Review ~ The Consolation Duet by Corinne Michaels

Consolation (The Consolation Duet 1)

ebook purchased by myself

Release Date: March 18th 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Liam wasn’t supposed to be my happily ever after.
He wasn’t even on my radar.
He was my husband’s best friend—forbidden.

But my husband is dead and I’m alone. I ache for him and I reach for Liam.

One night with Liam changed everything. Now I have to decide if I truly love him or if he’s just the consolation prize.

My Opinion

A heartbreaking read that captured my interest and emotions. Be warned there is a major cliff-hanger and you'll need book 2 straight away. I ended up reading both books back-to-back in a day.

4

Conviction (The Consolation Duet 2)

Paperback purchased by myself

Release Date: May 27th 2015

Publisher: BAAE Publishing

Description:
I fell in love with Liam only to be left shattered into a million pieces. Again. The idea of being without him cripples me but the reality is, he’s gone.

He doesn’t understand and I can’t make him. 

If only he’d see the conviction behind my words—then Liam would still be here.

My Opinion

This drew me in as much as book one. I liked the emotional intensity and drama, even if I think there were a few loose ends with Jackson and Mark's business. I also wasn't a fan of the ending. It needed to feel more natural to me and this all felt abrupt. Maybe that was because I was so caught up in the book. Either way a moving and emotional duet. I will definitely read more by this author.

4

Reviews ~ Choices 1 & 2 by Ellie Wade

A Beautiful Kind of Love (Choices 1)

Paperback purchased by myself

Release Date: April 11th 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Every choice has a consequence.

I believe in soul mates. Why? Because I have one and his name is Jax Porter.

I have known Jax my whole life and I have loved him with every breath I’ve ever taken. The fact that we were born a mere month apart to mothers that are best friends has made us inseparable since birth.

What we have is so rare, one would think our story would be written, our fate sealed. But, unfortunately that’s not how life works. Life offers us many choices that can turn destiny into chance.

I now find myself heading toward a destination that I could have never imagined and I have to figure out where to go from here. 

Will the choices that have been made change our path forever or will fate find its way?

My Opinion

This was a touching, frustrating, but overall enjoyable book to read. I liked the idea behind it, but god I wanted to bang the characters' heads together. They were so frustrating, especially Jax and his decisions. I'm not going to say much since I bought this for pleasure reading, but I had to move on straight to book 2 immediately because of the cliffhanger.

4

A Forever Kind of Love (Choice 2)

Paperback purchased by myself

Release Date: June 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
Every choice has a consequence.

I believe in soul mates. Why? Because I have one and her name is Lily Madison.
I’ve loved Lily my whole life. She’s all I’ve ever known. All I’ve ever seen. Everything. To me, she is perfect. 
Sometimes, when something has always been there, it is hard to recognize it for what it is. It is easy to take for granted. I didn’t realize how deeply Lily was ingrained in every fabric of my soul because I’d never had to feel her absence. 
It’s all so obvious now, but at the time it was not. I had to figure it out on my own.
I wish I could have realized what it was that was truly important in life because once choices are made and paths are altered…it is so hard to go back, sometimes impossible. 
I know this because I stand here with a two-carat engagement ring in my hand waiting to ask someone to be my wife. I’m ready to love and cherish her ‘til death do us part. But, there is just one problem. 
She isn’t Lily. 

Will the choices that have been made change our path forever or will fate find its way?

My Opinion

This was an okay read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I could have, but unfortunately too much of the book re-hashed the story from A Beautiful Kind of Love just in Jax's POV. Though it was nice to hear from him, I think the author should have written both books in dual POV if she wanted to do this as I ended up skimming the first third, which was basically the same story. I wanted the book to get to the point quicker and pick up from the cruel cliffhanger book one left on.

Saying that, once it finally did get going it was touching and moving. It was also equally frustrating, even more so since most of this book is written in Jax's POV. If there was an award for stupid, incomprehensible decisions it would have to go to Jax. It made for an interesting read though. There was a lot of back and forth in the relationship areas, but I found myself enjoying it and I'd more than likely read more by this author.

3

ARC Review ~ Tell Me You Want Me (Search and Seduce, #2) by Joya Ryan

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: January 4th 2016

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Description:
She’s getting dirty with the bad boy…

Determined to find her inner badass and save her business, boutique owner Michelle Ruby signs up for a twenty-four hour survival class. Except, she’s the only person who registered, and the guide is a sex-on-a-stick G.I. Joe come to life. Between his massive muscles, smoldering blue eyes, and “there’s no crying in camping” attitude, she’s in trouble…in more ways than one.

Search and rescue squad member Dex Young never thought he’d be roped into teaching “survival skills” to pageant queens. His sole student is upper class, upper state, and sexy as hell. And he has a sneaking suspicion that beneath her tight updo and designer jeans, there’s a sex kitten waiting to claw her way out.

But Dex knows women like her. Knows they only bring guys like him home to piss off their daddies. If it’s the bad boy experience she wants, she’ll get it. And Dex? Well, he can’t wait to find out just how dirty Michelle’s willing to get…

My Opinion

Tell Me You Want Me sounded like a book that was right up my alley. Hot survival expert? Yep. Wilderness training alone? Yep. Everything about that had loads of potential for passion and romance. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

I struggled to engage with the characters if I'm honest. I didn't feel they were developed enough, but rather they were almost cookie cutter moulded with a standard, simple background that wasn't tied up. There wasn't enough detail for me to actually feel anything.

Similarly, although there were a few steamy moments, I didn't really buy into the connection between Dex and Michelle. Sometimes it was cheesy and I just lost interest as the book went on until I was skimming.


Overall this just didn't work for me. Maybe my expectation were too high? I don't know, but there didn't feel like there was enough emotional depth or story. I didn't know who or what to root for. There's potential, but I think more detail and book is needed.

2

Review ~ The Moment of Letting Go by J.A. Redmerski

Paperback purchased by myself

Release Date: August 11th 2015

Publisher: Forever Romance

Description:
Sienna Murphy never does anything without a plan. And so far her plans have been working. Right after college, she got a prestigious job and gained the stability she'd always craved-until work takes her to the sun-drenched shores of Oahu and places her in the path of sexy surfer Luke Everett. For the first time, she lets her heart take control. Drawn to his carefree charm, she makes a spontaneous and very un-Sienna-like decision to drop everything and stay in Hawaii for two more weeks.

Luke lives fast and wild. When he meets Sienna, he's convinced that some no-strings-attached fun is just what she needs. As their nights quickly turn from playful to passionate, Luke can't deny the deep connection he feels. But there's a reason Luke doesn't do long-term. He can't promise Sienna forever, when the enormity of his past has shown him just how fragile the future can be . . .

My Opinion

This read grew on me. At one point I didn't think I'd make it to the end, but I stuck it out and things became more interesting as they went so I'm glad I did.

For me The Moment Of Letting Go, took awhile to get going. I found it hard to connect with the characters and their story to begin with. Only when I hit the 50% mark did I start to engage with them. Once I did though, I really enjoyed their story. I liked Luke's freedom and I felt for him. I understood Sienna's reasoning but I'm glad things work out.


Overall, it was a slow read that built gradually. It's one I had to work at to get through for the first half, but after that I really enjoyed it.

3

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you for all of the support in 2015. I'm looking forward to more great reads this year.

I hope 2016 brings you all that you want.

Sienna