Tag Archive: Book Reviews


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

I don’t think I can ever get tired of Katie Rues’s Red Stone Security Series…no matter how many times I read them, and no matter how many stories she comes up with. They are dangerous, they are sensual, they are passionate and they give you an adrenaline kick to your heart and mind.

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Zoe Hansen is a dedicated doctor who gets forced to resign from her beloved profession due to a stalker and ends up working in a private practice. Unfortunately for her, the stalker comes back, followed by a death that she is suspected of the crime. Even when she is cleared of the crime, the stalker is hell bent on taking her life and circumstances lands her in the presence of Sawyer McCabe.

Sawyer McCabe is an ex-Navy Seal working for the infamous billionaire Alexander Blue, who happens to be a personal friend of Zoe. The few glimpses of Zoe, has Sawyer all hots for her, and now that Zoe’s life is in danger, he would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. As Zoe and Sawyer fall for each other with instant passion, they have to trust each other to take the stalker behind bars.

“Deadly Fallout” is the tenth in the series and is no less fabulous to read than the others. Zoe and Sawyer make an amazingly practical pair of lovers, with a loving family to support and take care of them. There is plenty of love and affection going around, and reading it just gives you one of the warmest feelings of happiness, despite the danger lurking in the shadows.

And reading Katie Reus always leaves me with a compelling desire to go back and re-read and re-read, and re-read her other works.

Received an ARC from CrushStar Multimedia LLC via Netgalley for an honest review.

The Deepest Night

By Kara Braden

Sourcebooks Casablanca

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: The Longest Night, book #2

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When everything you love is on the line…

The Isles of Scilly off the coast of England are remote, windswept and wild. They’re the perfect place for Ray Powell to recuperate after the toughest Afghanistan mission the military contractor has ever run. Except instead of the peace and quiet he so desperately needs, he’s faced with a beautiful American woman who instantly challenges his iron control.

It’s best to proceed with caution…

Seeking her own safe haven, Michelle Cole is intrigued and flustered by the intensely compelling and irresistible man.

As their cautious friendship slowly builds into simmering attraction, their hearts and souls are about to be broken open…if they’ll allow it.

Praise for The Deepest Night by Kara Braden:

“This smashing sequel shows that respectful communication is downright scorching… This sweet contemporary will appeal to romance fans who like their heroes powerful and smitten and their heroines capable and genuine.”—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review

Buy Links

Amazon | B&N | BAM | !ndigo | IndieBound | iBooks

Author Bio

Kara Braden makes her debut in modern romance with a story of love in isolation. She believes that engaging, romantic fantasy can be found everywhere in the world, even in the most unlikely places. With the support of her wonderful husband, cats, and dogs, she writes from her home office outside Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends her time hiding from the sunlight and heat.

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Author Website http://karabraden.com/

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And Now For An Excerpt:

But as they approached the patio stairs, Michelle slowed her steps. She wanted to preserve the night, to capture the fragile closeness she felt with Ray, to hold it tight against whatever tomorrow might bring.

She was, in fact, tempted to invite him to her room – or to go with him to his room, given the narrow single bed in the manager’s apartment. She could almost hear Vicky’s voice urging her to seize the moment, to let her hair down. To live a little.

That wasn’t her way, but she could…adapt. With a little smile, she stopped two steps up the stairs and turned. With Ray still on the grass, they were nearly the same height. She smiled at him and slipped the flashlight into his jacket pocket, but then her courage faltered. She couldn’t just lean into his arms and steal a kiss.

“Thank you for tonight,” she said, inching forward to the very edge of the step, hoping he’d read her intent and meet her halfway.

He put one foot on the bottom step and draped the blanket over the stairway railing. “Thank you for trusting me to surprise you,” he said, lifting his now-­free hand to her face.

The touch stole her breath, sparking heat across her cold skin. She closed her eyes and tipped her head, pressing against his fingers.

And then she felt his lips on hers, deceptively soft and undemanding, though she felt the strength coiled behind that gentle touch. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale that he stole, the heat of their breath mixing, captive between them. His hand slid back through strands that had fallen free of her ponytail, cupping her nape. Shivers raced through her body, and she lifted up on her toes to lean even closer, bracing her free hand on his chest. His jacket was like ice under her palm, but the leather was soft, pliant, barely hiding the powerful chest underneath.

He chased her gasp with his tongue, a soft swipe across her bottom lip as if he were tasting her. Vertigo hit more powerfully than it had under the infinite stars. She slid her hand up over his shoulder to hold his nape, seeking his strength, his steadiness.

Keeping his fingers entwined with hers, he dropped his other hand from her hair. His arm wrapped around her body, forearm fitted against the curve of her back. She sighed into the kiss, inviting him deeper. He didn’t refuse.

Their tongues touched for a single heartbeat. Parted. Touched again. He drew back and tipped his head the other way as he pulled her close against his chest, her toes now barely touching the edge of the stair. She held tightly, trusting his strength more than her own sense of balance, and gave in to the kiss with a sense of greedy indulgence she’d never before felt.

The raw power of him was a drug to her senses. There was no hesitation in him, no wavering in his intent. Everything she offered, he claimed.

Check out the Rafflecopter Giveaway for The Deepest Night Spotlight Tour (3 signed copies of The Longest Night and 10 free Audible.com codes for The Longest Night).

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I’m not sure what it was, but it took me almost four days to finish this book, and that is a first for me!!!! And that doesn’t mean the book was boring, on the contrary it caught me way off guard with its surprising twist and it just shows how good and enjoyable are Lisa Jackson/Nancy Bush books.

Elizabeth Gaines Ellis is a typical housewife, mother and a professional caring for her daughter Chloe and trying to come to terms with her cheating husband’s death. As much as she considers herself normal, her gut says there’s more to her than what she is feeling. People she is upset with are turning up dead. Strange things and dreams are making her question her sanity and her daughter’s insight is as puzzling as the obsessive love letters she receives.

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Into her perplexing life, add a twist of Rex and Ravinia and her life goes for the loop. She battles instant attraction to Rex, and is wary of her so called cousin Ravinia. She wants to accept the gift she and her daughter are bestowed with, yet is scared for the lives of the ones she cares.

“Wicked Ways” takes you on a journey of danger and evil as one woman’s birth comes full circle to her present life. It is a twisted story of an obsessive evil lurking in the shadows to claim its next victim to be with the loved one. And it is a mysterious and soul-searching journey of Elizabeth as she comes to grip with her own identity and roots, even as she opens herself to love again.

“Wicked Ways” keeps you wickedly interested and entertained. There are a few parts that may seem to drag, but as it gets to the penultimate climax, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Received an ARC from Kensington Books via Netgalley for an honest review.

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I've lived, I've loved, I've lost, I've missed, I've trusted, I've hurt, I've made mistakes. But most of all, I've learned.

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