I really loved this book! 4.5 Stars!
351693
I really loved this book! 4.5 Stars!

We met Max in the first book of this series, Big Shot. He co-owns a real estate brokerage firm with his 3 best friends, including Wes, the hero from book 1. He's a broker and he's very good at his job. He's been looking, for about 3 months, for a new commercial property for Hailey's matchmaking business. He's now found the perfect place. He'd be thrilled, if only that didn't mean the end of his association with her. But, he thinks she's engaged to someone else.

Hailey is a matchmaker, and a great one. She's made a successful business out of it, after a lot of hard work. She has a thing for Max, but she doesn't think he'd ever look at her twice, since she's not a skinny model-type, like most of the women he's dated. Also, she wears an engagement ring, because of her business. What kind of matchmaker doesn't have a man of her own, right? She's let everyone think she's engaged for a quite a while, including Max. When they run into a former client of hers, the client assumes that Max is her infamous fiance, and things progress from there. He's shocked and thrilled to discover she's not actually engaged. Max has an issue going on as well, so they agree to help each other out by faking an engagement, with benefits, of course!

Max and Hailey had chemistry like whoa, which is ALL new for Hailey. She's dated here and there, but after a bad experience in college, she's never let it progress to the physical level, past kissing. She has some major hangups about her body, and her appeal to a guy like Max. She has a ton of confidence when comes to her business, but basically none in her personal life, as her self-esteem is level is slim to none. Her best friend and business partner is good for her and is constantly pushing her to go outside her comfort zone. Meanwhile, the antagonist in this story was so hateful, and you really wanted to reach through the book and knock her out. The authors did a great job with that character, and using her as a device to continue to make Hailey doubt herself. But, Max lays on the charm and Hailey can't help herself. While they are having fun, she's getting scared, because while she comes to believe Max is attracted to her, she has no belief that she could actually have a future with him.

I really enjoyed Max and Hailey's relationship. It seemed effortless for them to fall for each other, though inside herself, Hailey is constantly worried about what will happen. Also, neither of them are super thrilled about lying to his family, especially after they treat Hailey so well and she begins to feel terrible about it. Hailey had a lot of personal issues to overcome in order to be happy in a relationship, and it was heartbreaking watching her work through those. Some of them I can definitely relate to, and it made me want to cry every time she ran away from a situation because she was scared. Max really seemed to understand her and wanted to make her feel cared for, and I loved him for that!

Max was a sweetheart, and I loved Hailey for bravely fighting her demons, and overall this book was a delight. I enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait to read about the other 2 guys, Kyle and Connor, in the next 2 books!
1736384
4.5 Stars!!I really loved this one. Sam Young has such a great formula for writing romance and Moonlight on Nightingale is no exception. The chemistry, banter, writing, and storyline all flow together so well that takes you on the journey with the characters. This whole series has been one of my favorites.

Grace was a lovely heroine. She's the kind of women I love to read about in books. She's witty and smart and not all whiny. Grace has a troubled past that's made her a bit introverted and insecure but she doesn't let that stop her from living her life and trying to move on. She jumps over her obstacles instead of treating them like road blocks. Although she tries to avoid confrontation at all cost, something about Logan brings out the snark in her. Boy can she get sassy with this broody Scott!

"Logan Macleod was an arrogant pain in my arse."

When we first meet Logan, he is a broody, in your face, man slut. He's a new neighbor in Grace's apartment building and his late night antics are driving her crazy! She's tired, sick of his arrogance and just wants him to go away. But the more confrontations she has with him, the more she feels something for him too. Theres a connection thereeven though she doesnt want to admit it. Yes, hes arrogant, broody and a bit of an arse but hes so much more and has his own demons hes trying to deal with.

Are you always this deliberately irritating? I huffed, mirroring his stance by crossing my arms over my chest. To my surprise, this caused Logans lips to twitch, and his eyes started dancing with humor. I only seem to irritate you. He cocked his head to the side. I wonder why that is. Because, I whined, my head lolling with exasperation and tiredness, Im sleep deprived, and its all your fault, you bloody wretched manwhore. Well, this is a whole other side to you. Its quite unpleasant. I may have to speak to the landlord about it. I cant take this kind of abuse. My head jerked upright and I glowered at him. I swear if you don't start taking this seriously I will push you down those stairs. Now you're threatening my life. He tsked. That won't do at all. I loved the banter between these two!!

I absolutely adored where the storyline went (of course Im not telling) and all the emotion behind it. Grace and Logans characters unfolded perfectly and their story was paced to almost perfection. It was a great mix of emotional, funny and sexy. The epilogue was icing on the cake too. We may or may not get a glimpse of our other favorite characters from this series. ;) You just cant go wrong with a Samantha Young book.
ARC kindly provided by PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance
1359021
4.5 stars!

This book definitely kicked a**. I loved it. This is not my first book by Kim but as of now it is hands down my favorite one written by her.

Elle gave up her life to take care of her niece who she loves as though she was Elles own daughter. Logan is a lawyer who helps is father but his family is also in the mob but he wants nothing to do with that. Elle and Logan meet not in the best circumstances. Both their lives are complicated but intertwined and they never meet until the day at the office.

Now, theyve got 7 days to make things better. Trust me, theres so much that happens in those days its kind of hilarious. The banter between the two was something that I enjoyed, the chemistry was there and the writing was great.

There were some parts that were fast paced and that was frustrating but other than that, this book kept me on my toes until that cliffhanger ending. I never knew what was going to happen and then I realized that this book was done. That ending definitely has me begging for more and I cant wait to read it!

**I received an arc for an honest review!
2535448
I am giving this book 4.5 Stars.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. There was drama, suspense, thrills, romance, mystery. The list is endless. I actually could not put this book down.  Jamie is such a talented writer. Her writing was effortless, she really knows how to transfer the reader into a story.

I loved all the characters in this book. I loved Rory, Cy, Dr Z, and even Benji.  I loved the tug and pull romance of this book. I love that I was questioning more than one character on their loyalty.

I honestly really like this book.  I think it was a great, thrilling read. This was myfirst book where I have two crushes.. Cy and Benji... If I was Rory, I would not be able to decide.

I love Jamie McGuire books! I think she hit a home run with this one. It's nice branching into other genres. She did an amazing job.
955474
A friend of mine loved this book so much she's told me I had to read it. I always listen to my friends when they give me recommendations because they know me. So I was really excited to read this. I did go in totally bind, didn't read the description or reviews.

Cord was different then many heros I've read in the past. He had this confidence about himself that I loved!  I don't want to spoil reader experience of him, but I will say, that he was the total package and more!

Dana knew what she wanted and I loved seeing a heroine that didn't want to play games!

The plot was very light hearted but at the same time you can feel some tension that is going on. I don't want to give too much away about the plot because it's one of those plots that everything seemed to be very important, but I loved it!!

Overall, the author did an amazing job with not only these characters, but the secondary characters played a huge role in this book. I would love to see some of their stories told in the future! 5 stars #2OCCJD
2879797
4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed He Found Me and you may be thinking, 'then why only 4.5 stars?', let me tell you. This can easily be a 5 star read. Hell, it is. The main characters, Andra and Julian, felt real and I freaking loved their back and forth banter. It wasn't insta-love, it was insta-lust and that made it even better. You clearly feel the sexual tension between them and it'll have you waiting for that right moment when everything just clicks. I loved everything about this book except for that one part at the ending. I will not tell you about it. You need to read this book. ;) Reading that part had me tearing up a bit and wishing someone got a broken ankle or something to keep them from running. Seriously...I didn't want it to happen. The moments before that were just so perfect!!

Andra comes from a very heartbreaking past. Losing family to having a family member abuse you will seriously f*ck you up so she's closed off and doesn't let anyone in. The exception being Rosa and Six (both know the real Andra; Cora) who play a really big part in Andra's life. And then comes Julian. That man had me at 'he's a writer' and then everything that left his mouth just made me love him even more. He and Andra are so alike that you just know they're meant for each other. He's sweet, has a way with words (and looks) damn, those looks that he gives Andra...and those dates...

Back to the point before I start swooning again about how perfect and fun they were. This was a very enjoyable read with just the right amount of mystery, romance and suspense. And witty comebacks. And a swoon worthy author. And...I need to stop now!

This was a great debut and I look forward to reading more from you Whitney! :D

I would definitely recommend this book and I can't wait for book 2!!
4873438
4.5 stars. This is definitely a book that I wish I would have read sooner. From the very beginning I loved both Laine and Noel. Between his dedication and her reaction, I knew I was in for a fun ride. I must admit that I am sucker for stories about rekindling an old love. I love how hard Noel fought for their relationship. I kept forgetting that he was a big rock star because he seemed so real and genuinely committed to Laine. He made mistakes, but he really did want to do right by Laine, and that was so endearing to me.

I do wish we had a little more insight about the four years they were apart, especially regarding Noel and the choices he made during that time. I think that would have helped the twist at the end come together a bit more. Really I just loved their story so much that I wanted more of them any way I could get it. This was such a fun read that made my heart happy, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
3379579
This book brought up a lot of emotions in me. I really enjoyed reading it.
After getting a taste of Hazel and Robbie in Fragments, I was really glad to hear they were getting their own story, and it did not disappoint. Yes, Fragments gave us a bit of a spoiler to this one, but it didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of it.

In Fragments we met Trice and Alex. Now we have Trices brother and Alexs best friend Robbie, along with Trices best friend Hazel. Both these leads are just so engaging and easy for me to love.

Hazel - she was strong, yet vulnerable. My heart went out to her. The treatment she gets from so many different directions is truly appalling, and it was just honestly hard to imagine that some of the supporting characters could be as awful as they were. Ill bite my tongue from saying more. I love the fact that she was a performer and the strength and confidence she gets from that. She was a dedicated friend and

Have to admit - I fell in love with Robbie, I loved him even more than I loved Alex in Book 1. He was sweet, intense and somewhat introverted which I always love. The extent of his feelings for Hazel and the way he held on to those feelings throughout the years is really touching to see, and I love the way he fights for her and it was so good seeing the way they are when they're together. Their chemistry was sweet, scorching, it was so good.

MR Field did a great job with this novel. So far the series is only getting better, I love the snippets we get of the other characters, and I am really looking forward to the next instalment. It promises to be full of fireworks!
I received a copy of this book as a gift.
3745929
I absolutely loved this book. Well deserved 5 stars from me! Awesome start to the series.
3768276
I was wowed by most of the elements of this one! There was one big thing that made me round my 4.5 star rating down to 4 stars, but everything else made this one a really strong book

The world was fantastic and surprising! It had a Rome-like-ness that I really liked. There were some bits of supernatural and an interesting conflict between classes. Above all, though, the the world of An Ember in the Ashes was BRUTAL. The brutality was exhibited by so many of the characters, but I got the best sense of it through the nature and outcomes of the trials.

The trials were awesome. I love books like this! Trial, challenges, and the like seem to split books into sections and give something extra to look forward to. The challenges in An Ember in the Ashes were true ones--definitely not wimpy or underwhelming--with plenty of twists. They were incredibly cruel and SAD (one or two of them made me cry). They were also fresh, and not like ones from many other books.

Laia was great! I loved how deeply she felt emotions. She did feel a little naive, but part of that was due to desperation. Plus, it gave her a lot of room to grow. I loved Elias, too! I loved his personal conflict with freedom. There's not much I can say about him, though. I liked Helene, though I always saw her as the possible love interest that I didn't want to be a love interest. I probably would've appreciated this fierce character more if I hadn't seen her in that light. I oftentimes felt sorry for her because of her role in the romance. She had a lot of potential character growth, and I'm hoping it'll show up in the sequel.

The romance was greatest flaw, and since it's one of my favorite things to look for as I read, it prevented me from LOVING the book in an all caps way. You know, the WHOA, WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK kind. Instead, I loved it in a lowercase way. It was a confusing romance! I never knew who to root for--I barely even knew who I wanted to root for. There seemed to be two triangles stuck together with only one pairing that I actually liked. I saw Laia and Elias' chemistry, but no chemistry between the other pairings.

Overall, An Ember in the Ashes was a strong fantasy set in a fantastic, brutal world. Even though the confusing romance prevented me from falling completely in love with the book, I was pretty happy with how this series kicked off.
2995821
I really loved this book! I love how it was told from the viewpoint of two twins! I can't wait to read book 2, I'm going to have to go to the bookstore tomorrow to buy it!! :-D

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this from the author. I'm reviewing voluntarily. All thoughts expressed are my own.
3157152
Totally loved this book - one of my favorites this year! Matt and Hannah meet as online writing partners, but their relationship quickly moves from there. Rather than give a synopsis of the plot - there are plenty of those out there already - I'll tell you some of the things I loved about this book.

One, the relationship between the characters is dynamic, not static. Over the course of the book, the character I perceived to be the "strong" one shifted as the plot unfolded.

Two, it has enough angst to keep me emotionally hooked, and the angst comes from within the characters in a way that is intimately connected with the developing plot.

Three, the sex is kinky and hot!

As far as I'm concerned, this is an outstanding book...and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!
4728500
I lost him because I was too scared to try to keep him for fear of losing himI have spent the last four years of my life scared to death that I had lost the other piece of myself. -Ruby

Scared to Death is a fantastic story, and I loved C.S. Latus natural and flowing writing style! The title may be a bit misleading, because this story was not scary at all, but it was definitely angsty! It is a friends- to-lovers romance with a bumpy terrain, to say the least. I really enjoyed both Ruby and Noahs characters. Their friendship was touching, their separation was heartbreaking, and the miscommunications were oh-so-frustrating! In the end, I was so glad that Ruby and Noah got their happy ending, but man, a little communication would have gone a long way in regards to developing their relationship and resolving their problems. The catch 22 in the above quotes is really the pinnacle of Scared to Death.

The secondary characters were fun and likable as well. Rachel was a wonderful sister and friend, Mr. Gafanan was so great, and Norse and Kelsey also helped to liven up the story. The last chapter of the book makes me wonder if maybe Norses story will be coming soonI sure hope so, because I would really love to read it!

C.S. Latus writing style flowed well, her characters were likable, and she wrote some fantastically quick, humorous, and lighthearted banter between them! A little editing could have improved the book grammatically, but it really didn't detract from the greatness of Noah and Rubys story in the end.

Scared to Death reminded me of Present Perfect by Alison Bailey, in that they are both angsty friends-to-lovers stories. If you liked Present Perfect, Scared to Death may be just the book for you (or vice versa)!

**A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**
1072977
I really enjoyed this book by M.E. Tudor. It was my 1st book by this author and my favourite of hers yet. "Judge Not" is actually a sequel to "The Wrong Place At The Right Time." But fear not, you don't really need to read its predecessor first in order to follow the story of this book. The main protagonist of this book, Ashley, was introduced briefly in "The Wrong Place..." whilst the other protagonist wasn't.

I really loved Jean. Also known as "The Judge," the dominatrix, Jean was whom Ashley had been seeing for a year. However, Ashley, decided one day that she wanted to be in a serious relationship instead of just playing a role for The Judge. So she ended their arrangement, much to Jean's fury. I loved the chemistry between Jean and Ashley. Even though they ended things abruptly and badly, when Jean was in trouble, Ashley was there for her. Their push-pull connection, Jean's need to be dominating but Ashley wouldn't allow her to, made for an intriguing dynamic. Although Jean didn't show just how much she cared for Ashley during their Dom/sub partnership except anger & coldness toward Ashley all that while especially their break-up, giving Ashley the impression that she only cared about the D/s play, hence, no possibility of a real relationship, Tudor's brilliant words depicted Jean's inner emotions, struggle, sadness, and insecurity perfectly. I could feel all her emotions that splayed on the pages in affective words which gave me a thorough understanding of what she was going through, especially when she lost Ashley as her bedroom play partner and then got herself into a bad situation that could destroy her career! Talk about having a bad time!

Ashley, underneath it all, had a deep affinity to Jean, no matter how hard she tried to stay away from her after the break-up. When Jean had no choice but to seek Ashley's help with her awful predicament, Ashley jumped at it without question and persisted in helping Jean in any way she could, personally and professionally. I loved the connection that Ashley and Jean had as they nervously forged a quiet friendship despite their less-than-ideal past. I got to ride with them as they journeyed through their friendship which gradually turned into a deeper, emotional relationship. It was a thoroughly addictive ride as I devoured the pages quickly, getting more excited when it looked like they'd fall in love and venture into a real, romantic relationship! The relatively slow-burn pace was a delight because I wanted to see how Jean reconciled with true feelings for Ashley and let go of her inner struggle, her insecurities about falling in love and giving her heart to someone who knew her weaknesses, constantly challenged her, someone who could go toe-to-toe with her real self and her dominatrix character at any given time. In the end, the love Jean had for Ashley grew deeper and her yearning for Ashley to be in her life got stronger, ultimately winning over Ashley's heart, body and soul. Well, what do ya know! Ashley literally tamed the previously untamable dominatrix, good and proper! Awwww.....ADORBS!

In summary, "Judge Not" was a thoroughly exciting, intriguing story to read. I literally inhaled it at top speed! It was quite original (at least I never read anything like it before!), the kink play was written tastefully and the pace of their romance was exceptionally relevant and appropriate as Tudor deftly weaved the plot into the nook of how they really felt for each other. The plot was brilliantly portrayed especially because of my love for legal/law subject matters!

I applaud Tudor for creating such a memorable character like Jean! A long-time dominatrix who happens to be....a JUDGE!!!! FCK ME!!! I LOVE IT!! Well done, Ms. Tudor!

All in all, this book was a bloody good read! I recommend it!
4872274
Oh Oliver and Seb :) I just loved this book! The character development was really good and I was extremely happy with the story. It is a little emotional but I think the author did a great job of balancing out the super emotional pieces to the story and the more lighthearted pieces. I really enjoyed this book and this authors writing!!
1106890
I truly loved this book! I loved the heroine. Honestly, her wit and humor was just up my alley and so very refreshing. As for the male lead, he may be my new book crush. I couldn't believe how sweet and kind he was, and I loved how he really got her humor, and her reason for using it. While he appreciated her funny parts, he knew there was so much more than that, and wasn't satisfied with her pat answers.

Overall, this was one of the best books I've read in the YA genre, and I have a feeling I'll be reading it again and again.
3424152
I loved this book!  It was passionate and funny and I could barely put it down.  I fell in love with Declan, one of the main characters.  I didn't think I would at first, since he's not your typical hero, but the more I read the more I thought he was an irresistible character.

It opens with Kate running into her old boyfriend Ben, who broke her heart years ago.  The book takes you from the present to the past in the first few chapters, showing Ben and Kate's relationship.  It's really fun and you totally get why Kate never got over Ben.  He comes back into her life at the same time that things are heating up with Declan, a reformed Irish bad boy.  I also quite like Kate, as she is reliable and has a great sense of humor.  There's a lot of witty dialogue with some super funny situations.  It's definitely steamy too (those scenes are superb!).  Fire Down Below is a very fitting title!

The book gives me that feeling of falling in love.  The romance is so real.  I could go on, but I don't want to give everything away.  I will say one more thing though, that some of the love scenes really moved me - especially in the second half of the book.  They were so emotional and intimate.  I wish this author had a backlist!  Apparently she is coming out with another book soon.  If it's anywhere near as good as this one she's going to be a new auto-buy for me!