Laura’s Review of Bestie (Jokers’ Wrath MC, #5) By Bella Jewel

Synopsis

From USA Today Bestselling Author Bella Jewel comes a new novel in the international bestselling Jokers Wrath MC Series.

The universe works in mysterious ways.

Well, it did for me, anyway.

It was like it knew that I needed him.

It put him in my life during a time I honestly thought I couldn’t go on.

He was broken. I was broken.

We only had one thing to offer each other – friendship.

A true, deep, incredible friendship.

Laughter fixed us.

Talking bonded us.

He quickly became my everything.

This is our story.

I can’t promise it’s always perfect.

It might make you laugh.

It might make you cry.

It might even make you fall in love.

It's real.

It's ours.

It’s us. Besties.


**Contains Adult Themes - This book can be read as a standalone**

What I Loved

        I’m usually a big fan of Bella Jewel books, especially when it comes to the Jokers Wrath series.  The characters have always been compelling to me and the plot and chemistry in each book has sucked me in and kept me hooked.  I really liked the premise of this one as well, a heartbroken girl finds friendship with a man who is in a similar situation and they both form a bond with each other.  I loved how it didn’t go down the traditional route of two people immediately fall into bed with each other and then form a friendship.  Molly and Roman became each other’s best friends and companions before falling in love and I really liked that.  It was out of the ordinary which was refreshing to experience apart from many of the other romances I normally read.

Not So Much

        As much I loved the premise of this story the entire book fell flat for me on every other level.  First, the sentence structure was horrible, every sentence was fragmented and there was just no connection from one paragraph to the other.  I felt like I was reading a book of a brand-new author with no editor rather than someone whose been writing for years. 

        Second, the characters came off as immature making it hard for me to form any type of connection to them.  It features a lot of characters that have grown up in the club and instead of having this edginess that many of the Jokers’ Wrath characters possess, they come off as pouty teenagers instead.  There was literally a point in the story where Molly is talking to her friend Jack who is a biker himself and he crosses his arms and pouts like a girl.  There was no description of how old any of these characters are supposed to be but for a girl working and living on her own I’m assuming she’s not a teenager.

On top of that, the story starts out with Molly beyond heartbroken over a dude she dated for a couple of months.  There was a real lack of explanation of Molly’s past relationship when the book begins, which showed me there was basically no foundation established for this plot.  On top of that, you never find out how she even knows Roman! None of this is every explained.  It was hard to understand her pain over a relationship that ended only after a couple of months.  It felt more like a teenager should be this heartbroken rather than a grown woman.  The same can be said for Roman as well, he came off as spineless at times not being able to stand up to his ex-girlfriend.  For me I found it difficult to relate to either of them because their emotional turmoil lasted way too long.  There should’ve been more character development as the book moved along but not real growth happened at all maybe a little at the very end.

Also, there were many times that the plot just didn’t make sense to me and many inconsistencies.  There was one chapter where Roman and Molly are baking a cake, but it’s never explained why or for who.  It simply served to add another sex scene into the story but the chapter literally had nothing to do with the story, it was completely pointless.  I found a lot of inconsistencies and errors as I read as well.  For example, Roman and Molly are hanging out and she gets up to leave because she has work the next day, but then they make plans to spend the whole next day together immediately after. There were too many errors for me to even begin to enjoy reading this book.

To Sum It All Up!

        Overall I was seriously disappointed with this story.  I feel like the entire thing needs to be re-edited and maybe have this be the beginning of a new series instead.  I saw this as the beginning of a new wave of characters in the Jokers’ Wrath Series, like Bella Jewel was going more the MC Sinners Next Generation route rather than continue with what is more traditional Jokers’ Wrath.  Plus, the fragmented sentences frustrated me on every single page, there was literally an entire paragraph where each sentence began with the same word. 

        It was hard to become emotionally involved with both Molly and Roman’s backstory because of their immaturity and lack of emotional depth.  Roman time and time again showed how he couldn’t stand up to his ex and did whatever she said, while Molly acted like a teenager.  I will say, because of the lack of detail in the book, you don’t know how old any of these characters are so maybe she is a teenager I don’t know.  I did enjoy their sense of humor at times, although they used the same jokes repeatedly which became tiring.  I appreciate the fact that this story broke away from the rest of the series but it was so different that it really should’ve been its own story or a spinoff somehow.  There was absolutely no consistency with the rest of the books and the characters were very hard to like.  If the books in this series continue like this one I will probably stop reading the series all together. 

Buy Now

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Lauren's Review of Belonging to Him by Lucie Babikian

Summary: A dark past haunts Bella Valenti and she vows never to open herself to a man again. When she meets billionaire playboy Lorenzo Moretti at a Rome nightclub, she wants nothing more than to escape his magnetism and the vulnerability his presence arouses.

Still, the passion between them can’t be denied, and their first date is electric. She knows his reputation -- this will not last. Lorenzo, for his part, finds himself surprisingly intrigued by the puzzle that is Bella.

He whisks Bella off to Monaco, where they succumb to their desires. But Bella’s past catches up with her when the brother of her ex-fiancé, accosts her at the casino and Lorenzo nearly kills him in his fervor to protect her. He demands to know what happened to her in the past, but Bella, worried he will judge her, at first refuses to tell him. It is only after another night of sensual lovemaking, that they both realize that something deep is happening between them, and Bella takes a chance and opens up.

As their love deepens, what neither of them realize is that soon Bella’s dangerous history will no longer remain in the past, and will threaten Bella’s safety, their love, and in the end, both of their lives. Will Lorenzo be able to save her in time? Will they both live through it?

Rating: 2 Stars

What I Liked: Bella is a challenge for Lorenzo and I appreciate that in this story. It’s so important to not do what is expected and that is exactly what Bella does. She doesn’t call when he tells her to and she doesn’t chase him like the other girls do and I love that.

Not So Much: I felt like I jumped right into the story way too fast and the rest of the book kept that pace. The couple only had one date and they both claim to know each other so well. After the first date which consisted of dinner, some short lustful moments, a breathing view, a dramatic departure and a car nap, Lorenzo claims, “He admired Bella a great deal.” How does he know that? They barely exchanged dialogue with each other.

The writing. Show me! Don’t tell me! Use your descriptive writing to make me come to conclusions on my own. Everything was written for me so plain and simple that the book was boring. Plus, some of the lines were a bit cheesy and over-the-top for me.

“For her, getting involved in any way with a man like Lorenzo was like gambling. And the stakes were very high because she wasn’t left with anything to give but what was left of her heart. And if it was taken away from her and broken this time, she would be left with nothing and she would be as good as dead. But, if she won, Bella had a strong feeling that he could also be her salvation.”

Lines like this, made me want to put the book down. The plot has potential but the writing jumped around too much and there was no flow to it.


Overall: I really struggled to get through this book. While I respect anyone who decides to write a book, the writing just could not hold my attention. Just my opinion.

Laura’s Review of Monster Stepbrother by Harlow Grace

Synopsis

*** Standalone Novel ***

His dark obsession runs deep.

He's obsessed with her.
She's addicted to him.
Two damaged souls.
Will they heal or ruin one another?

How does a girl go from being Daddy's precious doll to a different kind of toy?
Easy really. When my father remarries it changes the course of my life and everything becomes . . . complicated.

My new stepbrother is a monster who hates me. Unapologetic, controlling, and brazen, he's intent on making my life a living hell.
Oliver King makes the rules. Whenever he wants. However he wants. Wherever he wants.
My head screams this is wrong, but I can't resist giving in to forbidden desires.
I want it as much as he does.

I'm his possession, his ultimate pleasure, his dark obsession.
My addiction to him grows to a dangerous level. I can't stop craving more from the man who has made me his and ruined me for anyone else.
Can what starts out as lust and vengeance end as love?
Can we take away one another's pain and ease one another's fears?

Nobody said life or love was easy.
My name is Maya Childs, and this is my story.

*** Standalone ***

*** No Cliffhanger ***

*** HEA ***

18+


A NOTE from the Author:

This book is NOT for everyone and may have triggers that make some readers uncomfortable. Please be aware of that before you read this book! If you do decide to go ahead, please keep an open mind.

Inside each of us lurks a monster. We all have demons we hide from the world. We all need that one special person to look beyond the surface of the mask we wear and deep into our souls. I hope you enjoy Oliver and Maya's story--that you will indeed peel back the layers and look beneath the surface.

Dark erotic novel that contains sensitive subject matter that may make readers uncomfortable. Not appropriate for readers under 18. Contains explicit language and descriptions of sexual situations and violence. 

What I Loved

            Well it’s sad to say there was very little about this book I liked.  I will say the characters themselves weren’t that bad.  I liked the character of Oliver in the beginning. He’s very much a tortured soul, who has massive issues with not having control, and not being to control his feelings for Maya is his weak spot.  Oliver is the type of man that instead of trying to hide his feelings he apparently channels it into anger.  I get that a lot of people were mad about how mean he was to Maya and trust me he is a monster at times.  But as a reader we were warned that this books contains sensitive subjects and his mental abuse towards Maya is definitely a touchy subject.  I enjoyed the sexual tension in the beginning of the story between Maya and Oliver, and how they both would egg each other on with stripping naked at the pool or masturbating in front of one another.  I will say as the story went on though the taunting became tiring and the constant calling Maya a slut was just mean and leant no purpose to the story, and made no sense at times.

Not So Much

          Okay first I’m going to start with my constant pet peeve, if you are not from America and you write a book that takes place in America take the time and research how we act and how we talk.  It became clear to me from the foreign colloquialisms and the lack of knowledge about California in general that the author is not from the US.   All I’m saying is, at least take the time and learn our sayings and actions so they make sense to the reader. 

          The plot had tons of potential to be amazing, and in the beginning I felt like a great foundation was being laid out. But after a while the overall plot of the story became very shallow. There’s no description of what any of the characters look like other than Oliver and Maya.  There were a lot of holes in the storyline at times which made the scenes choppy and not really make sense.  No relationships were really explored, there was so much opportunity when it came to Oliver and his mother and Maya and her father to lay more of a foundation for the story.  I seriously don’t think there was one scene where Maya and her own father were ever alone together. 

          The constant disrespect of Maya became irritating after a while, why Oliver kept calling Maya a slut made no sense whatsoever to me.  It became pretty freaking clear at a certain point that Maya was not a slut and he stilled called her it constantly.  It wasn’t sexy and it certainly wasn’t hot.  I’ve read plenty of dark abusive books before and even then there was more respect for the female lead if only from the point of view of the reader. 

To Sum It All Up!

          This book had so much potential to be awesome, this new taboo topic has started to become more popular and I couldn’t wait to dive right in.  But the plot was very shallow, with no real character descriptions or even background descriptions.  A lot of the sex scenes were hot and the tension in the beginning between Oliver and Maya was boiling.  Yet it was hard to become engrossed in a story that skipped around too much and didn’t follow through with scenes and explanations.  I love erotica but the book was on the border of just gross, especially the way it ended.  People love to read erotica not just because of the sex, but also because of the passion and love.  There was just too much sex and very lacking in any type of passion and love. 

Lauren's Review of Sapphire Blue by G. Doucette

Summary: Mara Cantor’s life is boring and uncomplicated, and she likes it that way. She has her internship at the museum—a job she shares with her roommate, Davis—and while it is low-paying and occasionally mind-numbing, it gives her all the free time she needs to finish her thesis. And that is just fine. But when Argent Leeds, the internationally famous playboy and raconteur, visits Mara’s museum, he brings with him the most exciting archeological discovery in decades: the Pazuzu gemstones. Long assumed to be nothing more than a myth by most scholars, the gemstones are rumored to possess mystical powers. Between Argent, his gemstones, and Davis, Mara’s boring life has suddenly gotten very complicated. Now she is caught up in a sexual adventure that is either the most exciting time of her life . . . or the most terrifying

Rating: 2 Stars

  

*ARC was provided by Netgalley*

What I Loved:  Even though I was not crazy about this book, it was well-written. Also, I love the premise of this story- I think the author has a good storyline with the myth of the Pazuzu gemstones but unfortunately, just didn't produce. 





Not So Much: I struggled with this book as you can tell with the two star rating.  I found the plot to be all over the place with unnecessary scenes that dragged.  There were too many moments when I had to stop and question what the author was trying to get at. For me, there was no catch to this book. The initial "Warning: Dark Themes, Explicit Content" on Goodreads obviously drew me in immediately but there is no need for this warning.  It never kept my interest so I kept putting off reading it. This was just not my cup of tea. 

Next on my TBR list: Dark and Stormy by Felicia Starr

Laura’s Review of Diamond Girl (G-Man #1) by Andrea Smith

Basic Summary:  Thirty-five year old Samantha Dennison sends her only child off to college and finds herself generally feeling F-R-U-M-P-Y and lost.  Her loveless marriage to ‘the mannequin’ has become intolerable; her daughter and best friend have both advised ‘Sammie’ to get a life of her own.  Her husband has his own agenda which does not include her.

                Sammie finally heeds their advice and takes pole-dancing lessons to get into shape and develop self-esteem, but it serves to do much more than that! The thrill of the dance and sexuality she discovers within herself is a potent mixture.  She gets a part-time job as a dance in an Indianapolis Gentleman’s Club called Jewels.  She becomes the dancer known as ‘Diamond’ and very quickly cathes the attention of a ‘bad-boy’ biker named Slate.

                Slate is the ultimate ‘alpha’ male: however there’s a problem: he simply wants it to be about exclusive sex; Sammie wants and needs more from Slate.   Sammie’s certain she’s embarked on a dangerous relationship with the hot biker and ‘prospect’ member of the notorious Outlaw Motorcycle Club.  She soon finds out she’s totally out of her league with Slate and the dangerous people he associates with in Indianapolis.  Something big is brewing in Indy; and it’s not about race cars!

What I Love About This Book: I like how very quickly within chapter one you get the gist of what Samantha’s life has been, why she is the way she is and how she got to her present circumstances.  I like books that begin with a quick flow rather than getting through half the book and are still trying to establish some sort of plot. There some surprises throughout the book, even if you figure out pretty quickly what is really going on, and the plot itself is what keeps you reading.  If the writing had been better it would've probably gotten four stars instead of two.  

Cons: The sentences in my opinion seem very fragmented and stunted.  I like how everything is laid out in the beginning as far as Samantha’s circumstances, but it’s maybe a little too literal and not organic and free flowing.  Things are kind of just stated as fact, rather than emotions or feelings that coming from the pages it’s just told straight out. 

                There is not real character development at all, and there seems to be more conversation than details.  Whole conversations will happen with no small paragraphs in between explaining facial expression, movements, stances and those things are important when you are trying to develop character’s personality which makes the reader more attached.  It was hard for me to become emotionally attached to Samantha and her relationship with Brenda when there is not really any establishment of Brenda.  I know she’s married, has two kids and lives that American dream but I don’t know her likes and dislikes why she’s friends with Samantha after all these years, all those things are important even if it’s just a secondary character because they lend to the characteristics of the main characters.

                Also I feel like Samantha herself and when she’s talking to her friend Brenda is a pair of snotty bitches, for a good part of the book Samantha insults anyone who has ever been in a biker club several times.  Then when Brenda is telling Samantha about all the losers she dated she referred to them “Townies” because that automatically negates something lower class then her and Samantha.  If you’re going to have a love story that involves a biker it might be a good thing for the main character to not be a total bitch and convince herself every member of a biker gang is closer to an animal rather than a human being.  It doesn’t make the female lead likable AT ALL!

                Plus there are so many scenes in this book that don’t make any sense whatsoever and lend nothing to the story, while pivotal scenes in the book just kind of happen with no lead up and skipping over any type of explanation, it’s almost as if whole paragraphs have been deleted that would make sense of what is going on.  While other paragraphs are just repeat what the previous one just said, as if the author stopped writing, came back and forgot she had already typed out the paragraph. 

Overall:  Either people need better editors for their books, or they need editors period because this book should’ve been put together way better than it was.  The scenes are kind of slapped together; there is no real flow from scene to scene.  Nothing is organic about these people’s actions or conversations; it’s all just very robotic.  Plus if you’re going to write an erotica book, then at certain point her “you know what” and his “you know what” has to go!  Just say penis or vagina or the thousands of other words that are used in place of it.  Samantha is not a likable or relatable character at all, she gets hit several times by her husband and not only does she stay which I understand that part, but it’s not even really addressed and dealt with the way it should’ve been.  Plus if Slate/Eric really cared about her at all, in anyway shape or form there is no someone as possessive as him would let them go back to their abusive husband, or let her drive around alone while her husband is at large and one of his very dangerous business associates.  I can’t stand inconsistencies in books, and there is not really pattern of behaviors with these characters at all.  Samantha is supposed to be this strong woman, but then is passive, weak, and stupid for much of the book.  Slate is supposed to be this sexy, alpha male who would do anything for his woman but leaves her during the day and has no real issue letting her go home to an abusive husband.  There are about 10,000 semi colons, it’s ridiculous and they are used horribly and grammatically wrong in lots of places.  The sentences are fragmented and robotic, rather than flowing naturally like real human behavior does.  Maybe this was one of the author’s first books she’s written and the writing gets better but just reading this book was so frustrating because the structure is horrible!  The story itself is great, it’s definitely suspenseful and surprising in a lot of parts but that’s really about it, and it’s probably the only thing that kept me from not finishing this book.

Side Note:  If you are going to write about motorcycle clubs, you should NEVER put actual MC’s in the book.  I don’t see the Pagans, Hell’s Angels, and the Outlaws being okay with that in any way shape or form.  It’s irresponsible and short sighted, I get that the drug bust in the book is loosely based on real events but this is a romantic erotic fiction book not a crime drama.  This is a fictional story, so you use fictional clubs, especially if you are going to portray them more as monsters that have no proper social norms and are all abusers and drug dealers.  

Laura’s Review of Mine (Real #2) by Katy Evans

If you like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens, and Fighting for Flight by J.B. Salsbury then you will love this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basic Summary:   He’s mine, and I’m his.  Our love is all-consuming, powerful, imperfect, and real…

In the international bestseller REAL, the unstoppable bad boy of the Underground fighting circuit finally met his match.  Hired to keep him in prime condition, Brooke Dumas unleashed a primal desire in Remington “Riptide” Tate as vital as the air he breathes…and now he can’t live without her.

            Brooke never imagined she would end up with the man who is every woman’s dream, but not all dreams end happily ever after, and just when they need each other the most, she is torn away from his side.  Now with distance and darkness between them, the only thing left is to fight for the love of the man she calls MINE.

What I Love About This Book: The opening scene in this book is the bomb!!! It’s what I love most about books that either involves fighters or rock stars those awesome scenes where their fans are screaming their names, going crazy for the action playing out in front of them, and the opening of this book doesn’t let you down.

            I also like that there is some drama right off the bat, it hooks you pretty quickly and right away reminds you that this is a tumultuous relationship and this is the beginning (I type with an evil smile).   There is a creepy crawly part of the book that literally had my skin crawling and a chill when through my body.  Remington Tate is hot, sexy, and sooooo much more.  Who wouldn’t love a guy that beats the crap out of someone that has crazy sex with you after??

            The plot itself is very compelling there are is a lot going on, the story goes kind of fast as well so it definitely keeps you on your toes.  There are definitely a lot of lows, and some great sexy highs.  The sex scenes in the book are plentiful and full of exquisite detail, and who doesn’t love those wonderful details? 

Cons:  Okay in the beginning when Brooke is explaining how hot and sexy Remy is was all good, but after she does it a dozen times by page 30 I was kind of getting annoyed.  I get it already, Remy is hot, his eyes are beautiful, he’s built, and he’s a fighter blah blah blah.  Move along!!!! Plus what’s really insulting is that at no point during all this attention to the male in the story, there are no solid details about the look of Brooke herself.  I get most girls read these books, but at least pay some attention the protagonist in this book!!! Especially if someone hasn’t read the first one and this is just a standalone for them.

            Again with the lack of details in books!!!! There are pages and pages of what Remy looks like but I get the bare minimum of the places they are staying in, the rings he’s fighting in, etc.  I can’t stand it when authors skimp on so much but then concentrate on one thing, it’s inconsistent and it does a disservice to the reader. 

            The writing is very elementary and it makes me kind of not like this story at all.  I loved the first book and I don’t know if I was so in love with Remy that I missed how bad the writing is, or this book was rushed and the editing wasn’t where it should have been.  There are so many things skimmed over when there should’ve been more attention paid, and the flow from scene to scene is just horrible.  The way the scenes play out don’t really connect the story together correctly and it reads more like a book report than a love story because of it.  Not only is this story not realistic at all, but the way some of the characters are written like Brooke’s best friend Melanie are so ridiculous they cross the line into just corny, than funny.

Overall:  This book is only so so, and I struggle with how many stars to give this book because I loved Real, and I love Remington and I wanted to love this book, but the writing is just so bad. The sentences are fragmented, and the scenes are stunted making the characters not really developed the right way at all.  You would be in trouble if you hadn’t really read the first book because although Brooke talks about her past and herself a lot in this book, you have no real sense of who she is as woman separate from Remington.  She isn’t a strong female lead at all, I get books where the female lead is addicted to their companions but there is not character development of her at all in this book. 

            The actual plot itself is pretty good, and like I said I love Remington Tate, and he is an awesome character but that’s about it.  The flow of the book just feels off from page one, and the details are just horrible in some parts and ridiculous thorough in others.  I could care less after hearing three or four times what vegetables produce what nutrients, it’s boring and I really could care less.  It’s wonderful that, that kind of research or knowledge is put into a book but to just skim over places or people which could’ve added to the plot and made the book 10 times better, they are just forgotten.  I could care less after the 100^th time of hearing how beautiful Remy’s blue eyes are, and how amazing and muscular he is on every single page.  It’s insult to have so much details about the male character and not pay much attention to the female lead, but when you do pay her any type of attention is whiny and negative.  I don’t like when authors feel the need to re-write a story from the other person’s POV in an whole other book, so I wasn't excited to read Remy (Real#3), and now I don’t want to read it at all.  This was a huge disappointment for me and I’m kind of sad to give this book such a bad review.

Laura’s Review of Where I Need to Be (B&S Series #1) by Kimberly Knight

If you like The Ivy Lessens by Susanna Quinn, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, and Breathe by Abbi Glines, then you will like these books!

Basic Summary:  Spencer Marshall was done moping.  After catching her boyfriend cheating with his secretary, she decides to have a girl’s weekend in Vegas with her best friend Ryan.  Lady Luck must be looking out for Spencer because that weekend will change her life forever.  Despite what people say, not everything stays in Vegas.

What I Love About This Book: It’s a good story and solid plot line.  Spencer is a girl that almost any female can relate to.  Spencer caught her boyfriend shtooping his secretary, and while that might not have happened to me it’s certainly easy to relate how that must’ve felt for her.  I also love the Gideon Cross references and the series in general because I love that series, and if you love hot sexy books those are the ones to emulate!

                At first it was hard to tell where Spencer and Ryan lived, city wise and finally when it was stated in San Francisco I was little worried there was be a lack of details about the city because there was a lack of details in many other areas, but after reading the scene of Brandon’s and Spencer’s first date I was pleasantly surprised to see I was wrong.  It was easy to tell from then on that the author knows the Bay area well and was able to make it a more detailed backdrop then I would've assumed. 

Cons:  Right away the writing was a little too childish for me.  There wasn't tons of details at all, the book says they were in Hawaii in the very first paragraph but was that for vacation, is that where they live?  By page 14 I have a description of Brandon, but I still have no idea what Spencer looks like at all.  There is no detail setting the scene for Spencer and Ryan’s apartment, or Spencer’s office, or the Club 24, the Gym where Spencer met Brandon.  I mean come on!!! I need details dude!

                Throughout the story I kept waiting for something to happen, the way the author would start up a chapter kind of made you feel like something big was going to happen and then nothing.  People don’t want to read about a character’s usual day over and over again.  What makes romance books so good is the roller coaster ride, reading a whole chapter about hanging out with your boyfriend and your friend not so dramatic. 

                There just needs to be more!! I still don’t know what Spencer looks like there is no description of that actual main character, just a description of her eyes.  Anytime there is a description of a house or condo other than Brandon’s place you either get no description at all, or a real estate catalogue description.  Every book always needs character development, and there was none of that at all!!! Each scene just skimmed the surface excluding any kind depth at all.  I don’t know why this is a constant issue in books, if you read Fifty Shades of Grey or Bared to You what makes those books so amazing is the depth, the details.  Ana’s quick tongue and Christian’s temper make you connect to those characters.  Nothing has to be said for you to read what their reactions will be to a situation because at a certain point you feel like these are real people and you know them.  I don’t feel like I know Brandon or Spencer at all, there is development of Spencer that would indicate what kind of personality traits she should have or shouldn’t.  You know nothing about their pasts, and it’s towards the end of the book when you find out where Spencer grew up if she still has both her parents, and if she has siblings.  All of this should be touched upon in the very first chapter.  Before the story should even start you need to develop the protagonist so when she or he starts to interact with other characters we know the person.  There is none of that in this book. 

                Also the sex scenes in the book start out great they are awesome!  There is tons of lead up great foreplay scenes and all that but once Brandon and Spencer actually do the deed, there is about a paragraph to finish it up.  You can’t have pages of foreplay, then just a paragraph of sex.  Follow through is just as important in real sex as it is in fake sex!!!!

Overall:  The story starts out great, with a hot dude at the gym then running into in Vegas and all that.  But once the characters finally made it officially all the drama kind of stopped.  There is some drama sprinkled in with fake pregnancies, and a knife but if those scenes were more elaborated on or if there was just maybe one more scene of that then the drama would’ve been better.  There was no point where I was holding my breath and needing to read on.  I needed more drama, more details, more depth, just more!!!!! 

Laura’s Review of Restoring Jordan by Elizabeth Finn

If you liked Trust in Advertising by Victoria Micheals, Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren, and Tangled by Emma Chase then you like this book as well!!!

Basic Summary:  Adeline Parker goes out with her friends to celebrate her landing a coveted internship at Foster Architectural Designs.  While out celebrating she is cornered by a dark and sexy man who takes her backs to his place, and tricking him into taking her virginity.  She leaves soon after before the mysterious man can wake up without even getting his name, only to find out he is one of the Principals at her new job. 

What I Love About This Book:  I love that the book begins with “Do you want to f*ck me?”  Great way to hook you right into the story, and automatically sets the tone of what this love story is all about! Great great great way to begin a book.  Jordan Ellinwood is one hot character and 
I couldn't get enough of him!!!! 

            The details in this book are awesome, and it makes me really want to go to Chicago and see all these beautiful parts of the city and be a part of city life.  You really get a sense of the steps that go into restoring old beautiful buildings back to their former glory and the feeling of accomplishment that goes with such work.  I liked that this book wasn't just a love story, that the company Adeline interns for and Chicago itself are characters in the book as well.

            Elizabeth Finn really made you fall in love with these characters and it was very easy for me to wrapped up in their lives past, present, and future.  Adeline’s very simple upbringing that wasn't filled with tons of money but lots of love, and Jordan’s lonely childhood that was filled with tons of money but no love, makes you really get into these characters.  You feel so bad for Jordan picturing him as a child alone on Christmas, and can so clearly imagine Adeline’s parents always being there for her and wanting her to be happy.  

Cons:  Immediately starting this book I felt like the writing was a little too antiquated for the temperature of this book.  The first scene in the book is hot and raunchy and the entire time I feel like Jane Austen is writing it.  It was just too wordy and old-fashioned to be hot and steamy at the same time.  Also a lot of the sentences I felt weren't written correctly, if you’re going to be an author you of all people should know sentences don’t begin with But, maybe once in a blue moon, but almost every paragraph had a sentence beginning with But, plus it was always used wrong!!!! It got a little annoying after a while and took away from me really getting into this book.

Also there is very little conversation between the characters, you know tons about what Jordan’s house looks like and Adeline’s apartment but there has been maybe two lines of conversation written out.  The same goes for the next morning when Adeline is back in her apartment and her friend Kelli comes over, there is about one line of what Kelli says then it’s back to Adeline’s inner monologue.  It’s nice to see some interaction between these characters a little more than two sentences would be nice.  Usually I have a problem when there isn't enough character development and there is too much conversation, but I’m having the opposite problem with this book.  There is no conversation and too many inner monologues and because of this details that come with conversation are missing.  I don’t really get Adeline’s best friend Kelli’s personality because she barely speaks!

Overall:  I really didn't enjoy the writing style of this author at all.  I found myself just wanting to end the book as soon as possible.  The story line was great and the details awesome, but that’s really about it.  There was nothing really pushing me to turn the pages.

Laura’s Review of Close Up and Personal (#1 Spotlight Series) by JS Taylor

If you enjoyed the Ivy Lessons you will enjoy this series as well. 

Basic Summary:  Very typical 50 shades type romance books.  Handsome rich and famous director James Berkeley decides to fly to London and sit in on auditions for Romeo and Juliet.  Isabella Green a struggling actress and script writer auditions for the part of Lady Capulet, and sparks fly on their first meeting.  He stalks her a little, seduces her a lot, and of course they fall in love.  Not to mention he has some serious Dom tendencies and always needs to be in control.   With her fiery Spanish temper, and her subconscious need to be a submissive it makes for an interesting tale. 

What I love About This Book:  I gotta say there isn't a lot I like about this book.  I like the major plot line that he is a famous director and her real passion being a script writer instead of an actress.  That adds to the uniqueness of this story, instead of him being a famous actor he is more behind the scenes type of man and same goes for her as well.  I really like the sex scenes, they are more detailed some of the other poorly written books and they are really able to give you a good visual of what’s going on.  James Berkeley is a compelling character and his mystery is enough to make you want to read more. 

Cons:  That’s kind of all I liked about this book the rest was just bad.  I don’t know if it’s the editing in a book when they make a US version versus a British version and it gets lost in translation but the writing is just so blah.  I feel like a teenager wrote this book not an adult at all.  Like most bad books there is no character development at all.  I can’t stand when authors just tell you right about a character’s personality traits, I don’t want to read a character saying I am sensitive, or I have a bad temper, I want it play out in the book.  For me to get into a character and really love them I need to interpret their personality through their actions and really get behind what they are all about.  You skip so much when you have to read “me and my bad temper” rather than showing me her bad temper.  This happens a lot throughout his book.  I get Isabelle is half Spanish and because of that apparently she has a temper, but I don’t need it said straight out several times throughout the book.  Same thing goes for James Berkeley, as a reader I don’t need him saying over and over again I am broken, and therefore I need to discipline women.  That’s just so stupid and once again his character and mystery are taken away because all the actions that could have showed this are taken away.  Maybe the author was afraid of it being too long or something but this book would've been so much better if it was maybe another 20-50 pages longer with more character development. 

            There are just so many details that are skipped over in this book completely.  The author goes into great detail about what Isabella is wearing but then gives no details about the actual physical features for the characters.  For example in one scene Isabella is going clubbing this is the description of her outfit “its silver, with geometric slashes of lime an purple at the hips and shoulder straps.”  Yet then to describe the main character James Berkeley all you get is this, “deep green eyes.  Heavy eyebrows.  Chiseled cheekbones. I settle on the space above his sculpted nose…”  This is after Isabella has met him and had a conversation with him, she first describes what he wearing so you have no clue what he looks like at all for a time and when you do that’s all you get.  There’s no description how tall he is, if he has broad shoulders, if he is lean or bulky, what shape his head is, if he is tanned or pale.  There’s nothing!!! Somewhere in the book she mentions he’s tall but how tall?  Is Isabella tall herself?  Where does her head come up to on his body?  All these little details that I know some people feel bog down a book are so important when you are first reading something like this.  It’s one of those things you hate when they are there but miss when they are take away and this is a perfect example where more details are needed.  This book is just not evasive enough at all, and even those story line is somewhat compelling I have no urge to continue on to the second book.  I might when I run out of other things to read if I’m in the mood to read another romance, but that’s it.  The cliff hanger at the end is supposed to be suspenseful but it’s not at all. 

Overall:  If you want to read a book like 50 Shades, with less detail then go for it! Like I said the sex scenes are good and if the characters were more developed I could really get into it but to me it’s okay if you just skip right over this one.

Laura’s Review: The Ivy Lessons (Devoted #1) by Susanna Quinn

Basic Summary: Sophie Rose is accepted to an exclusive small acting college that is owned and ran by Marc Blackwell, one of the most famous actors in the world.  He takes one look at Sophie and knows he just has to have her, no matter the consequences.  Not only is he an experienced Dom, he’s loaded and dead sexy.

What I love About This Book:  The plot is great, an innocent girl going to a new college only to fall in love with her teacher, who just so happens to be star! Awesome! The detail involving the scenery around the characters was great.  When Sophie describes the look the college and her dorm room you really get a sense of it all looks like to her.  Marc Blackwell is a very intriguing character, who wouldn’t want to fall in love with a hot movie star?  (For me it’s Alexander Skarsgard) The premise of this book and the series as a whole is great. 

Cons:  Almost immediately I was kind of turned off I was turned off by the writing style of this book.  The sentences seem very fragmented making the characters seem a little robotic in their conversations.  I felt there was no real character development with anyone in the book.  It was almost like Sophie went from fighting her feelings about Marc, to wanting to be with him in the next chapter with no real progression.  Marc I felt was the same way; his domination of Sophie wasn’t very detailed and didn’t really flow from scene to the next.  There was no real description of the mannerisms of characters as well.  When Sophie is sitting and having conversations with Tom & Tanya, you kind of get their personalities from what they are saying but that’s it.  I don’t know what their body language is like while they are having conversations, what their actions are when they interacting with Sophie and some of the other drama students.  I wish there was more detail about the characters along with the conversations.  I would’ve felt more emotionally invested in Sophie and Marks relationship if I got what was going on around them, how they moved, how they held each other, etc. I also thought there were a lot of repeats of descriptions with no elaborations.  With Sophie’s father the author repeats like three times throughout the book how clumsy and unorganized he is, but there’s nothing added when it’s repeated.  Add more detail there when talking about the same thing over and over again so we truly feel like we really know these characters.   I think to me because there was such a lack in detail when it came to the characters other than their conversations I didn’t really like Sophie at all. 

                To me Sophie was a little whiny, much like Eva Trammell and Ana Steele.  I get this book series is modeled after 50 shades but after all these books doing the same thing the whiney protagonist gets really annoying.  Like each series I need something that even though it has a lot of the same characteristics as another series that will set it apart, and there really isn’t anything.  The sex scenes were very rushed, and I couldn’t really get in to them at all.  With each sex scene you want to entranced and feel like all this foreplay is driving you crazy just as much as the main character, it should be almost a whole chapter of foreplay and sex these sex scenes are like 3 pages.   Sophie didn’t really seemed that involved in the sex scenes as well, it was like it was just done to her, not her actually being a part of them.  

Overall:  I really couldn't get into this book emotionally because of the writing style.  Other people might be fine without character development, but I'm not one of those people.  The story line is great and the characters have really potential to be matched up against Ana & Christian but without really being invested in these characters its hard to do that.  

Lauren's Review-Left Drowning by Jessica Park

Summary: Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

What I loved: The family dynamic and loveable characters. One of the best parts of the book for me was the last chapter, and without going into too much detail, focusing on each character and how each character influenced Blythe and affected her individually. Sabin was one of my favorite characters by far. How could you not love him from the minute you meet him?

Cons: I am conflicted about this book. There were moments where I was held captive and couldn't pull myself away but for the most part, I found the book to be predictable and far fetched. I am all for fate and destiny but some parts were a bit much for me.  I think the author gave too much away too soon. By mid book, I knew the story and what was going to happen and it lost me because of it. While I love a drunk Blythe, I felt the story went a little too far with the Chris and a certain someone. Again, trying not to give too much away but I felt like that was put in just to add a little drama to the story line.

Hot Scene: Chris & Blythe in her dormroom! No sex but whoa, definitely hot and heavy!

Next Book: Unteachable by Leah Raeder