Book Review: Hidden Threat by Sherri Hayes

I liked this story a lot. It's told in a dual POV changing between Calis and Matthews. I enjoyed reading both perspectives but felt a little frustrated because both wanted each other but were afraid of taking the first step.

The first half of the book was more or less about Cali and Matthew's sexual attraction though I hoped it would be more suspenseful and full of action because of the threat against the company.
I needed more time to get into the story in the beginning but it was well written and I loved Cali and Matthew, Jason and Lisa.

The Story:
Cali Stanton spent the last two years working in Africa as a doctor for Doctors without Borders. When her father calls and asks her to fill in for him at his company for as long as he needs for recovering from his accident, Cali soon finds herself at her fathers desk at Stanton Enterprises and staring into Matthew Andersen's blue eyes. Getting filled in on the company's and her fathers situation that there is a threat against her dad and shipments being hijacked, Cali finds herself in the middle of a bad dream come true. Luckily the brothers Matthew and Jason are managing security at Stanton Enterprises and work hard on finding the person who's responsible for all the trouble.

While working together, Cali and Matthew can't ignore the strong attraction they feel for each other but they can't allow this to happen since Cali is Matthews boss. And with the threats being redirected against Cali, Matthew is forced to stay close to her for protection. There goes his plan of avoiding her. Soon they learn that they have to stand up for what they want and desire and that it doesn't matter what other people might think of them. Life is too short to worry. Just be happy.

Thoughts:
It took a long time for the two main characters to finally give in to their desires which was a bit frustrating. As a reader when you know it's going to happy sooner or later, I tend to be on the impatient side because I love a good couple but when there is a constant repeat of thoughts just like “Oh I have to have her but I can't” or “He is so hot but what if he doesn't want me?” … And when this gets on and on over more than a quarter of the book I tend to get frustrated... I know there are people who just can't stand insta love and I also might have some troubles with it, but when it's the other extreme I am furious *g*
The ending made up for it though. I loved it and Matthew is the perfect guy.

-- I received an ARC of this book from the author through the Fifty Shades Support Group on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. -- 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View full review on Goodreads

Book Review: A Mess of a Man by A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine

This book makes you laugh, cry and angry at how unfair life can be. It's all about love and loss in all different kind of shades.


The story is really good and even though there were no surprises because it was all a bit predictable I really LOVED IT . You know, it's like watching a horror movie when the girl is alone at home and it's the middle of the night and you just know when the right kinda music starts to play that something is going to happen. Ok, that was the worst comparison ever but you get what I mean?! It's like having that feeling in your gut that tells you where this is going and what will happen. But it didn't lessen my enjoyment of reading this book even for a bit.
Ben did catch me by surprise closer to the end though.

The Story/main character:
Ben is like a hard shell with a soft core. He lost his best friend, his brother, and struggles to move on with his life. How can anyone move on from such a thing? When you have to watch your best friend die slowly away during days, weeks, months, it eats away on you. How can you cope with such a loss and being so helpless. Ben doesn't want to experience anything like that ever again and keeps his heart locked up. He is a womanizer and keeps his heart out of the game out of fear of loosing another loved person in his life. People around him don't notice how broken he is inside and he also wants to be strong for Cate, Dew's wife and his best friend.
Ben was never one who believed in the one true love though when he saw Sam, he wishes so much to talk to Drew about her and ask him for help to not screw this up.



Thoughts:
Contrary to my first impression I wouldn't exactly say that this is a sad story but with Ben's sorrow it really pulled at my hear. (I had to cry every time Drew was mentioned.)
I should not compare this book to Cruel and Beautiful because that wouldn't be fair but to be honest I always had to think about Drew.
I wonder if this would be as sad to read as it was for me without having read Cruel and Beautiful before. Because of knowing the whole story and knowing what happened to Drew, I took a trip down memory lane and the images of Drew kept filling my head. It made this so much harder to read with watery eyes.

The middle part of the book could have been a tiny bit shorter for my liking but on the other hand I still enjoyed reading all of it. It wasn't boring or anything but I was always glancing at the percentage of how much I've read already because I knew that closer to the end there must be some turn of events coming. And I was right.

Feelings:
Oh god, Drew's letters made me cry. Ben made me cry. Reading about Cate and Mercer made me cry. This was really hard, let me tell ya. And the Epilogue really got me.

I really liked Ben in Cruel and Beautiful and I am so happy for him to have his own story. During this read I really felt for him. I love him for caring so much and putting his own feelings and needs aside to be there for his friends.

I wish I had a Jeannie to grant me a wish, I would make Drew come back.

And now I'm going to go and listen to Sinéad O’Connor.

-- I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. --

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

View full review on Goodreads

Book Review: Absolution Series by Sophia Scarlet

Bend Me (Book 1)
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars        

I really loved this book though there were a few things that bothered me from the story but that’s just a matter of opinion and that’s my review… so yeah.

The Story:
Agnes Bright lost her Baby as a result of a disease. Her marriage is shattered and so is Agnes. Feeling empty for too long she seeks pain to stop the numbness in her life. Stumbling across two handsome men (Marcus and David), she soon finds herself in a new world Agnes is eager to explore. Especially David Lake pulls all the right strings on her and Agnes gets to experience things she never did before.

My thoughts:
This was a hot read! Oh my. I really liked those two men fighting for one woman. Which woman doesn’t want that? And the sex scenes were scorching hot.
I normally don’t like different POVs but in this case I really enjoyed it because it gave so much more perspective. [ had no troubles to submit at all, I mean, it was her first time. She didn’t doubt anything that was done to her. Isn’t she scared or curious what will be done to her by strangers?
Her thoughts gave me an idea from an independent strong woman which is grieving for her lost baby. But she never acted or talked like that. The only conversation that fitted her condition (in my opinion) was with her friend at university.
And is it common not to talk as a sub? I have no idea. But maybe it was just because of David’s POV that we didn’t read about her struggles or not-struggles during the submission. (hide spoiler)]
I wasn’t fond of Agnes character but I liked David’s. Though he was so twisted. He kind of fell for her and then he was such a Dom. (This really creeps me out actually.)

All in all this was a quick and great read and I needed to know how the story would end.


Break Me (Book 2)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like the writing style. It’s a short quick read from two POVs like in the first book.

The Story of Agnes and David continues with both of them wanting to be in this Sub/Dom relationship but each with their own worries. Agnes is still married but hasn’t told David yet. David is afraid of losing Agnes because she is everything he could dream of.

The BDSM Part is good but as far as I remember, I enjoyed the first book a lot more. Probably because it was more thrilling as it was the first time for Agnes and with two strangers. Now David and Agnes feel more like a couple and the sex scenes are hot but not as exciting for me to read.

The story is predictable because you can see the turn of events coming but it’s none the less exciting. I like the dynamic between Eliza and David. I also enjoyed reading about David’s friends Eve and James and also Marcus and Willow.[ He finally found a woman. Yay! I am so happy for Marcus. I liked Marcus already in the first book. (hide spoiler)]

[ that she didn’t take the effort to talk to Jonathan and David about her situation. You cannot tell me that she even in one situation tried it. Now she broke the heart of three guys’ - Marcus, Jonathan and David’s. (hide spoiler)]The inner turmoil of Agnes is interesting to read but it was weird for me that she did not grief the loss of her baby at all in this book but was devastated in the first one.

I enjoyed reading David’s POV a lot. I probably wouldn’t like him as much if I would know him just from Eliza’s POV because then I wouldn’t know his motives and what he's thinking.

I liked this book in the beginning and I loved it in the end. I couldn't wait to read the 3rd one.



Bind Me (Book 3)
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This conclusion to the Absolution series starts right where it left off in the second book. Jumping right into the action.
We probably all asked ourselves after the second book what will happen with Agnes. How will she explain to David that she is still married to Jonathan but loves David and wants to spend her life with him? And more important, will David listen to her?
Since Jonathan crashed David’s Birthday Party, David knows about Agnes secret. Will he forgive Agnes for lying to him and being married? Is Agnes able to sort her things out and be happy with David? How will Jonathan handle this situation? Is he willing to let Agnes go or does he fight for his wife, which he abandoned the last few months?

I loved that we didn’t miss out on anything and the story jumped right into it so we get to read all the juicy stuff. I think it was wrong of Agnes that she wasn’t honest with David and Jonathan. I really hoped that everyone would be happy in the end and now I can say that I was not disappointed with the ending of this series.

I really enjoyed the writing and was hooked from the beginning to the very end of this story.
I really loved that we got a look inside Jonathan with his POV. I always felt so sorry for him though in this book I felt really horrible because we always just thought about how Agnes had to deal with the loss of her son but Jonathan also lost his son.

It’s fair to say that I loved this book. =) It was really great. We finally got the conclusion between Eliza and her ex-husband. And I really liked that David didn’t just jump right back on her but gave themselves a few weeks to process their chances. This was needed really badly because they have been on each other since the day they’ve met.



-- I received an ARC of this series from the author Sophia Scarlet in exchange for an honest review. --

View full review on Goodreads    

Cover Reveal: A Mess of A Man by A.M. Hargrove & Terri E. Laine

 Social Butterfly PR is proud to team up with A.M. Hargrove & Terri E. Laine to share their cover for

A Mess of a Man releasing March 21, 2016!
 

 

Womanizer, Man Whore, Player, Heartbreaker are all familiar names to Ben Rhoades. He prefers Money Man or Sex God, but he doesn’t let other people’s opinions rule him. And he’s only gotten worse without his compass, his best friend, whose devastating death at a young age has taught him a valuable lesson about not getting too close to anyone … ever. 

Until one smart and stubborn woman with eye-catching curves throws him for a loop and refuses to be tamed. Samantha Calhoun has her life on track even after the shattering break-up with the guy she’d thought she’d wanted to marry. With her chin held high, she focuses on her career, building her business and making a success of it all. Only a chance meeting has her lost in a set of alluring steel gray eyes that have her steps faltering and her heart leaping out of her chest. 

Forewarned by not-so-flattering rumors plus his no-holds-bar rules, she tries desperately to play his game while guarding her heart. Only they have no idea of the journey they’re about to undertake when their lives collide. 

Ultimately they’ll tackle the biggest test of their lives because she is his game changer. The one, who through the ensuing wreckage, can domesticate the mess of a man that he is. 

----------------------------

There is finality to the sound of the door closing behind her. A sort of tormenting peace knowing the end has come. It’s not like I should have expected things to go on this way for long. How could they? I stare holes in the walls as if I can still see her, the one woman I let in. Sweeter than peach cobbler, she hardly has a bad thing to say about anybody—until now. Her parting description of me, beginning with ass and ending with hole, reverberates through my hollow heart, as I stand here rooted to my spot. I’m not even shocked, as this isn’t the first time I’ve been on the receiving end of that sentiment. I’m only surprised because I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so much as mutter a single curse word before. And the first time I do, it’s aimed squarely at me. My hands tighten around a tumbler filled with amber liquid before I toss back its contents hoping for oblivion or something close to it. This road is so familiar. Only this time is different. I never cared like I do now. She means more to me than a quick fuck. Hadn’t I been about to tell her just that? How could things have gone wrong so fast? Don’t be a dumbass. You can still fix this. Instead, I stubbornly stay embedded to my spot because nothing can change the outcome. It’s a truth she and I know will haunt me until my last breath. And it’s created a wall between us I’m unable to climb … even if you gave me a damn ladder. I’ve never been much of a risk-taker when it comes to matters of the heart. I can fill a bank account with a number having many zeros behind it from my astute choices in the market. But I can’t be a man a woman stays with. Hadn’t I warned her about that too? Unable to see past my own shitty existence, I long for her to come back. I want to believe it’s all been some kind of mistake and I can forget what I know to be true. As the seconds continue to tick by, the inevitability that things are really over sinks in. My window of opportunity quickly closes as fast as her car door slams and the engine fires to life. She’s so close, yet miles away. The longer I let the minutes expand between us I know distance won’t make the heart grow fonder. But maybe it’s for the best. Love, or whatever masquerades as it, just isn’t enough for the dirty, fucked up truth. Right when things were better than I ever expected, facts messed it up. Groaning, I launch the crystal glass worth a small fortune at the door I can’t seem to force myself towards. A beautiful show of light plays off the shards as they cascade down in an explosion of fireworks. Visually, it’s what I feel inside as desolation constricts and then obliterates my chest because the best thing I ever had is gone … leaving me with only the certainty I’m meant to be with her. I love you, I whisper for the first time and in place of goodbye. She left me and will never hear it. I can only pray we both survive what’s to come.

----------------------------

A.M. HARGROVE 

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss, and quit her job. Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again). So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon Series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent, and Beginnings); Dark Waltz, Death Waltz, Tragically Flawed (Tragic 1), Tragic Desires (Tragic 2), Exquisite Betrayal, Dirty Nights; and lastly Freeing Her, Freeing Him, and Kestrel—all part of the Hart Brothers Series. Other than being in love with writing about love, she loves chocolate, ice cream, and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER

 

TERRI E. LAINE

Terri E. Laine is an avid reader and the co-author of Cruel & Beautiful. When she isn’t writing romance with heart and heat, she is crazily managing a household with her husband and three kids.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER | GOODREADS

Book Review: Unforgettable Series by Nelle L'Amour

Unforgettable: Book One
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s a lightweight but enjoyable story with really funny, hilarious parts and sometimes a bit over the top scenes.

The Story:
Hollywood star Brandon Taylor had an accident and just woke up from his coma. Suffering from amnesia it’s not easy for him to deal with his fiancée Americas It Girl Katrina Moore. As an Actor Brandon has to return to the set of his show soon after he’s released from the hospital but he worries what will happen if he can’t remember how to act. He can’t even remember all those people he’s supposed to know at the set. Will his memories return and will he remember his love to his fiancée? And what if his accident was actually a hit and run? Maybe his PA Zoey Hart can help him out. But he rather seems distracted by her luscious ass.

Wich woman doesn’t love People Magazines Sexiest Man Alive? His assistant Zoey for sure does. If he wouldn’t be such a jerk of a boss, he would be as fine a man in character as he is to look at. Though since his accident, Brandon seems different. He’s still a mean ass but sometimes he is surprisingly nice to Zoey. How can she keep her heart safe if he’s suddenly a lot more enjoyable to hang out with?!



Love/Like/Hate:
I wasn’t a fan of the Prologue. It was quite shocking and really short. It didn’t feel like it belonged to the story and the sentences felt like just thrown in. A lot of information packed into a few pages. I think it would have fitted better in between the storyline.

In the beginning Brandon woke up in hospital after his accident. I didn’t like his first chapter at all and kept thinking “What’s wrong with this guy? He lost his memory and all he worries about is his cock?”

What I didn’t like so much was the repetitive mention of Brandon Taylor being no ordinary citizen, being TV’s highest paid actor, People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive”. And he is engaged to America’s It Girl Katrina Moore, they’re getting married on national TV. It’s always the same.
Zoe thinks about this in almost all of her chapters and even Brandon himself thinks about him as Sexiest Man Alive all the time. This is annoying after a few repeats. Is it even possible for him to be any more narcissistic?

The strangest thing for me is that such a famous Hollywood star that he is, has no security and walks around like a normal person without getting bothered by paparazzi or journalists. And who cleans his house and his gigantic pool? He’s such a weird superstar.

Despite the bumpy beginning and a few weird scenes in between did I enjoy this book. The different POVs from Brandon and Zoey gave some variety. And the other characters added a bit of width to the story though it lacked in depth.

It’s a foreseeable story without surprises. I believe the story would be better if it wouldn’t drag out so much and if it would be just one book instead of a series.

Unforgettable: Book Two
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was disappointed with this second book because I really enjoyed the first one but the characters especially Brandon’s were unappealing. The story is also kind of confusing because it feels like the author had a lot of ideas and wanted to write all of them in this book without bothering if they fit or not. This was at least my perception when I read this book.

There are some good and some really bad parts.
One bad part -> Those dreams again!!![ James Bond and then a spanking dream?! Really? (hide spoiler)] What’s up with all those weird dreams??

[ a sadist? He spanked Zoey already in two situations and he’s still engaged to Katrina! I really don’t like him anymore. Zoey isn’t really experienced with this situation and as far as I as reader know she hasn’t had experience with BDSM. Brandon didn’t even speak with her about any of it. He just ordered her to be still and spanked her. WTF?! She was aroused obviously but also in shock I believe. She cried all the time when they fucked and when he spanked her. She was so weird all the time. And he is ordering her around like a freaking soldier. (hide spoiler)] I’m sorry to say this but I despised the characters and the story more and more… sadly though because I really enjoyed the first book.

Brandon’s character was just too twisted for my liking. [ a dominant? He thinks the opposite from what he does and says. He likes Zoey and his thoughts are good towards her but then he acts and talks as if he is someone different. I would have enjoyed the story a lot more without the BDSM parts and with Brandon being either nice or bad, not jumping from one characteristic to the other back and forth all the time. (hide spoiler)]
And the ending… really?[ couldn’t handle Katrina? I mean, she is a sicko and blackmails Brandon?! Wow. How low of her. But IMHO he should have been able to handle the situation. He is supposed to be a dominant and he shouldn’t have just stand there and let Katrina cuss at Zoey and ruin everything. (hide spoiler)] Wasn’t Brandon supposed to be the hero in this book?!

This story was just what one would call wishy-washy most of the time.

The ending was thrilling and left me hanging in suspense. What a cliffhanger. I had to know how Brandon would solve this problem and I had an inkling on how it would go.

Unforgettable: Book Three
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

With a bang and a boom. This story was like an action movie.
Fast paced, suspenseful and so much happening.

The Story:
The beginning of this book continues where the second book left of. I really liked that because we don’t miss out on Brandon just being blackmailed by his fiancé and becoming desperate of what to do now. He loves Zoey and after the last days they've had together even his cock aches for her. Brandon is devastated as he finds out that Zoey left the hotel for the airport and even though he is after her in an instant, he can’t reach her in time. Will he be able to get her back? How will he get rid of Katrina without destroying his career?

What I didn’t like -> there was AGAIN a stupid Cinderella dream. The book would’ve be so much better without this dream.

Apart from that the story is really suspenseful and thrilling. My nerves were all on edge the whole time and I got an adrenaline kick off this book because I really needed to know what Brandon will do about Katrina and how he gets Zoey back. I just couldn’t put this book down. It was so exciting! This conclusion has ton of it. It was a delight to race through this story.


-- I received an ARC of this series from the author through the Fifty Shades Support Group on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. --

View full review on Goodreads

Book Review: Give Me Love & Give Me Perfect Love by Paige P. Horne

Give Me Love (Book 1)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this story though it’s a bit long. The Prologue was well written and shocking.[ kept calm in this situation and saved therefore his kids’ lives. It’s so sad that this was the mom’s entire fault. (hide spoiler)]

The story is about two broken people trying to work out a relationship without really wanting one in the first place. Isn’t this often the case that if you don’t want one, you find yourself in the middle of one? Whatev. Those two people try for a future together while their past is constantly shoving his butt in their way.

I struggled in the beginning but not because the story was so bad, no, it was because it’s really similar to certain other stories that I’ve read. But after I tried to push those thoughts about the similarities away, I really enjoyed this book.
The writing is easy and ok but there are some punctuation mark errors that irritate me as a reader.
I was not a fan of how the story was all about this girl that just broke up with her rich boyfriend and everybody loves her which she allegedly doesn’t even notice. I didn’t really like her character in the beginning because she appeared phony to me, it got better though during the story. Bryce on the other hand... oh boy, what a man. Hot Hot Hot =P
At the end I really enjoyed the story. (I honestly enjoyed the whole story. It's a pity that I had problems reading it just because of the similarities to other books)

If you enjoy stories like Fifty Shades of Grey or Crossfire then you will probably like this one too as long as you don’t mind reading something similar. However, don’t worry; it’s not a one-to-one story.

Update: The second book will make up for the similarities from the first book because it's different and sooo good. (And it's really worth to get through the first one in case that you struggle like I did.)
    


Give Me Perfect Love (Book 2)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a few attempts of writing this review let me tell you at first that looking at the Cover brings back the tears in my eyes. It fits so perfectly. (You will know what I mean when you read the book.) That being said, it's hard to stay focused on writing my review so it may get a little confusing. Be warned. =)

I was really surprised by this book in a good way and I think that the author improved her writing in it.
Although the first book was a good read, it couldn't always hold my attention. This second book and therefore the conclusion in this Perfect Love Series had a lot more going on and pushed its characters to their limits. I loved it. It made me cry, laugh, smile, giggle, scream in anger and frustration and cry a lot more. This one had it all. I just couldn't put it down.

We get an insight in Kat's past which helped me understand her better. We also get to know some new characters in this book which give more width to the story and make it more real. I think they are all well described without overdoing it. (I hate nothing more than an unimportant Character taking in half of the book for themselves.)
The families are more involved which I loved and I really adore Lee. (During this read I thought that it would be great to give Jace his own story but after I had finished this book, I doubt there would be a good story left.)

I love Bryce and how protective he was of Kat. I understood him so well even with all his fucked-up-ness. He was loved by a lot of people and once he learned to love too, he gave himself completely.

During the read, I was curious as to where the story will go and how it will end. I found the first book a little predictable and was worried this would be too. But in this book we get a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs. And the ending left me speechless. I did not see that coming. It took me really by surprise and this was the worst. I fell into a deep hole (not because it was surprising) because what happened was so unexpected and really really sad. Ugly cry ahead is all I'm saying.

Some thoughts on things I liked and didn't like so much:
At some points I was really angry at Kat and as you may have noticed by now I wasn't always a fan of Kathrine. But closer to the end I loved her.

I was a bit confused and worried when the time jumped suddenly a year forward because I didn't want to miss out on anything. But I think it was necessary to keep the story in a good flow. Whereas the first book was more or less in a time line of a few month (as far as I remember), this book jumps a few times forward in months and years.

Fun fact: When I started reading and saw that there would be two Epilogues coming at the end, I was like “Ok, maybe we'll see Kat and Bryce when they are old and senile. That could be fun. Because I really pictured them together forever even with their problems.”
(If you want to know if this really was in the Epilogue, or something completely different → you have to read the book to find out =)

Oh the Letter, it had me in tears...

There were also really funny scenes. I loved when Kat asked Bryce ordinary questions and when she listed the things she loved about him.If he likes dogs or cats and how he likes his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This was so great to read. And when she told him what she loved about him.. his hair, his beard, his converse =))) (hide spoiler)] This was really sweet but also so funny and cracked me up.

Like I said there were at lot of fun moments but also really sad heartbreaking parts. I love how this story contains so much from real life. Happiness, sadness, angst and worries. When Kat sat outside of her shop at her birthday and was near at having a breakdown, this really hit so close to home. I felt for her and knew that what she worried about so many of us worry about too.

My two favorite scenes (beside the ending, weirdly) were at 66% (chapter sixteen) and at 84% (chapter twenty). I would love to put some quotes in here but I think that would be too much of a spoiler. =P Let me just say that I love Bryce.

Last but not least the ending. Like I mentioned before I did not see that one coming. This really threw me off tracks.. with a blast! I couldn't believe it. The last chapter was so hard to read. I loved the epilogues though. It was a nice way of giving the reader some closure and kind of a HEA. It was devastating and had me in tears but I loved it nonetheless. It was a beautiful ending in a sad way. (One happy and one teary eye.)

This book will hold a special place in my heart and will stay with me forever and always. I am a sucker for ugly cries like this even when I drown myself in tears every time. I always say that if I would have known beforehand how it will end, I wouldn't read it and just stop before the sad part starts but I could never actually do this because I just love how an author can touch my heart so deeply with his story.


some meaningful and favorite quotes I have to share (it's really hard to choose from so many awesome ones):
(obviously there are spoilers ahead)

“Nothing is wrong. Everything is right, and I'm not sure to be happy or scared shitless.”

“We've got this. As long as we are together, we've got this.”

Time. It is a precious thing. A gift. It is not promised or guaranteed. The most ridiculous thing is we all think we have plenty of it. We do not. We simply do not...

Life doesn't always give you happy endings. That I know all to well. Sometimes, the princess doesn't get her happily ever after. Sometimes, she doesn't get her glass slipper back. Sometimes, she stays locked in the dungeon forever because she can't see the beauty of the beast. Life will knock you down, chew you up spit you out, and then ask you, “What you gonna do about it?” That … that is real life. But then, there are those moments where you find the diamond in the rough. You see the silver lining in all the fucked-up mess, and mine is now running toward me calling me mama. That's my diamond. That's my silver lining. That is my glass slipper.

“I love you,” he whispers into my ear. “And I love you Forever and always,” I murmur.

“Where did you go?” I ask. “Nowhere, girl. I've always been right here,” he says, putting his hand over my heart.

“What took you so long, lady?” he asks, smiling the only way he can.

“Go somewhere with me?” he asks, pulling away. “Anywhere.” I grin. “Where you go, I go.”

-- I received an ARC of both books from the author through the Fifty Shades Support Group on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. --


View full review on Goodreads

Book of the Year: Cruel and Beautiful by A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine

Cate Forbes, a dedicated college student with a carefully plotted future, doesn't know the first thing about love. When she accepts a blind date with a rumored tasty piece of eye candy,  she thinks she can get by with a night of fun. Cate's plans quickly unrael when she gets one look at the sexy...

Drew McKnight.

The relentless hockey-playing medical resident knows what he wants - a carrer in Oncology and Cate. Although he's heard the georgous brunette is a little relationship skittish, a single night out isn't what he has in mind. Determined to have her - in every way possible - he shows her just what a future with him would hold.

Only life has other plans. The unthinkable happens and everything begins to shatter. Both in too deep, they will have to fight the cruel and hang onto the beautiful. 

Cruel and Beautiful is a New Adult Contemporary Romance standalone, full-length novel based on true events, and includes mature content, not suitable for younger readers.

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My Review of this Book:

My rating: 5 STARS and a BIG HEART for this book.

If you love books that tear your heart out, then this is the one that wrecks you.

This book is sooooo good! I highly recommend it! It is Cruel and Beautiful at the same time – the book title really fits perfectly to the story because I couldn’t come up with other words to describe this.

How can you not love Drew McKnight? Sexy and handsome doctor Drew. He is the perfect man a woman can wish for. He is loving, caring, selfless and gives everything he has – body, heart and soul. And did I mention he looks yummy?! =) But even though Drew could have outshined all of the other characters, he didn’t. He let them even shine brighter and that speaks a lot for him.
Cate was heartbroken, lost and struggled over what she has done. With Drew at her side she was like a blooming flower.

I loved how the characters in the book were written and made up. They felt so real to me.
The Families of Drew and Cate were well written and I could really imagine them clearly in my head. Everything fitted perfectly together. Also the other characters like the friends and colleagues made the story so much more real and interesting.

The story is perfectly written and the time switching from the past and present was well done. This is one of the best and saddest books that I’v read. It will stay with me forever. I’m an emotional person but to be honest I haven't cried this hard in a long time.

This book is a whole 'nother level of sad but to be fair I have to say that this book isn’t all about crying, some scenes were hilarious and I had to laugh so hard. There was so much love involved and also a lot of funny moments. 

Cruel and Beautiful is a must-read if you love stories that take you on an emotional rollercoaster, leave you wrecked in the end and won’t let you forget.

-I received an ARC of this book from the author through the Fifty Shades Support Group on Goodreads in exchange for a honest review.-

View full review on Goodreads

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                               About the Authors:

                                                          A. M. Hargrove 

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager A. M. Hargrove realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss, and quit her job. Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author.

Her books include Adult, New Adult and Young Adult Romances, including, The Guardians of Vesturon Series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent, and the novella Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Death Waltz (The Praestani Novels); The Edge Series (Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, and Kissing Fire); The Tragic Series (Tragically Flawed and Tragic Desires); Exquisite Betrayal; Dirty Nights: The Novel; and The Hart Brothers Novels (Freeing Her, Freeing Him, and Kestrel). 

Please find her at www.amhargrove.com.

Terri E. Laine 

Wife and mother of three, I’ve always been an avid reader. In my early years, my best friend and I would tell each other stories over the phone when we were bored. We called them our “soap operas” and generally revolved around whatever boy we liked at the time. Over five years ago, I got this crazy idea to write a novel and try to publish it. And the rest is history. This journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. I look forward to many more memories to come. 

Find more about her at www.terrielaine.com.

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