Review ~ Torn - Part One (The Torn Series) by Ellen Callahan

ebook borrowed via Kindle Unlimited

Release Date: May 8th 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
He’s the bad boy with the filthy mouth unlike any man she’s ever known.

One wink was all it took.
Now she’s hooked.

When college grad Alexa Riley set out to reinvent herself, getting dumped wasn’t part of the plan. She changed her whole look, joined a punk band, and leapt into her new party-hopping lifestyle with both feet. She’s sure she’ll win her ex back but there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun in the meantime, right?

Yeah, right.

It’s all fun and games until she meets Mallet. The cocky and magnetic MMA fighter isn’t shy about what he wants - and he wants her. Old Alexa would never have a casual fling, but New Alexa is ready to explore her wild side.

But no matter how much she can change how she looks and how she lives, she can’t change the way her heart beats. She’s falling for the sexy and seductive fighter, hard and fast.

Just in time for Tyler to decide that he wants her back after all.

Of course.

This is the first part in a four-part series.

My Opinion

This is another read I borrowed via Kindle Unlimited. I didn't really know what to expect, but seeing as it's a serial I didn't really expect much. I was after quick reads that didn't involve much thought.


Anyway, I found myself enjoying Torn part 1. It's set up some interesting situations and I'll definitely be reading more. I have a thing for fighters and I'm intrigued to see how Mallet grows. I also really dislike Tyler! I will admit that there's nothing blow-your-mind-amazing about this read. It's just a simple, standard romance, but it's a good one to chill out with.

4

Review ~ Not a Fairy Tale by Romy Sommer

ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: February 19th 2015

Publisher: HarperImpulse

Description:
And the award goes to…

Not Nina Alexander that’s for sure. With her best gracious loser face firmly in place, Hollywood’s hottest starlet is hoping to end her evening of disappointment with a graceful exit stage left. Only an unexpected proposal and an awkward wardrobe malfunction mean that this is certainly going to be a night to remember… for all the wrong reasons! So what girl would resist the gorgeous Dominic Kelly coming to her rescue?! Especially when he’s whisking her out of the paparazzi’s prying eyes on the back of his motorbike – and wearing a tux to rival James Bond!

Nina soon realises that the only way to recover from such a scandal is to toughen up and snag the role of the decade in the year’s hottest YA screen adaptation. Who better to train her than her very own professional stuntman? Getting up close and personal with Dom will take Nina well out of her comfort zone – both professionally and in her closely scrutinized private life. But this A-list couple know only too well that’s it not all happy ever afters in Hollywood…

My Opinion

Not a Fairy Tale is, by far, my favourite book from this author. I didn't really know what to expect from the story as it broke most of the ties from the author's previous work, but I ended up really enjoying it. 

With her other book there were always small things that niggled me. They were enjoyable, but they didn't hook me in the sense I found them hard to put down. However, Not a Fairy Tale had me wanting to read more. The only reason I put it down was to sleep. It had me turning the pages rapidly and I wanted to see how the relationship progressed, because really, who can say no to a hot stuntman?

As well as this I liked the characters in this book. The author did a good job with creating them and I enjoyed the fact she wrote Nina to be different from the usual celebrity stereotypes. She doesn't complain, gets on with things, has morals, and is determined to succeed. There are some moments where she comes across selfish and self-centred, but I'm glad she makes the right choices in the end. Similarly, Dom was a nice match for her. I loved how his sisters babied him and the connection he had with his family. 

Moreover, I thought the book was paced well. From the romance, to stunt training I found it engaging and I was sucked into the author's world. It was slightly predictable, especially towards the end, but it didn't stop it from being a good read. It had a little bit of everything.

The only section I wanted more detail on was Nina's background. There are small hints throughout and then she comes clean in the end, but I would have liked slightly more emotion and detail. It felt a bit random for me.

Anyway, overall this was a great read. It's my favourite from this author so far and I would definitely recommend it. 

4

Review ~ The Contract: The Billionaire's Secret Bargain by J.R. Reed

ebook borrowed via Kindle Unlimted

Release Date: May 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Small business owner, Miranda Hopkins, needed billionaire, Harry Rosenburg, like she needed a giant, gaping hole in the head, only she did need him. Desperately. She needed him enough to sign his contract for one month as his submissive. 

The chef half to Miranda's catering business was pregnant and ordered to complete bed rest. Her mother's dementia now had her in dangerous situations, and her teen brother's challenging attitude had her at her wit's end. The bills mounted up and she had one shot at the wedding of the season. Then Harry makes her an offer she should definitely refuse. 

Harry Rosenburg is filthy, crazy rich but he has his pride. Lately that seems to have packed it's bags and walked off like everyone else in the wake of his bridezilla sister. The wedding will go on even if he has to plan it himself, in a week, with no catering staff. To make it worse he's offering cash for the small-time caterer to be his wedding plus one, and now she's brokered her own deal to be his submissive. 

No problem. Not until the emotions take over.

My Opinion

I borrowed this on Kindle Unlimited, but it didn't really hold my interest even for a serial. It got better towards the end and I'll give the second one a go because they're so short. I'm hoping this one set things up and things begin to kick off in book 2.

2

Review ~ Boy Toy Chronicles (Boy Toy Chronicles, #1) by Jay McLean

eBook borrowed via Kindle Unlimited.

Release Date: March 3rd 2015

Publisher: self-published

Description:
Warning: This book contains mildly inappropriate everything. 
*28,500 standalone NOVELLA* 

"So…I came up with a plan. 

I sat the brothers down and gave them my speech; we’d become male escorts. 

The house was split. 

The single dudes thought it was great. The guys with the steady girlfriends told the single dudes they were insane. 

I promised them all we could make it work without hurting anybody. But we had to be smart about it. We had to keep it off campus. We had to keep it a secret. And in order to do so, we had to target those who wanted it kept a secret as much as we did. 

Our target: Filthy rich, unsatisfied, horny housewives. 

Keep it high class, so to speak. 

And thus began BTC, or Boy Toy Corporation.

Crazy, right?

Crazy genius.”

-Tyler West.

My Opinion

This was a short read that put a smile on my face. I will admit that the subjects put forward in the blurb didn't exactly hook me but I saw some reviews saying it was funny so I thought I'd give it a go seeing as I've enjoyed this author's previous work.

Surprisingly I didn't find the book uncomfortable. I thought it'd be cringey with the male escorts and older women. However it didn't go into much detail and was more like companionship mostly. It was also done in a humorous way.


It was a short, enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the relationship that develops. Yeah things are predictable, but for an hour it was a good novella to relax with and put a smile on my face.

4

Review ~ Give Me Love (Give Me, #1) by Kate McCarthy

ebook downloaded for free via Amazon

Release Date: March 15th 2013

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Evie Jamieson, a former wild child, is not only a headstrong, smart-mouthed trouble magnet, she is also a lead singer with a plan. That plan involves relocating her band, including her two best friends guitarist Henry and band manager Mac, to Sydney to kick off their dreams of hitting the big time. 

Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie's best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she's determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn't fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared's path and he has decided it's the perfect opportunity to make his play.

Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that 'consults' in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who's determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.

Is accepting the love he's so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart...and her life?

My Opinion

This is a freebie I'm glad I stuck with. After a rocky and choppy start I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the end of this book, but I gave it a chance and it won me over.

The thing about the start was everything happened so quickly. The book jumped weeks and months over only a few pages almost giving me whiplash. It was hard to keep up with everything and it led to very little emotional connection with the bonds beginning to form between characters. If I'm brutally honest, it was one of the worst starts I've read in a while. However, for once I feel okay saying that because I enjoyed it in the end.

Once Jimmy gets involved (you'll have to read it to find out who he is) things slow down and the pace becomes better. I will admit that the writing was still a little choppy at times and the sequence of events could have been planned better so there weren't so many flashbacks or jumps in time, but the plot kept me intrigued. I liked the elements of danger and the relationships between everyone.

The characters won me over too. At the beginning I thought they were slightly childish. Whilst I still think Mac could age slightly more, I did find myself growing to like them. I liked Cody and the bond with Evie was clear. I also liked Jared--even if some of his decisions were stupid.

I'm not sure what I feel about Jared and Evie. Sometimes things felt rushed and at other times their decisions seemed rash and incomprehensible. Things did drag slightly but they were cute when they were together. It's not a relationship I disliked, but it didn't draw massive emotions from me either. It was enough to keep me reading when combine with the danger.


Overall I'd say this is a book you've got to stick with. It grows on you slowly and the writing does get better as it goes on. A lot happens in it and although sometimes it might seem a little jumbled I still found it an enjoyable read in the end. For a freebie it's worth the shot as you can really go wrong and I will more than likely purchase the next 2.

3.5