Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Touch & Geaux (Cut & Run #7) by Abigail Roux

WOW, what an emotional ride!! I remember when this book was first out there were mixed feeling about it. It's different from the other ones in the series for a few reasons, one being the ANGST, oh, so much angst. While the previous installments were all about them getting together and making the relationship solid, this one had the reverse idea, as big secrets Ty has been holding up are uncovered and they literally breaks their relationship apart. 

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run #6) - Abigail Roux

This one is definitely my favorite book in the series (Well, up until the 8th book since I haven't read the last one yet!). As I"m writing these words I feel like crying that I only finished re-reading the 6th in the series when I just got an email saying that since I pre-ordered the 9th it'll soon be available for download! NO!!! I'm not sure what to do! Should I stop the re-read delve into the last one and then what? finish the re-read or not bother? Or should I go with my OCD tendencies and just finish the two remaining books. What to do.. What to do.. I KNOW I"m going to be stressed out until I finish those two.. ah! Should have planned it better!

So now that I've put my complaints behind me, lets talk about this book. The theme here is coming clean to their families about their relationship. It was funny, emotional, sweet, endearing and heart breaking at times seeing the reaction of both their families to their declarations of love. I also think it's the book they most express their love for one another, in words as well as in deeds, it's obvious from their reactions to one another how close they are and how much they understand and trust each other. 

Thursday, March 26, 2015

More than Life by Garrett Leigh

You'd think a 60 page novella would be unable to give you a full story that would tear your soul apart. You'd be wrong! Garrett can surely do exactly that. This one turned me inside out every single page. There is nothing truly sweet about this love story, not when all around them is death and suffering, yet the friendship, the love, that built between Isa and Mik was beautiful beyond words. 

Mik and Isa meets when Isa (the American CIA Operative) is helping the resistance in Kosovo which is led by Mik's father. There is an instant connection between the two of them, but it takes many encounters for them to feel save enough to act on their growing feelings. Once they do, Mik is almost too scared to hope for a real future for the two of them. 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Misfits (Urban Soul, #1) [Tom & Cass & Jake] by Garrett Leigh

This was was such a beautiful sensitive love story. I must admit, I"m not usually into menage, even though I had another menage mini-series this month (Shivaree by Cara McKenna). I'm usually annoyed by the fact that most feel as though the plot is a side excuse for endless sex scenes. It's so NOT the case here. Even though it was hard for me to understand at certain points, in the end I got what brought the three of them and what made them so perfect together. 

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Awake and Alive (Only Love #1.5) by Garrett Leigh

A sweet and fast read, this one is a free short novella which takes place somewhere after the last chapter in "Only Love" and before the Epilogue. It can be downloaded from the publisher's website - RIGHT HERE.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Only Love (Only Love #1) by Garrett Leigh

Oh lord, I just finished the book and frankly I don't have any intelligent words to utter except for A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-! I loved this novel to pieces. LOVED both MC, rooted for them from the start and yet I really enjoyed the journey they went through mostly together (but also alone and with the people around them) to come out in the end better. Better on the inside and capable of being a part of a couple, being able to lean on each other, as well as offer to be leaned upon. 

Garret had me from the first book I've read by her (from the "Roads" mini series) and this one is no different. She is a cruel woman, mind you, she TORTURES! I do think she likes her characters but she seems to be a real believer in fighting for having something good in your life or maybe sacrificing yourself somehow in order to be worthy of a HEA. Actually I somehow believe in that as well, maybe that's why I"m guessing she does.. I do think that nothing good in your life comes without a price tag, problem is, we never actually SEE the price tag before we find ourselves unable or unwilling to pay for it. I wonder if it means I'm a secret romantic. I really hope not, it would destroy the cynical way I enjoy seeing the world around me ;)

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Do Svidaniya, Good-bye by Cecilia Ryan

I find it hard to rate this short novella. On the one hand it was amazing, the best character development I've ever read in such a short one. It had a beautiful sweet and innocent feel in the beginning when first the two MC - Nathaniel and Konstantin meet, yet it became mature and sexy as they grow up yet I really didn't like the way it ended.. 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Shooting for the Stars (Gravity #3) [Stella Lazarus & Bryan "Bear" Barry] by Sarina Bowen

Another great book and a precious installment in the Gravity Series. Unlike the previous ones, I feel like you should read "Falling From the Sky" - Hank "Hazardous" Lazarus and Callie Anders book before you read this one. The first part of the book starts the day before Hank's accident and so if you haven't read his book, I feel like the next two parts of the book are going to spoiler some things. I think it's just better to get Hank's full story and what happened with him BEFORE you get all the "dry" details of his life in this one. 

In the previous book we got a little glimpse of both MC - Bryan "Bear" Barry and Stella Lazarus. Bear being Hank's best friend and Stella being Hank's sister. Yeah, it's exactly as it sounds - it's the story of the kid sister who falls for her brother's gorgeous best friend. Been there, done that, just unlike Stella I didn't get that hot guy so at least I can console myself with this crushingly beautiful love story where things actually work out in the end! Even if NOT as planned by either one of them. 

Heart by Garrett Leigh

There are no words! this story was absolutely beautiful. I feel like every word I'm going to say about this one won't be able to express how much I enjoyed it and was glued to my place unable to put it down (though life made me do that! which was cruel!).

After reading "Roads" series last month I knew I HAVE to try more books by Garrett. I started looking for her books and found most of them besides one short novella called "Gypsy Rain" which is now unavailable, turns out that short novella is actually the beginning of this one. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Warrior's Cross (Cut & Run side story) by Abigail Roux & Madeleine Urban

A beautiful sensitive love story. I find it interesting that I'm rating this book higher than I did the first time around which was right after the 5th installment of Cut&Run - "Armed and Dangerous". I guess when I first read it, I expected it to be something like the "Sidewinder" spin off series is now but it's nothing like it.

Julian and Cameron appear in "Armed and Dangerous" as a couple Ty and Zane suppose to deposit into Richard Burns hands. Well, it's Julian Burns is after but Cameron sort of "Tags along". Julian and Cameron has a very different relationship than Ty and Zane yet their appearance in front of and so close to them impact them quite a bit. 
This novel gives us the background of how Julian and Cameron met and formed their relationship.  

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Getaway (Shivaree #2) by Cara McKenna

A nice ending to the series or rather love story. I can't say I loved it, it was okay.. I think it's a more rounded to 4 stars than a "real" 4 star rating. I really loved how it worked out, I liked the tender moments (was HIGHLY annoyed with how dysfunctional Shane and Gabriel are most of the time..) and though I had my problems with Shane (right from the beginning) this short novella has a plot that continues the journey Shane started on in the first installment or rather the prequel when he met Gabriel. 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Shivaree (Shivaree #1) by Cara McKenna

Another mesmerizing installment. It's strange, when I think about the characters in this one, the general plot, what happens and the interaction between all of them it's hard for me to pinpoint what I actually liked so much or rather why I didn't dislike the whole of it. But the fact it, like the previous one, there was something very different and intriguing that makes this Erotica novella a lot more than just hot sex (which there was quite a lot of but not too overpowering in my opinion).

Monday, March 9, 2015

Backwoods (Shivaree 0.5) by Cara McKenna

Utterly compelling and impossible to put down. This short novella, which is a prequel to the Shivaree series was nothing like the usual reads I enjoy. Yet I did enjoy it and I'm not even sure I can explain why. 

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Gold Digger (Special Forces spinoff) by Aleksandr Voinov

Continuing with the second spin off to Special Forces. This one of Vadim's son Nikolai. I really didn't think about it when I read Deliverance, but I realized we only got a phone call from Dan (with a mention of Vadim) and in this one Dan is visiting friends so we only got to re-visit Vadim. I think it's because Aleksandr wrote Vadim's POV and Marquesate Dan's POV  but I"m not totally sure about that. It does make sense, though..

We met Nikolai in the last installment of Special Forces as a grown man when Vadim tries to reconnect with his family. I remember the scene where they sit and talk probably for the first time in years. It was heart crushing. I had my hopes back then that it would work between them, both missed too much, even though biologically Nikolai isn't Vadim's son buy Sasha's the man Vadim and Katya shared (and Vadim always thought Katya would have married Sasha and not Vadim if he hadn't died in the war). 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Deliverance: Hooch and Matt's Story (Special Forces spinoff) by Marquesate & T.A. Brown

As obviously mentioned in the title - this book is a spin off to Special Forces the EPIC MM Romance by Marquesate and Aleksandr Voinov that changed everything I ever thought about romance novels (in too many ways to count). This one is written by one of the pair - Marquesate as well as T.A Brown. 

Generally speaking I don't think you NEED to read Special Forces to get this one. What you miss is mostly the forming of a sexual relationship between our MC - ex-Marine Matthew Donahue "Matt" and Delta Force Hubert Bozic "Hooch", both being "acquaintances" of Dan and later on Vadim (the two MC in Special Forces). Yet along the plot of Vadim and Dan, both Matt and Hooch appear and it's obvious that something more is going between them especially after Hooch is being captured and badly injured. 

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Trick Is by Aleksandr Voinov & Gileonnen

This short novella, like the previous one I've read is a free fan fic. It's about Ali and Lawrence from "Lawrence of Arabia" and it be downloaded from Aleksandr's website (right HERE). The novella was published as a charity story to raise money to fight Proposition 8 (banning same sex marriage). 

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Debriefing by Aleksandr Voinov & Marquesate

A short rather intense novella. This one is a free fan-fic of "Black Hawk Down". It can be downloaded from Aleksandr's website (right HERE) I haven't seen the movie or read the book and I"m not sure which of those this one is based of. I guess it doesn't really matter :)

Hoot and Sanderson are on the same Delta team from what I gather, Sanderson having the higher rank. The scene between them takes place after a mission went wrong and Hoot retrieved two bodies of their comrades. They are both wrecked from the inside over it all yet as good soldiers they keep it inside. Sanderson keeps thinking he is glad that Hoot came back but even those words don't come out. 

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry

When I started reading the book I was horrified to realize this is NOT a New Adult series as I remembered (and cataloged) it's a Young Adult! Yet since most of the time the plot evolved around the two main characters who went through enough in their short lives to mature them. 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Freed (Roads #2.5) by Garrett Leigh

While the series was concluded in second installment "Rare", as "Marked" is a free short novella from the first installment "Slide", this one is a free short glimpse from "Rare". it can be found at the publisher's website (click HERE to download). 

Rare (Roads #2) by Garrett Leigh

This is the second and last installment in the Roads series. Well, there is still one free scene in "Freed", yet the love story and the Happily Ever After of Pete Adams and Ash Fagin is here and it couldn't be righter or sweeter. 

The first installment finished with Ash seeing his sister for the first time on the streets of Philadelphia. He didn't know that for sure back then and didn't want to believe he actually has a family member out there, but Ellie did her job well, it WAS her. But that's not the time and place they acknowledge their kinship. It happens later, and totally by mistake. I guessed who she was and how they would meet in the previous installment, I had a feeling it would be similar to the way both Pete and Ash were tormented by the same man for different reasons (I'm talking about Daryl Hunter who abused Ash as a kid and bashed Pete with a bat when he was trying to get Daryl's wife into the ambulance while on duty as a paramedic). I don't want to spoiler so I won't specifically tell you how it happens.