Friday, November 8, 2019

Release Blitz: Enamoured by Giana Darling



 Enamoured
by Giana Darling
Series:
The Enslaved Duet #2
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: November 8th, 2019

Blurb:

It was the worst day of my life.
I know most people say that about something obviously horrific—a first heartbreak, the discovery of a fatal illness, or the funeral of a loved one—but my situation was a little different.

Not only was it my wedding day, but it was also the day I chose to die.

Two men.
The first, my Master, my captor, and my impossible love.
The other, his brother, a mafioso I was meant to ensnare and ruin.

If I had any hope of living a normal life reunited with my family, I had to make a choice.

End my old life as I knew it and start fresh, or take down the monsters that hunted me and haunted my Master.
 In the end, the decision was never really mine to make. Because Alexander Davenport would come to claim me even in death.
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39781066-enamoured

Buy now:


START THE DUET HERE:

Enthralled
by Giana Darling
Series:
The Enslaved Duet #1
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39781062-enthralled
Buy now: 
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2HR043A
Amazon UK: amzn.to/2TEI9i5
Amazon CA: amzn.to/2uAK7G8
Amazon AU: amzn.to/2I13eRI

 

About the author: 

Giana Darling is a Top 40 Amazon Best Selling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man's bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her cat Persephone. She loves to hear from readers so please contact her at gianadarling[at]gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.

Website / Facebook / FB Group / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Goodreads / Amazon / Newsletter

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Release Blitz & Book Review: In Peace Lies Havoc by Amo Jones

In Peace Lies Havoc
by Amo Jones
Series: Midnight Mayhem #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: November 5th, 2019

Blurb:

My name is Dove Hendry.
Mine is Kingston Axton.
I was captured by darkness.
She has always been ours…
They groomed me for Midnight Mayhem. Like a trained possession, weak against their control.
She has been conditioned with our blood for years. She just doesn’t know it yet...
But Midnight Mayhem was the stained glass that concealed a very dark culture.
A culture that she is about to become the center of.
The Brothers of Kiznitch come in fours, and they’re not happy about me being hustled into their acts.
Or are we? Careful, Little Bird. A warning is a warning for a reason…
Mind-tricks.
Stunts.
Deceit.
Power.
But there’s something uglier that has been haunting me for years upon years. So ugly that I have never seen its face. I never had to. I’d hear his whispers through my internal screams, feel his shadow brush against my nightmares. He was the monster that tormented me.
And maybe lived under your bed…
When I started Midnight Mayhem, his presence faded.
His whispers were silenced.
His shadow dissolving without a trace.
I wondered why that was.
She didn’t have to wonder for long… 
 
https://bit.ly/2I7cvas

Buy now:

About the author:

Amo Jones is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, totally winging this author thing (she's probably doing it all wrong). She likes cake, loves wine, and her religion is magic (Slytherin). She's a profound work-a-holic, but when she's not writing, you can find her chilling with her kids & Husband at the nearest beach, with a cocktail in her hand.

Website / Facebook / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram
 
 
My review:
 
Oh man, I can’t even express how excited I was about this book! Ever since I read about Midnight Mayhem in another of the author’s books did I want to read more about it. Now though, I feel like there could have been a much better story. Or maybe I would have loved it more if it was my first book by this author, as it was very similar to the Elite Kings.
‘Intimacy is just like murder; they both make your heart race and your palms sweat while leaving your thoughts in disarray, but then when you’re done, you’re left with the remnants of someone else’s soul or blood on your hands.’
The writing’s good as well as the story, I liked some parts but sadly I struggled for at least the first 40% and even later on and off.

No doubt, the author has a special way of going at her stories. They might be messed up as hell but unique and spellbinding most of the time.
This time though, there was a similar pattern as with another series of hers and it felt partly like a déjà-vu reading this book. There were the hot bad boys playing their crazy mind games with a certain girl that’s the prettiest and most perfect of all, who also turned out to be the most special. Every female envied her and every male wanted her.
I only wish the characters were more grown up for once and the girl rather normal for a change.
‘King is bad for every girl walking this planet. ... He’s everything you were instilled to fear as a little girl.’
Although one might think that after having read quite a few books from this author, that I got used to her confusing ways of telling a story, but that’s not the case. Maybe that’s also why I had a hard time getting into the story for a long time. I didn’t mind the crazy but it just made no sense at all to me, even though a lot was uncovered later on. It just wasn’t a conclusive craziness, if you get what I mean.
‘”You won’t always get what you want in life, Dovey. Sometimes things are going to happen that will make you wish you could change the course of your destination, but you can’t. You just have to keep driving and switch gears.”’
I liked when there was actually a story, but it got tiring with all the songs being mentioned all the time, the girl getting dressed in sexy outfits, her constant need to dance, and every boy wanting her. It just got repetitive and slowed the story down. On top of that, I got whiplash from King’s constant mood changes and his contradictory behavior.
‘There has been no bigger mind fuck than being on the receiving end of Kingston Axton’s attention.’
But you know what?! In the end, I find myself coming back to this author's books time and time again. They are different, not the norm and somewhat strange, but something new and intriguing all the same.
‘One cannot exist without the other.’
-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by Social Butterfly PR. --

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
View review on goodreads

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Release Blitz & Book Review: Too Good at Goodbyes by RC Boldt

Too Good at Goodbyes
by RC Boldt
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 29th, 2019

Blurb:

First Top 40 hit at age seventeen? My first tabloid breakup scandal quickly followed.
Earned my first Grammy? Discovered Mommy Dearest was embezzling my money.
Landed a leading role in a movie? My fiancé called off our engagement the next day.

I might have a multi-million-dollar recording contract, a sold-out world tour, and more money in the bank than I ever imagined, but every time I hit a milestone in my career, my personal life suffers.

Then in steps my new bodyguard, rugged and with a past I connect with. The closer we get, the more powerful my feelings grow, complicating our professional relationship.

I thought Kane would be different. I hoped he’d be the one man to stand by my side, undaunted by the fame and attention that trails me.

The press calls me the “Ice Princess of Pop” because of my unyielding façade throughout heartbreak and betrayal. Perhaps it’s time to show them the real me.

With every syllable, I pour out my emotions and allow them to puddle, forming lyrics from my soul’s breath. And with each word, my broken heart cries out for Kane, begging him to help me break this pattern.

To help me stop being so damn good at goodbyes. 
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47871572-too-good-at-goodbyes
 

Buy now:
 
 
 Excerpt:

SIMONE
Present Day

The Super Bowl Halftime Performance
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida
Facing what’s estimated to be over sixty-seven thousand people with my favorite guitar strapped snug against me, I prepare to sing my final song.
Standing up here in front of thousands of fans is second nature. I performed in countless dive bars before breaking onto the scene and securing my first record deal, then moving on to sold-out world tours. Which means I shouldn’t have sweaty palms like a preteen working up the nerve to talk to her crush.
My heart shouldn’t be racing like a horse competing in the Kentucky Derby.
My stomach shouldn’t churn as though I’ve eaten ceviche from a questionable food truck.
Tremors shouldn’t affect my hands like a virgin embarking on their deflowering.
None of this should be afflicting me. But it is.
Because of him.
Because of the current state of my heart.
But this is how I deal with heartache. With tragedy. With…life.
“This is a little different, and I hope you like it,” I rasp into the mic. Noise from the cheering fans is deafening, and like every time I perform, the surreal quality never quite fades.
Tonight marks the first time I’ll share a song I wrote about someone who eviscerated my heart entirely. My other relationships—and subsequent failures—pale in comparison.
It’s no secret that love and broken hearts inspire great songwriting. With regard to the latter, it’s never hard to find someone mourning an unrequited love, suffering heartache, or wishing they’d find their own glorified everlasting love.
But have you noticed when male musicians write about it, they’re never on the receiving end of the snide, sarcastic comments of, “Oh, poor thing. He’s rich and famous and can’t find love. Boo-freaking-hoo.”?
Yet when I write lyrics that are the closest thing to ripping out my heart and putting it on display for the world, I receive the “She’s probably selfish and put her career first” or “She probably cheated, and now she’s regretting it” or “Mm. So sad. The Ice Princess of Pop is heartbroken.”
My response? Fuck that noise. I’m writing from my heart and soul, regardless of how damaged they might be at any given time. And as long as my fans continue to support me, I’m going to keep on keepin’ on.
“I’d like to dedicate this song to a special person.” I duck my chin, willing myself to maintain composure. “It’s called ‘Embers.’”
Once I strum the first note on my guitar, everything around me fades. My voice emerges from the shards scattered within my chest where my working heart once was.
When I play that final chord, I see tears streaming down the faces of the fans in the front rows. And yet again, I’m reminded of something all too easily forgotten. That there are others who can relate to lyrics written from my soul’s breath.
Because in heartache, we’re never truly alone.
Copyright @2019 by RC BOLDT
 
 
About the author:

RC Boldt currently lives on the southeastern coast of the U.S., enjoys long walks on the beach, running, reading, people watching, and singing karaoke. If you're in the mood for some killer homemade mojitos, can't recall the lyrics to a particular 80's song, or just need to hang around a nonconformist who will do almost anything for a laugh, she's your girl.

  Website / rcboldtbooks@gmail.com / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon
 
 
My review:

It’s finally here! Kane’s story!! Since his first appearance in Boldt’s books, I was smitten with him and hoped he would get a book of his own. Although I had no inkling of what kind of story his would be, I still didn’t expect this. Well, who would have thought that our beloved Kane catches himself a famous popstar?! But of course the woman who got to own Kane’s heart was someone special. It takes a special person to find a special soul.

Simone was not the stone-cold and unfeeling ice princess the media made her out to be but as an outsider, only knowing what the media wrote about her, Kane couldn’t imagine her being the complete opposite. But he learned pretty quickly that she was compassionate, humble and a very private person with a big heart. It’s because a lot of people had taken advantage of her that she was protective of her personal life and heart. And who could blame her?! Kane had his fair share of heartbreak as well to deal with. Can two broken hearts find love again?
‘Because in heartache, we’re never truly alone.’
I absolutely loved this story! It was unexpected touching at parts and had a very realistic feel to it.

Despite all the glitz and glamour, Simone led a lonely life. She had to be careful how to present herself at all times because the press could spin everything however they liked and make her life much more difficult. It was inspiring how wonderful of a person she was and that she gave not only money for help but precious time to others without any gain for herself.
Her life was so different to the one Kane led and this new job wasn’t like any other security job that he had so far. I loved watching him in this new environment and how he adapted to foreign situations.

The writing of this story was amazing, just like all the other books from RC Boldt. I loved the storyline, the realistic feel of it and the loveable characters. I liked how the author addressed topics that are often frowned upon or hush-hush in our society. Her characters feel like real life people dealing with real life problems and that makes them even more loveable and easy to connect with. Like Matty, he was hilarious! I absolutely loved that guy! He gave this story so much love and fun and had a big part of making it so great.

Although this was a very, very slow burn romance (and somewhere along the road it was a bit too slow for my personal liking), I understood and liked the way it moved along regarding the characters feelings for each other because anything else would have felt rushed or unnatural. I’m just not a big fan of slow burn romances because it simultaneously slows the story down at times. But that’s the only reason why I gave this book a 4.5 star rating – and that’s totally a personal preference because I loved everything else, from Simone and Kane, to the cameos from previous books as well as the newly introduced characters. It was such a sweet and very cute story and the ending was adorable. I loved the banter between the characters.

-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by Give Me Books Promotions. --

My rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Release Blitz: Give Me Redemption by Paige P. Horne

Give Me Redemption
by Paige P. Horne 
Series: Give Me #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 29th, 2019

 Blurb:

Bryce Grant had always been his brother’s keeper.
Until one day he decided he needed to leave and make his own way.

That’s me, I’m the brother. To my family, I’m Jace Grant. The boy who seems to always mess everything up.
I’m a glutton for self-punishment.

The day Bryce left, I felt more abandoned than the day our mother gave up her rights to raise us.

On my eighteenth birthday, with pure determination, I left Grant Ranch and joined the Army.

Tragedy and stupid choices sent me on the path back home.

And then I met her…

She was right where I was wrong. She was a voice of reason and someone I could count on, but then she did something unthinkable.

She betrayed me in a way, I’m not even sure I can forgive.

http://bit.ly/2q2jgUs


Buy now:
 


START THE SERIES HERE:

Give Me Love
by Paige P. Horne
Series: Give Me #1
 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46809602-give-me-love


About the author:

Paige P. Horne lives in the small town of Gray Georgia with her husband. The two enjoy traveling every little chance they get and binge watching their favorite shows. When she isn’t creating new characters for her readers to fall in love with, you can find her back porch swinging, engrossed in a good book with her dogs at her feet.

Readers have described her stories as captivating and heartbreakingly beautiful.
Paige pens emotional novels about soulmates and broken love.

Facebook / Amazon / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Release Blitz: Money Man by Terri E. Laine

Money Man
by Terri E. Laine
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 24th, 2019
 
Blurb: 
 
Her
Nice girls end up last.
Or that’s what I tell my best friend when I spot him for the first time.
He’s everything bad girls’ dreams are made of.
Tall, gorgeous, and sporting a full on smirk when he catches me staring.
So what does this broken hearted girl do?
I toss back my fourth shot and end up in the fancy hotel bathroom getting my mind blown by the sexy stranger.
Reasonable. Especially after dumping my cheating ex fiancé.
A new year, a new job, and after this one night, I’ll be back to being a good girl.
It’s not like I’ll ever see him again.

Him
I want her the moment I see her.
And I always get what I want.
That’s how I rose to the top.
One. Time. That’s all she’s meant to be.
I have an empire to conquer, no time for anything else.
Yet one taste and I need more.
Another night and I can put her behind me.
Just one and I’ll let her go. Maybe…
But life throws curve balls and she’s my downfall.
They call me the money man and she’s the auditor who can ruin me.
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39843465-money-man
 
 

 
Excerpt:

I checked the time. “Who would be delivering at this hour? Did you order something?”
She pursed her lips. “No.”
We eyed the door suspiciously as if a mass murderer would knock at the door any second. When it came, we both jumped and eyed each other before Lizzy took bold steps toward the door. It was stupid to let fear grab hold of us. Who could possibly want to target us? Yet…
Behind the door, a teen with brightly colored hair and makeup to match held up a bag.
“Bailey Glicks,” she said to Lizzy.
Curious, I stood, wondering what this delivery was about. The delicious smell, however, was telling. Yet I hadn’t ordered any food.
“I’m Bailey.”
The girl smirked at me before stepping forward, but Lizzy didn’t budge. Teen or not, this was New York and Lizzy didn’t let her through the door.
I held out my hand, wondering what she knew that I didn’t. When I reached her, she dumped the bag in my hand. “Enjoy,” she said, spinning on her combat boots and leaving without waiting for a tip.
“What was that about?” Lizzy asked, watching the girl make her way to the elevator before softly closing the door.
“I don’t know,” I said, setting the bag on the island and slowly opening it.
On top lay an envelope. I snagged it and hopped up on a stool. Lizzy came over to lean over my shoulder.
“What does it say?” she asked.
I read it out loud. “My plans for tonight were to feed you before fucking you. I always make good on my promises.–K.”
 
 
About the author:

Terri E. Laine, USA Today bestselling author, left a lucrative career as a CPA to pursue her love for writing. Outside of her roles as a wife and mother of three, she’s always been a dreamer and as such became an avid reader at a young age.

Many years later, she got a crazy idea to write a novel and set out to try to publish it. With over a dozen titles published under various pen names, the rest is history. Her journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. She looks forward to many more memories to come.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Amazon / Goodreads / Bookbub

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Release Blitz & Book Review: Just Ten Seconds by Jeannine Colette

Just Ten Seconds
by Jeannine Colette
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: Oktober 22nd, 2019

Blurb:

Just Ten Seconds
That’s all it took for my life to change forever.
I left my posh life in Manhattan and escaped to the Hudson Valley in hopes of a fresh start. It wasn’t until I happened upon a bereavement group when I finally found a place I felt understood. I told them my husband was dead when, really, I was the one who had died inside. It was also where I saw the smoldering gaze of Dean Delgado, the single father whom I’d helped just days before.

Just Ten Seconds
That’s all he wishes he had with his late wife.
Despite Dean’s widowed status, he has a robust thirst for life. He’s a protector and a giver. A man who fixes things with his hands, is devoted to his child, and wants to spend his days with me. I try to avoid him, knowing a woman with my past has no business being in this man’s life. With every run-in, he makes me laugh. With every touch, he ignites me. And with every second, he makes me feel like myself again.

Just Ten Seconds
That’s all it took for me to fall in love with Dean Delgado.
I'm in too deep and my secrets are about to be exposed. I only hope he can forgive me for the lies I never meant to tell.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46155300-just-ten-seconds


Buy now:
Amazon US https://amzn.to/35RujA3
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2P7TdWb
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2BtICgd
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/32JBsjO
Free with Kindle Unlimited

 
About the author:

Jeannine Colette combines angst and humor in her sexy, standalone romance novels. Her stories feature dynamic heroines, and swoon-worthy heroes, who have to abandon their reality in order to discover themselves . . . and love along the way.

A graduate of Wagner College and the New York Film Academy, Jeannine went on to become a Segment Producer at CBS News and NBC. She left the television industry to focus on her children and pursue a full-time writing career. She lives in New York with her husband, the three tiny people she adores more than life itself, and a rescue pup named Wrigley.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
 

My review:

One of the most beautiful stories that I’ve read this year.

I absolutely loved how the story started and I instantly fell in love with Dean, Amanda and Mara. I loved Mara’s friend Jackie as well as all the secondary characters that played a part in making this story so great. Sometimes it’s the little things that count, and in this book the big and small parts worked together beautifully.
‘”Life is rich. It’s full of experiences that make up who we are. Life’s too short to be uncomplicated. It’s the obstacles, both the good and bad experiences, that make it worth staying here for the long haul.”’
Although it felt as if the story slowed down a bit after the great start, I think that all in all it had a good pace. The characters were both somewhat broken and branded by their pasts.
Especially Mara's story was more complex than I expected because there wasn't just one thing she had to overcome but she had quite the emotional baggage to carry around. Her past wasn't so easy to let go of and always at the back of her mind, giving her nightmares and sleepless nights. Until a stranger, cradling his daughter to his chest, rushed into the café she was working at, looking for help. Those eyes of his were felt deep within her as if he could look through her wall and into her darkest secrets.
‘Your worst day is another’s boring Tuesday. So, you do what your mother has always told you to do. You get up. You go to work. You live. Well...you pretend to live. Until one day, a man walks in and alters the course of your life but this time for the better.’
Dean Delgado was such a sexy gentleman, one I wish for myself. I might be old school but his good manners made him a thousand times hotter than any of those asshole book boyfriends out there. But each their own. =P
He was the sweetest guy ever and a great father; selfless, devoted, with a huge heart and so much love to give. Dean lost his wife and lived for his daughter. But what about his own happiness? It isn't until he received help from Mara, a courageous waitress, that he begins to feel emotions he never thought would be possible for him again.
‘He’s a unique kind of man. A mix of confidence with an earnestness in his words. I might not be the expert on decoding honest men, but he looks you right in the eye while he speaks, and it makes me feel like he is a man of purpose. A man of integrity. It draws me to him like a moth to a flame.’
I just loved those wonderful characters and it was such a beautiful story that really moved me. It was not heavily emotional all the time like those ugly cry books but it had some very deep emotional moments throughout the story which made the story so fantastic and even more heartfelt.

It was understandable how the characters were confused about their feelings for each other since they were both still in a raw place. When you lost a loved one, it’s like either going numb or losing control over your feelings that ride a rollercoaster.
‘I had a life. A beautiful one that was filled with so much promise...so many promises...and one day it just ended.’
The story wasn’t unpredictable but I loved the small moments most and how the characters fought to find happiness again. I highlighted so much in this book because it was so good!
‘”He’s a man who fixes things with his hands. Most of all, he fixed me. He taught me to laugh again. He taught me it’s okay to open my heart.’
The story was told from Mara's POV and although I loved how it was written, I think a few chapters from Dean's view would have made it even better because he also dealt with a heavy heart and seemed a little lost and looking for directions. I was very intrigued by him and that's probably why I loved the epilogue so much.

This story didn't let me go so easily and I can only urge you to read it too!
‘Time is such a fickle bitch. It passes so quickly that when you look back, you realize how much happened when you weren’t looking.’
-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by WordSmith Publicity. --

My rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
View review on goodreads

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Release Blitz & Book Review: Stateless by Meli Raine

Stateless
by Meli Raine
Series:
The Stateless Series #1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: October 15th, 2019

Blurb:

When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.
I lie for her.
I hunt for her.
I kill for her.
And above all, I betray my mission for her.
She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.
I do.
Treason comes in many forms.
Love is one of them.
Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.
Our teachers forgot one important detail:
Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.
Yet we do.
It turns out our emotions are our greatest weapon.
And I know exactly where mine are aimed.

The Stateless Series also includes:
Traceless (releasing 11.19.19)
Fateless (release date TBA) 

 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44285623-stateless
 
https://www.bookbub.com/books/stateless-stateless-1-by-meli-raine


Buy now:

 
Excerpt:

I do not sleep.
Kina does, though, and that matters more.
Sleep is a luxury when we are in Woods. She knows it. I know I should catch an hour or two, especially with my five-night punishment and determination to go for six, but I can't.
What did I just say?
What did I just do?
Kina has the dreams. I have the dreams. I've never told anyone else anything that wasn't one hundred percent part of The Mission.
To confess emotion, to confess my own dreams that do not fit The Mission, could be punished by death.
Or worse. What if I really am so weak? Emotion is shameful. It’s disgusting.
We fail every time we feel.
She knows this. I know this.
And yet we both spoke. Shared.
Confided.
Why?
What does this mean?
With her sleeping beside me, I let my mind wander, giving in to the luxury of imagination. For years, the dream has been the same.
A burning wood fire.
A screaming boy.
A woman with long hair being shot.
A man with a shaved head and blue eyes like mine beaten by another man with a log.
And me with my bow and arrow. My hands are tiny, the skin around the knuckles dimpled. I've worked with the four-year-olds here at the compound. I know what young hands look like.
Why would I dream like that?


 COMING SOON IN THE STATELESS SERIES:

Traceless
by Meli Raine
Series:
The Stateless Series #2
Release Date: November 19th, 2019
Pre-order here:

Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them. Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.

Website/ Facebook / Twitter / Bookbub / Goodreads / Newsletter



My review:

I love Meli Raine’s suspenseful trilogy series - Harmless, Shameless, False. Each trilogy on its own is a great story but together, as they all play in the same universe, they contribute to a higher goal and grow this story into a bigger and much more complex and suspenseful storyline.

I’m so happy that it finally continues with the Stateless trilogy, which I’ve been waiting for forever. Although this book had a different feel to it and I didn't have this instant connection as I did with the previous trilogies and characters, I can’t deny how the suspense of the underlying threat and fear of punishment held me captive throughout the entire book.

Since I first learned about the stateless from the previous books, I was intrigued but also biased due to the information that I had been fed. Now there's finally more insight on what Stateless means and truly is, although not all has been revealed yet and I itch to find out more.

Callum and Kina had a special bond that was very dangerous because they were taught that having emotions equated to failure and led to punishment or even death. If you grow up in a military-like structure, separated from the outside world, and were told what was right and wrong, getting to know only one side of a story, it takes a strong mind to question the hand that feeds you and not follow blindly in the pointed direction.

Oh I was so furious with certain characters in this book and wanted to strangle them with my own hands. I hope justice will be served to them soon. I was pretty high-strung during this read and I loved how Callum walked on a thin line but with purpose and still always looking out for Kina.

The Stateless are very dangerous people and a well-organized and powerful organization. I was honestly surprised by that. But despite some of their well-educated members, they were also still so narrow-minded, walking around with blinders, only having one goal and believing whatever their leaders told them.

This was just like the prelude of the real story that will set off in the next books and I seriously can’t wait to read more. Although it didn’t end in a cliffhanger (at least not in my opinion), though it obviously had an open ending, I still am waiting on hot coals for the next book to be released.

-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by Give Me Books Promotions. --

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
View review on goodreads

Friday, October 4, 2019

Book Review: Gridlock by Tracie Delaney

I had so much fun reading this very cute story. It had some emotional aspects and was overall a great and well written romance book. I really like this new series and the insight it gives into motorsport, although there was more of it in the first book but I really liked the depth of the characters in this second one.

This wasn't what I would call a typical enemies-to-lovers story, which I originally thought it would be. There wasn’t such a strong feeling as hate between the characters. Madison was hurt so deeply because of the loss of her brother and projected her feelings on a man who had no hands in her brother’s death. Tate was a fun and altogether great guy. I didn’t expect that he had edges and some shadows in his life, which surprised me but actually gave me a better connection to his character. It made him even more likeable and human, if that makes sense.

So, it didn’t take much time at all for Tate to win Madison over in the sense of her warming up to him and them being very attracted to each other, not only physically. The more Madison got to know about Tate, the more she liked him and the private person he was underneath the façade that he showed the public world. But she had a mission, a mission to shine light on the dangers of the motorsport that youngsters underestimate and that are cause of a lot of accidents and deaths which could easily be prevented or reduced with more disclosure of the needed driving skills and required technical equipment to drive at such speeds in a race car.
Though her growing feelings clashed with what Madison swore to do and brought her in a predicament. Could she forget about her plan or ignore her feelings?

Despite his fame and fortune Tate was a selfless, humble, generous and not at all a self-centered or greedy guy. I even felt with him and his story because although it may have seemed like it, his life wasn’t that easy or carefree. He had a lot of responsibility, not to mention the lonesomeness of his lifestyle.
‘”We all have our demons, Madison. We’re all damaged in one way or another simply by living.”’
I couldn’t even say that one book or the other was better because they were so different. I loved the first book and was very curious about this story. I was also a little bit anxious because considering Tate was on the same team as Jared, I didn’t know if the story didn't end up being too similar. But there was absolutely no need to worry because the author did a fantastic job of creating yet another great story about a driven and successful character whose job and passion was racing in Formula One. But his job was the only similarity to the first book because the characters were standing with both feet firmly in life while dealing with what life threw their way in a more mature way. (Not that the characters in book #1 were childish, but I felt like they were still on the brink of figuring out adult life and enjoying the fun of being young a lot more. It generally had a different feel to it as it felt more lighthearted and centered on their attraction whereas in book #2 the characters had a lot of external circumstances that played a big role in them finding to each other). Sorry for veering off topic a bit there. Anyway, I loved Jared and Tate equally as much in different ways for their great personalities and big hearts.

Btw, although I should have known what was coming because of the blurb, it still caught me off guard on how the story started.

I really hope that we get to see more of these two characters in the next book because Tate became very dear to my heart.

-- I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book given by the author. --

My rating: 4 of 5 Stars