Book Review - "Aftermath" - Clara Kensie

Goodreads rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Some stories won’t have a happy ending,” he says. But there’s always hope that the next one will.

“Some stories won’t have a happy ending,” he says. But there’s always hope that the next one will.

This beauty was sent to me by the author herself, Clara Kensie. I was so ecstatic to be able to get an advanced readers copy (ARC). This book was heartbreaking and very beautiful.  At first glancing at the cover, I thought it was going to be another contemporary about someone falling in love. But I was shocked to read it was about a girl who survived four years of being kidnapped. Here is the actual synopsis:

Charlotte survived four long years as a prisoner in the attic of her kidnapper, sustained only by dreams of her loving family. The chance to escape suddenly arrives, and Charlotte fights her way to freedom. But an answered prayer turns into heartbreak. Losing her has torn her family apart. Her parents have divorced: Dad's a glutton for fame, Mom drinks too much, and Charlotte's twin is a zoned-out druggie. Her father wants Charlotte write a book and go on a lecture tour, and her mom wants to keep her safe, a virtual prisoner in her own home. But Charlotte is obsessed with the other girl who was kidnapped, who never got a second chance at life--the girl who nobody but Charlotte believes really existed. Until she can get justice for that girl, even if she has to do it on her own, whatever the danger, Charlotte will never be free.

This novel was very heartbreaking, beautiful and touching. I cried three times and that’s a new record for me. Charlotte is such a strong young lady and has such a big heart even after she went through four years of hell. The way everything flowed together and created such a haunting tale of surviving and growing made this a heartfelt story. The topics discussed may be very sad and not many like to read or to write about topics along these lines, but the way Clara Kensie wrote and elaborated each character and the difficulties Charlotte faced was outstanding.

I have nothing negative to say about this book. It was such a good read and I recommend this book frequently and I’m happy to say I was given a chance to read this book. I want to thank the author for being such a kind hearted person and giving me this special opportunity. I’m sorry I am late with this review but life has been pretty hard on me lately and I really did try and get the review out as soon as I could.

I felt as if I was Charlotte and I was kidnapped for four years. The story was detailed and grabbed me from the first page. I have gone through a lot myself and I felt like I was able to get the tears out because of this book. I wish the story was extended and made everything complete.

On Goodreads I had to give this book a solid 5 out of 5 star rating. If I could, I would give it a 10 star rating. Aftermath is on my top favorites of 2016. So thank you again for this special opportunity. If you guys are interested please check out her instagram @ClaraKensie .

Book Review - "Stepping Stone" - Dakota Willink

Goodreads rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dakota Willink was kind enough to send me a copy of her first novel of the Stepping stone series, Heart of Stone. I loved that book and I gave it a 5 star rating. And once I found out that book two was coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

On her instagram she was looking for beta readers for the second installment, Stepping Stone. So anyone that was interested could sign up on her website. So I decided to sign up and I was hoping I would be lucky enough to be chosen as a beta reader. All the entries would be chosen at random. Knowing me, I didn’t expect to win anything. I never win anything when I enter for a contest, giveaway, or anything else really. So I believe weeks has passed since I signed up to win a chance and when I checked my email I was shocked to see that I was one of six or seven people chosen. I was more than excited when I opened the email.

I, of all people was actually chosen for this. I am so honored and happy to help in any way I could. Once I was able to download the file on my kindle, I was ready to dive right into this sexy read. So my job was to help find any plot holes, any grammar mistakes, anything that doesn’t fit right and point them out to Dakota. This phase is very important to authors in general. So my job was crucial to her and the whole editing process of getting Stepping Stone published. I couldn’t wait to stick my head right in.

So I found myself binge reading and falling in love all over again with Krystina and Alexander’s crazy love. They’re so cute and their love gets hot and steamy very quickly.  I enjoyed being able to grow with the characters as well as the author herself. I found myself getting lost inside their world. Dakota Willink does an amazing job creating a world filled with love, pleasure, pain, and craziness, a world you won’t be able to escape.  I felt the pain of their past of both Krystina and Alexander. Even through the hard times, they both grew into very strong and successful individuals and when they’re together, they’re stronger than they think. This made the book even more personal for me.

This happens to be my favorite sequel so far this year and no I'm not just saying this just because. I’m being 100% truthful. This series is adorable and very sexy. Their sex life has me on edge and I can’t wait for book three.

I want to thank you Dakota for giving me this opportunity to help you and giving me a chance to grow as a writer myself. You have been nothing short of amazing and I can’t appreciate your friendship enough. The best part is I am being sent the final copy of Stepping Stone in a physical copy. Now I have to go and buy Heart of Stone for my shelf.

On Goodreads this book deserved its rating. I gave it a 5 out of 5 star rating. I loved every second of reading and if you enjoy some steamy reads and romance then this series is for you. So if you’d like to know more about Dakota and the Stepping Stone series visit her on instgram @DakotaWillink and her website www.dakotawillink.com

Book Review - "Let Me Be the One" - Lily Foster

Let Me Be the One - Lily Foster

Goodreads rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

            I read this beauty on my road trip to Florida this year. It had been sitting on my Kindle app for awhile now and it came in very handy on the 17 plus hour drive. It was a short read for me, only 200 pages. I was determined to read about three books on this vacation. I wanted to make sure that I actually complete this year’s reading challenge.

            This book is about a beautiful, popular, and intelligent young female, Darcy, who seems to have it all together. She takes the opportunity to study abroad, which seems like a perfect escape for her. She is trying to leave behind the insecure and scared girl she has become. But someone else that is not her boyfriend is waiting for her to realize that he can be the one for her.  

            This is book one of a six part series. Each book is a standalone but the books are each inter-connected as the characters each have their turn at sharing their stories. I enjoyed reading this book until 5 am. I stayed up until I was able to add this book to my read list on Goodreads. I did not find this book boring or a drag. Each character was able to shine in their own way and if they didn’t get enough light then they’re most likely going to get their turn in the next book to the series. The story fell together very nicely and I enjoyed being able to complete it.

            Even though I enjoyed the read, it wasn’t a book that had a lasting impression on me. I’m not saying that in a negative way. I did enjoy the plot and the characters but it didn’t leave me wanting more or making me rave about it to my friends or show it off on my bookstagram. I did not give this book a bad rating because of that. On Goodreads I gave “Let Me Be the One” a three out of five star rating. That’s not a horrible rating but it isn’t the best book out there. Regardless of the rating it was a good book and I enjoyed it myself.

            

Book Review - "November 9" - Colleen Hoover

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Goodreads rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"I thought I was stronger than a word, but I just discovered that having to say goodbye to you is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

      You know the funny thing is that I first I was gonna pick this book up at all. My initial thought when I saw the book and read the back blurb was that it was going to be boring or something I would not like to read. Let's just say that it was a good thing I did pick it up.

      I should've known that this book was going to be nothing short of amazing. For the first chapter, I knew I wouldn't be able to put this book down. I personally think that all books that Colleen Hoover writes are simply beautiful. For the few books that I have read from her they were nothing short of amazing. Her stories create a world the drags me in and I get attached to the characters, to their ups and downs, their drama and the love.

      November 9 is based on two people from different worlds and they need one day under weird circumstances. They made a promise to each other, no matter what, and no matter where they are they have to meet up once a year on November 9. If you read that it may leave you with some questions, but that's what pulls you in. You'll learn about each character and how they develop or fall apart within these beautiful book. 

      My favorite character would have to be Fallon. I was able to connect with her more than anyone. She has her probl ems and she copes with them in her own way; which makes her strong and beautiful. I don't want to ruin anything about her that you will learn in the book. But she is a strong, beautiful, and troubled woman who has been through a lot and she's coping. She isn't letting it get to her. It took a lot of time for her to grow and learn to accept her challenge and that's what makes her so relatable. 

      On Goodreads I gave this beauty of five out of five star rating. This book is probably one of my favorite books of 2016. I talk highly of this book to my friends or anyone that needs a recommendation to read. I simply loved it and I'm so happy I own this book and it's displayed on my bookshelf with the other Colleen Hoover books I own.

Book Review - "We Were Liars" - E. Lockhart

Goodreads rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

"we are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken."

This book was seen a lot on bookstagram. It was given a lot of hype and had a 3.85 rating on Goodreads. Normally I do not give into the hype of certain books but I actually gave in after while and got the book myself. But I didn't pick it up for months after I bought it. I just let it sit on my shelf collecting dust. Honestly, I didn't even know what it was about.

So when I finally decided to give this book ago, I was kind of iffy about it. I thought he would inside and grab my attention, it made me want to see what it was about and all the secrets they held. I read this as I was going to work, most of my reading is done traveling. Since It wasn't a huge book so I was able to finish it pretty fast.

While reading this I actually wrote down a list of the pros and the cons of the book. They were few good things but they were more cons than anything. If you guys have read my previous blog posts then you'll know, I hate writing bad reviews. So I try and make it as positive as possible but remain very truthful to the author, everyone reading, and most importantly stay truthful to myself. I love what I do as a hobby and if I wasn't truthful to myself then I wouldn't be doing this at all. 

Not for all the pros of the book. The first pro would be that this book was able to keep me on the edge. I wasn't necessarily board with the book but it did keep me on my toes so it never did get boring. The next pro is that it was a very easy read. I was in a reading from so I wanted to find something that was easy to read and it wasn't 300 pages plus. I think the most important pro would have to be that the characters and their personality were very dominant and it known to the reader. Each character was well known and they each had their own role and in their own way played a significant role in unraveling the story. For the final pro, I personally like the way the book was written; it was an easy flow of words, so the pages turned very quickly.

Now for the most dreaded part, I just found the plot very weird and sometimes hard to understand. Even after finishing the book I still do not understand the whole reason for the book. I don't know if it's just me or what but In my opinion, I think the plot summary on the flaps of the books were the most exciting thing I read. The story was a bit of a let down. Again, this is all my opinion. I'm not attacking or trying to hurt anyone's feelings. 

Book Review - "Hell is Empty all the Demons are Here" - Mark Rounds

I am a huge fan of free books, I mean who isn't right? So I received this beauty from full of books. If you guys do not know about them, please visit them on Twitter @Full ofBookss. Not only was I excited to be a part of a book blog and community, I also got free books in the process. I mean it's more than just free book that made me happy, I was to do something that I love, blogging and reading. I started book blog over a year ago depending on when this actually post. Blogging has helped me tremendously and it makes me look forward to things and keep positive thoughts in my head.

I was given a list to choose from and this was the only book that sounded a tad bit interesting. So from the start I already knew that this book wouldn't get a good review. There is my negative thinking kicked in. I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover but, look wise it doesn't look appealing to me. It was very hard not to judge it even though I know I shouldn't have.

I opened up the first page and I made sure to clear my head and keep only positive vibes flowing. I don't know if it was me or if I was getting into another reading slump again. I set the book down for a few hours and then I gave it another chance and I got two chapters in. I don't know how I feel about this book honestly. I hate writing bad reviews but I was determined to finish it and like it but I couldn't. I felt like it was a drag for me.

So I put the book down for quite a long time and I forgot about it actually. I was actually hoping to revisit it and maybe get into it more than I was before. But days turn into weeks and I still haven't picked it back up. I know I have been slacking but it's not on purpose I promise. I was really determined to start over and complete this task. So I started all over again I truly wanted to get lost inside the story. I read a few pages and pages kept turning interning. It was a very easy read and was very fast pace. 

The pros of this book were it's a very beautiful hunk a book. Two, it's a very fast pace book. The third pro was the characters, they develop very quickly and you learn about each character as they come. The final pro was that it started off with a bang and it sparked an interest for me. But with every pro there is a con.

The cons of the book were as followed. The first thing for me was that it was very intimidating, both size and the genre of the book. I'm very picky when it comes to reading. I like reading books in genres I know I will like or love. The next con was that some parts are very dragging and I felt like some of the characters were just pushed onto me. I actually got lost reading it because I was so confused with who was who and what was going on. 

Book Review - "One With You' - Sylvia Day

Book Review - "One With You' - Sylvia Day

                Please excuse me while I fan girl right now! You do not understand how excited I was when I stumbled across the news of the final installment of the Crossfire series. So I was walking to the train to go home from work, I was really into my music and I was staring at every advertisement and how graffiti decorated the walls. Then there it was, plastered on the wall with no artwork painted on it. Sylvia Day’s newest release to the Crossfire series “One with You”. I did a double take, thinking my eyes were deceiving me of this wonderful poster. But in fact it wasn’t, this beauty was real and there would be closure for Eva and Gideon’s relationship.

                I’ve been waiting for this for the longest time now. The last book I read of the series was in July 2015. That’s a very long time for me to wait to see what happens in their crazy lives. I just knew that this book will be the cherry on top of the sundae. I had to wait a few months to get my hands on this beauty. When I did finally get my hands around the perfect spine, I almost died. My heart shattered into a million pieces, I enjoyed it though. The cover, the one, the thickness, everything was simply beautiful. When I started reading I couldn’t stop. I have followed since 2012. That’s a very long time being a fan of Sylvia Day’s work. Being able to watch Eva and Gideon grow and work together was a great pleasure and I couldn’t help but be in complete awe.  

                I don’t think I have anything negative to say about this book. Well I know that everything is completely fictional and it is a bummer because their relationship was so cute and hot. Realistically this never happens and a lot of erotica’s’ today tend to follow very similar outlines. This series have been compared to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. Let me just say that it is similar in some aspects of it but overall the Crossfire series beats Fifty Shades for creativity, writing styles, character development and growth.

                In my opinion I liked both Eva and Gideon equally. On both cases they have done their own share of dirt in their past and both owned up to it and were able to leave it in the past and grow together. They were so perfect for each other at the end of the day. Their differences were a huge thing but love overcame anything else. They both grew up both alone and as a couple. I literally cannot get over that this was the end of the series. My heart broke but it was a great four years with Eva, Gideon, and Sylvia Day.

                Now for the ratings, on Goodreads and Amazon I gave this beauty a solid 5 out of 5 stars. If you didn’t catch the drift yet, I simply loved this book and I highly recommend this series to everyone who likes sex, love, and books. 

Book Review - "Teach Me" - Phoenix

“I will take you on a journey through the scandalous relationship of an unhappily college professor. Aminah Goodwin has fallen victim to her own lust and the charm of one of her students, Michah Ford."

                Now if that doesn’t drag you in, then you're crazy. This sounded like a drama waiting to blow up. I was very interested in unfolding the drama within the pages. To add to the delight, the author herself sent me a signed copy to read and review. I personally enjoy getting free copies of books to read and review. If it was a job then I’d be the happiest person alive right now. I know I’m very late on this review but I’ve been so busy and I have slacked off a lot in keeping my blog up to date with each book I have read this year.

                Normally I'm very picky about the books I read and I tend to stay in my comfort zone a lot when it comes to reading. Thankfully Teach Me was right up my alley. It had a bit of suspense, drama, and sex. Now any book with those three elements has my heart. I enjoyed the easy and fast read.

                What I loved about this book was that it was a quick and easy read for me. I also had a lot of sticky notes throughout the book of quotes I really liked and thought was cute. Another pro was that it was able to hold my attention from the start to the finish. And finally the drama; I love drama and it was something that could actually happen in real life. So that made it so much more interesting.

With every pro there is a con to follow it normally. Well in this case, there were a few cons sadly. The first one was it was very predictable and I like the shock element in a story. I'm not saying it made the book bad, it really was interesting. The next con was the characters. I found them to be very annoying but I understood Aminah and why she did what she did. I don’t agree to what she did and there were other ways to deal with things when you are unhappy in a relationship. I don’t support cheating but I've been in a relationship where I was very unhappy but I never cheated but I can relate to her.

So now for the rating, I actually couldn’t find this book on Goodreads so I wasn’t able to rate it properly. But I did give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I just want to thank Phoenix for giving me the opportunity to read her book as well as rate it and recommend it to my friends. 

Book Review - "Dared to be Seduced" - Eden Davis

                I actually ordered this book on the Barnes and Noble website, thinking that it sounded pretty interesting and had the potential of being a five star reading. I didn’t check it out on Goodreads to see the books ratings, reviews, and even to see if it was part of a series or not. I knew absolutely nothing about the book or the author. I was taking a risk buying this book without knowing anything about it except the blurb Barnes and Noble gave me. Honestly, looking back at it now, i regret it. I should have done my research before hand and maybe I wouldn’t have wasted my time nor my money on this book.

                The funny thing is I've heard of Eden David before and her stories seem to have a good plot but again I have never read any of her work before. So I can’t exactly say that her other pieces are going to be 1 / 2 star ratings. I really don’t like judging authors from one book. Before I actually continue and go into the reason why I disliked this book let me tell you what the book is about. Dared to be Seduced is about Lena and Jason’s relationship. They have careers that they live up to and when their sex tape is leaked Lena’s career is on the line. To me that sounds pretty good, a lot of drama and sex when together can create a wonderful story. On this case, it was just the opposite.

                Anytime I write reviews I try to remain positive and write at least one thing I did like about what I've read even if I didn’t like it. So let’s start there shall we? The one thing I did like was how dedicated Lena was to her job BUT she let her desire get to her and wasn’t careful enough. Now lets dive right into the negatives. The first reason and probably the most annoying reason why I didn’t like this book was because the sex tape was not leaked until towards the end. The first half was the story unfolding about the sex but nothing about a tape. I was reading and reading hoping to get myself caught up in the drama. But towards the end it was finally leaked, like really?

                The next reason was how boring and uneventful majority of the book was. There were some parts that wasn’t the worst to read but a lot of the time it was dragged and I didn’t want to finish reading at all. Honestly I hate writing negative reviews but again I have to be honest when I write these reviews. This book just wasn’t my cup of tea personally.

                There isn’t anything else to say about this book that I didn’t mention already. Now for the rating, I'm guessing you already know what my rating will be for this book. Sadly enough this book was a 1.5 out of 5 stars. And finally this book will definitely not be recommended to my friends. 

Book Review - Chasers of the Light - Tyler Knott Gregson

“I love you,

in ways

you've never been

loved,

for reasons you've never been

told,

for longer than you think you

deserved

and with more

than you will ever know existed

inside

me.” 

         This beautiful book was a gift from my (ex) partner and it holds a very special place in my heart. I have been wanting to read this book for over a year now and my girlfriend went online and bought me it. She also ordered “I Wrote This for You” and “I Wrote This for You and Only You” by Pleasefindthis. I was so happy and couldn’t wait to read, take pictures of them, and find a special place for them on my book shelves. Not only do I love books, I love poetry books with beautiful photography and artwork. So reading Chasers of the light was nothing short of beautiful. It was an easy read and had a very pleasurable ending that had my heart in pieces.

            Throughout the entire book, I kept thinking of my (ex) girlfriend. How could I not? It was a gift from her and she’s my girlfriend so she’s always on my mind. I guess other than it was a gift, the major reason why I love this book so much is because I am a writer myself and I used to write a lot of poetry and even stories. But now I can’t seem to get a completed poem on paper. This book made me want to go back to being that poet that was able to create a new world within minutes. Chaser of the Light gave me motivation and made me want to reignite the passion I used to hold.

            I really do not have anything negative to say about this book except that it was short. I wished it was the size of a normal book. I think that would have made my life complete. With that said now I have only positive things about this and I would love to share the reasons why it means a lot to me.

1)      Poetry. I love poetry and writing is something I am very passionate about. I have a lot of journals and loose papers with poetry written all over. One day I am hoping to have my own work published in a book.

2)      Love. It gives me hope for love. I use to give up on everything and everyone. But poetry in general gives me hope in something I can’t see just yet.

3)      It’s beautiful. Not only does the cover and the pages look beautiful but the writing style and how each poem was placed and put together made it complete.

Overall this book was written very beautifully and I couldn’t help fall in love with everything about this book. I have highly recommended this book to several people and im getting my sister to read it as well. Now for the rating, if you couldn’t have guess it already this book clearly deserves a 5 out of 5 star review. Tyler Knott Gregson is a wonder author and poet. I couldn’t be more thankful for a book at this point in my life. 

Book Review - Real (Real Series #1) - Katy Evans

Books! Books! Books! Books! I love me some books. I love books but I’m pretty picky about what books I read and what books I own. For those of you that know me or at least have been either following me on Instagram or Twitter should know that I do enjoy erotica romance novels. Not
saying that I read them all the time but once in a while I will indulge in an erotica. I’m also very picky about what kind of erotica I read and if I don’t like the story line then I won’t read it. I won’t give the book the time of the day. I know that’s not good but I have a lot of other choices to pick from.

Photo taken from Instagram @BooksandReviewGalore

For my next read I was in the mood for an erotic. Luckily for me the most recent book an author sent me fell under the erotica category. Katy Evans is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author. She is known for 
the Real series and the Manwhore series. I was actually sent the first installment of the Real Series, Real. I was super excited getting this beauty in the mail.

For those of you who has never heard of the Real series or Katy Evans, her books are aimed for 18 years and older. Katy Evans isn’t afraid to get down and dirty… with her novels of course. The Real series follows Remington Tate, a fallen boxer with a bad boy reputation and Brooke Dumas, a woman with broken dreams. Remington locks eyes on Brooke and it was over right then and there. Brooke is hired as Remington’s Lucrative sports therapist, making sure his rock hard body stays in shape.

As I was reading, I got lost in the one and only Remington. I always wondered what really goes on in his head. I’m pursuing psychology so what goes on in someone’s head really interests me and I want to know more. When he was training, he was dedicated and seem to be lost inside his mind and It always had me wondering what drives him to be the person he is and why he became that way. There was a lot of questions I wish I could ask him If he were real. I actually pictured several celebrities that would play his character perfectly if it were to become a movie.

            He was my favorite character for several reasons;

• The way he carries himself. I do no
  t know how to really explain it but the fierceness and the strength he carries. Whether he’s in the ring or outside, he carries himself with such force that makes everyone around him fear him.
• How private he is. He isn’t much of a talker. He keeps to himself and when he needs to talk, he’ll talk. He isn’t someone to share his feelings on the regular.
• The strength and realness of his love. He showed in the book his love for Brooke by putting her before himself. He made sure she was safe and had everything she needed.

There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about this read. This wasn’t actually an erotic I was expecting but it wasn’t disappointing. The only thing that kind of bothers me is how the things came about. In my head I’m like “This could never actually happen in real life. Like how does he know she’s the one? Has he been stalking her or something? Creep much?” but other than that I didn’t really dislike anything.

I personally enjoyed reading and learning about each character. This actually makes me want to finish the series. Each of the books follow each character and their perspectives. It would give me a better insight on what goes on in Remington’s head. There are a total of 6 books as of right now in the series.

Now for the ratings, on Goodreads I gave Real a 4 out of 5 stars. I would actually recommend this read to people that are into romantic reads. So if you would like to learn more about the series or the author check out her website at http://www.katyevans.net/ . I just want to thank Katy Evans for sending me your work, it was a delight to read and I cannot wait to finish off the series and find out what happens to Remington and Brooke.

Book Review - FlightLess Bird - Bret Bucci

            You never judge a book by its cover, or its storyline, or even the genre it may fall under. I’ve heard this many times before and this probably won’t be the last. To be completely honest, I judged this book. I had a negative feeling towards it. I knew it dealt with the supernatural and things out of this world and that’s something I do not particularly enjoy reading about unless it was non-fiction. In this case it was complete fiction. If I was in a book store and I came across this book I’d probably not buy this book on my own free will. I’m being honest and I know that sounds very harsh. But luckily the author Bret Bucci sent her first novel, Flightless Bird, to me in return I write an honest review of it.

            When I received the book it looked so pretty and felt very soft. I loved touching it and feeling the cover. She even signed the book for me. I didn’t know what to expect and I was kind of expecting the worst. So when I did decide to read it, I was trying to keep an open mind about it. Keeping an open mind was easier than I expected. The first page changed everything for me, not even the full first page, the first couple of sentences had me draw in. I was hooked instantly. I don’t want to spoil anything so let’s say it was an awesome read.

            When I said I became hooked, I became hooked to the book. I literally carried this book with me everywhere I went. I really appreciated the characters and I honestly never thought that I would like this book that much. I don’t have any friends that are into reading like I do so I had no one to talk to about this book. So my last resort was my mom. I kept talking to my mom like she cares about what I’m reading. I read her the first couple of sentences that had me fangirling. As a reader and writer, I tend to add post it everywhere and use it to bookmark things for my reviews or even to save a quote. Throughout the entire book I had to use a lot post it notes.

            Who knew that I would like a book that is out of my comfort zone? I felt like that the way the characters were described and portrayed was simple yet very complicated. I really enjoyed the connection each character has with one another. There were a few funny moments in the book that had my hear smiling. That’s a major plus, If I’m able to feel some type of emotion because of it a book, is simply moving. My favorite character would have to be Sage. I was able to connect with her and understand where she was coming from and understand why she does what she does. I agree with Sage on why she sold her soul to the devil in the first place. Trust me id do that same if it meant saving my family if things had to come to it.

            Now for the things that bothered me. For starters, the cliff-hangers at the end. Seriously? I was so into the book and for it to end the way it did broke my heart. The only perk was that I’d give me a reason to go buy nook two. The next thing that bothered me was Sage and Beliial (her guardian angel)’s relationship. The way that they connected made me happy and filled with romance. Let’s hope that he comes back in book two.

            Now for an honest rating, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars only because I enjoyed reading it and taking notes. It hands down deserved it and I actually disappointed that I judged this book way before I gave it a chance.   You never judge a book by its cover, or its storyline, or even the genre it may fall under. I also would love to thank Bret Bucci for sending me her work. It was such a delight and pleasure.

Book Review - Finding Emma - K. Ryan

Hello and welcome [back] to my blog. I'm here doing yet another book review, another kindle book review. I went on a downloading spree and got a handful of books on my kindle app. All the books I downloaded were free and to add to the books being free, I got three kindle books sent to me by the author! Now who doesn't love free books? I surely love them. I am so thankful for every author that has sent me their book(s). This makes me want to read and write more.

I've been down in the slumps lately and I want to give up on everything. Everything seems to go bad for me. But when I get new books, whether it's on Kindle or an actual book that motivates me. K. Ryan was kind of enough to sent me not one but three of her books via kindle; Finding Emma, Carry Your Heart, and Carry You Home.

It was hard to chose which book I would be reading first. I had to ask myself if I wanted to read a series or a standalone? Carry Your Heart and Carry You Home were book one and two of the Carry Your Heart series. While Finding Emma was a full length standalone. It was so hard to answer my own question. But by the title of this post, you can see I ended up picking Finding Emma.

Finding Emma is about a working girl who has her demons. She slowly became detached from her family, friends, and the world around her. She left her hometown and starred her new life… alone. But she doesn't stay alone long, she finds herself a furry, four legged feline friend and roommate. Once she finds her lifetime friend, everything will fall into & out of place.

This book was an amazing read and it was very sad at times but overall it was a joy to read. I loved how I was able to relate so easily and understand Emma. Being able to relate with the story takes me on a whole new level in understanding the character as well as the book. In an odd way I kind of saw myself in Emma. The reasoning and how she is as a person hits very close to home. I suffer from depression and coping with things makes me want to move away and start my own life. This book gives me strength to continue and find my happiness.

Now for ratings, on Goodreads and Amazon, I gave this wonderful book a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It touched my heart and I feel like this book will give many people hope in life. I highly recommend this book to everyone. No matter how old you are, this book will take you on an emotional roller coaster.  I want to thank K. Ryan for sending me your work and everyone for reading this blog.

Book Review - Among Thieves - John Clarkson

Hello my bookish friends! I am really excited about writing this review for several reasons; 1) This lovely book was sent to me by the author himself. 2) This was the first or second book I actually received from an author. (I know it's late by the time I post this) 3) This book review is long overdue. Life has been kicking me in the butt lately, so once again I'm sorry for the delay.

The book that I will finally be reviewing is "Among Thieves" by John Clarkson. I created a twitter account dedicated to blogging and book related things. So I happened to stumble upon John Clarksons' page (@jclarksonauthor) and I tweeted him and several tweets and DM's he sent his book my way.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book. All he wanted was an honest book review in return. This was the first book I would get in the mail and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. When it finally came I was jumping with joy. It was so beautiful. I loved the cover and how it felt. This made me super anxious and happy to finally read.

Even though I was super excited for the book, I didn't read it right away sadly because I had a huge tbr shelf I had to attend to. But when I finally got around to reading it I was A D D I C T E D. I read it everywhere I could, from the train to and back from work. It was a fairly large book to carry around but I made sure I had it with me where ever I went.

The story is about an James Beck, an ex con whose friend turned to him for help. He learns that the men she is running from are very dangerous and he will need the help of his gang in order to win the war. It's an action pact book and every page will have you on the edge of your seat.

I loved the way it was written and I felt like it flowed freely. Normally I don't like reading books that have slang in them but I actually enjoyed reading this book. It was a fairly fast reading to get through.

My favorite character is James Beck, the main character of course. The way he was described and the things he has done to help his friends. For some odd reason when I was reading I pictured Jason Statham as Beck. I think that's why I loved James so much.

I could go on and on about this book but I know I have to cut it short. Let's get on to the rating; on Goodreads I gave this beauty a solid 5 out 5 stars. I believe this book deserved it and I highly recommend this book to everyone. It was one of the best written action books out there. Thank you John for the book and thank you again for reading my blog.

Don't forget to follow John Clarkson  on Twitter @jclarksonauthor

Book Review - Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

Hello and welcome to my blog! I have finished yet another book and I'm ready to write this review. I'm pretty sure people love free things, free food, free clothes you name it and people will gladly take interest. I happen to love free books. Books can be very expensive and to get them for free can be life changing. So I'm thankful for friends, family, authors, websites, and publishers who make my day by giving me free books.

My aunt "let me borrow" [we know I won't be giving it back] Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I was in no rush to read it since it wasn't on the top of my tbr (to be read) shelf. I have a huge shelf of unread books that I need to get started on. A good friend of mine recommended I read Gone Girl and I kept putting it off. Every time I saw her, she would bring up the book until finally I finally gave in and decided to read it next. She was super excited and she highly recommended this book. She also notified me that there was a movie based off the book. So my goal after reading Gone Girl was to watch the movie.

I started this book on my train ride to Connecticut and I couldn't put it down. This book had me on my toes for more than half of the book. It was everything my friend said it was. It made me of thinking about how crazy people really are. I have yet to watch the movie but my parents said the movie was really good, can't wait to see.

Now for the rating, on Goodreads I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to a friend or anyone asking for book recommendations. Thank you guys again for reading my blog and come back soon.

Book Review - "Loss of Reason" -

      For several of my previous and future blog posts will be from authors that sent me their work. In this case I was sent two books by a company, Full of Books. I stumbled onto their Instagram and I liked their account so I checked out their website. I saw that they had a section for writers, so being curious I clicked it. It was a submission section; reading more into it, they were accepting writers for their blog! I was super excited but scared at the same time. I didnt know if I would qualify for the position, but I applied anyways. I don't remember if it was a day or two later, I received an email from Full of Books saying congratulations. I was so happy and to add to that they were going to send me books to review. Now for all of you that do know me or even have read my past posts, I love books and getting books the author or company their selves. They sent me a list of books that I could chose from and from the list I chose "Loss of Reason" by Miles A. Maxwell and "Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here" by Mark Rounds. To make things even better, one  was signed.

      I didnt know which one to start first, so I just went for the smaller book and save the larger book for last. So it was "Loss of Reason" was going to be my first read. I grabbed this book while I was on the train and I do enjoy reading on the way to work or elsewhere. So with an open mind I started to read. I had to re-read the first two pages and I couldn't get into the book. I don't know if it was me or just because I could not get into the book. It wasn't that the book was boring or horribly written, I just don't know why I couldn't get into the book. Maybe it was because I've been in a reading slump? Maybe I was just really tired ? I don't know what it was.

      I wasn't going to give up so quickly, so I put away the book and tired another time. I was so determined to finish the book and write this review. I picked it up and started to read. Then it hit me…. again! I just couldn't get into the book. I have beat myself up about not finished books I started but I couldn't get myself to finish it. I believe that it was too much going on at once and too many people all at once in the beginning. I thought the characters weren't introduced properly and I got confused often. The book was interesting, well at least the plot was. But the way it was executed was done poorly.

      When I write reviews I hate when it's a negative review. On top of writing negative reviews, I hate not finishing books I started. This was very disappointing for me. I feel bad for just writing this right now. But I have to be honest and give MY opinion of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book to my family or close friends but I would recommend it to my friend at work, maybe he'd like this book. I gave it two chances and I couldn't get into it and I'm sorry about that.

      For the rating, I'd have to give it 2 out of 5 stars. From what I read I believe that this deserves the rating I gave it. I just want to thank Full of Books for sending me these books.

Book Review - Come Away With Me - Kristen Proby

             

      I didn't buy this book on purpose, I just went on a buying spree on the kindle app. It was free and the story line happen to be a one that I would be interested in reading. When I did buy it, it was sitting on my kindle reading list for a few weeks even a month or more. It wasn't on my top to read list and I didn't even bother to try to read it. But I wanted to mix my reading list up from books I actually own and books I have on my kindle app.

      

      So when I was looking for something new to read, I opened this book and read what it was about since I tend to forget what I buy. After reading the story plot, I started to read. As for any new book I start reading, I take it with me everywhere I go. Before I knew it I was half way done and I was pretty shocked at how fast I was able to read this book. 

      Kirsten Proby paints an almost perfect fairy tale modernized with more realistic elements throughout the entire book. Luke Williams and Natalie Conner's love developed into something so perfect in the writers and readers world. Honestly a lot of books along the romantic/erotica genre follows similar storylines and traits, in all which makes them very prodictable and boring in my opinion. Even though I am a sucker for romance and great sex, I do get bored of the same story line over and over again; the only thing making them different from one another is the names and places. The norm for eroticas today goes as follows; there is a rich guy who is drop dead gorgeous and he is a ladies man. For the females, she's independent and she happens to fall into the wealthy guys life and they have their share of drama and great sex. I guess in order for the story to be amazing, they'd have to be written with their own unique taste and direction. 

     Regardless of tear this story had its own take on the relationship between Natalie and Luke. My opinion on this story was awwww probably the entire book; because as I said before I am a hopeless romantic. With that said, I really enjoyed reading this book and learning more about each character. 

      I actually learned that this book is part of a series, "With Me in Seattle". They have a total of eight books and the last book is a novella. I am even more excited to read the entire series. I just hope the story isn't dragged out for no reason. But I felt hat the characters were portrayed very nicely and they were easy to picture. I loved how independent she was and she was able to have a job and be on her own without any help from a male figure. I enjoyed reading about her and her job as a photographer. Now with Luke; at first I did not like him and how he was introduced. When he was insinuated he seemed to be a cocky guy who believes everyone wants to take his picture. But as you read more into the story, you learn why he acted the way he did when he was first introduced to Natalie. 

       I don't want to spoil anything for anyone that wants to read this series but overall I know this will a series that I will love and will continue to read. Now onto the rating, on Goodreads I gave the first enstallment a solid 5 out of 5 stars.  Simplly because it kept my attention from the first page to the last page. The romance kept me intrigued nd wanting more. Don't even get me started on the erotic scenes, let's say it left me wanting more. So with that said the book deserves a 5 out of 5 stars. 

      

Book Review - "Zipped" - Laura McNeal

    

        Hello and welcome back to my blog! I am here with yet another book review. I know it's been a while since I posted a new blog entry, but I'm sorry about that. I'm trying to keep my blog as updated as possible. I've been in a reading slump lately and it's hard to write. Well when I'm not reading or writing I am sleeping or at work. Work has me drained and ready to pull my hair out. Anyways back to the topic shall we?

      I picked up this book because it seemed like an easy read for me, which it was. A lot of the books I own are either from Barnes & Noble, thrift stores, authors sent them, they were free, or they were given to me. This book I got at a thrift store months ago and I thought it was pretty cool and it would be a quick read for me. 

     Zipped is written by Laura McNeal and Tom McNeal, it is a juvenile fiction according to google books. It follows several teens but the main character is a fifteen year old named Mick. The story follows his life after opening the wrong email. Mick was searching for something for school and he couldn't find it in his email or his folder on the computer and he checked the trash. He happened to open an email he thought would be his assignment but wasn't. He didn't expect to open an email of his step mom cheating on his father. He is torn on what to do with the information he stumbled upon. So the story follows him and what he has to deal with growing up as well as the his troubled ordeal with his cheating step on. On a side note, as I was writing that last sentence the song Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood came on and I can't help but laugh because Mick finds his step mom cheating and the song is about cheating. Anyways back to the story shall we?

       Even tho there are few character viewpoints it mainly follows Mick. The plot and how the story was written was pretty plain, not saying it was bad but just plain. I really liked the whole idea of a kid opening the wrong email only to reveal something so much bigger than they expected. I didn't leave any notes in the book because there wasn't anything worth saving or really writing about. I feel bad about it because I don't like leaving negative remarks about any book or even  writing a plain review. 

       With that lets go onto the rating, on Goodreads this book has an average of 3.40  stars out of 5. That's not the greatest rating but I gave the book 3 stars but thinking about it I would give it a 2.5 but it was rounded up to 3. I would recommend this book to my sister or something who is younger than me. It just wasn't for me sadly enough but not badly written. 

Book Review - "Love Who You Are With - Emily Griffin

Warning This post WILL have some spoilers. 

      Let's first start off with the plot / blob on the back of the book. Ellen and Andy have the perfect marriage. They love one another and is devoted to each other until the counter changes all of that. Leo, the one who broken heart, appears again - that's what you questions everything. She questions whether the life she's living is the one living.

      The first chapter basically told from her point of view and how she is as a person, you immediately learn she has an OCD problem. Ellen remembers a lot of things and it's something she can't control. You kinda learn within the two chapters about how her and her husband Andy, meet and eventually get married.

      Since this is my book I'm making sure I keep tabs and post-it notes on the pages so I can try to better my blog with every post. So the first issue off the bat was in chapter 3. Why the hell would you let your ex touch you in any way personally I wouldn't like that. Does everyone hate when their exes come back in the picture or at least try to? I give her credit for getting up and walking away.

      Ellen doesnt know what she wants anymore after having contact with Leo. She knows she loves her husband Andy, but she simply can't get Leo out of her head. She even thinks of Leo when shes having sex with her husband. From that simple thing, you know its bad. Through out the book you learn more about Leo and Ellen's toxic relationship and how things were and how they ended. When Leo helps Ellen land a photography gig, her encounter with Leo was an eye opener. She unconsciously wants to rekindle the past love she had with him but she knows not to cross that line and ruin her marriage.

      It's bad that she questions whether her life with Andy is the life she was meant to live but, if someone else has to question your love then it's getting worse. Margot, Andy's sister and Ellen's best friend, finds out that she is going back to New York to see Leo. She is quick to threaten Ellen and giving her an ultimatum; either she tells Andy herself or she will do it for Ellen. So Ellen took the smart route and came clean to her husband about Leo. 

      This book made me tear up towards the end and I cannot get over the love they have for each other. It makes me think of my Fiancee and I's relationship. I'm a sucker for a romantic ending and a unbreakable bond two people could hold for one another. This was the first time reading one of Emily Giffin's book I read and I am happy I picked it up. 

      Now lets get on with the rating. I honestly loved this book and the way it was written. I also fell in love with two of the characters, Andy and Ellen. So with that said I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I honestly enjoyed it and I'm happy about being able to own this book.

 
  On a side note, I posted the picture on the left for Instagram and I tagged Emily Giffin and I did not expect to get a comment and like by her. I was so excited about this. This actually made me very happy so of course I had to take a screenshot of it and post it for my blog!

      Anyways thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I do enjoy your feedback on how I am doing so please feel free to comment and let me know. If you have any recommendations that you would like me to read just comment below or even message me.  

Book Review - "Shattered Rose" - Tammy L. Gray

                      Once I started buying books on kindle I couldn’t stop myself, especially if they’re free. Because they were free I downloaded as many as I could and I am not ashamed. I began reading this book while I was binge reading books on my kindle. During this time I was abandoning my actual books that were on my book shelves. This actually went on for a while and I feel like was a trader to my books I owned. I was reading Kindle quite often and it would be a go to place to read. It was so easy and convenient to have around. I took this everywhere I went especially when I was traveling. I would read on the train to and from work, traveling to Connecticut and on the way back.

                I was going through all the books that I already owned on kindle and deleting all the books I knew I wasn’t going to read. When I was doing that I stumbled upon this book. I just remembered why I downloaded this book in the first place, and it was because it was free. I mean who wouldn’t download a free book? I didn’t remember much of anything else, I didn’t remember what the book was about so I did a little re-reading and It tempted me to make this book my next read.  This book is a standalone but it’s also a part of a series, the Winsor series.

                At first, it started out pretty slow but within a few chapters I was hooked. As I learned about Avery I was able to connect and relate to her fairly easily. I began to really compare myself with her and how she was as a person and not a fictional character. What Avery went through was hard for her and I know what it feels like to have depression, not being just being sad for a few days but having sadness consume you for months at a time. Having depression is a lot for one person to handle. So watching her go through that was hard because it hit close to home.

                When someone attractive comes into view of course you will stop and stare. That’s what Avery did, she basically became star strucked when she first laid eyes on Jake. But Issy, her roommate gave her a warning to stay away from him and she couldn’t help herself. He showed interest in her and things just evolved from there and next thing you know it Avery is hurt and hear broken.

                I was drawn to the story and honestly I don’t think I have any negative comments about this book. I personally enjoyed reading this book and It had me drawn to it and made me not want to stop reading it. Even though I liked the book I don’t know I will be reading the other books. The second books is Shackled Lily, which follow Issy and you get to learn more about her past, and the final book of the series is Splintered Oak, which follows Jakes and you see things from his point of view. Each book is a standalone so you don’t have to read all three books. But as I was writing this I re-read what each book was about and now I kind of want to finish off the series. I don’t know yet but it may be added to my TBR list.

                Now onto the ratings, this book got a rating of 5 out of 5 stars simply because I was able to relate to the main character so closely. I really enjoyed sitting down and binge reading this book. Plus I love books that make me tear up, it made me so happy for her and to watch her slowly learn to cope and realize things made my heart melt.

Book Review - "Heart of Stone" - Dakota Willink

      Ever since I have created a social medias dedicated to strictly books, quotes, basically anything related to books I post. So with that I have a twitter and I try to post regularly about books, how far along I am in what I'm reading, or I'm promoting my blog. To my surprise I have gotten some messages from authors themselves asking for me to review their book for them. That makes me more than happy to do so. So I have messaged some authors about their books and my interest in reviewing their work. With that I have been open about reviewing some books that are outside my comfort zone and I am not going to turn someone down just because I do not read that type of genre. I am willing to give anyone a chance. With that Dakota Willink and I have had contact with each other over Instagram and Twitter. She was more than happy to send me a PDF file of her first book in The Stone series "Heart of Stone".
      I honestly never heard of Dakota Willink or of her series before and I was debating on whether or not I really wanted to read this book. But since it was sent to me by the author herself I could not turn her down and I am glad I didn't turn her book down. When we sent tweets to one another I didn't even look up what the book was even about but I was still going to read it and I'm glad I did. I became addicted to reading. I remember beginning this book on my way to and from Connecticut and the train ride was about an hour and a half, so I had a good amount of time on my hands to read. Even after reading this on the train ride, I started reading this everywhere I went from the train to work and from work. Every time someone saw I was reading. I finished this book in no time and I cannot wait to read the second book in The Stone series.
      This book is basically Fifty Shades of Grey but better. I'm not saying that Fifty Shades was bad but this book was executed better. The main characters were Krystina Cole and Alexander Stone and they both hold a fierce attraction to each other. I think that a lot of eroticas tend to follow the same outline and vary from one another in a few ways but they follow the same execution. But I was glad to see that this book wasn't a retelling of Fifty Shades.
      As for the story, it was put together very nicely and I liked the description of the characters as well as the steamy scenes. The only thing I think many of the readers disliked was the cliffhanger. I love/hate cliffhangers because I want to know what happens and I want to see how the story unfolds. But on the other hand I love the suspense cliffhangers give to me. Dakota Willink did a wonderful job on keeping my attention as well as creating the need to want to know what happens with Krystina and Alexander's relationship. I truly enjoyed watching as Alexander and Krystina's relationship grow and I hope that they don't go their own ways. They are both independent characters and they can stand alone but when they are together, that's when the flames explode. I cannot wait to read book two of the series. I am also anticipating the sex scenes and I hope they a very descriptive. ;]
      When I do reviews on a book given to me or books I buy myself, I make sure I give an honest review to the authors as well as the people who take the time to read my blog. With that on Goodreads I gave Heart of Stone a solid 5 out of 5 just because I didn't want to stop reading it. If you happen to enjoy erotica then I recommend this book to you. To keep updated on the new release of "The Stepping Stone", book two of the series, follow her on twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads @DakotaWillink . Her website is http://www.dakotawillink.com/