Road to Ruin (New Orleans Nights Book 1) ~ Callie Hart and Jonny James

Malicious Destruction of Property.

Two counts of breaking and entering.

Two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

Four counts of assault.

Three counts of illegal gambling.

Three years served in Orleans Parish Prison.

Tommy ‘Havoc’ Kendrick’s rap sheet reads like a recipe for disaster: one part mayhem to three parts chaos. There’s no arguing the matter; he’s a bad guy, or at least he used to be. For the past five years, Tommy’s been on the straight and narrow, keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. He left the French Quarter behind, along with the New Orleans crime syndicates and underground fights that used to pay his bills. Trading in the high-octane thrill of earning money with his fists to work in an auto mechanic’s was hard, and yet somehow, despite everything, he’s made it work.

Until now.

Tommy hadn’t planned on seeing his brother again. When David Kendrick turns up on his doorstep with a bag full of money and four broken ribs, Tommy finds himself heading back to the place he swore he’d never return. Back to the fights. Back to the drinking, the drugs, and the women.

Back to a life he thought he’d left behind for good.

Nikita Moreau has lived in New Orleans all her life. She learned to drive there, lost her virginity there, bought her first house there, and she’s damned if she isn’t going to die there, too. As a prison psychologist at one of the country’s most dangerous facilities, she runs the risk of dying in the state of Louisiana on a daily basis, and yet she wouldn’t give it up for the world. There’s nothing more satisfying than helping those everyone else has given up on. Nothing more rewarding than fixing something everyone said was broken.

The day she meets Tommy Kendrick, however, she learns a painful lesson: sometimes a person is too broken to be fixed. Sometimes a person is beyond reach and cannot be saved. The tall, dark and handsome, tattoo-covered devil is danger personified. She knows this. She knows he’s bad news. So then why can’t she stop thinking about him? Why can’t she stay away from him?

And, most importantly, why won’t she save herself?

 

When I saw the cover for Road to Ruin, I wanted to read the book. Holy Hotness Batman. I am just like Nikita...I love a man with tattoos. Tommy Kendrick is super hot and a complete bad ass! I was super disappointed that this read was so short and I would have to wait for the next one. I wanted more of these characters now!

The environment Nikita works in is not ideal. At first I think she is a meek, quiet psychologist, but she surprises me. She's passionate about her job and her patients. So much so that it could get her in to some trouble and puts her right in Tommy's path. After several turn of events it almost seems like she is walking right in to Tommy's path, which is not a bad thing in my eyes. 

Tommy does not need to get involved with a woman right now. He needs to have his head on straight to get through the past he has walked right back into. He's a scary man with scary enemies. While he tried to get away from it before, now he has no choice but to be right back in the thick of things. 

I really liked these characters and wanted to see what happens to them. I was super bummed that I have to wait to find out, but I'm sure it will all be worth it. Callie and Jonny wrote a good dark read that I cannot wait to get more of. 

Animal (A Prisoned Spinoff Standalone) ~Marni Mann

Goodreads

Amazon US ~ http://amzn.to/2nKJZCu
Amazon UK ~ http://amzn.to/2muy4Zr

Synopsis

I captured the guilty. Locked them inside our prison. Tortured their bodies and abused their minds. I had murdered hundreds. Never recognized one. Until her face. Until that scream. I was hired to take her life. But first, I had to figure out how she ruined mine.

Review

Yep! I think that about sums it up. LOL. 

Wow, just Wow! There were lots of twists in this book that I was not expecting and there were others I was secretly hoping would happen. Marni does a great job on taking you through another mind f*%k with Animal.

Beard...Oh Beard. That sexy, hot, dirty man. He was super yummy, but I knew something had scared him. Something fierce. The things that man can do with a flat iron....ouch! But I still liked him. I wanted him to find his peace. His mind was so warped, I wasn't sure if he would ever find it. 

Tye....Girl. While I understand certain motivating circumstances, the situation she finds herself in is just f*&ked! I could feel her love and sadness pouring out of my kindle. This girl was in some awful predicaments so I was hopeful she too would find something that made her happy, but not take her life. 

I know I have been very vague, but I don't want to give too much away. You just have to read this and go on the roller coaster ride too. Let me warn you, this is a dark, dirty, sexy and wild read. The gifs above say it all. Not for the faint at heart, but totally worth it!

Rooke ~ Callie Hart

Amazon US

Watchmaker. Car thief. Heartbreaker extraordinaire.

Rooke Blackheath has spent enough time in juvie to know that he really doesn’t want to go to jail. The food sucks, the clothes itch, and there are absolutely no women in sight. Well…none he wants to fuck, anyway.

He should probably stop boosting cars, but the money is stellar and the high is out of this world. And why should he turn his back on something that sets his soul on fire anyway?

The answer to that question comes in an unexpected form: a petite five-foot-three firecracker named Sasha who refuses to give him the time of day no matter how thick he lays on the charm.

Rooke’s not easily deterred, though. Just like the watches he builds from scratch, Rooke knows all too well how women tick. Women are a game to him. A game he always wins.

Sasha doesn’t stand a chance.

***

Sasha Cross’s life has been permanently derailed since her son died five years ago. You wouldn’t know it to look at her, of course. She has a great job, a beautiful house, and caring friends. Every week, she hosts a book club featuring the sexiest, most romantic stories on the planet, and every week she falls for a new fictional knight in shining armor.

Fictional men are perfect, though. They don’t hurt you. They don’t break your heart. They don’t cheat on you after your child dies, and they rarely ever leave the toilet seat up.

When Rooke Blackheath shows up at Sasha's workplace, it’s clear he’s nothing like the men who grace the pages of Sasha's favorite books. Dangerous, arrogant, sharp-tongued and sarcastic, Rooke’s not the kind of guy she needs in her life. Not to mention the fact that he’s eleven years her junior.

They don’t live in different worlds. As far as Sasha is concerned, Rooke lives in a different galaxy altogether. She’d like to keep it that way, but fate appears to have other plans.

When Cinderella lost her shoe, Prince Charming showed up at her door.

When Sasha Cross loses her book, an entirely different kind of rogue comes a-knocking.

I have to say after reading the first chapter, I though this book would go in a completely different direction. To say there are some twists and drama, is an understatement. There’s a lot going on in this book and I think this book could have been split up in to a couple different books.

Rooke is an alpha hottie, no doubt. He seems older than his 23 years, but that could be because of his time in Juvi and the experiences he has had in his past. He has his own demons and unsavory people in his life that could affect their relationship or even the start of one.

While Sasha can’t seem to get past her own tragedy, Rooke is the calm to her freak-outs and is the only person to break down her walls. Her tragedy is definitely a tragedy that most could not overcome and she seems to have a lot happen to her for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This is an action-packed story with a lot of different things going on and it seemed to wrap up rather quickly. I would have loved more of the two of them and maybe more of the backstory of Sasha’s past. I’d even like more of Rooke’s past and what has made him so angry, even before the stent in Juvi. Still love Callie and her writing, but wanted more with Rooke. 

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!!!

El Diablo (The Devil): The Good Ol' Boys Spin Off ~ M. Robinson

I was ruthless. 

I was feared. 

I had sacrificed. Myself. Her. Everything... 

Living in a world where I was worth more dead than alive was a choice. I was a bad man, never claimed to be anything else. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. Seen things that can’t be unseen. I’ve caused pain that I can’t undo. 

It was all my choice. 

Every decision. 

Every order. 

Right and wrong never mattered. 

Until her. 

She was under my protection, until she became my obsession. 

But who was going to save her... 

From. Me. The devil himself. 

Fate brought us together. Destiny destroyed us. 

This.Book.Is.Everything! Everything I thought Alejandro Martinez would be was completely exceeded. M did an amazing job with this character and his story. I never wanted it to end! Lexi and El Diablo 4-eva!

Alejandro Martinez is an asshole. He’s cruel, mean, a murderer and a criminal. And I just could not help falling for him. Beneath his tough, strong and scary exterior, he’s a man that loves his family with his whole heart. The things he does for his family, while not always resulting the way he wanted, were all done with good intentions….or as revenge, justice and retribution.

Lexi had a terrible beginning. She could only remember a few good things about her mother and we are left wondering, for a while, what made her that way. How could a mother not go on for their child?? Lexi is a beautiful person with big dreams that any parent would be proud of, yet her mother could not pull herself out of her depression. It consumed her. In the end, I think it’s one of the things Lexi ended up hating about her. That and then leaving her with her step-father.

“Knowing right then and there I would have to to break my promise to her. I would have forgiven my mother for anything….. But I would never forgive her for this.”

The coming together of these two is raw, gritty and, well, just HOT! There were several times I needed a cold shower to break through the lust induced haze that Martinez and Lexi created. Their age difference excited me and I loved that M pushed this boundary. Lexi was made for Alejandro, despite their age difference. I could feel their connection though my kindle.

When Alejandro would push her away, just to go back to get her, gave me whiplash. One minute he was hot and then cold.  I understand why, now, but he kept breaking my heart when he would break Lexi’s. I wanted to smack him, but I had to trust him just like Lexi did. El Diablo is one sexy, powerful and extremely smart man. He had a purpose and a plan for everything. We just had to trust in him.

El Diablo by Slidely Slideshow

Gah, I loved this book! The playlist completely compliments Martinez and Lexi’s story. It’s a must while reading. El Diablo is my favorite of M. Robinson’s work. It was raw, gritty, angsty (yes I just made that word up) and powerful! 

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.  

Game ~ London Casey and Ana Fawkes

Amazon US
Amazon UK

To save her life, I had to win the fight. To keep her alive, I'll have to get her pregnant. The second I see Shayna, I know she doesn’t deserve to be mixed up in this world. Innocent, beautiful... being used as a prize. She’s looking for answers in all the wrong places and I have to get her out of there. So I do what I do best: I fight and I win. When I take my prize home, my boss is waiting for me and gives me an ultimatum: get Shayna pregnant. If I don't, we both die. If I do it, he's going to snatch the baby away to replace his own lost grandchild. We aren’t supposed to fall for each other...but our time together becomes something more powerful than I could ever imagine. And when Shayna tells me she’s pregnant, I know one thing for sure… no one's taking our child away.

ARC Received in Exchange for an Honest Review. 
While I enjoyed the characters, the plot line was a little difficult for me to hold on to. The idea that there are these two Mafioso types that are at war, so one takes his prized underground fighter and demands that he knocks up a woman who he thinks is connected to his enemy. While the Boss was a little off due to a recent loss of his own, the reasoning fell a little short for me.

That being said, Finn and Shayna have so hot, sparking chemistry. I mean it is insta-lust from the moment their eyes meet. The sex scenes definitely get you hot and as long as you’re not thinking of why they have to get it on, you can really enjoy their romps.

I love me a good fighter and Finn proves to be one time and again. He’s extremely loyal and that hurts his and Shayna’s connection for a bit, due to tragedy in his past. His best friend, Cormac is another sexy man with fierce loyalty and while he is “clean”, he would do anything for his brother. That Irish accent is sexy as hell too!

Shayna was in a bad situation due to her past which led her to the underground.  In the time she’s saving Finn, she holds a gun to him and we can tell she’s putting on a brave face, but she ends up making matters worse. All hell breaks loose and they have to get away from the underground fight and Finn's Boss's enemy, Zander. 

The writing of the story is good, but the plot just left me wishing for more. I liked the characters, the action and sex scenes. Overall, the story was written well and was a quick read.