Declan became the man that I wanted to hate but found understanding in
342215
Here we are again with the OBriens. Declan this time around and he is still the arrogant ass that I have come to see from a distance in the other reads from this series. He is sexy. He is confident. He is self-assured. He is a lot of things that could take me time to put in print. But one thing he never anticipating being was unsure, about anything, ever. Declan has been making headway. He has been moving forward in life. He has reach a point and now a new challenge. Working in a department/division that he wants nothing to do with. One of the biggest would be Melissa. She heads the unit that he has been assigned to be the lead attorney for. They have not exactly gotten off on the right foot. Only sparks can make things any more awkward for the two.

Melissa has her own set of rules and guidelines to life. She has her own way of getting things accomplished. She has her own, period. There was something about Declan that just rubbed her wrong (me too on multiple occasions). Declan became the man that I wanted to hate but found understanding in. He was a man that just needed something he was not getting because he could not admit to needing it or anything. He makes many mistakes and Melissa is there for a good share of them.

There are moments of laughs with Melissa in the scene. Declan had some serious moments where I wanted to do bodily harm to him and hug him all at the same time. He is not my favorite of the OBrien bunch but he holds his own.

Cecy has put out another addition to the OBrien Family series that makes you feel and connect on so many different levels for many different reasons.
1944542
Its interesting the ways that people use humor and outlandish comments to hide the scars of their past and present. Meeting Julian in book one of Lila Roses Hawks Motorcycle Club series, I don't think any reader would perceive his backstory to be what it is because Julian is a what you see is what you get kind of person/character. But the more I thought about him after reading Coming Out, Julians humorous and flirty mask fits his persona; it allowed him to cope at the time and then it became who he was, and I couldn't love him more;)

Mattie has definitely been the strong and silent type in the previous stories, so I was glad to get inside his head and understand him better. For four years, he pretended to be someone he wasnt, and he hated himself and those prejudicial bastards around him every minute of that time. But Mattie just needed the right guy to come along to accept him and show him where he belongs, and Julian is definitely that person. Lila Rose did a great job of illustrating Matties fears and insecurities and providing the reasons behind his decision to stay in the closet so long and go along with the actions and attitudes of his teammates.

This is exactly what I wanted for Mattie and Julian's story...although I have to admit, I never picked up on their age difference. I love that Julian never swayed from being who he is and that he helped Mattie feel safe enough to be himself as well. Mattie is a quiet hero, but I guess that makes sense since Julian talks enough for both of them;)

5+ Poison Apples
2265175
This is a story about dealing with what life happens to throw your way and finding a way to accept it and boy was it an emotional ride. Dave was an absolute jerk disguised as a teenage heartthrob. I was so glad Kate was rid of him. Lachlan was amazing and I loved him and Kate together, but I cried with Kate in the end.
2447792
I loved Noelle and Cole relationship. They were into each other from the get go. I was rooting for them to find happiness all the way. Her father was a jerk though. People make mistakes, HUGE mistakes but for her father and sister to hold it over her head like that, so wrong. The way people treated Cole like his was a simpleton just because he couldn't talk... idiots. But it's a good read. I'm looking for more of DH books.
3031643
***I received this book as an ARC for my honest opinion***

More like 4. 5 stars. And really it was strictly because her brother is incredibly annoying. I really enjoyed the main characters. Ive liked Tristian from the other books in the series and Zoe seems like a strong character. Her brother Delmar though,  wow. Seriously awful. Anytime he came up, I wanted to punch him in the face. He makes the worse decisions and it effects his sister.
With that though,  I am ready to see how this story plays out, especially with how it ended. All in all, I really liked it.
3266631
Well, I was worried about his continued obsessive hate of his brother and ex girlfriend because it kind of trivialized what he felt for Piper. I often thought Piper should walk away because he was just too hung up and heart broken over the whole thing to the point I felt like he was still in love with the ex.  That seemed sad to me.  Both character have some issues they have to overcome and there are some miscommunications and assumptions made that could have been cleared up if they would just talk to each other.

All in all, however, I did like the book.  I definitely think it's one that readers should click and read.
2253043
Growing up in an Irish family Ill be the first to admit I can be a bit overprotective when it comes to the Irish. When Im reading anything that sets the scene in Ireland, with Irish characters, uses the Irish mythology, etc and the author isn't Irish Im already going in feeling wary; lets just say Ive been burned with bad literature way too often.

I had my first moment of irritation when sixteen year old Brenna Morgan is introduced to the reader through her complaints of the Irish countryside, its weather, etc. I know its petty, but I warned you  Im overprotective. The spelling errors of Irish words was also a little frustrating.

Aside from my own biases, which Im being up front about, the only true negative I found with the writing was how often supporting characters would tell Brenna part of some information she needed for this journey she was set on, insinuate a bigger picture, and so forth only to answer her questions with various versions of you don't need to know that right now. As the reader it was getting increasingly frustrating feeling like you're not getting the whole picture and always being told, you don't need to know that right now. I was hoping there would come some moment when the characters would finally tell all but by the end of the story I still felt like there were huge chunks of the mythology and background Masters was trying to create here that I never got.

Ive read similar books, written by Irish and UK authors though, where they added something at the end to give a background on the characters as they are described in Irish folklore and any differences to their history/personality the author did in order to tell this story. They would also add a list of Irish phrases and words used along with their definitions in order to help readers that don't have a background of familiarity with the culture or for those of us who do to ease our confusion as to why they altered known symbols. Something like that would feel much more helpful in this book.

A lot of the positives though came in the form of the writing itself which was vividly descriptive so I could see what the character was seeing and feeling although I LOVE the rain and Im happiest when its raining for days on end.

After Masters gets you set up slowly to give you time to understand who Brenna is you're hit with an explosive action scene and she immediately drops you into her version of a mythology using Irish tales not unlike what Riordan has done for the Greeks, Egyptians and the Norse mythologies. Some artistic license was definitely taken so this shouldnt be read believing you're getting a history lesson on the Irish culture just like I would hope anyone who read Riordan would use his work as a stepping stone to the various cultures to find out the truths and history. Its fiction and as such is meant to entertain not educate. If you can approach it from that point of view and ignore the inaccuracies then its a decent story that will keep your attention through to the end.

Im not entirely sure I would recommend this for anyone younger than high school due to a wildly descriptive near sacrifice scene but it all depends on how you raise your kids and what you think they're comfortable with.
4054354
I will admit I thought the H was a scumbag in book 1, so I didn't have high hopes for his rehabilitation in book 2... I was wrong, I fell in love with him when he threw a chair against the wall and kept rooting for him from that point on.
1123970
This story was complicated just as love is I guess. In the conclusion obviously a lot is revealed but for me it made my understanding of Donavan much better.. although he is still an infuriating bastard which I guess is what makes him who he is. Therefore knowing him only validates why Sabrina and his relationship is the furthest thing from conventional. It messy, uncomfortable, erotic but it reflects a love of two individuals that found their way to each other
4889331
4.5 Cranky Stars

I want to climb Zeke yet I want to throw everything in my range at his beautiful face while yelling a thousand curse words at him. I've never hated a character with such force like I hated him. I use hate in the best way though because he is redeemable.

Violet is many things around campus mainly a tutor, a librarian helper and a babysitter for the campus day care. She's had a rough life but manages to find the good in her situation. She has many admirable traits. She may be shy and quiet and painfully normal but she's no pushover. One day she is set to tutor the infamous Zeke yet to her he's just a guy with a bad attitude and failing grades.

Zeke is a jerk. Plain and simple. He hides behind harsh barbs and insults to protect his heart and his emotions. He needs to maintain a good grade point so he hires a tutor and in walks Violet a girl he once insulted at a grocery store. He puts up his wall all the while not realizing this girl was slowly tearing it down. He hates everyone and everything and has had a crappy start to life. Unlike Violet Zeke only sees the bad in his life and thinks everyone is out to leave him.

While this book wasn't the five star as the last one and didn't make me laugh as hard it was still an emotional and funny book. Zeke is damaged and in ways so is Violet. They compliment each other and that made my heart happy. I noticed a few scene inconsistencies and spelling errors but I can't fault that because the book as a whole was refreshing and eye opening. I can't wait for future books.
4194965
I really wanted to hate Colt. I wanted to punch his lights out several times. I don't know how Sarah did it. I was so proud when he went back and she wasn't sitting there waiting on him. That said, this was a really good story and I'm glad he finally got his s*** together.
1285345
When I first started to read this book I wanted to hate it. Vicious was such an ass, he was mean, vengeful and basically Pure Evil. Emilia was the complete opposite and I could sense the goodness in her heart from the beginning. This was a terribly twisted and sad story until the end but you have to read it to find out just what happened to turn it around.
2465759
After rescuing a guy who is all beaten up, realising he is someone she knew at school who she had a crush on, then finding out he is still the arrogant jerk he was back then, Tessa discovers she still likes him despite that. Deacon is arrogant, he also has his Demons. Time in the Army has left him with PTSD, nightmares and a need to forget, which brings him to being beaten and dumped. This is not a straight forward romance but more of a love-hate, hurt and beg forgiveness story, lots of angst and trust issues go side by side with the hot sexual hookups. It is a story with depth, there is a lot under the surface not apparent at first. You want to be angry at Deacon for being such an ass but the more you get to know him and understand why he is like he is the more you grow to understand and love him, you want him to trust Tessa and talk to her explain everything. I was gripped by reading and didn't want to put it down even when I was screaming at Deacon to sort himself out, I found it disturbing but moving, it made me think hard about all those suffering flashbacks and headaches because of PTSD. I feel for anyone going through these issues, scared to risk relationships in case they hurt without meaning to, wary of unexpected noises or crowds that can send them in a spiral out of control. Tessa is strong, feisty and loyal to those she cares for even if they don't deserve it, seemingly. Great story and well worth reading.
19049
I truly hated the H at times but the author was clever enough to make her readers want him to be changed by love for the h. I think she managed it by giving us insight into his thoughts. It was a bit of a bodice ripper and the beginning really was awful to read, he treated the h despicably but she was a bit feisty too. Anyway it was worth reading and the ending was wonderful. We also didn't have to wait until the bitter end to discover that he loved her after all.
1079152
I really loved Simon and Declan's story. Simon, the narrator, is an arty guy, he's been out for a while and he is sometimes snarky and sometimes cynical. His best friend Roger and his wife Fran are the only people he's very close to. He shares an insane passion for Australian football with Roger and one night, at a party he didn't want to attend in the first place, he defends Declan Tyler, a god of football, without realizing that the guy is listening to him.

The beginning of the story shows Simon as a single young man who seems to keep everybody at a distance. He keeps dismissing the things he's most sensitive about in part because he wants to deal with them at his own terms and in part because he probably doesn't want complications. He is self-deprecating and it's probably a way to protect himself, as if he's trying to warn people not to expect too much from him or to expect to be disappointed by him. There were moments I wanted to hug him and moments I wanted to slap him.

Declan is the star footballer and he is in the closet, not even his family knows about it. We don't see the story from his point of view and I don't know if we can trust Simon - who is somewhat self-absorbed - but Declan seems a bit lonely and Simon is for him like a breath of fresh air. Simon doesn't tip-toe around Dec's celebrity persona, he respects Dec's decision not to come out and he tries to make the best out of it. Declan is a very sweet guy and it's clear that he struggles to be right for Simon.

I liked reading of them as a couple and watching the development of their relationship through its ups and downs. They have big misunderstandings, they are both impulsive - Simon more so - and I thought their reactions were believable, especially because they were living a very stressful moment. I appreciated the way they both grew as partners and persons in the arc of the story.

Roger and Fran - Simon's best friends - are secondary characters but they were wonderful and they provided a lot of funny moments, because they nailed Simon's flaws but at the same time they were always there for him. Simon's family is a bit weird and it was evident that in their own way they were trying to do the right thing by Simon, even if they didn't fully succeed. I think most of Simon's relationship with his family remained unwritten, but the awkwardness came through. Even if his family was supportive, it wasn't perfect or politically correct and it was a nice change if compared to the stereotyped super-supportive or stereotyped gay-bashing families of some books.

I'd recommend this story to romantic readers who like to hold the hands of their heroes as they go through difficult times to earn their deserved happy ending.
2347902
Wow, so I've finally started the Douchebag series after hearing about this book for over a year. And I've got to say, I actually understand the hype.

I've been so scared to read this series because I can't stand man-whore heroes who treat women like crap and well, this book definitely has an abundance of this. Not only is the hero a huge douchebag but his friends are too. I mean, some of the stuff that comes out of their mouths makes me so freaking angry I wanted to knock them out. But at the same time, I found myself charmed by them, well mostly Oz. I like that he goes through some character development throughout the book but he also doesn't change so dramatically like "oh suddenly I'm not a douchebag anymore now that I've found love" because that's never realistic. He's still a douche, but he's just not like that to the heroine which I love.

The heroine, James is such a relatable and strong young woman. I was rooting for her from the very beginning. I love how she didn't let Oz get to her and how she could dish it right back to him. Her group of friends were very nice too though I wish we'd seen her spend more time with them and just in general we got to know more about her outside of college.

This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning and I actually read like three quarters of it in one sitting because I couldn't stop reading. This book also brought out a lot of emotions for me. One scene in particular...oh boy I was so angry I was about to DNF but thank goodness I kept reading because the author seriously almost gave me a heart attack with her plot twist. This book wasn't perfect, I felt like there were some things that were glossed over rather than explained more thoroughly on screen like it was needed and there were quite a few grammatical errors throughout but I will say it's definitely an entertaining read. Overall, I'm glad I finally read this book and I'm excited (and a little scared) to read the next one!
4485302
3.5 Stars
Dear Sebastian,

I love the way that you and Ali met and the subsequent run-ins afterwards. Ali sure likes to show you her butt, huh? I think the way that you guys became better friends with each new run in and when you decided to take your attraction to her a step further was sweet and realistic.
I think that your family sucks and I wish that you didn't have to deal with them or that they would've seen the light while you were away, just like you had wished. I hate that your dad thinks that he has control over your life and the way that you choose to live it. I hate that he screwed Ali's family a long time ago and that it came back to bite you in the butt. I really do hope that you and Ali can find your happy ever after without his interference.
I'm sorry that you guys lost Gavin but, honestly, I'm still unsure of what happened to him. It's still not really been told what exactly happened and I'm still curious why Harper was investigating it in Duty Bound (Book #1). I wish I had a clearer understanding of the actual events and why both you and Levi feel guilty. I mean I get it, you were with him and he was your friend, so there's always guilt that it should have been you or that there was something you could have done, but maybe it's something more?
I'm also interested in the learning more about your security company. I wish that your story had been longer and had delved deeper into the facts. Hopefully each story will add more pieces to the big picture. Declan and Cole will be getting their story, right?

Thanks for your service,
Jaime

*I received an ARC from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review