September 2018 Review Recap

Wow. I reviewed 17 books & Audiobooks last month! Way to catch up! While I had a few stand-out reads last month, including two 5++ Stars, two 5-stars and a 4.75 star, I also had four 3-stars and one 2.5-stars, so September was a mixed bag for me. The final book in Tara Sivec’s Naughty Princess Series, The first two books in Lauren Blakely’s Heartbreaker Series and The first in TM Frazier’s Perversion Series made for three MUST READ series. I can tell you with absolute surety, these will be my favorite series of 2018.

Click on the title or Graphic to see my FULL reviews (always spoiler free) that will have my likes and dislikes, favorite quotes, bookstagram photos (4 stars and up only), and Narration review for audiobooks.

Kiss The Girl by Tara Sivec

“You’re the rarest antique I’ve ever seen, and I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you know how perfectly imperfect and extraordinary you are.”

Kiss The Girl is my favorite of the three books in the series, and that’s saying a lot because they are all 5 stars. Out of 125 books a year, only about 10 or less get 5 stars, but in this series all three did. The combination of Tara’s snarky, immature humor and hot and sexy fairytale romance with heart, mixed with tons of details from the Disney princess movies made this series one of the most creative I have read. Kiss the Girl kind of hit closer to home for me because I struggle with my self-esteem and I totally got Ariel. I loved seeing her start to heal with Eric. One of the things I enjoy so much about Tara’s romcoms are the friendships between the characters, and this series had it in spades. I want to be best friends with them! The Naughty Princess series is empowering, fun, sexy, romantic, and ridiculously clever. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

See My Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

Check out the whole Naughty Princess Series (As of 10/3, the first two books are on sale!)

Once Upon a Real Good Time by Lauren Blakely

“I mean it, Mackenzie. You helping my kid bake? Holy fuck. So fucking sexy, the way you are with my girl. So fucking hot.”

Whether male POV or dual POV like Once Upon a Real Good Time, Lauren Blakely totally nails the romantic comedies. With strong, likeable women and dirty alphas who respect the women they are with, Lauren never fails. Once Upon a Real Good Time was extra-special to me because they are a bit older with teenaged kids plus he’s a rock star. It honestly doesn’t get much better than that to me. An inked, sexy, dirty-talking single-dad musician, a smart, funny, successful single mom plus fun, happy teenaged kids and great side characters is my recipe for a perfect book, and Lauren Blakely is the best chef to make it. Once Upon a Real Good Time is the perfect start to what is sure to be a new favorite series.

See My Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

Check out the whole Heartbreakers Series:
ONCE UPON A REAL GOOD TIME | ONCE UPON A SURE THING | ONCE UPON A WILD FLING

Perversion by TM Frazier (Interview & Review)

“The connection between us is tangible. A magnet pulling two people together from opposite sides of town. White Trash Romeo and Juliet.”

Perversion is TM Frazier’s best work to date and that’s saying a lot. I was completely riveted from start to finish and had to go right back and read it again as soon as I finished.  One thing you never have to worry about with a TM Frazier book is that it will be similar to any other book. Her style and stories are completely unique and have a genre of their own. It took me a few years to read my first (and hers) TM Frazier book, The Dark Light of Day because I was afraid of the “dark” in the title. I don’t do dark books normally, but I feel like her books are more gritty, violent and depraved than dark and depressing. TM Frazier’s brain is a scary place. There is a reason they call her “The Evil Ginger”, and I am so glad for it because she totally delivered a brilliant, adrenaline-filled thrill ride that had suspense, twists, surprises, and a hot forbidden romance. Don’t wait on this one, the wait for Possession will just make it even more intense when you read it.

See the Full Review & Interview | Purchase on Amazon

See the full Series: PERVERSION | POSSESSION (11/6) | PERMISSION (12/11)

Bedfellows by Lola Leighton

“Both of them kissing and fondling me? It was like a gateway drug to ménage. And the bastards knew it.”

Bedfellows was a good book for the new or rare ménage reader. It was sweet and romantic, and they did bring up a lot of the issues a triad might experience. The sex was hot, but not overly detailed, making it pretty mild for ménage. I put the book down halfway through because I wanted to save it for sexy times, and to be honest, it was easy to put down, But I am glad I picked it back up to finish it, because I did enjoy it. If you are looking for a sexy and romantic mainstream m-f-m (with a little m-m-f) romance, Bedfellows may be the way to go.

See my Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

In the Audible Romance Package

Unexpected by Aleatha Romig

“I don’t want to make love. I want to fuck you like I’ve never fucked you before. I want to spend the next ten days making you hear me…even when I don’t speak.”

If you are looking for a quick, very sexy, married couple with some BDSM and suspense, look no further! Unexpected was a page-turner, and knowing in the back of my mind that Aleatha has a bit of a depraved mind had me turning the pages even faster, and she didn’t disappoint. I do, however, wish it were a full-length novel because there was a lot packed into 115 pages and it was a little rushed, but the same can be said for most novellas.

Note: I did not read the first book in the series and never felt like I had missed something.

See my Full Review | Purchase on Amazon

The Vault Series: Unconventional | Unexpected

Misadventures of a City Girl by Meredith Wild and Chelle Bliss

“If I shiver, he envelops me in his arms until the cold evaporates. If my stomach growls, he hops from the bed and fixes me something to eat. If I yawn, he carries me to the bed and whispers in my ear until my eyes flutter closed. He doesn’t smother me with his actions, but makes me feel adored and important—something I’m not used to feeling anymore.”

All in all Misadventures of a City Girl was a very sexy, quick, and not very deep read, which is I think what the Misadventures books all are. If you are looking for a quick book with a hot mountain man, and lots of sexy times, you’ll enjoy this one, but I was hoping for a little more depth.

See my Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

In the Audible Romance Package

Simmer by Stephanie Rose

“Nothing we do could be wrong if we’re together. Numbers don’t matter, not in time or age. What we have is timeless.”

Even though Simmer has characters from a previous book, it can very easily stand alone. I read Rewrite and it didn’t hit me that they were related until the very end. I enjoyed the fact that this was a character that acted badly, really badly, but is working hard to make up for it. I liked that a big barrier wasn’t so much age as it was their lives and careers. 7 years is a big age gap, especially when the woman is older, but it was never shoved in your face. They made a great couple, and I love that the title Simmer is a great name both for the chef and the slow-burn romance.

See my Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

Standalone Reading Order: REWRITE | SIMMER

The Perfect Duet by Meghan Quinn

“She’s the left side of perfect. She’s the right side of forever. She’s my everything.”

Once again, Meghan Quinn took us on an epic journey and I had no idea where this story would take me, I sometimes even doubted the direction I wanted it to go. There were some beautiful messages in here about self-esteem and self-worth that really hit home, and I felt like I really got to know the characters deeply. This unputdownable duet sent me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, from laughter to tears to wanting to throw my phone at Meghan’s head (sorry, not sorry), but in the end, the journey was SO worth it.

See my Full Review | Purchase The Left Side of Perfect | Purchase The Right Side of Forever

Hold You Close by Melanie Harlow and Corinne Michaels

“The thing about love is that it’s irrational and stupid. I work with statistics and analyze hard data – I weigh probabilities and risks, and think in truths and facts.
Truth – Ian broke my heart.
Truth – Ian is the man I’ve never gotten over.
Fact – Ian is a selfish player who doesn’t give a shit about me.
Fact – I want to rip his clothes off and fuck his brains out.” 

This review kind of made it sound like I hated the book. I didn’t. At no time did I think “I’m not enjoying this, I want to stop”. But I also got annoyed and frustrated with the characters and never found anything I really loved. I actually got way more annoyed at the book while writing this review than I did reading it, but let me repeat my first dislike in case you only read my Down & Dirty: For EIGHTEEN YEARS this couple has HATED each other even though they are neighbors and co-godparents. All he had to do was tell her why he broke up with her. And she lived like a spinster for 18 years because nobody could live up to her high school crush? Oy, it sounds even worse when I write it out. The authors seem to write well together, and if they do it again, I’ll try again, but Hold You Close was just an OK read for me.

See My Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

Faking It by K. Bromberg

“(Men have) a serious case of needing to one-up each other just to prove who has the biggest dick. And in case you wondered, I win. Always. But then again, does size really matter? Spoiler Alert: Yes it does.”

I absolutely LOVED Faking It by K. Bromberg. I think the audiobook made it stand out even more because Zane’s Australian accent was sexy as hell. While it seems like K. Bromberg is using a number of tried and true tropes including hate-to-love, fake relationship, workplace, friends-with-benefits, forced roommates and maybe more, she combined them all together in a fresh, fun and sexy way.  Faking It by K. Bromberg is one of my favorite audios this year, and it was a perfect one to go into audio first because you don’t want to miss this sexy accent!

See my Full Review | Audible First (available now) | Amazon (1/8/19)

Once Upon a Sure Thing (Heartbreakers 2) by Lauren Blakely

“She sings like a sinner. She sings like an angel. She sounds like whiskey and sugar. And I want both.”

Once again Lauren Blakely delivered a favorite! I almost feel like I could copy and paste my review from book to book because all I do is rave about the prolific writer. But if Lauren can keep coming up with new and different stories, I can keep giving new and different reviews. Once Upon a Sure thing was everything I love from Lauren. An amazing friends-to-lovers story, older characters, funny and sexy banter, a charming and sexy leading man, a heroine you want to be buddies with, great kids, super hot bedroom scenes, and a smile on my face the whole time. I loved the first in the Heartbreakers series, and I think I love this one even more! What will the third bring? Thank goodness I only have to wait 2 weeks.

See My Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

Check out the whole Heartbreakers Series:
ONCE UPON A REAL GOOD TIME | ONCE UPON A SURE THING | ONCE UPON A WILD FLING

Strong (Stage Dive 4.5) by Kylie Scott

“Considering I’ve been waiting for you for almost a decade, I think I’ve got a pretty good understanding of what goes on in that gorgeous head of yours.”

Strong by Kylie Scott was a wonderful visit with one of my favorite book bands. Just visiting with Mal a little would have been worth it, but Kylie Scott delivered a story of redemption and love. I didn’t totally warm up to Martha, but I liked her with the big softy, Sam. I do wish I remembered a few more details from the original series, but had no problem following and enjoying the main story arc for Strong, and perhaps remembering the details would have pulled me even further from liking Martha. If you are a fan of the Stage Dive Series, I think this was a great little visit with them, and hopefully an introduction to a new Rock Star romance.

See my Full Review & Excerpt | Purchase on Amazon | Stage Dive Series

Resisting Roots by Audrey Carlan

“Wherever you are is where I want to lay down my roots.”

I wanted so much to love Resisting Roots, especially because it is going to be a Passionflix movie. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the story, I loved how unique it was, but I really didn’t like the hero. He seemed like all he wanted was “juicy pussy” and “big titties” and he kind of skeeved me out at times. Other times he was awesome and supportive, but I never got over the initial ‘eew’ from him. I loved the concept of all the yoga, but in audio form, it was way too much for me. Resisting Roots was a super sexy read, with one of the most memorable and unique sex scenes I have ever read, so let me tell you, it may be worth reading just for that, and I bet the next book, Sacred Serenity is even hotter, because I think it’s about the tantric yoga instructor.

See my Full Review | Purchase on Amazon | Audible

Currently FREE on Kindle + $1.99 Audible or In the Audible Romance Package

Click Here to see the 7 book series

The Wedding From Hell 1 and 2 by JR Ward Book Review

“Because he wanted to be more for her. He wanted to be . . . everything . . . for Anne. And that was some fucked-up shit. When had attraction and sizzle turned into something bigger for him?”

At first, I didn’t really warm up to Anne, but I did to Danny and I am dying to see what happens with this couple in Consumed. This was a great little prologue. We got to meet the characters, get the lay of the land, and get some important background on Danny and Anne before the events of Consumed.

See My Full Review | Download Part 1: The Rehearsal Dinner (FREE) | Download Part 2: The Reception (FREE) | Purchase Consumed.

Consumed by J.R. Ward

“It’s amazing what you can live through and come out stronger on the other side.”

I wanted so much to love Consumed, I mean it’s JR Ward for goodness sake! I enjoyed the free prequels and was excited to read more about Danny, Anne and the firefighters of Station 499. Unfortunately Consumed didn’t live up to the prequels for me. After the explosive beginning, the rest of the book was just boring to me. It was more Anne and her investigation than anything else. I found the whole thing to be kind of depressing, there were no light moments to break it up, and it was definitely more mystery than romance. At 60% I almost DNFd but it’s a long book and I already put in so much time that I pushed through. I am glad I pushed through for the end, because it did redeem itself a bit for me, and I am curious about Tom’s story. But not enough for me to continue. A lot of bloggers I fully trust absolutely loved this one, and a few DNF’d, so this one seems to be a love it/hate it type thing. As for me, I’m right in the middle, and give it 2.5 stars.

 

See My Full Review | Download on Part 1: The Rehearsal Dinner (FREE) | Download Part 2: The Reception (FREE) | Purchase Consumed on Amazon | Audible

 

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