Category Archives: Books

Book Review: Spectacularly Broken – Sage C. Holloway

Posted on April 29, 2015 | Leave a comment

Spectacularly BrokenBlurb: Turns out naked and hungover on the floor is not the most strategically sound place to be when your dad comes home early. Take it from someone who learned the hard way: nineteen-year-old Lysander Shepherd – son of movie stars, spoiled brat, enthusiastic proponent of drugs and orgies… and now, unwilling resident of Oak Hill Manor, a retreat for troubled teenagers.

Before he knows what’s happening, his designer duds have been switched for tie-dye shirts in therapy team colors, and he is surrounded by an assortment of misfits: a timid nerd, a mute girl, a hyperactive kid… and captivating loner Cai Fields, who is admittedly pretty hot, but seems to hate the world in general and Lysander in particular.

Soon Lysander struggles with lies, withdrawal, and several uncomfortable revelations that he never intended to make, but he also gains surprising amounts of support right in the middle of secret late-night parties, fisticuffs over doing the dishes, and, of all things, croissant blackmail. Even as Cai and Lysander finally give in to the irresistible attraction between them and make a grasp for happiness, their darkest secrets remain – secrets with the power to destroy everything they’ve fought so hard to have.

This is Sage C. Holloway’s first novel and it’s nothing short of spectacular! It was very much like the kids from “The Breakfast Club” were transported into a retreat facility and with some twist and turn with the characterization; you’ve got yourself this wonderful novel!

I absolutely adore Cai and Lys here because they really do complement each other. I also loved the dynamics of their group as they became closer and started to bond and eventually became friends. I loved that you can easily picture each character and really root for them. Aside from the main couple, I find Nicky especially adorable.

Their issues are the typical troubled young adult issues – angst and all so that is nothing new in the story. The main pull of the novel though is the likeability of each character. Despite their rather troubling situation, the author makes it possible for readers to easily love them.

As typical as the story goes, I still end up loving every minute reading it. I would really like a follow-up from this spectacular debut! Congratulations Miss Holloway!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published March 3rd 2015 by Loose Id

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Book Review: Hearts of Fire (Hearts #2) – L.H. Cosway

Posted on April 27, 2015 | Leave a comment

Hearts Of FireThere’s just so much beauty and raw honesty in this second installment of Hearts series. “Hearts of Fire” is the story of Jack and Lille. Yep, Jack McCabe is Jason Fields’ little bro from the first book who supposedly died along with his parents when he was a kid. He obviously survived and is now working at Circus Spectakular as a fire-breathing and knives-thrower entertainer. Lille meanwhile is a 21 year old college student who’s still living with her uptight mother and whose life seems to be pre-planned for her. An opportunity to join the circus was something Lille never thought of ever doing but in order to get a hold of her own life, she took the courageous decision to leave her “black and white” life behind.

Jack doesn’t trust easily but with Lille, he was left reeling and unable to resist. But when that his trust was betrayed, will they be able to keep their hearts of fire burning?

I absolutely adore Jack! He was such a gentle yet broken soul. My heart broke for him when it was reveal what happened to him after the fire incident. And man, that letter he wrote for his brother Jay was just about the saddest thing I’ve ever read! I was a blaberring mess during that scene!!!

The story sort of reminds of Water for Elephants only because of the circus and all. The Jay Fields angle was the most interesting part for me because I was really curious on how the author will spin that one out and it was truly amazing how L.H. Cosway got around with it.

I find Jack’s fetish for burning/fire during sex a bit uncomfortable. I get why he developed that but I deemed it almost unnecessary for the story. As a whole, the story was solid here and fans of Jay Fields from the first book would really enjoy this one as well and will fall for Jack the same way they did for him. I know I did and I cannot wait to read the next series’ next installment!

Published March 9th 2015 (first published March 1st 2015)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Six of Hearts (Hearts #1) – L.H. Cosway

Posted on April 26, 2015 | Leave a comment

Six of HeartsSix of Hearts is a delicious combination of magic, tragedy, vengeance and love.Renowned illusionist Jay Fields has return to Dublin to do something he’s been planning for years connected to his past. As he set upon settling for a while he got to know Matilda Brandon whose sweet innocence has charmed Jay from the very beginning. As his carefully laid out plans started to unveiled, he knows that he’s got to push Matilda away in order to protect her but will Matilda allow him?

There’s just something so beautiful about this book. It was feel-good and has very low angst which I think fans of such romance would thoroughly enjoy. There was also this amazing chemistry between Jay and Matilda. Jay is such a perfect leading man yeah? I also thought the minimal sex scenes works well with the story.

Just a tiny bit of criticism though would be the anti-climactic conclusion. There was no illusion of surprise there but as a whole, it was still a lovely and well written story. I’d definitely recommend this one and will get a copy of the next book in the series!

Published July 26th 2014 by CreateSpace

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Belonging (First & Forever Series #8) – Alexa Land

Posted on April 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

BelongingBlurb: Can two damaged men build a future together from the shattered pieces of their lives?

Gianni Dombruso’s life was altered forever at the age of four, when his parents were murdered and he and his brothers went to live with their grandmother, the irrepressible Nana Dombruso. Now almost thirty, Gianni has spent his life bouncing from relationship to relationship, seeking but never finding the security and stability he so desperately craves.

Alexzander Tillane was one of the biggest pop stars in the world when he walked away from it all in the middle of a concert in 2002. Almost destroyed by the pressure of fame, Zan retreated to a life of quiet solitude in an effort to heal. But the cure backfired, leaving him with more issues than answers.

Zan knows he can’t give Gianni the stability he’s looking for, not with all his problems. He can’t even imagine why the beautiful younger man would want to get involved with someone so damaged, but the heat between them can’t be ignored. Giving in to it could be a huge mistake. Or maybe both men might end up right where they belong.

My wish came true when this eight installment of the First & Forever series happened to be Gianni Dambruso and Zan Tillane’s story. Yay! Back book 7 featuring Zan’s son Christian, there was already a brewing story bound to feature Gianni and I was hoping then that he would be paired with Zan! Lo and behold, we’ve got Belonging!

By continuously reading this series, I knew I was signing up for something outrageous and totally over the top. This book has it all from the crazy-ass Dambruso family with Nana as their ring leader to the ever-growing extended family! It almost felt like incest! LOL

The story has no angst whatsoever. Gianni’s confession of his insecurities was a pleasant surprise – seeing that he’s actually capable of such sensitivities. His low self-esteem was rather charming being vulnerable and shit – I know it shouldn’t be charming but with him – being all perfect and having that was just swoon-worthy in writing.

I would’ve given this a higher rating but the last three chapters totally destroyed it for me. The last scenes were predictable and way too forced for me. But like what I’ve said, outrageous and over-the-top right?

Published April 15th 2015

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Doubleback – Lissa Ford

Posted on April 24, 2015 | Leave a comment

DoublebackBlurb: After a tragic shooting left him wounded and in disgrace, all that remained of former deputy sheriff Jude Anderson’s life was a shattered femur, the standard disability package, and a host of issues. Jude seeks sanctuary in a remote upstate cabin and tries to get his life back on track.

Life has other plans when Jude finds a dead man draped across his front doorstep. The victim is the first hookup Jude’s had in, well, ever. Once Jude processes that shock he gets another when he learns that the homicide detective sent to investigate the murder is Rowan Muir, Jude’s ex. Their split was ugly, and Rowan isn’t the forgiving type.

Now Jude is drawn back into a world he left behind: murder investigations and fighting the undeniable attraction he has for Rowan. Rowan is still holding onto a substantial grudge. But both men need to figure out how to cope with being thrown together again, because it’s becoming increasingly clear that Jude is being targeted by a murderer – one who may have come from Jude’s past for revenge.

What I loved most about this story is the great chemistry between Rowan and Jude. For some reason, they reminded me of the duo from Josh Lanyon’s Holmes & Moriarity series. I also loved the unpredictability of the first half of the book especially when the author tried to pin the case against several suspects – I thought that was really good. Halfway though, I was easily clued in on whom the culprit is in the case. When I read that part, I thought that was a total giveaway. Won’t spoil it for you but it was really very easy to guess. The suspect’s motives though were a bit surprising if I may just say.

Pacing is always an important part of storytelling. It’s almost always dependant on the mood of the story. In this case, I find it a too fast for the mood. Although some may disagree, I thought the “way too quick” pacing led the story development to suffer a bit. This could be a good thing though for the series as it opens a lot of doors for improvements and unpredictable plot points for future books.

With all these, I’d say that it was pretty solid overall. I’d definitely wait for the second book to come out.

Published March 27th 2015 by Lissa Ford Books

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: At the Lake – Geoff Laughton

Posted on April 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

At The LakeOne of the reasons I’m not big on Young Adult stories is the fact that it always has an HFN ending. At the Lake is no exception.

Sixteen year old Shane Martinelli works as a lifeguard at a summer camp for the rich kids. This is where he met William Houghton who got sent by his father to spend the whole summer at the camp. William is all by himself because he doesn’t know how to swim until Shane offered to give him lessons. Friendship blossomed between them with Shane even saving William’s life. A year after when both teens returns at the camp, their friendship and newly discovered common secret turns into exploration of their sexuality, feelings and future dreams.

I actually find the story a bit too subdued for my liking. I mean I loved the reality of the whole story telling but I was still yearning for more. I loved the reality of the whole setting though. One of the best things about it is that it’s not trying to uberly-impress its readers by big words and over the top plot lines. The characters, dialogues and even the circumstances surrounding both teens are all too real. In short, it’s not pretentious. I loved that most about it but it may also be the bit part of its downside. I feel like there should’ve been more at the latter part of the story. It was rushed and may have finished a bit too quickly.

As a whole though, I’d say that this is still a wonderful read – a well written story about the beauty of young love. It’s definitely worth recommending!

Published February 26th 2015 by Harmony Ink Press

Rating: 4 out of 5 starsa

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Book Review: Firefight (Reckoners #2) – Brandon Sanderson

Posted on April 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

FirefightBlurb: They told David it was impossible–that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart–invincible, immortal, unconquerable–is dead. And he died by David’s hand.

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there’s no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David’s willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David’s heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic–Firefight. And he’s willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers

This book was fairly disappointing in comparison with the first installment of the series. Back in book one, David’s obsession with metaphors was still funny but here, it just became annoying at some point making the book look like that it’s trying too hard to be funny.

I also didn’t like the twist at the end of the story which I find a bit too rushed and it Prof was suddenly thrown out of the loop altogether. Megan’s Epic power also became a wee bit complicated – at least for me.

And the most disappointing part of the story was how David lost his charm and just sounded like a low quality male version of Katniss Everdeen paired with a suspiciously similar feel of The Maze Runner. Go figure!

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Steelheart (Reckoners #1) – Brandon Sanderson

Posted on April 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

SteelheartDavid Charleston was eight when his father was killed by an Epic named Steelheart. Epics are humans with superpowers. A decade later and with an obsession for revenge, David joins the Reckoners – a group of people who are trying to kill Epics and end their ruling.

There are a lot of good things I loved about this book. I especially loved the humor in it mostly coming from David’s obsession with metaphors. His snarky/adorable ramblings and POV was a juxtaposition of the dystopian society formed under the ruling of these random humans who acquired superpowers and got it in their head to dominate the non-Epic ones destroying anyone who will defy them.

There’s also a great deal of details in it that mostly covered the emergence of Epics. I loved that part of it. It’s refreshing to see humans going against individual with super powers this time. I know this isn’t new with regards to human versus superhuman entity but you get what I mean right? It’s like the Avengers suddenly became the villains and all.

Overall, the storytelling here was solid and the voices of each character were complemented by great personalities. I especially adore Cody!! I’m a firm believer that if you don’t like the main character/s, you won’t get much enjoyment in a story. In this case, I loved all of them!

Congratulations Mr. Sanderson! Job well done!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Love is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1) – John Wiltshire

Posted on April 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

love Is a strangerWhen I was reading the first few pages of this story, I was almost sure that it’s not going to work for me. I could just feel it and the blurb doesn’t even offer that much other due to its vagueness. Little did I know that I’ll be drawn to the world of Nikolas Mikkelsen and Benjamin Ryder so deep that I’d end up buying the whole bulk available from the series.

Just one bit of warning about the story and the main couple, one should be ready for a roller coaster of secrets after secrets especially about Nikolas. There’s a lot of powerplay involved in their relationship due to the boss-employee nature of it and eventually as a couple.

Benjamin was portrayed here as a vampire from Twilight *wink* kidding* – he’s physically perfect like Henry Cavill perfect and it’s as if he’s the most beautiful person in the planet. That’s not to say that Ben’s just a narcissistic bastard. Nope. He’s actually quite sensitive who happens to fall in love with the most impossible guy in the planet. Match made in heaven yeah?

The storytelling of John Wiltshire was almost hypnotic that at one point in the book, I got so enthralled by it that the pages keeps on turning non-stop. The moment I finished, I immediately craved for the second book.

So there’s just so many things that happened in this story that it’s impossible to choose its main highlight. This introduction of Nik and Ben was nothing short of perfect, in my honest opinion. Their back story and their chemistry was a reminiscent of Ty and Zane from the Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux (perhaps the most iconic couple in the MM genre) and by the looks of it – I could easily see them getting there… let’s hope that the author will be consistent until the end of this series.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published May 16th 2014 by MLR Press (first published January 1st 2014)

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Book Review: Understanding Jeremy (Discovering Me #2) – A.M. Arthur

Posted on April 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

Understanding Jeremy“If your smile warming me inside means love, then I love you. If feeling pride when you stand up for me despite everything means love, then I love you. If wanting to touch you just because you’re standing next to me in the room means love, then I love you. It’s what I know when I’m with you, Jeremy, and I think that’s love.”

What is so good about this series is how the author maintains the POV of her characters. Their voices and consistency are felt all throughout the first book and this one. In this installment, we have Jeremy narrating the story which picked up exactly where it ended in the first book. Jeremy and Cole are now living together but as for their relationship, both are still unsure about it. Cole was still reeling from his asshole ex-boyfriend sudden reappearance but he’s trying to at least move on from that episode. Jeremy meanwhile is still in cloud nine for having Cole with him although he’s still very much wary about Cole’s plan for the future.

When Jeremy’s best friend Bethann asked a favor from him to claim the baby she was carrying, Jeremy has to say no. Bethan has been there for him at his lowest point but he won’t deny Cole and his relationship with him. This didn’t go well though, when Bethan panicked and told a co-worker that Jeremy is the baby daddy. This conversation was privy to Cole so along with the rumor in town that Cole is gay, Jeremy’s relationship with him is also on the rocks.

Fear of losing a loved one yet again is what Jeremy’s most scared of so when Cole decided to break up with him, he knew that he’s got to do something soon to save the relationship and show the man he loves what he truly means to him. I just loved Jeremy’s character here. He’s just too nice and too perfect. His patience towards Cole was just beyond and I loved that he’s not afraid to take risks. The abuse that Cole went through his ex was more detailed here and I feel like killing the guy myself. I mean, I almost wished that he (Martin) was gang-raped to death when the “incident” in the first book happened to him. I mean, Jeremy should’ve at least got to punch him once.

The tone of the story was very nerve-wracking yet romantic. I loved the easy countenance of the premise and the very realistic dialogues in it. I also loved the unpredictability of the story.

This is one of those series that has its own voice and makes you root for a certain character from the get go.

Another great series on my list! Thank you A.M. Arthur for this amazing book!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published July 23rd 2014 by Dreamspinner Press

Sequel to Unearthing Cole

Discovering Me: Book Two

(I’ve read the first book entitled Understanding Jeremy but I lost the original file of the review and I’m trying to locate it but I also gave it a 5 star rating :))

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