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