Archive for December, 2014


Here’s another first for me – Kara Braden. And another first for me in deciding what category do I really classify “The Deepest Night”. I mean the story did not get me excited; yet it was not boring. It can be read with ease, but with no anticipation of what’s going to come. It reads more like a narration without a direction. The storyline is feeble and it left me searching for the crux of the story and the essence of the characters.

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The story is simple enough with Michele Cole coming to the Isles Of Scilly to escape a past pain and start fresh. She helps to take care of a friend’s B&B, as she tries to decide her future. Ray Powell ends up in the same B&B as a he is recuperating after completing a grueling mission in Afghanistan. He’s got roots here in this small coastal isle, before he made the USA his home. They meet, sparks flare, desire and passion take root and they try to overcome their insecurities to forge a future with each other.

But unfortunately there is absolutely no chemistry between the characters, and the characters themselves have a weak creation. There doesn’t seem to be a particular purpose in their life, and for that matter, neither does the story. I think Michele’s mother had more form than Michele or Ray. And even as I got to the end of the book, my thought was, “Is this all?”

It would have been great if the author had given her characters more depth and a plot to the story. It would have made a sweet romantic story. Irrespective of this book, I’ll definitely check her other works.

Received an ARC from Sourcebooks Casablance via Netgalley for an honest review.

Born into wealth and privilege, free-spirited Liv Quinn left it all behind when she realized there was more to life than living off of trust funds and barely skating by.  Since then, she’s worked and fought for everything she’s earned and never looked back at the world or the family she left behind.

Jackson Reid is starting over with a new job in a brand new city.  A single father to his son Noah, he hopes the change will help strengthen the bond that has seemed to suffer since puberty reared its ugly head.  What he hadn’t planned on was Liv—his exotic next-door neighbor who drives him insane with her wild, new age lifestyle, but still manages to leave him aching for more.

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As challenges arise and feelings intensify, will these neighbors be able to look past their differences and find a middle ground?  When love comes knocking, will they be ready, or not?

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About J.L. Berg

J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready Series. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls that drive them batty on a daily basis. When she’s not writing, you will find her with her nose stuck in a romance novel, in a yoga studio or devouring anything chocolate. J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.

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Note: I am posting one review for the entire series, as the five books are a continuation of each book and story.

Ethan Frost (Ruined/Addicted) was one the most amazing fictional characters I’ve ever read, and he would be one of my top ever favorites of any of the books I read and continue to read. Tracy Wolff did an amazing job of creating a character with so many flaws, like any normal human that was just pure perfection.

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So it’s no wonder I had high expectations of her “Play Me Series”, with Sebastian and Ari at the center of a roulette of painful pasts, dangerous ties and unsurpassable passion. And once again Tracy Wolff did an outstanding job etching Sebastian and Ari, and I had to read all the five books in one sitting!

Ari Winston works as a cocktail waitress at one of Vegas’s top-notch casino. Beautiful, smart and hardworking, she almost loses her job when she stands up to a billionaire harassing a guest in the casino. Until the prodigal son and successor Sebastian Caine steps in to take care of the situation and makes sure Ari keeps her job.

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Thus starts the journey of Ari and Sebastian, as they try to understand the attraction that ignites in them and fathom the feelings of concern and desire that sparks between them. As they explore the sexual tension and consummate their relationship, secrets from the past make Ari wary of giving her trust to Sebastian. Sebastian on the other hand is as tenacious and protective of Ari, and wants to keep her with him every second of his breath. But neither is Sebastian free of dark shadows that may break the fragile relationship with Ari.

As Sebastian takes Ari into his seductive domain and Ari lures Sebastian into the deep depths of her soul, they both discover the intense power struggle that keeps them on the edge, and the control that they are so willing to relinquish to each other. The Play Me Series is not just about submissive, dominant or eroticism, it is about two beautiful people plagued by trauma and pain from the past. It is about two individuals on the opposite ends of the spectrum brought together by passion and love. And it is about two insecure people finding within each other the courage to build trust and make a life with each other forever.

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Tracy Wolff, no doubt has put her soul and breath in etching Ari and Sebastian wit their perfect flaws. Ari as the independent, strong and vulnerable woman is a treat to read. She is compassionate, courageous and brave enough to weather the storms of her family and the relationship with Sebastian. Sebastian as the kind, generous and protective casino owner makes you believe that not all rich people are jerks and there are always good people left in the world. And as I went on this journey with them, I hurt with them, I cried with them, I laughed with them and I fell in love with them!

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I am not sure if the series will be published in one single book, but you have to read them in sequence – Play Me Wild, Play Me Hot, Play Me Hard, Play Me Real and Play Me Right.

Engrossing, Thrilling, and Exceptional!!!!

Received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, via Netgalley for an honest review.

I am not sure if the series will be published in one single book, but you have to read them in sequence – Play Me Wild, Play Me Hot, Play Me Hard, Play Me Real and Play Me Right.

Engrossing, Thrilling, and Exceptional!!!!

Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

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