppy, likes bowties, pancakes, suspenders, good friends, good times, good drugs, and a good f*ck. 

He’s worked his way out from beneath a hellish childhood and is living the life he’s always imagined for himself. When he meets a girl, a junkie on the verge of ending it all, he’s torn between his feelings for her and the crippling fear that she could be the one to end the life he loves. 

Andrea ‘Dre’ Capulet is strung out and tired. 

Tired of living for her next fix. Tired of doing things that make her stomach turn. Tired of looking in the mirror at the reflection of the person she’s become. Just when she decides to end it all, she meets a man who will change the course of both their lives forever. 

And their deaths. 

For most people, death is the end of their story.

For Preppy and Dre, death was only the beginning. 

This is the fifth book in the King Series and it's meant to be read after Soulless.

I have to admit. I was one of the people who was not expecting this story to begin where it did, but I totally get why TM started it where she did. In an effort to not give too much away, we needed to see where Dre comes from and we also got to understand Preppy a little bit more.

Preppy is still his sarcastic, funny, crazy self and I found myself laughing at a lot of things he would say, but at the same time, I could see the cold, scary man that lurks just beneath the surface.  We get to see why Preppy is the way he is and now everything makes sense. Well, almost. 

I also liked that we got to learn of Preppy’s love interest, Dre. We didn’t hear much about her in the first part of the King series, so it’s great to see the woman who captures Preppy’s heart. She’s troubled, haunted, but strong and determined too. They make the perfect, crazy couple that don’t back down from each other. I was definitely proud of Dre in a few scenes where she called Preppy’s bluff.

TM is an awesome writer. She is one of my fav authors and when anything of hers comes out, I have to get it. Her writing is fluid and even with flash backs; we always know where we are in the story. And with this cliffy, I need the next book ASAP!!!

Jagger (Broken Doll#2) ~Heather C. Leigh

Amazon US/Amazon UK

I sell drugs. Heroin to be specific. And I'm fucking good at my job. Enough to fight my way to the top, controlling all of Austin's supply.

So what if I had to kill the previous boss to do it. I do what has to be done. Never cared about consequences because I never had anything to lose.

Until I met Miri. My doll. She's my weakness and somehow, my enemies found out about her.

If they hurt her, they will regret the day they ever heard my name. Boss. They call me Boss for a reason. What I say goes, including the price on the heads of anyone who dares to fuck with what belongs to me.

Jagger was just AWESOME! I loved this book. Not only do I get more of Miri and Jagger, there was some serious action and adventure in this book.

I am so flipping proud of Miri. Not only did she grow some major balls, but she was so freaking strong. She held on to hope, when there were times I didn’t think there was a way she would get back to Jag. She was motivating and inspiring and man, that woman never gave up!

If I didn’t love Jag before, I wouldn’t have had a chance after this book! Holy Hell. Not only is he sexy, fierce and scary, but he’s sweet, caring and absolutely in love with Miri. He worships the ground she walks on and it eats him alive that he can’t find her or get to her. But he never stops. His thirst for revenge is overwhelming and his love for Miri will survive anything…even possibly death.

I can’t say enough about Jagger. The suspense, the action, the dark places Heather took us too. I absolutely loved it!

Junkie (Broken Doll Book 1) ~ Heather C. Leigh

I'm a heroin addict. A junkie. A whore. I'll do anything to get my next fix.

Anything.

Including walking right onto the property of Austin's most ruthless and feared drug lord to beg for some H. I don't know his name, only that people call him Boss. Oh, and that he won't think twice to put a bullet in my head.

But like I said, I'll do anything to get my next fix. Even if it costs me my life.

Or changes it forever. 

I’m a huge Heather C. Leigh fan, so when I saw that she was writing a dark romance (one of my fav, if not my fav type) I jumped at the chance. Junkie is gritty, raw, dark, sexy and suspenseful. To say you need to read this in an understatement.

Miri is the junkie. She will do anything for her next fix and I mean anything. There are some disgusting things that she is forced to do and it just shows the pull the H has on her. But she wasn’t always like this. When she is somewhat “normal” after her does is injected, we see the little spit fire she used to be. I loved her firey attitude, but it bothered me to see how much self loathing there was. I definitely think Heather nails the up and downs when it comes to addiction. Miri is all over the place at times and we see a glimpse of the struggles that addicts have. Her poor excuse for a boyfriend (term I use very loosely here) offers her a place to crash after she runs into some hard times and gets her addicted. He uses her and now her level of self deprecation is so high, she thinks every person wants to use her; that’s she is nothing or nobody. Boss man is actually the first person to look at her like she is worth something in a long, long time.

Boss, or Boss man, is a ruthless and scary drug lord. He’s hard core and doesn’t take shit from anyone. That is until Miri stumbles her way on to his property looking for a score. She reminds him of those he let down in his past. She’s become weak and someone that everyone takes advantage of. While he can she what a beautiful woman she once was, Boss is disgusted by the dirt and grime she has accumulated from this addiction. He can either kill her or help her. She could become his biggest weakness or he could use her to help his cause to stay at the top of the drug food chain.

I love the dynamic between the two characters.  

Boss is sexy, strong and a complete bad ass. How could there not be sparks!?! 

Their sexual tension is off the charts, but at first Miri doesn’t realize it because she is so down on herself.  Granted, there have been a few things said by Boss that has made her think this way as well, but it was out of context and not the way he meant them to be heard. Boss’s inner monologues definitely give us a bigger insight to why he is the way he is and what his true feelings for Miri are.

Boss doesn’t love himself either. He still beats himself up for the past he has had and the H he continues to deal. While making a ton of money, this is also the drug that destroyed his family’s lives. His mood swings, his internal battles, all stem from those he could help and from the strong feelings he has for Miri, which he tries to deny.

Boss’s right hand man, Milo, drives me crazy. I think there was a couple times I wanted to staple his mouth shut because he is a disrespectful ass. He needs to remember his place in the organization and leave Miri alone.

The action, angst, sexual tension and dark path that these two are taking together had me devouring their story. I couldn’t get enough. To be honest, I stalked Heather to see when we would get the next book, Jagger. So excited to read the rest of this dark duet!

Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4) ~ M. Robinson

They say in order to find yourself you have to go home. 

What if home was what you were running from? 

Where did that leave you? 

Always on the other side of the fence. 

Always looking in. 

Always wishing you were someone you couldn't be. 

Until one day you meet her. 

The one. 

She was my high, but she was also... 

My demise. 

STANDALONE within a series. This is a Full Length Novel.

I don’t even know where to begin. I mean, this book…..this book hit close to home. Not only did it make me think of a time where I dated an addict and how, in turn, became wrapped up in that world too, but Austin also said things that my husband actually says to me now. It’s just crazy how this story resonated with me.

“Anytime you want to talk about your parents, I’m here to listen. I wish I could have met them, so I could tell them how amazing their daughter is and how much I’m in love with her.”

~Austin

I lost my dad when I was 19 and my mom when I was 21. I was searching for comfort and love since I had just lost my biggest supporters. Austin wasn’t much different. He also felt he didn’t belong and had to prove himself. He, like the other boys, was jealous of the bond Half Pint and Bo had, which just caused him to feel more lost. His using started as fun and partying, but then ran away from him so he could drown his sorrows. And it’s true, at some point you ask yourself, how did it get this bad…..yet, you have no answer. The hardest part is that Austin is a talented, loving, devoted and gorgeous man that had demons bigger than he could initially cope with.

"I need you, baby, I need you like I need fucking air to breath. I'm nothing without you! NOTHING! Please.....just fucking help me!"

~Austin"

I connected with Briggs in a sense that she always had to take care of herself. When she finally meets Austin and the alpha that he is, she relishes in the fact that he wants to take care of her. She can let go and feel safe and loved by someone, especially since she was lacking it from her uncle. She enabled Austin, but truly she didn’t know what was going on in Austin’s head to help him. While she blamed herself, she really couldn’t do anything until Austin was ready to. Briggs is beautiful, sweet, and smart, but often felt helpless and broken since she couldn’t help the one person she loved more than anything.

Austin and Brigg’s story tore my heart to shreds and had me reflecting on my own past. It churned my gut and made my heart ache. There was a lot of angst, but also a lot of love. Seeing certain times in the Good Ol’ Boys’ lives from Austin’s point of view was certainly eye opening and just made me want to hug him more. M’s writing was exceptional, as always, and she was able to tap in to the struggles that an addict has, as well as the struggle their loved ones go through. Absolutely brilliant!

High ~ LP Lovell

I’m Blake McQueen, daughter of Miles McQueen: businessman, politician, all around upstanding member of the community. 

I’m told that name means something, but well, I’ve pretty much doused it in petrol, set it on fire, and taken a shit on it for good measure. I like to think of myself as a walking middle finger. 

My name is now synonymous with booze, parties, sex, and drugs. I have to read the newspaper in the morning just to see where I was, possibly who I fucked, and judge my state of inebriation based on how much tit or minge is splashed across page five. 

Judge me all you like, love me, hate me. I don’t give a fuck. 

Life’s a party and you should never stop dancing. 

But even the sweetest of highs has it’s low. There is only so high you can go before you fall, and fall I did, right into the arms of the only man that could possibly stop me from crashing and burning. I’ve always been untouchable. I’ve never cared enough to be touchable. Until now. 

Love is the most destructive drug of all.

So I kept going back and forth on my rating. Was it a 4.5 star or a 5 star? Well it’s been a couple days since I read it and I’m still thinking about it. It still hits me in the feels, still causes me to pause and think, and still makes me emotional. Definitely 5 stars!

Addiction is something fierce. Even when you don’t think you’re addicted, it can sneak up on you and weeks later you realize you need it as opposed to only wanting it. This can be with drugs, alcohol or love. Love of your parents, siblings, friends or lovers. That support, that affection is huge. When losing any of those, it can be debilitating. Losing all of them can just break you. And that’s when you turn to a vice to forget. Or to give a big middle finger to those who don’t care.

LP did an amazing job with Blake’s character. She was fierce, crazy, uninhibited and gorgeous….But she had a problem. Her drug and alcohol use started as fun, but quickly morphed into something else. Beneath the façade, there was a hurt girl that was screaming for love and Rhett was just to man to give it to her.

Rhett, Rhett, Rhett. Take one addiction for the other. This hot, sexy, alpha man, who isn’t a saint by any means, makes Blake feel like she means something. That, to someone like Blake, could mean everything. Yet, when left with the toughest decision of his life, makes a choice that neither may be able to live with.

This story touched something deep. Probably because it hit a little close to home and definitely because LP wrote it so well, but Blake and Rhett’s story really got to me. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but as I dove in, I couldn’t put it down. I had to know if Blake was able to get past her loss and her addiction or if she would lose the one thing that actually made her happy. 

Legend (The REAL series Book 6) ~ Katy Evans

Maverick “the Avenger” Cage wants to rise to the top and become a legend in the ring. Though he keeps his identity well guarded, he's known on the fighting circuit as the new kid with a chip on his shoulder and a tattoo on his back that marks him as trouble. He's got a personal score to settle with the Underground's one and only Remington "Riptide" Tate.

As Mav trains, he meets a young girl—the only other new person in the town--and sparks fly. When things get heated between them, he finds out she's none other than Reese Dumas, the cousin of Remington Tate’s wife. A girl who's supposed to root against him and a girl he's supposed to stay away from.

But Maverick fights for the woman in his heart, and the monsters in his blood. The world’s eyes are on them and the victor will go down in history as the ultimate fighting champion; the ultimate LEGEND. 

 

When I read this, all I could feel was pride. I was proud of Maverick, Reese, Oz, and of course Remy. As much as this was Mavericks and Reese’s story, Remy played an integral part, which just further solidified my love for him.

I absolutely, unequivocally loved this book. The characters were complex and had their own issues, but it didn’t stop them from speaking their minds. I feel in love with Reese and Maverick probably just as quickly as they fell for each other. Nothing in life is perfect and whole both had demons in their past, they were both able to support and love each other as they are. They were cast aside, placed in the friend zone and ostracized, but they found and understood each other. They were made for each other and with each battle (mentally, physically, emotionally) that they went through, it further confirmed, they were “with” each other.

The adrenaline before the fights, I felt. The love between Reese and Maverick, Remy and Brooke, all of their love for Racer, it just hit me right in the feels. What an inspirational and powerful story. I cannot say enough great things about Legend. It is definitely just that…..a Legend.