Category Archives: Books

Book Review: Secret – Kindle Alexander

Posted on June 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

Secret is a social media application that allows its users to communicate without being traced, and Tristan Wilder, owner of Wilder-Nation, wants to buy it badly.

Dylan Reeves, the creator of said app, didn’t anticipate the explosive chemistry between himself and Tristan. But he has his own secret to keep—a devoted husband with three kids. Dylan’s world is suddenly in turmoil when he gives in to the intense attraction he feels for someone else for the first time. How long can he keep his secret, and is there a chance for him to explore what he feels so deeply in his heart?

Now, here’s an author you can rely on to deliver a story that leaves you smiling from ear to ear for hours, or even days, after reading. Readers will enjoy the realistic yet unique approach the author takes toward Dylan Reeves’s character. You can’t help but feel for him, especially considering how much he has sacrificed— even his personal happiness—to keep his family intact and happy over the years. At times, it seemed like there was no way for him to emerge from his very deep closet without causing a major scene, but he’s a good guy who deserves good things in his life.

Then there’s Tristan. Between the two main characters, I’d say I’m more sympathetic toward him. I mean, these guys are both saints, but Tristan is like Mr. So Perfect—so patient and understanding throughout the book that I sometimes felt bad for him because of how uptight Dylan could be about his secret.

Readers were curious about the whole setup of Dylan’s relationship with his wife. Don’t worry too much, people; there was no major drama in this book. Just a little pinch of angst from Dylan’s part, which is totally understandable, but overall, it’s still decidedly a comfort read. And have I already mentioned the steamy scenes between Dylan and Tristan? Oh. My. God! I need some cool drinks right here!

With that being said, I highly suggest you get your copy of this book. It’s totally worth your money, and come on, you can’t go wrong with Kindle Alexander. With each new book released by her, you know you’ve got a winner—no questions asked. But I guess that’s not a secret anymore…

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published June 9th 2015 by Kindle Alexander LLC

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , , ,

Book Review: Cronin’s Key II (Cronin’s Key, #2) – N.R. Walker

Posted on June 9, 2015 | Leave a comment

Cronin's Key 2I’m such a big fan of the author and I thought this book was a total comfort read any fans like me would totally enjoy!  I would’ve enjoyed it MORE though if it actually has more grit into it. I feel like each scene were a bit too rushed and there’s not enough drama going on. I’m still not totally on board with Alec’s characterization – he’s charming alright but he really does talk too much and it gets really annoying at times.

The whole incubus thing was a good twist into the story but it rendered the whole “turning” of Alec anticlimactic.

Cronin was the one character in the series that totally amped-up the book’s likeability.  This was his book more so than Alec – with all that “mine, mine, mine” attitude and all the growling! I just wanna sexed him up! Lol. Let me also give special mention to Jorge – just precious! I’d really love to see more of him from this series and perhaps have another character like Jacques take center stage in the next book (?)

This is definitely a fun solid book which I will be recommending for fans of the series and the author.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published May 22nd 2015 by N.R. Walker

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , ,

Author Dylan Saccoccio And His Tirade Over Book’s One-Star Review

Posted on June 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

So I was checking out my online feeds and received a tweet from a friend about a certain issue over Goodreads about an author named Dylan Saccoccio who apparently had a “meltdown” over a low rated review of one of his books entitled The Boy and the Peddler of Death. I immediately checked out the Goodreads page of the book and was in total awe by the whole “conversation” between the author and a reader/reviewer named Cait. It was like Kathleen Hale all over again but this time, the author really went all out about the merit of giving out a one-star rating. I’m like, “is this shit even for real?”

Dylan Vs Cait

Seriously though, if you cannot handle criticism, then you are definitely in the wrong business buddy. And it’s not like if somebody (like myself) gave a lone-star review, it doesn’t mean that they’re out to get you or “ruin you financially” or something. I started reviewing books over a year ago and has been a member of Goodreads for a good four years now and trust me when I say, I’ve read far worst reviews by readers who sometimes are also fans of the author themselves – a one or two star ratings are not available for readers to just throw in just to fuck with authors – it simply shows that the readers does have reasons to NOT like the book. PERIOD.

I myself have given one-star reviews and I’m lucky that I was not “attacked” for it.

some of the books that I've given a lone-star ratings

some of the books that I’ve given a lone-star ratings

One of the authors that I’ve given a single-star review was Lisa Henry and I loved most of her works but that one book didn’t work for me. Another is Veronica Roth’s Allegiant, then there’s Amy Bartol’s Indebted..so there…

Unless you personally know that “reviewer” and there’s some shade throwing in there but a few one or two star reviews won’t really “hurt the author” and “destroy one’s dreams” – way too dramatic.  It may even increase the interest about your book. Remember what they say about publicity. Or perhaps, that review should’ve been be a way to analyze things and perhaps be better next time or maybe always keep in mind that YOU CANNOT PLEASE EVERYONE. The book may be a really awful experience for one reader but I bet it would be the best read for another. Seriously, Dylan – chillax.

from a Book Blogger and a Goodreads member.

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged

Book Review: Cronin’s Key (Cronin’s Key #1) – N.R. Walker

Posted on June 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

Cronin's Key 1This is the first major foray of N.R. Walker into the world of supernatural and it’s all about the undead! Yay! I’m a sucker for vampire stories and it’s from N.R. Walker so I’m doubly excited when I first heard about it and couldn’t be more eager to get my hands on it. Alec is a New York police detective who got himself tangled into the world of the undead after a weird encounter while on patrol. From there, he met Cronin – an elderly vampire who happened to be his “fated” one – uhm, soulmate. Things started happening faster than Alec could even comprehend and finds himself leading the fight against mummy vampires who are out to get the key to some mysterious shit – and that key happens to be him.

I maybe expecting a lot from this novel because as I’ve said – Vampires and N.R. Walker. Like, ugh. I loved 90% of the book but my main criticism was about Alec. You see, Alec loves to talk. Like not just talk, but talk non-stop and at some point in the book – I was like – shut up already! There’s something annoying about his overall characterization that it grates on my nerves but there are times that I also find him extremely funny and adorable. It’s a good thing that Cronin’s stoic demeanor was rather charming which is clearly the opposite of Alec.

But hey, that’s just me fretting over some minor details. The story almost feels like watching some sort of National Treasure only with Vampires. I also loved the secondary characters with the covens and all and their powers almost feel like Twilight­-ish. What? B!tch please don’t give me that look. I fucking loved Twilight.

In short, I loved it because it’s well written, exciting and it has a lot of good looking ^_^, quirky and funny creatures with superpowers!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , ,

Book Review: KAGE (KAGE Trilogy #1) – Maris Black

Posted on June 6, 2015 | Leave a comment

KageI’m usually checking out books to read through recommendations and ratings and this one immediately got my interest when I found out it’s about MMA fighters. I’m like – Whoot! Hoot! I want me some Travis Maddox from this genre – lo and behold – I got a way better deal. I got Michael Kage Santori aka Kage ( Ting! Ting! Ting!) And it’s coming from Maris Black – a new author for me and by god it feels like I hit a jackpot with this novel. It’s abso-fucking-lutely amazing! I’m like OMG (no.1), this was like the first book I’ve read this year that totally affected me so much because I’m just so into the MCs.

It’s not just about Kage though, it’s also about Jamie Atwood and his aspiration to become a publicist. Little did he know that his coverage of an MMA fight for a project at uni and his first encounter with Kage will land him an internship as the publicist of the guy himself? And OMG (no.2) from the start, their chemistry was just EXPLOSIVE. See, people Jamie’s straight. He’s got a girlfriend and he’s all too focus on becoming a great journalist. At first, it feels like him having feelings with Kage were like out of nowhere and totally WTF but overtime, it just came naturally. Like it was meant to happen the way it was written. OMG (no.3) worthy right?

Kage meanwhile has no qualms whatsoever about his sexuality. Although not entirely out from the closet (due to his UFC aspirations,) he’s also very much open to having a relationship and with Jamie – he’s willing to do everything. Only thing is, Jamie’s only open about it in the privacy of their bedroom.

Now at the beginning, I was thinking that I’d see a lot of Kage fighting his opponents and getting all bloody and brute on us but nope – if you’re looking for some MMA action here, you’d be hella disappointed. There’s only two major fights here – the first one was the first fight that Jamie was able to witness from Kage and the second one was their fight about their relationship at the end. Do not fret though, because it’s all good. It feels like in this very first book we get to meet these two guys who are still in the process of accepting things about themselves and revealing something about them that will make you more curious and yearn for more up to the last page. For some reason, the slow burn in the story between these two makes it more exciting and when it finally happened it was like OMG (no.4) – that was like the hottest thing ever!

Now this may sound too much but it’s just perfection for me. Every chapter and every page were thoughtfully written – it’s just simply worth your time reading it word per word. My problem right now is the almost three months wait for the sequel (Arrrrggghhh), I feel like having a withdrawal (not that I knew exactly how that feels unless you count my catatonic state after the final season of Fisica O Quimica) and OMG (no.5) people,  git your copy NOW!!!! Just fucking Get.It.Right.Now!

Rating: Fucking Perfect Five Stars out of Fucking Perfect Five Stars!

Published May 25th 2015 by Maris Black Books

Buy now:
All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes and Noble
iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , , , ,

Book Review: To Say I Love You (Another Way, #3) – Anna Martin

Posted on June 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

To Say I Love You[Book 3 of Another Way Series]

Blurb: After six years of romance and kink, Jesse Ross and Will Anderson have had their ups and downs and come through them stronger and happier. But when Jesse’s mother dies unexpectedly, Jesse is forced to return to his childhood home in Georgia to help his family cope. Will transfers from Seattle to his company’s Atlanta office, but love their way is out of the question while they’re staying in Jesse’s parents’ home. So Will buys a small house for them to fix up and find some privacy.

When their lives start to settle back into something like normality, Will and Jesse resume their recently neglected BDSM relationship. Along with the security of Jesse’s submission comes trouble, as a local man tries to lure a lonely, grieving Jesse away from Will, and one of Will’s coworkers causes tension between them. Both men are forced to reassess what really matters, and where their romance is heading

***

This is the perfect conclusion into Will and Jesse’s love story. I loved that it stayed true to the theme and the whole vibe of the rest of the series.  This is the first BDSM series that didn’t make me uncomfortable at all because it’s not just all about the kinky stuff; it actually has a wonderful story with amazing characters. This third book totally cemented Will and Jesse as one of my favorite couples in this genre. The book has all the elements you would expect for a series finale. It has ample romance, sex, drama and the attack with each character was nothing short of perfect!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published May 19th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published April 19th 2014)

Buy now:
Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About The Author
Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, she is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), travelling, learning to play the ukulele, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , ,

Book Review: Of Being Yours (Another Way, #2) – Anna Martin

Posted on June 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

Of Being Yours[Book 2 of Another Way series]

Blurb: It’s been three years since Jesse Ross had to choose between his Master and his girlfriend-three years he’s spent living in a loving relationship with Will, his Dom, and finally being open about his sexuality. To the outside eye, Jesse and Will’s relationship is settled, solid, and romantic: people expect them to settle down, get married, have a family. It takes a car crash to expose the papered-over cracks in their life together.

Traumatized by the crash, Will finds his confidence shattered. After unintentionally causing Jesse pain during the accident, Will finds it impossible to hurt him in the bedroom, and suddenly he has to reassess his ability to be Jesse’s Dom. The emotional and physical deadlock leaves Jesse struggling to hold the pieces of their tattered relationship together. The physical scars may heal with time, but the emotional trauma has left more damage than either man could have anticipated….

 I really loved the progress of Will and Jesse’s relationship. I loved the sweetness of it all and how the author showed their vulnerability especially with Will. I also loved the timeline of the story – pacing wise. I loved that we get to see them as they navigate deeper into their relationship. Although the “accident” was somehow an important plot point, I find it a wee bit stretched out which apparently became the game changer in their relationship. I also almost wished that they accepted Maddie’s offer but in hindsight – it’s very transparent that they are not yet ready for it. I really loved that the focus of this second installment was still inside Will and Jesse’s little bubble. There are some characters that I thought will stir shit up but I guess that would happen in the third book. Again, this is an exceptional read. Rarely I enjoyed reading  a BDSM themed  story and this one’s definitely up there!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published September 1st 2012 by Dreamspinner Press

Buy now:
Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About The Author
Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, she is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), travelling, learning to play the ukulele, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , ,

Book Review: Another Way (Another Way #1) – Anna Martin

Posted on May 27, 2015 | Leave a comment

Another WayBlurb: On the surface, Jesse Ross is an average guy in an average relationship with his college sweetheart, Adele. But what his girlfriend doesn’t know is that he’s having an affair—with a man—and exploring his sexuality in ways she never could imagine. His compartmentalized life suits Jesse just fine, and he has no intention of coming out of the closet either as a bisexual or as a submissive.

However, Jesse takes a tumble when his Master, Will, admits to wanting more, wanting Jesse as his partner, not just his submissive. Suddenly Jesse’s conveniently pieced-together life isn’t quite so comfortable. In the end, Jesse has to lay it all on the line—for his girlfriend, for his lover, and for himself.

***

I’m not really big on BDSM and there are only few stories out there that could lure me to read one – much more a series. Anna Martin has that power over me so I went on and dived into this world with Another Way.

I really enjoyed the dynamics between Will (the Domme) and Jesse (the Sub). They have such great chemistry especially when they progressed into a romantic relationship. I loved how the author thoughtfully crafted Will and Jesse’s characterization making them very much relatable.

I’m docking half a star from this book because I feel that it doesn’t need too much BDSM scenes to fully emphasize the theme. I mean their characterizations were so on point that extra dialogues wouldn’t hurt the story. Nonetheless, this was an amazingly written story that let its readers dissect the dynamics of such relationship on and off the bed.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Published September 30th 2011 by Dreamspinner Press

Buy now:
Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About The Author
Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, she is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), travelling, learning to play the ukulele, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , , ,

Book Review: Confess – Colleen Hoover

Posted on May 20, 2015 | Leave a comment

ConfessI confess that I have some hesitations diving into this book because it sounds too heavy for my heart to take.

I confess that I fell in love with Owen when he asked Auburn, “Are you here to save me?”

I confess that I was imagining Anna Kendrick as Auburn – and yes, with the hair and all.

I confess that I wasn’t that sympathetic towards Auburn’s situation because I thought she could’ve easily kick Lydia’s ass.

I confess that I cried a little at this confession: Every night after my son falls asleep, I hide a brand-new toy in his room. Every morning when he wakes up and finds it, I pretend not to know how it got there. Because Christmas should come every day and I never want my son to stop believing in magic.

I confess that I really am dying to know what Auburn and Owen’s written confessions are.

I confess that I wasn’t that happy with what happened with Trey. That A-hole easily got away.

I confess that I almost cried again at the ending because it’s just so heartbreakingly beautiful.

Thank you, Colleen Hoover!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published March 10th 2015 by Atria Books

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , ,

Book Review: Trust (Temptation #3) – Ella Frank

Posted on May 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

TrustI’ve always been a fan of Logan and Tate from the very start of this series. They have such explosive chemistry and it’s not hard to really root for them.

As its (seemingly) final book in the series, Trust didn’t exactly draw my enjoyment – at least not nearly enough as the first two books. This is an erotic series and Ella Frank’s a writer of erotica but sometimes, too much is just too much right? Not that the sex scenes aren’t nearly flammable. They’re actually beyond hot but halfway through the story – I started wondering what exactly the premise of the book was.

Some of my issues with this book (aside from the uber-excessive sex scenes) include:

  1. Chris stirring shit up then simply walking away. Gone. Bye. Bitch.
  2. Evelyn’s unnecessary appearance. No. Not relevant at all. Wasted space.
  3. The “accident” was predictable that I find myself rolling my eyes at this.
  4. Daniel Finley. Unnecessary.

The timeline of their relationship was too short for me considering this is the final installment (or not).

This story isn’t that bad though, I still loved Logan and Tate. It’s just a case of “too much of this and too little of that.” Oh well…

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Published May 2nd 2015 by Ella Frank

Leave a comment

Posted in Books

Tagged , , , , ,