Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Month In Review: February 2018

Wait, how can it already be the end of the month??? That's so crazy. The month is already gone, y'all gone!! 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:
Highly Anticipated Reads:
Reviews on the Blog This Month:
Read So Far this Year: 
13
Read This Month:

TBR Pile 
150

TBR Balance:
138
KEY: ✔ Read / Section Completed, Red Books added on and read beyond the challenge prompts

Lemonade Syllabus Books:
Perpetual Challenge Books:
  • 2-3 books from Brenda Jackson's Westmoreland Series:

  1. Thorn's Challenge 
  2. Best Laid Plans ARC✔

Finish Series:
ARC:COMPLETED
  1. Masked Innocence by Alessandra Torre'
  2. Switch It Up by Sara Brookes
  3. Rugged Texas Cowboy by Lora Leigh
  4. Collision Point by Lora Leigh
Non-Fiction Books:
  1. Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
  2. Financial Book
  3. Religious Studies Book
  4. Religious Studies Book
Erotica Romance:
  1. The End of Innocence by Alessandra Torre'✔
  2. .
  3. .
Black-Out Challenge Books:
And there you have it. I made my way through a few books and I currently have so many on the reading pile and I'm going to have to step back and really take a breath then dive back in.  What'd you read this month?? What's on your list of books to complete?? Share in the comments down below & I'll see you next month. 

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

ARC Book #Review: Best Laid Plans by Brenda Jackson @AuthorBJackson #BestLaidPlans #NetGalley

Book Title: Best Laid Plans (Madaris Family & Friends)
Author: Brenda Jackson |WebsiteTwitterFacebook|
Publisher: HQN
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: Ebook, Mass Market
Cost: $7.99
Pages: 384
How I got it: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: Feb 27, 2018
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Love wasn’t supposed to be a part of the deal…

Even a famed matchmaker like Nolan Madaris’s great-grandmother can’t get it right every time. Nolan, the notorious fun-loving ladies’ man, could never connect with someone as straitlaced as tech whiz Ivy Chapman. Yet the scheme Ivy proposes is tempting—they can pretend to be a couple, just long enough to satisfy their families.

But someone forgot to clue in their hearts

What happens, though, when Ivy’s plan to get her relatives off her back has an unexpected side effect: getting her into Nolan’s bed? Houston’s number one womanizer may have found the only one who can truly satisfy him, body and soul. But with a man from Ivy’s past determined to be part of her future, both she and Nolan will have to decide what’s fake, what’s real and what’s worth fighting for…
Y'all are used to me saying when it's a fave author I don't even read the synopsis, I one click and keep it moving. and when I got approved I did a happy dance.  This one isn't part of the Westmoreland Clan it's one of her other series the Madaris family saga and I'm just as in love with it.  This one is a great romantic story filled with comedy, hints of suspense,  meddling elders and children who think they can outsmart them at their game. 

I really enjoyed this one because it felt like coming home and being enveloped in with family. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded, how much these two tried their best to beat their elders at their matchmaking plans and inadvertently ended up right where they were supposed to.  I loved that they were both headstrong individuals who were successful in so many aspects of their lives but this one. I absolutely loved their Elders; they were determined to get these two together and they knew they couldn't just introduce them, they had to meddle as much as possible.

Ivy is super successful, she created her own company because she knew she wouldn't fit in with corporate deadlines & politics. She created a firm that was successful based on her love for computers and while it might not make her the most popular person it does fulfill her. She has her best friend and her Grandmother, who needs more??  Nolan for his part grew up a nerd surrounded by a loving and supportive family with his Great Grandmother as the Matriarch, she pushed all her kids to be successful, to find love and make their community better.  When she sees that Nolan isn't getting past her last relationship she decides to step in. Nolan was the nerd that went from Urkel to Stephan, he embraced the success that came with that change and when he realizes his Great Gran as about to but in he launched a plan to make himself extremely unattractive to women he doesn't believe is right for him. 

From sending them letters and notes from each other to rigging events to get them together these older women were not to be deterred.  Having been in relationships that ended poorly Nolan & Ivy were determined to find their own happiness without their Grandmother's and Great Gran's intervention.  Making a plan to beat the two older women at their matchmaking they tried at first to fight fire with fire then they simply made it appear that they were giving in. Within this dance of deception comes the past bring with it danger and trouble and without the friends that Ivy has made can her heart survive??

I do have one bone to pick with this story, and that is with Nolan's choice of women to aide him in his subterfuge. I know he states it was a good option but for me it makes me give him the side eye other than that I loved this story so much, I laughed and commiserated with Ivy & Nolan. I loved their exploration of their feelings, I loved how Ivy confronted Nolan when she was uncertain and how Nolan reacted when he realized the plan was working a little better than he expected.  Their chemistry was off the wall and I loved all the moments of them exploring these moments as well.

I totally understood being cornered by those you love and feeling like you can't get out of it without hurting their feelings.  I loved the glimpse of the expanse of the Madaris family and definitely need to catch up on this series.  There were so many different family members introduced, with only small glimpses of their stories. I can't wait to see just where the series goes because she has introduced the next generation already and it should be interesting to see how they succeed. 
 ★★★★☆
RECOMMENDATIONS

  • My Daddy the Duke by Judy Christenberry

Happy Reading my loves, 

Monday, February 26, 2018

ARC Book #Review: Collision Point by Lora Leigh .@LoraLeigh_1 #CollisionPoint #NetGalley

Book Title: Collision Point (Brute Force 1)
Author:  Lora Leigh |WebsiteTwitter| Facebook|
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Romance Suspense
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook, Mass Market
Cost: $7.99
Pages: 336
How I got it: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: Feb 27, 2018
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
From #1 bestselling author Lora Leigh comes Collision Point, part of the thrilling Brute Force series—packed with powerful men, steely women, and explosive passion.

SHE’S NOTHING BUT TROUBLE
Riordan Malone is more than a bodyguard. As an Elite Ops agent, he’s ripped, raged, and ready to rumble—a true warrior, inside and out. But no war zone can compare to the battle in Rory’s heart when he lays eyes on the only woman he’s ever loved—and thought he had lost forever. . .

HE’S EVERYTHING SHE NEEDS

As the daughter of a crime lord, Amara Resnova has endured the cruelty of her father’s enemies—and has tried to escape that world ever since. Now, she must reach out to the one man who saved her life, even if she’s never forgiven him for breaking her heart. But Amara is tougher today than she was then. She’s also more desirable to Rory—and dangerous to love. Can he protect her from her father’s enemies without surrendering to his own passions…or will love seal their fate for good?
I have to say I got this purely on the cover and the author's name. Went into this completely blind and I'm so glad I did, Now having just caught up on the Breed series by Lora I was expecting some paranormal but nope no Breeds here this is a separate series that is a spin-off of the Elite Ops series which I do own and plan to read.  Having no idea what I was in for I still fell in love with the characters and was invested in their story unfolding until the last secret was unveiled and the last orgasm had.

Lora knows how to write the heck out of an opening scene, this is the second book I've read by her this month with a memorable and wild beginning scene.  She starts them off as if the world in the story was going on already and we just happen to tune in to see the rest of it.   I was totally invested and immersed in the story that unfolded.

We first meet Amara when a mission went south and Riordan shows up to clean up the mess, having a history she tries to warn him that this was a lot bigger than he thought it was. From there the story just went even wilder as each part of the plot was revealed.

Fast forward a year post failed mission and we find Amara on the hunt for the man in her dreams, she knows that the people in her life are lying to her by omission and she's on a mission to find out what the secrets were.  Because despite having lost her memory of the past year including the mission that almost claimed her life she's still in danger and she knows this mystery man will help her.   For his part, Riordan was hurt in that mission and he's finally on the road to recovery, finding the woman who almost cost him so much on his doorstep is an unwelcome surprise, one he's going to take full advantage of.

I absolutely enjoyed the repartee between these two because my gawd they had chemistry. They were so tuned to each other and it was erotic and hot as hell.   I loved them when they argued and pushed each other when they struggled not to give into the attraction between them, as they worked to figure out who was out to hurt Amara and why.  Amara wasn't sure ho her enemies were supposed to be but her father had created more than enemies for them both with his criminal enterprise and Amara was struggling to believe the man she loved as her Father wasn't as horrible as the rest of the world kept saying.

The action was fast-paced, everything flowed quickly especially because the main characters weren't meeting for the first time.  From the unfolding secrets, we learn more about both Amara and her father, his friends and what drove him to become the man he was.  I enjoyed the secondary characters as well and can't wait to see which of them will be getting stories in this series.  Riordian's family and several of the characters from the Elite Ops make an appearance and I'm sure if I had read that series first this would have made this even better to see them. I am extremely excited to see the next mission that this group will be involved in.  I can't wait to see what happens to Amara's dad, and to her friends, cousins and Riordian's family.  I absolutely loved his Grandfather, because that man was both a source of wisdom & kept Riordan on his toes.

I loved how as the story flowed and more secrets came out, it challenged the way each character viewed the situation especially Amara who is struggling to know who to trust.  Unlike before Riordan refuses to be pushed into a simple box, he's here to claim what is his, not just his revenge for the danger Amara had been placed in but his rightful place by her side.  I loved every second of it.I was sucked into the story and read it really quickly and felt the need to get back into it when I had to be away. It was awesome and I highly recommend.
 ★★★★1/2☆
RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Julie Garwood's FBI Series
  • Heart of the Night by Gayle Wilson
  • Krewe of Hunters Series by Heather Graham (does have some paranormal to it) 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Stacking The Shelves (6) Feb 2018

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! Stacking The Shelves now has a new host and check out that new image!!

NetGalley Arcs:

I got several invitations this week to read some books and of course I couldn't turn them down. Here are the ARCs I got this week on my kindle.



Song Of Blood & Stone (Earth Singer Chronicles Book 1) by L Penelope Because look at that cover. I needed nothing else to grab this beyond hey girl it's a romance sci-fi book.  Due out May 2018


Faking It (Making It Book 1)  by Christina Boss

Thriftbooks:

I once owned these and traded them away but now I wanted them back.

Warsworn ( Book 3)

Warprize (Book 1)

Something Old Something New by Beverly Jenkins This is the third book in the Blessings series and I can't wait to get into this one.

From the Library Book Sale:

Big Girls Don't Cry by Connie Briscoe because she's highly recommended and I have never read her before.
Brothers and Sisters Bebe Moore Campbell.  This is my second copy of this book. It's the hardcover that matches one of my other books in this old school covers.


What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage because it's on the #LemonadeSyllabus Challenge list.
The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. Because this is a well known and well loved book and I have actually never read it.

No More Playas by Brenda Jackson. I'm collecting all her works and this is one of the few I didn't own.
Sweet Persuasions by Rochelle Alers.

Holiday Temptation by Donna Hill, Farrah Rochon & K.M. Jackson

A Midsummer Night's Romp by Katie MacAlister

Fast Track by Julie Garwood I have already read this reviewed it. I just wanted it for my shelves.

Hotshot by Julie Garwood I have already read this reviewed it. I just wanted it for my shelves.

The Dead Play On by Heather Graham  Because it's Heather and I must own it.

Annnnnnd that's it!! What'd you get in your haul this week?? Share in the comments down below and I'll see you next week.

Happy Reading & Haulin' my loves

Saturday, February 24, 2018

ARC Book #Review: Switch It Up by Sara Brookes

Book Title: Switch It Up Noble House Kink 2)
Author:  Sara Brookes|Website| TwitterFacebook|
Publisher: Harlequin - Carina Press
Genre: Erotica Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: Ebook
Cost: $3.99
Pages: 368
How I got it: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: Feb 19 2018
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Welcome to Noble House, Where Your Passion is Our Pleasure, and Someone is Always Watching…

Hacker Madeline Zane gets off crossing lines. So when she discovers security flaws in the Noble House website, she thinks nothing of showing up at the door of the hybrid fetish club and demanding an audience with the owner. Especially after watching an intense online scene of the notorious Dom bringing a submissive to her knees.

Kochran Duke is weary of always being in control, but meeting Maddy rekindles his pleasure in what had become strictly business. And instead of making him jealous, seeing her submit to his old friend Ezra has him aching for something he didn’t even know he was searching for.

The kind of heartbreak Ezra’s lived through changes a man. Maddy makes him crave a life he thought he’d put behind him for good. Watching her with Kochran only fuels his desires, rousing the caged beast within.

Fortunately at Noble House, virtually any fantasy can become reality.
This was very erotic and romantic, however, it jumped scenes too often giving a disjointed feel at times while reading I would have to skip back a few pages to make sure I didn't miss something. I did find that the overall story was great but there were many things that distracted from the story for me.

I really enjoyed the characters some were well written but more in the vein of telling me instead of showing me why they were great.  Also very little background on Maddie and Ezra and their family.
I really identified with Maddie as she as a nerd who was curious and adventurous enough to go after what she wanted even if it was totally different than she knew.  I loved her description of her computer set-up and her space as that sounds a lot like mine; which made me love her even more. My favorite part of the book was when Maddie found Kochran in the expensive paper supply store and he bought the expensive paper and pen for her.  I really loved that she enjoyed supplies as well, it just made me love her even more.

I did go into this one blind so I wasn't aware of where this story was going & was pleasantly surprised when it went there.  I love it, I enjoyed the story buildup, even if it seemed to move pretty fast.  Time wasn't really discussed so it's encapsulated.  This makes sure that the book would be able to age well but at the same time doesn't ground it in reality.

I did have a few issues with the book because there were moments that were unfinished discussions and scenes that were happening and then we found ourselves in another scene.  I did notice that even though the sex scenes and the scenes between the lovers were off the charts well written, the scenery was lax, and the secondary charters weren't as well written as they could have been.    I would love to see more of the sister's girlfriend and her family.  I would love to learn more about the secondary characters beyond their interactions with the characters in a small scene.  I'm guessing she's leaving space for us to formulate our own idea of how the scenery would look but I like when I'm reading for there to be a good amount of description enough for me to build the scene then I can add in my own ideas.

The story centered more on the lovers learning more about each other and about themselves as they developed beyond friends, boss employee into lovers.  We got the story from all three perspectives, and as the story progressed more from the men than Maddie.  A Warning for those who might need it, there is hot man on man love in this so if that doesn't rock your boat maybe skip this one.

 I found this story to be great, especially for the erotica scenes. Sometimes, however, the author's jumping from scene to scene left much of the story or discussion out and I was left feeling confused or disconnected from the story.  There are questions that aren't answered especially about Kochran's family and his relationship there.  While I know the story is about them as lovers they don't seem to have any attachments outside of this circle, it's almost like they live in a bubble.

I really enjoyed when Kochran challenges his worldview, when he embraced parts of himself he thought he had to hide so that he could be what people wanted from him. I'm glad Maddie decided to challenge them head on when she was introduced to their world. I loved reading Ezra's awakening after his life changed so dramatically.  And their scenes both in the dungeon and in the bedroom were very steamy.

A good hot menage featuring Bisexual Dominant men and their submissive, power exchange, and a lot of hot menage love.
 ★★★1/2☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
  • Shayla Black- Anything by her
  • Opal Carew - Anything by her

Happy Reading my loves, 


Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) 6: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Hosted by: Jill over at Breaking The Spines.  This is a weekly book lust prompt, asking for us to share our absolute can't wait to get our hands on a copy books. Swing on over to find out how to participate and to see what others are sharing.  

Young Adult/New Adult

Dread Nation ( Dread Nation 1) by Justina Ireland
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations. But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.
Due Date: April 3, 2018
Print: Hardcover
Pages: 464
Publisher: Balzar & Bay
Add To Goodreads
First off let's admire that cover!!! Yaaasss!!! I just love the buzz that is surrounding this book and i can't wait to dive into it.  Also did oyu see the Twitter vid of her opening the final copy of her book?? Amazing, so much so that Stephen King tweeted it out!!! I love it!! 

Have you heard the buzz?? What's on your book lust list?? Share in the comments down below!!
Happy Lusting



Sunday, February 18, 2018

Stacking the Shelves (5) Feb 2018

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! Stacking The Shelves now has a new host and check out that new image!!

This weekend I hung with a friend and sung by Savers and while there picked up these gems.  I have already read the first two and the other two will be Halloween reads.  


Clone Wars: Armageddon by Kaitlyn O Connor


Cyberevlution V: Illumination  Sci Fi Erotica. still some of my favorite reads. This entire series is awesome. I own them as ebooks but I had to grab when I saw this as a physical copy. 


Twilight Guardians: Reborn by Maggie Shayne, yes I just got this as an ebook for free but hey it cheap so why not.

Twilight Vendetta Reborn Book 2: by Maggie Shayne

That's it my loves,  What'd you get in your haul this week?? Share in the comments down below and I'll see you next week.

Happy Reading & Haulin' my loves

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Erotica Book #Review: End Of The Innocence: Innocence 3 by Alessandra Torre' . @ReadAlessandra

Book Title: End of The Innocence (Innocence 3)
Author:  Alessandra Torre' |WebsiteTwitterFacebook|
Publisher:  Alessandra Torre'
Genre: Erotic Romance, New Adult
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: ebook
Cost: $4.99
Pages: 449
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: 03/23/2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
He thought I owned him. He thought he loved me, that I was enough. But this animal, this sex god who could drive me crazy and steal my heart in the same breath, he would never fully be mine. It was impossible. No one ever owned a God...
One year. I have one year to find out more about this man I am marrying. More about his family. More about our sex, and all of the dirty, delicious places it will take me.

I thought I'd spend this year making a decision. I never thought the decision would be taken from me, snatched right from my naive little hands.

The final book in the Innocence Trilogy
It's the final book *sob * I don't want brad and Julia to go.  However I did love the way it ended. I fell into this book and didn't come up until I finished it.  Alessandra writes in such a way that you find yourself absorbed trying to find out what happens next.  After the events in the first two books we know Julia's life is endangered and she and Brad have escalated their relationship as a way to protect her there are many who view the younger woman and her older partner as deluded and plans are hatched to tear them apart.

I liked how it ended, not all pulled together because real life doesn't get tied up with a cute little bow.  There are always unanswered questions.  I still don't understand what her best friend's motivation in being a bitch and against their relationship stemmed from.

I loved that this the final story was told in the progression of the year that Julia asked for.  With a countdown to her graduation and to her wedding, as it progressed and somethings happened but others didn't I started to get anxious about how the story was progressing.  Like when was the other shoe going to drop?? Would Brad fall back on old habits?? Would Julia break the rules??  Would their enemies get them before they could secure her safety??

As the story and the countdown progressed I loved how they challenged each other not just in the bedroom but also in their daily lives.  Julia really seemed to know what she wanted for herself and wasn't afraid to ask for it.  I did love that we got to see her thought process on going to Law School when she realized the field was now even more open than before.  I'm not sure I would have made the choices she did but hey at least she owned it.  She tried to take control where she could and it worked for her.  I loved how frank she was about her fears about doing law school, being a wife and being enough for Brad who frankly was a slut.

I was hooked until I finished and I loved it all. I laughed and I was anxious for her, I knew what her injuries could mean and I was nervous for her when she awoke in that moment.  I was anxious to see Alexis's role was she going to take the loss sitting down?? I'm kind of surprised she did only what she tried, although Brad's response had to have been a blow to the ego.

I loved it all,  I highly recommend, because in the end Julia surprised me with her wit, her sense of humor & with her strength.  I loved that even in the dark moments she could have a little fun.  I'm not sure if I would have let go after three minutes, but we all have our conscience to live with and hers couldn't bear the four minute mark, and I'm glad she knew that.
 ★★★★
RECOMMENDATIONS
  • Slow Burn Series by Maya Banks 
  • Finding Anna Series by Sherri Hayes

Happy Reading my loves, 

Friday, February 16, 2018

Book #Review: Beast by Pepper Pace

Book Title: Beast ( Estill County Mountain Man Series 1)
Author:  Pepper Pace|WebsiteTwitterFacebook|
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Romance, Interracial Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook
Cost: $2.99
Pages: 401
How I got it: Purchased 
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: Sept 2012
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Pepper Pace's interracial fairytale is the story of Beast; a Marine with a destroyed face and a plus sized beauty who has identity issues. A lesson learned is that beauty is not what is on the outside...In this romance that is taken from the Beauty and the Beasts' fairytale, it will leave you questioning 'who is the beauty and who is the beast?'
I haven't regretted purchasing a book in a long time but this one ??? Yeah despite all the four and five star reviews on goodreads this was a terrible experience for me.  I have stated it several times before that my life experiences make it impossible for me to let certain things slide when I read them in books, anything to do with the healthcare field, anything to do with serving/bartending and certainly anything to do with archaeology. Normally I try to be subject and give something good about the book to recommend it, but nahhhh  My Grandfather used to say"Don't pee on me & tell me it's raining" this book tried several times to do that and I was beyond annoyed.

The books writing was a bit sophomoric and excessively disjointed.  There needed to be some editing done to help the story flow better.  The change in POV was quick and wasn't always necessary when explaining a scene.  I needed her to pick a tense, and decide whether she as using colloquialisms or are we doing the clinical names of body parts. It has to be one we can't switch back and forth between them in one damn sentence.  The premise of this story sounded amazing the execution leaves so much to be desired.

For a good majority of this book, I thought the author had to be white because there were so many stereotypes about Black women & black families that no way would a Black author do us like that. Nope, I was beyond disappointed to discover the author talking about black women running on CP time as an excuse for people being late, hell even writing the black family members as all completely petty and trifling was black herself.  I mean who describes their complexion as warm toast?? What if I like to burn my toast is she that color then?? Then she had diabetes but didn't know it until she started losing weight?? The way she was eating?? Girl that's not how this disease works.

I had so many issues with this book I could completely tear it apart but I'm going to stick to the major highlights for now:

Christopher (Beast) so perfect, except he PURCHASED WOMEN Bruh what??? He went overseas and bought women to aide him in his sexual encounters. Bruh WHAT??? He even justified it by saying he 'used women trying to make their living'  Come on I know it happens but for the hero to want to use women. How do you know they aren't there because they are trafficking victims?? Then he talks about how he looked for a woman whose eyes weren't "dead" the next time he did it. Sir Dafaq??? This is the hero?? NOPE.  No matter how "ugly" he thought he was, there are women who would gladly sleep with a Marine, especially if the rest of the body looked good. So yeah I don't buy that b.s. at all. 

Ashleigh Issues She's so not a good partner for a military man. The way she broke down with him leaving even though she knew he had to leave that day???   She was causing a ruckus & running around demanding answers about a 'secret' military base and team?? It's a need to know basis bitoch and you don't need to know.  As the ex of a special forces officer in the military I can tell you a** would have been in a sling and so would his. Since she's not his wife or family they wouldn't have given her any information, maybe his CO who knew who she was but the other security officers?? NAHHHH.  She's running all over the federal building demanding information like she's a general, girl sit down and shut up. 

Ashleigh's Prejudice her "best" gay friend tells her he has a secret to share and the first thought she has is "he has AIDS". This bitch ARE. YOU. SERIOUS??? That's your first thought??  Your best friend who had only just told you that he wouldn't have any fun on the couples' trip because he would have to remain in the hotel room as to not out his partner and THAT IS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT??? Not that he broke up with his boyfriend?? Not that his boyfriend might be thinking of coming out?? Nope that he has AIDS. F*ck Off. 

Bedroom Scene Post Surgery I don't know if the author has ever had facial surgery. A root canal anything, because for her to write this scene she clearly has no idea how stitches in the face work.  Or how muscles work or swelling works.   First of all let's discuss that a Dr has to okay removing a catheter from the patient, second someone who was just in a chemically induced coma for more than two days isn't jumping out the bed and walking out of the room.  It takes time for the medication to completely metabolize out of your system so yeah hell no to that whole scene.  Then there are the several times in which he breaks the rules of not smiling and kissing and even goes down on the female characters. GIRL BYE. No way in hell he's so comfortable days after RECONSTRUCTIVE surgery.  Is she serious?? LIES and the nerve to have oral sex when you have stitches in your lips??Yeah you're definitely getting an infection because that's an open wound. 

There is a moment like three days later that they are taking out the stitches and removing the surgical mask holding his face together and she says he's perfect. I never laughed so hard, I read the scene to the doctors and the APRN at work and we all had a good belly laugh because girl BYE.  Surgical scars no matter how well done take years to fade, NOT days.  Three days post surgery they are still, raw, wounds haven't healed yet. Swelling hasn't completely gone down. NO WAY IN HELL WOULD HIS FACE BE PERFECT. It would still have black and blues.  Based on the description of the severity of his previous surgeries there would have still been scarring. I just can't with this story.  "Faint lines" yeah they take years to fade to silvery lines.  Then she compared him to Thor, bahahahhahahahha. 

 I really tried, I did find that I wanted to see how this story was going to end, but I really kept cussing out the characters because my gawd Ashleigh is terrible. Are we sure she's not the Beast in this tale??She is super codependent, this isn't a good trait in a military spouse because she doesn't take care of herself despite knowing she has a disease that almost made her ill; all because she can't get her own way. I mean really?? Then for Christopher to call her on it and she just miraculously starts eating better because you know all she needed was him to be there to make her eat better. She needed therapy but it's never discussed at all.  That's not recovery girl, are you going to end up in a coma each time he goes out on a mission??

Originally when reading this I was rooting for them both because they seemed like a couple that needed a break, and they could be each other's rock. Then as the story progressed they developed character traits and shared issues that were just unhealthy and then the story went downhill fast.  I went from rooting for them to wanting the story to finish because my gawd it got bad.  This was originally pitched as a modern fairy tale which would make it the Beauty and Beast retelling, except I'm pretty sure neither of them learned anything. 
 ★★☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
Interracial Romance :

  • Something Real by J.J. Murray (Contemporary)
  • Mr. Fix It by Crystal Hubbard (Contemporary)
  • Riveted by Jay Crownover (New Adult)
  • Honor Bound by Joey W. Hill (Erotica/BDSM)
  • Deacon by Kit Rocha (Dystopian Romance)
  • The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (Contemporary)

I can't tell what to do with your money or your time, you do you. However, I will never read this one again.  If you've read this let me know what you think in the comment box down below. Thanks for stopping by.  

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Book #Review: Mr Fix It by Crystall Hubbard

Book Title: Mr Fix It
Author:  Crystal Hubbard | Goodreads
Publisher: Indigo Love Spectrum (Genesis)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Series/Standalone: Stand alone
Format: Mass Market
Cost: $6.99
Pages: 304
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: September 2008
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
After a hot handyman becomes intrigued by an uptight romance novelist who doesn't believe in love, he finds the tools to unlock her impenetrable heart.
This book has been on my shelf for years. I determined that this year I was getting it read. I'm so glad I did. I grabbed this one after finishing a particularly bad interracial romance read and needed something good to cleanse the palate and this one did the trick. As always I went into this one without reading the synopsis and I'm so glad I did. This had me hooked from the get go, I started late at night and didn't stop until the next morning.  This was such a refreshing take on a interracial romance. The characters were well written, witty and had great relevant conversations.

This one is great friends to lovers romance.  Khela moved into this building three years ago and fell in lust with the handyman she saw polishing the banister. Having been recently divorced she didn't see any point in pursuing the matter and lusted from afar.  For his part Carter was awestruck by Khela but didn't know how to approach her since she had all the "don't come near me " flags waving and simply lusted from afar as well. 

Recently Khela''s best friend decided to try her hand at matchmaking by slowly breaking, unplugging or clogging whatever she could to get these two in the same room.  Yet each time she did so Khela managed to find a way to run.  You see Khela is a great romance writer and she's being honored at an industry event and she can't possibly go by herself, so she and her best friend devise a plan to bring Carter, the perfect Mr Fix It as her date. 

From the get go there was chemistry and I just loved how these two were dancing around each other, wanting more but not sure how to ask the other for it.  Having been burned before by a man attracted to her success Khela wasn't trying to repeat her mistakes but as much as she wanted to be cautious Carter just kept drawing her in.  I loved how a simply initial meeting set the tone for their friendship, both of them made assumptions (especially Khela) that hindered their going forward quite a bit.  I loved the discussion about romance and it's relevance as a genre to the literary world. I loved the glimpse of romance from the POV of the author and her editor.

This was a fantastic, fun read that made you think, laugh and enjoy the sexy moments as well.  I loved that the issues they faced were more self inflicted issues, they had their baggage to wwork their way through and each time they overheard or misunderstood something it brought up more for them to confront.  In this relationship this time it's not the woman who has issues with being with the man, it's Carter's insecurities that are constantly being brought to the fore.  I loved their friends in the book as well because they were well thought out characters who challenged and propped their friends up.  Khela's issues with romance were being challenged daily as her friends fell in love as she grew more successful as she realized she was seeking but so alone because she was afraid of being hurt. 

I loved that there was more to Carter than meets the eye and I guessed way before she did a few of his secrets not all of them but a few.  I really enjoyed his interactions with her friends and his own friends.  I loved the glimpse of the future I saw hen reading from his POV even before the author wrote about his choices in the end. 

The only thing I disliked of this story,  was a scene in the grocery story, where they debated the usage of "him/her" for a character, and her going back and forth between them when explaining to Carter why she feared this person.  Looking at it and the description of the person you can see why she would be confused on the box to shove the person in, but at the same time why did it matter??  I'm not sure how to feel about he scene because on one hand it all around just felt like a moment that was supposed to be funny by poking fun at the unknown gender of the person and I wasn't really a fan of it. It also at the same time opened up the discussion of gender stereotypes we assign to people without their permission, because we don't know a person's belief about themselves and whether they see themselves as "him/her/ they/ them" and in that case it was very forward thinking for a book written in 2008.  So much of what was discussed is reflected in today's discussions so they book wasn't too far outdated. 

I really loved that so much of this story came down to miscommunication and assumptions. As each was confronted with their assumptions and the miscommunication was cleared up the story flowed and the relationship grew stronger.  I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it. 

** I attempted to find social media links for the author but it doesn't appear she's active anymore and the few I found don't appear to actually be her. I have linked to her Goodreads as that's all I could find**
 ★★★★1/2☆
RECOMMENDATIONS


Happy Reading my loves,