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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Book #Review: Death & Desire by P.H. Turner .@LyricalPress .@pht97

Book Title: Death & Desire
Author:  P.H Turner |WebsiteTwitterFacebook|
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook
Cost: $3.99
Pages: 258
How I got it: Publicis via Blog Tour Company
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 17
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Ancient rituals. Up-to-the minute deception. Reporter Taylor McWhorter knows something is going on at the newly reopened uranium mine on the local Navajo reservation. The Native workers are being fired. Rumors of bad Native American spirits and shapeshifters mingle with the stink of leach pit mining. The rough red mountains and steep canyons hide more passes and getaway trails than any maze. And Taylor’s sources keep turning up dead… Until she meets Captain Trace Yazzie, head of the tribal police force and plenty to reckon with on his own. The chemistry between them is enough to incinerate Taylor’s rule about mixing business and pleasure. But with a murderer on the loose, priceless Navajo artifacts turning up in the wrong places, and Trace’s suggestion that spirits disturbed from looted burial sites might be part of the problem, Taylor can’t afford to lose her head to lust. This might be the story of the year. But unless she keeps her wits about her, it could be the last one Taylor ever tells…
I went into this book with high hopes, as a bit of background I'll let you know I originally went to school to study anthropology and archaeology with a concentration in Native American Studies and History. I was hell bent on doing this, until I realized I would spend more years reading about it than actually doing anything fun, so I moved on to the healthcare field.  So when I say I know more than the average person, I'm not kidding, two years of studies before I changed my major.  With that in mind this story was great for a history buff, an art history major, an anthropologist, an environmental scientist and or an archaeologist other than that?? If you're not familiar with many of the subjects talked about and aren't a big fan of googling while reading you're going to get lost.

As a paranormal story it starts a bit slow, while the author attempts to lay the groundwork so you understand what's going on, however it still required you to know the geography a bit which might be a bit difficult if you're not from the US.  The lore of the Navajo was very well researched and I loved the knowledge that was dispensed easily by the characters, and how well it was shared without being heavy handed.  I also loved how the supernatural aspects while being extra ordinary also fit in within the story and the area, almost as if you would expect it to happen in modern day world, simply because the area is so special and vast and different from most modern areas.

This is a concept that has been lacking in paranormal romance, or just romance in a few years.  When I started reading romance in the early 90s  I was in middle grade and Native American lore and culture were "all the rage", so many books came out with the theme, but it's been a while since it's been done and done well. I really loved the glimpse of Navajo traditions, and the history shared, I even loved the discussion of privilege and cultural appropriation that was discussed. It was pretty awesome to see that so blatantly displayed, especially the calling out of wealthy 'art collectors'. Let's call a spade a spade, it's not collecting it's theft and it's wrong.

The subject matter of fracking and the leaching of ore, went right to my little environmentalist heart and made me dance a little.   I loved the discussion of the environment and the destruction of Native lands, which is hidden because well no one really cares about what happens on reservations, that happens to others not to us, and the discussion of the illegal activities done to make a buck, yaasss dear, share it all with the world. I love it!!

While I loved much of the story there were a few things that brought it down for me including:

The world building was very poorly done, as I said because I studied this information when it was thrown out there I wasn't surprised and even had a pretty good understanding of the lore and cultural history and beliefs,  I totally felt the characters' reactions were spot on to viewing something different, however it was like reading a newspaper article, I read her reactions but didn't feel them.  If you're not familiar with the Four Corners region or with the geography of the area, the names of the towns, the significance of the placement of each name will me nothing.

Before long I got tired of the author telling me things instead of showing them to me,. Write the scenes so I can feel like I'm there instead of me getting the second hand account from the protagonist.  While reading I realized the author shared way too much of the science and almost nothing of the other information; instances where she could have been circumspect she was descriptive and where there needed to be details, we barely got any.  SHOW ME that they have an attraction to each other, don't tell me, because I didn't read any attraction, it was there but not enough to make me care about the romance.

The characters felt flat and I was so disappointed because the story had such potential.  About half way in I no longer cared and simply read because I was interested in the rest of the story and not so much in the protagonist,  It was almost impossible to really get a feel for her or any of the other characters because we weren't given any information to make them real.  the female protagonist is our main point of view and she is a bit detached in telling the tale and when she's supposed to feel certain emotions you don't really get that from her which made it impossible to truly feel the emotions necessary to become invested in the book.

When we made it to the conclusion I was both surprised and not surprised because it was well written as part of the story, however you it was so far outside the realm of possible outcomes that would have had you looking around in confusion.  At the end of it I enjoyed the mixture of the lore with some suspense, and the bit of romance we got. I, however wished it had been fleshed out more.  It would be interesting to read more from the author and see if this was just a one time occurrence because of the subject matter or if it's the author's writing style.

I ended up giving it a three because it was mildly entertaining but unfortunately not very memorable, even though this is a concept that hasn't been done in paranormal romance in a while. It's still a bit of nerdy book love so if you're a fan of any of the above mentioned fields do make sure to check it out and tell me what you think.

 ★★★
Have you read this book??  What do you think of it?? Share in the comments down below so we can chat and discuss.

Happy Reading


Book #Review: Every Move She Makes .@JannineGallant .@LyricalPress

Book Title: Every Move She Makes (Who's Watching Now Book 1)
Author: Jannine Gallant |WebsiteTwitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Series Book 1
Format: ebook, 
Cost: $3.99
Pages: 322
How I got it: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 31
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
No matter where she goes, he knows her every move… Long ago, Rachel Carpenter was a glamorous soap star. She gave it all up to move to Napa Valley with her daughters to open up a bookstore near her family vineyard. Her life is safe and dependable, until she encounters Kane Lafferty at a wilderness camp in the rugged High Sierra. A burned-out police detective struggling with his own demons, Kane is instantly attracted to Rachel. And like Rachel, he isn’t sure if he’s ready to open up his heart. But everything is about to change… Someone is watching from the darkness. A fanatic obsessed with Rachel for years has decided to claim what he believes is his. It will be up to Kane to not only protect his new love and her family, but to uncover the identity of the stalker before it’s too late for all of them…

I was pleasantly surprised in reading this book, I picked it up because it sounded intriguing but you never really know when going into a new author how it's going to work out.  I was hooked I didn't want to put it down it's been a while since I read a good romantic suspense and I'm loving it so much.  It's a series so I'm going to be following it as long as she writes great books,

When I went into the book I was thinking this is going to be a good romance, but it was also an amazing mystery.  I kept trying to figure out based on the clues she gave us who the stalker was and I was so certain I was  right that when it happened I was like Wait What the What??!!! LOl it was worth that moment because well everything was laid out a bit differently than the actual answer.

I loved that the relationship took it's time to build, & the characters remained true to themselves throughout the novel.  I really enjoyed how the progression took place, and that they admitted that it was fast tracked because of the circumstances, they admitted that they wanted more but the love word didn't come up for a while and I can't tell you how refreshing it was to read a good romance that builds instead of diving in right away.  (not that I don't love those too).  I really loved how each character was written and felt really happy when we met Rachel's friends and saw her life, because as she said her life was great, it would be enhanced by a happy relationship but her kids and her life came first and I just loved that!!

I will say that I got extremely emotional and attached to the characters. I freaked out when our lead Rachel had her too stupid to live moment and I wanted to kick her butt severally.  Her daughters were a riot and I loved her sister Gracie, I was really happy to see a sisterly relationship that was fun and supportive instead of being a train wreck.  I loved her family as well and I loved the relationships she had with her in laws.  It felt realistic and I loved how even though they didn't always get along Rachel still made an effort to make her relationships work.

I would to know what happens to Lark because really my mother freaked out and I was a whole grown woman when I got mine. I want to know if Lark is still a brat or did she grow the heck up.  I want to know about Rose as well. When Rachel had her TSTL moment and I was having mild coronary, I kept yelling at the kindle because it was so good. I was so invested and wanted the best for them.  It's highly emotional moment and I'm glad Kane knew it and was willing to do whatever was necessary to make Rachel happy.

The world building was done well,m the mystery carried off excellently and the romance just beautiful.  I loved how you felt this could be happening without it being too far out of this world.  I'm hoping that we get a story from Gracie, and it would be awesome to the children grown up.  I really enjoyed reading Jannine's writing and I'm looking forward to the other books.
 ★★★★☆
I Highly recommend if you love a good mystery and a great romance.  Have you read this one yet??
Happy Reading



Monday, March 30, 2015

Cover #Reveal: An Unexpected Wish & An Honorable Wish by Eileen Richards .@EileenRAuthor .@lyricalpress .@pumpupyourbook

I haven't shared on here my love of historical romances. I really need to start sharing all the love and when I saw that Eileen's books were coming out this year and they were doing a cover reveal?? Why yes madam, sign me up.  So here are a few of the books in the series A Lady's Wish. book one is An Unexpected Wish which sounds hilarious and the second book An Honorable Wish which I can't wait to read.

An Unexpected Wish (A Lady's Wish 1) 
 Anne Townsend has given up on finding a husband for herself. At 27, she is firmly on the shelf and resigned to her fate. Instead she’s settled with finding a husband for her beautiful sister. But a mischievous fairy derails all her plans by making her the most wanted young lady in the village. Suddenly she’s tripping over suitors and has no idea how to handle it. Nathaniel Matthews has returned to Beetham for one purpose: to prevent his younger brother from an imprudent match to the daughter of his enemy. The elder Townsend played a key role in his father’s death. Instead of preventing the marriage, he finds himself wildly attracted to Anne Townsend. Anne is determined to resist all the overtures from the single men in the village save one. Nathaniel Matthews, the man preventing the marriage that would save her and her sisters from starvation, is the one man she can’t seem to resist.
Due Date: November 24
Print: ebook
Pages: 
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Pre-Order Links: Amazon


An Honorable Wish (A Lady's Wish 2)  by Eileen Richards
After a disastrous season in London, Juliet Townsend returns home with a new focus – to be independent. Who needs to get married anyway? While her sister, Sophia, enjoyed her popularity, Juliet was planning a life on her own, and not under the thumb of some man. After a tragic carriage accident takes his best friend after a night of debauchery, Tony Matthews comes home to settle down, get married and find an estate to buy. Sophia, jealous of Tony’s attention to Juliet, issues the challenge and Tony is the prize. Research for Juliet’s novel provides the excuse for spending time with Tony and keeps him away from her sister. The only problem is his kisses tempt her to give up her plan for independence, inciting a passion she didn’t think she was capable of feeling. When Tony finds out he’s been the prize in the game between the sisters, he’s furious. He retreats to his new estate. Juliet, now ruined, has no choice but go to Scotland until the scandal passes. Her letters of apology go unanswered. Her plan for independence no longer matters. She has lost real love and may never see it again. Sophia meddles again by letting it slip that Juliet might have to marry in Scotland. Tony goes to Scotland convinced she’s pregnant with his child and will only marry him. He convinces her he loves her and forgives her and that she’s free to write as many books as she wishes if she will only marry him. Will she??
Due Date: October 27th
Print: ebook
Pages: 300
Publisher: Lyrical Press

Pre-Order Links:  Amazon |




Eileen Richards has been writing for most of her life. Poetry, totally inappropriate answers to essay questions in school, and interesting error codes during her 30 year IT career has prepared for the manic world of publishing.
She writes sassy regency romps set in the small villages of England where the rules are bent a bit and gossip rules the day.
Eileen resides with her husband and their diva of a greyhound in North Carolina.

For More Information
Visit Eileen’s website.
Connect with Eileen on Facebook  and Twitter.

Not only are these historicals, they are a bit of magical realism within it. I can't wait, they sound hilarious and like they're going to be good romantic comedies.


And there you have it my loves, two new historical romances on the books.  Aren't you excited, they sound amazing. I can't wait!!

Monthly Wrap Up: March 2015 | Bewitching Bibliophile

Another month has come and gone and we are so much closer to BEA 2015!!! I'm so excited aren't you?? That's so crazy. Well since it's gone here are the books I have read, the reviews I have written and a recap of all the awesomeness that came my way.

Book Hauls
Stacking the Shelves (6)
Stacking the Shelves (7)
Stacking the Shelves (The March Final)

Books On Tour This Month:

Bang Shift by Mandy Harbin REVIEW
Cover Reveals:
A Lady's Wish Series by Eileen Richards

Reviews on the Blog This Month:
Books Read This Month: 9
Yearly Goal: 200   Monthly Count: 19   Balance: 176

Book List For The Month:
My goal this year is 200 books, if I break that down it comes out to 19 books per month , and  4/5 books a week. Totally doable in my books, so as the proverb says, you can eat an elephant one bite at a time, so here's my first few bites:
Read So Far: 23
Yearly Goal: 200
Monthly Goal: 19
Yearly Balance: 177
  1. A Cowboy Read 
  2. Dark Demon, Dark Blood or Dark Melody by Christine Feehan
  3. 1 Nora Roberts title I haven't read before
  4. 2 Brenda Jackson novel from my pile
  5. 1 Non Fiction book (religious or educational or as my mother say edifying) 
  6. Read 4 5 books already on my bookshelves.( Wait For You J Lynn, After The Night by Linda Howard)
  7. 5 ebooks ( 1 4 for NetGalley/ Review (Bang Shift: Hunter by Mandy Harbi, Every Move She Makes by Janine Gallant, Death & Desire by P. H. Turner , Manwhore by Katy Evans,  and 1 Kindle purchase Be With Me J Lynn (Wait For You 2), Owning Violet (Fowler Sisters Book 1 by Monica Murphy, Stay With ME by J Lynn)
  8. 1 JD Robb book from my shelves (Calculated in Death)
  9.  5 physical ARCs (Wait For You J Lynn,)
  10. Finish a series (Gina Damico Rogue,  Chain Reaction & Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles, Savage Blue & Vast & Deep Sea by Zoraida Cordova, ) 
  11. Start a series (Julie Kagawa any of the three on my shelves right now)  Owning Violet (Fowler Sisters Book 1 by Monica Murphy) 
  12. Read a new to me author J Lynn Wait For You Series
  13. Read a preorder ( )  NONE FOR MARCH
  14. Finish A book already on my Currently Reading List ( Rescued by Priscilla West)
  15. Finish a YA Book on my Currently Reading List
  16. Complete all 13 library books I ended up returning them so I could concentrate on cleaning up the books already on my kindle and on myshelves, plus as soon as I go tthem I didn't feel in the mood to pick them up o_o. Maybe next moneth.  
  • Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
  • Complete Me by J Kenner
  • The Next Always by Nora Roberts
  • Spellbound Sylvia Day √ REVIEW
  • Passion For The Game by Sylvia Day
  • Out of Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
  • Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
  • Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
  • Everneath Brody Ashton
  • Everbound Brody Ashton
  • Evertrue by Brody Ashton
  • Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Keneally 
  • Be With Me by J Lynn
Book Reviews To Look Forward to Next Month:
Young Adult Books


New Adult Books


And a few adult books, just to spice the weekends up.

If you couldn't tell by the books I completed this month, April is going to be Romance and New Adult Month on the Blog!! Woot Woot. I can't wait to share all the good, the bad and the ugly of all the books I've read this month, including some recommendations, and some awesome giveaways. Make sure to swing back and make sure to be following me on my social media sites because I'll be giving away a few books as flash first come first serve books.

What I'm Currently Watching:
I'm highly anticipating the return of Outlander, but in the meantime I'm drowning in shows, like Supernatural, and Empire. I hate that so many of my shows are now on hiatus, like nope y'all need to come back so I can watch the shenanigans.  But in the meantime I still got:

Well there you have it, a pretty productive month so far and I'm kinda proud of where I am right now. How'd you do??

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Stacking The Shelves (8) ( March 2015): The End Result (Part 3)


Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

Yeah so this wasn't supposed to happen but I'm not sorry, I totally earned it in the last few months, cleaning up some much needed books off the pile and I now feel in the need for some good contemporary new adult books so I got these.  Plus I added to my series and I didn't deviate too much from my wishlist so boom. Still on track:

I got these from Bookoutlet and from Books A Million using coupons and discount sales so I only spent about half of my spending limit, I'm saving the rest for next month since April is a big release month for me:


PURCHASED

Young Adult Books:

For the breakdown we have:
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson.

From the Heaven Series by Angela Johnson I got:
This series has a great rating on goodreads, so I scooped them quickly when I saw them listed on Bookoutlet.  They are way smaller than I expected so they should take about an hour each if that to read.

From Angela I also picked up:

Looking For RedA Certain October; they aren't part of a series, just books she wrote that look good. Also on the smaller side so quick reads for me.

The last young adult I picked up is from one of my fave authors of the new adult genre, this one is a paranormal books so I'm looking forward to reading this in the fall:
Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

Now onto New Adult:

I cooped a few Colleen Hoover books, because whenever you mention New Adult her name is one of the few repeatedly mentioned, so time to snag some for dirt cheap:

Then I scooped book 1 in M Leighton's Bad Boy series I already own book two, so I also grabbed book 3:
Then I got Jamie McGuire's latest from the Maddox Brothers series: Beautiful Oblivion (Maddox Brothers 1)

Adult Books

and Last but not least the Adult Genre got a few books including a literary fiction (which I don't normally read too much of, but this one has gotten some rave reviews, that title and that cover though?? Giving me all the feels, so and she went to school in CT so I'm going to give her a try.

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi

Since this series is on my finish it challenge for 2014, I'm picking up the books as I see them, I've already completed three off the list so I had to get the rest:


Wicked Lovers Series by Shayla Black:
Also from Shayla I picked up Bound & Determined, I picked it up thinking it was a part of the series, it isn't; it's a series starter, so new series on the list y'all I never fail at replacing the ones I'm almost finished with, sometimes with even longer one. LOL

Another series I'm collecting from a favorite author is the Sweet series by Maya Banks.  This time around I picked up Sweet Seduction (sweet 3)


Because she's one of my favorite's if I see it I buy it, so I picked up: Healer's Choice by Jory Strong.I have no idea what it's about, but it's Jory so I don't have to worry too much.



I scooped up from Jaci Burton Melting The Ice ( A Play by Play Novel) I have loved this series since it's inception and in fact the newest book is on my Wednesday lust list, so I was pumped to see this on sale at B.A.M


After that I grabbed a few books in another series I'm trying to complete and these are all by Shiloh Walker.  Including:
Yeah then of course I couldn't help my self I picked up these from Kindle cause they were dirt cheap yeah I still have money left over for next month though so I'm good.  Although i really need to take my card off amazon so I can't keep doing this. 

Pre-Ordered:


No-Where But Here,  by Katie McGarry because she was having a sale that if you pre-ordered and registered your pre-order she would send the ebook of Abby's story, and if you're a fan of the Pushing The Limits series, you would be highly anticipating that one and since it isn't on sale anytime soon?? Yeah I one clicked that bitch!!

Fall with Me (Wait For You 4) was a must because I'm all caught up on the Wait For You series and needed this one in my life!!

I pre-ordered Asa (Marked Men 6) the second Jay let us know when it was going to be published and it was available on Amazon, this has been sitting there patiently waiting and finally it's almost here

Free Ebooks:

  • Tempting Acquisitions by Addison Fox. This came out in 2013, and I've had it on my list of books to get eventually, when it popped up with a cover change and as free I snagged it quickly.
  • The Hostage Bargain by Annika Martin, I got this because a few of my Goodreads friends loved it and it's free so m why not.


Books To Review (NetGalley/Edelweiss/Etc):


These books will be on tour on the blog next month.

So yeah lesson learnt, book slow downs don't work for me, eventually I snap and purchase all kinds of books. Considering last year's mammoth book binge I'm doing ok. I'd love to sit here and say next month there won't be any hauls but you already know that's a lie so I won't even go there.

What'd you get this week?? Anything good?  Have you read any of these?? Please share in the comments down below and of course I'll see y'all next month.



Friday, March 27, 2015

Book #Review: Manwhore ( Manwhore 1) by Katy Evans .@authorkatyevans

Book Title: Manwhore (Manwhore Book 1)
Author: Katy Evans |WebsiteTwitterFacebook|
Publisher: Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Series/Standalone: Series Book 1
Format: ebook, Paperback & Audio
Cost: $7.99, $12.99
Pages: 272
How I got it: Publicist
Purchase: Amazon Barnes & Noble |Publisher
Publication Date:
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Is it possible to expose Chicago’s hottest player—without getting played? This is the story I've been waiting for all my life, and its name is Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint. Don’t be fooled by that last name though. There’s nothing holy about the man except the hell his parties raise. The hottest entrepreneur Chicago has ever known, he’s a man’s man with too much money to spend and too many women vying for his attention. Mysterious. Privileged. Legendary. His entire life he’s been surrounded by the press as they dig for tidbits to see if his fairytale life is for real or all mirrors and social media lies. Since he hit the scene, his secrets have been his and his alone to keep. And that’s where I come in. Assigned to investigate Saint and reveal his elusive personality, I’m determined to make him the story that will change my career. But I never imagined he would change my life. Bit by bit, I start to wonder if I'm the one discovering him...or if he's uncovering me. What happens when the man they call Saint, makes you want to sin?
It took me a few days to get my thoughts together because Katy is a cruel woman and ended on one hell of a cliff  hanger.  When I got to the end, I shouted "son of a bitch" my roommate thought I had hurt myself, you would think they would learn.

The characters developed in a wonderful way. They kept pace with the story and showed the human dynamic, and I loved the surprises from each of them.  Rachel's desire to become successful is what made her take up this story that will save her job and job of everyone else at the magazine that was going downhill fast.  Her desire lead her into meeting Malcolm, and then the adventure begins.

We have balls and parties and the rescuing of animals ( Yes sir, I loved that scene so much)

At first this book was a book I will admit to making fun of on goodreads.  The female character is a bit in her own head and never stops thinking abut how things affect her.  When they talked about her assignment I wanted to slap both of them but then again I'm one of those who hated the way Princess Di was treated and the way she died so I wasn't one to read those magazines or gossip sites

"Because being wealthy means he doesn't deserve any privacy"
03/23
6.0%"Boom just like that you have a leak. She's an idiot"
03/25
46.0%"I'm loving the story but not the female characters attitude towards sex and other women calling women whores b/c they like sex is stupid"
03/26
52.0%"Is Gina stupid?? Really just because one guy is an asshole, so that means your dad who you love so much is one too dumbass"
04/02
99.0%"Oh Katy you mother effing biotch. Why did you end this way. Oh gawd I hate you *sob*."

Then I got into the story because really her voice just pulls you in and feel the need to see the train wreck coming. And yes, the manwhore turns out to be so much better than she was giving him credit for.  I wanted to laugh so hard, like duh dummy, just because people write it doesn't mean it's real.   And just because there are rumors don't make them real either.  Malcolm was a lot more complex than others gave him for, he was a bit privileged and came from a wealthy family but he still had issues with his family, which the press was more than willing to talk about all the time and letting him know about all his failures from his teenage years.  

There are a few moments where I felt like kicking the female character in the throat, stop calling other women "whores, sluts, skanks, hoebags" to make yourself feel better, they aren't any different than you. They like him just like you do, and you don't think your a slut, so shut up.  I hate when authors fall back on that bullshyt not all women think like that so STOP.IT.

I did like that she had strong female friendships, and a good relationship with her mother.  However I think her mom romanticized her dad way too much, like way too much. I need Gina to take her head out her hindparts as well, just because Paul was scum doesn't make ALL men scum, so stop painting them all with the same brush.   If she whined one more time about having her heart broken I was going to push her off a cliff.  

As secondary characters go there were some really good ones, and you totally understood the motivations of most of them. I really enjoyed seeing as some of the characters where being revealed to us as they were being revealed to her.  I totally fell in love with these characters, the good the bad and the ugly of them, because lets be real they had a few ugly parts about them.

And for the first time in a while it's not the male character who has to do the apologizing & crawling back, because for the first time in a while it's not him who has been the asshole of the couple. I love it, I'm totally here for it!!  Rachel and Malcolm were really good together. You could see the development of the relationship through their texts, calls, and emails.  I liked that they were more than compatible and that the relationship develops slowly.

I still loved the book and I need the next one like asap.  I need to know what happens to Gina and to our main couple, because seriously what the heck was wrong with her??!!  
 ★★★★☆
I hope you fall in love with Malcolm the way I did and Happy Reading

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Book #Review: Bang Shift: Hunter .@Mandy_Harbin .@literatirauthors

Book Title: Bang Shift Series: Hunter ( Book Two)
Author:  Mandy Harbin |Website| TwitterFacebook|
Publisher: Mandolin Park
Genre: Romance Erotic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook
Cost: $3.99
Pages: 
How I got it: Publisher via the Blog Tour Company
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 24th, 2015
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
The second book in the Bang Shift Series. After finally getting out of her disastrous relationship, Maya Carmichael has sworn off all bad boys. Sure they’re hot. The attitude? No thanks. But when her car is vandalized while on a night out with her roommate, she realizes her ex is truly sadistic. Her friend insists they lay low for a few days while the cops do their thing. Unfortunately her temporary haven will throw her in the path of another bad boy. Oh, she’s heard stories about her roommate’s brother, Hunter, and he’s just the type she wants to avoid. Until she sees him … and all good intentions fly out of her busted windshield. Hunter Anderson might be the easygoing jokester within the Bang Shift crew–the small Arkansas town’s mechanics and the government’s secret mercenaries—but underneath his lighthearted exterior lurks demons of a past he’d love nothing more than to forget. Working on cars and taking the occasional contracted mission help, but he fears nothing will stop his past from coming back to haunt him. No one has tried penetrating the façade to get to the real person below. No one, until Maya. The attraction is undeniable, but there’s more to Hunter than he can ever let on, and for Maya, this hot distraction makes it easy to forget the real danger she’s in. It has nothing to do with losing her heart to him. When really it has everything to do with just that.
I enjoyed reading this story, the female characters were witty and fun and I totally got Maya's desire to stay away from bad boys.  Hunter was a pretty cool character to read and I enjoyed his interaction with Maya and the way they thought about each other.  I read this in about two days and I couldn't wait until I could get back into it, because the characters were so funny.

I will say that this is a second book in the series and you can tell because the characters make reference to each other all the time & it's presumed you know who they are,  Characters from the first book visit in this one and for a moment in the beginning I swore Xan was a man ( I blame Most Popular Girls in School or MPGIS on YouTube look it up you'll love it), it took re-reading a few sentences to realize nope Xan's a woman..oops. Anyway, the book can be read as a standalone, it does however have a lot of spoilers for the first book so if you haven't read the first it might be best to do so.

Hunter is a mechanic at Bang Shift Garage and he and the men he works with are all members of a special team used by the government when they don't want their hands to be seen in the mix. Hunter's' younger sister Heather comes home with a friend, Maya, who's running from her ex Jake, who is doing the most to get back at her for leaving him.  I loved his inner monologue because really he sounded like a real person, and it made me laugh a bit when he tried to dodge certain subjects.

As the story progresses we realize Jake is more than a spoiled a**hat who doesn't know what No means.  Maya has been burnt by one too many bad boys and their bad behavior, which looks so sexy in the beginning; so she's sworn off all the bad boys, but why can't she seem to ignore Heather's brother?? He's the baddest of the bad and she wants no part of the trouble he's got going on, but his smile draws her in and holy moly that body.  Maya's inner monologue is so funny, she had me cracking up a few times because she sounded so real and grounded.  I loved how she would try to calm herself down when she was thinking way too far ahead.  it was awesome.

Sometimes the story isn't what we think it is and what's black and white on paper has many shades of gray in reality.  Hunter and his friends make some logical conclusions that made Hunter strike out and say some seriously hurtful words ( personally I would have to hit him back twice as hard before we could call it even, but hey I'm mean like that).  I loved the way the two characters were written, they were witty together and alone and they really burnt up the pages when they got near enough to do so.I loved that Maya wanted to be strong but also tried not to get in the way because I hate characters who risk their lives unnecessarily to just prove they are as smart or better than the hero.

I totally didn't see the conclusions coming and for a second was on the same page as Hunter but then no sir, still not ok to say what he said.  I totally loved the glimpses of Roxie, Xan and Brody we got and I can't wait to read the first book and get to know them as their own characters.  I loved the flow and speed of the story which moved quickly once the ground work was laid out for you.

This series kinda reminded me of Julie Walker's Black Knight's Inc, series which features special ops men in a bike garage, and I love that series, so this series is now right up there for me.  I can't wait until the third one comes out, I see so many potential love stories and I want them in my hands like asap.
 ★★★★☆
Happy Reading my loves