3.5 stars okay not excellent...
355186
*Received a copy in exchange for an honest review
I don't know about this book...
the beginning for me was hard to understand it seemed to jump around a lot and it was a little confusing for me that you jumped from the Dad's perspective to Vanessa's...

I tried so hard to love this book but I just felt it was lacking something... some parts of the story were good and I did like the way he fell her her head over heals from the start.

It was nice when they meet and he is charmed then she falls into the ocean and get Amnesia and he tells her she's his wife. It was cute at times and a little bit more like a young teen romance than an adult romance. Maybe ages 13-16 would be a good fit for this book...although the faded out sex scenes might be a bit advanced for 13 would fit nicely with 14 year olds.

I do believe that it needs a bit of polish in order to clean up some of the start at least the first six chapters or so because it was jumping around from one perspective to another. The book wasn't awful it had potential but it just needs someone to go back and eliminate some of the jumping around from head to head and the dialogue in some places needs work.

It wasn't a terrible read and what other reviewers where saying is true that the romance part was sweet but not really melt your heart good.

I do think that Michael's thoughts seemed much younger than his age and Vanessa's thoughts were sometimes not expressed well.

but getting back to the plot...
 She finds out after months that he's not her husband and that she was rich they make up and she is preggers. He asks her to marry him and they end up with a HEA

All in all I give it a NSEPE or 3.5 - stars because I found a lot of the enjoyment was lost in that first part because I was confused in several places...
785155
3 Stars  3 Flames

This is a hard one to review. I have mixed feelings about how I feel about, not only the storyline, but also the way it was written. As you can see, Ive given it 3 stars, so theres obviously something there. Ill try to write this without too many spoilers.

Ive read my share of BDSM books and this, in my opinion, doesnt seem right. Yes, the female runs a secret club (thanks to Grandpa), but hasn't even experienced the lifestyle. Although we know that shes running the business out of necessity due to her inheritance, it seems as though everyone around her knows the lifestyle, except her. So when she meets the bad boy rock star that dominates her, her reaction throws me off and is honestly off-putting for the remainder of the story.

The rock star is forced to portray an image thanks to his label. And then he makes comments about dominating in the bedroom for real after hes described as a dom. Its confusing. Even hes confused, which makes it a little more confusing. Once he embraces the dom roll, he almost takes it overboard, especially for someone who didn't practice it regularly. And doms don't have to chase after their subs. He was ALWAYS running after her.

While the above mentioned were my issues with the storyline, the flow of the read didn't work for me. There was almost too much drawn out scenes/sections about body parts and how things were being perceived. Then it was as though other parts were just skipped over and quickly addressed to get to something else.

All and all, it was okay. I enjoyed reading some parts, but others I was just ready to call it quits. I think that if the storyline issues I had weren't so important to the actual story, I could have overlooked the flow issue.

*I was given a copy of this book as a gift from The JeepDiva in exchange for an honest review.
3295655
I'm a Ashley and Ja fan....I have read all there books so it was only right for me to read this one....and the book was okay it wasn't all that too me....I wasn't really feeling it at first but then it got better.....I was mad that the only girl out of the three that didn't get they happy ending was Ragean....everytime she was close something stopped it from happening....I liked Nah but I expected more from his character he definitely wasn't a Carter,Indie,Ethic,Von,Snow,Zy,or Chase....I knew Reason was flaw from the beginning he got what he deserved....
3477773
This has some potential but I think the characters can be hard to connect with and sometimes they are just not terribly likable.  There are also a couple of plot holes that really should not be there.  The pacing seems a little on the fast, that meant it was a fast and easy read but things are a little rushed.  I'm a little undecided if I'm going to read the second book when it comes out.
1149496
The story itself is good. But the togetherness of romance and the historic part didn't really go together well. Overall I liked, but i thought it could have been better executed.
1805892
After reading such eloquent, positive reviews, I was excited to read Lydia. Overall, I felt like this was an above average romance, but it didn't quite make it to the 4/5 star level for me. I appreciated the well-written dialogue and enjoyed the evolving relationship between young Charles and his uncle. I thought the secondary characters were well done, too. I wasn't that crazy about Lydia herself, though; she seemed pleasant but a little unremarkable to engage the hero's devotion. With only about 20% left in the book, the plot took a bit of an unexpected turn--the action didn't seem to fit with the feel of the rest of the book. I would love to rate this 3.5 stars, but since I can't, I will bump it to 4. It was a nice story, but I didn't find myself highlighting passages or going back to reread. I do believe most will enjoy this. Plus, it's at a nice price point.
2940339
2.5 stars. I started reading this book in the hopes that the story would redeem itself from the third installment but sadly, while it may have been better than the third, it was no where close to being as strongly written as the first two installments.  I felt there was too much and yet not enough; too much unnecessary drama, too much unjustifiable internal and external conflicts and dare I say, too much gratuitous sex that felt more filler than story forwarding.  To me, it felt like this book was another bridge to the conclusion but a bridge that never needed to be crossed, like when your GPS leads you way off course.

The book itself was written well but the story wasn't tight at all.  There were too many subplots going on and I could see what the author was trying to do and how these side plots were supposed to play into the overall story arc to get to the point of the climax but they all felt rather contrived and more like filler.

As for Gideon.  Well, I liked that we got his point of view but I'm still waffling over my feelings over his head space.  While he was completely aware of Eva's issues with certain things, he acted like he was completely justified in railroading over them himself.  Yet, I suppose that was to be expected to a certain extent.  If a man goes as far as to kill someone for someone they love, there really isn't much they can be expected not to do.  But over all, I felt the more Eva was making an effort to put herself together, the more Gideon unraveled.  And what is it with the women in his life?  Are they all mentally unhinged?  The only normal female he seems to know is his sister.

Overall, it wasn't a bad read but it was just disappointing.  The story felt scattered, unfocused and many things unjustified.  Rising tension came in spits and spurts and at points instead of biting my nails with anticipation, I felt myself asking "oh for crying out loud, what now?" with an eye roll. I was pleased with where it ended but I struggled most with how it got there.  It feels like this book and the previous one were ways to make more money and bilk the fans and I don't like that feeling.  I will likely buy the next (and hopefully last) installment and I can only hope the wait this time around won't be as long.
2460737
I give this book 3 1/2 stars. For me it was just okay. Not terrible or bad. First for the good. The writing was good. I found little or no editing flaws or annoying repetitive wording to boost word count. The plot is intriguing. My downfalls. I myself found the story a little predictable. I really want to love Inky but she contradicts herself to an extreme. She is at times annoyingly weak and door matty! And then unbelievably fierce and strong. I really didn't connect with any of the characters. No spoilers here but most of the surprise moments in this book I could see coming way before I read it. It took me a while to read this book because I had trouble connecting with it but I hate to not finish a book and give it a full chance. Before I got to the end I honestly had no intention of reading the second book but with the major cliffhanger it stopped with I may need to give the author a second chance and continue the story at some point.
3321719
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A somewhat average contemporary that was an okay read.

Opening Sentence: Breathe, Leif commanded.

The Review:

Madisons life seems to be perfect, if she ignores the troubling price range of a summer program she wants to take. After all, she has a hot boyfriend and amazing friends. Jesse, or Broody Barista is struggling to pick up the pieces after his girlfriend cheated with his former best friend. When Madison learns of a huge secret her mother has been keeping, and Jesse decides to pick up the guitar and try to heal, they are to each other a nice distraction from the harder parts of life  but the relationship becomes much more than that. Can two deeply wounded people heal together?

There were a couple plots at work in this book, multiple of them being the romances. The main one was between Jesse and Madison, but there was also the healing process between Jesse and Hannah, which I honestly found more interesting than the first. At the beginning of Secrets of Attraction, Jesse was still a mess. Even seeing Hannah would bring back all the old pain he tried so hard to erase. He was still in love with her, but it was unrequited, and there was also a lot of hatred with his old best friend for stealing her away. I despise books with cheating, so immediately I felt a passionate hate towards him along with Jesse. As he saw more and more of Madison, Jesse began to heal, but it didn't happen overnight.

The Madison and Jesse storyline fell flat for me. It wasn't that it was bad. But it dominated the main plotline of the story and was underwhelming to me. It was the same kind of love story in every contemporary ever, with a few twists and turns along the way to add originality. In conclusion, eh. It was cool how their personalities fit together even though they were so different, with Jesse being a rocker in a band and Madison being a flirty, girly teenager with an easygoing personality. Madisons old boyfriend, Zach, had the hotness appeal but there wasn't any real emotional connection or chemistry between them. Jesse, on the other hand, was someone she felt like she knew on a deeper level- and that scared her, of course.

Madisons mother and her had trouble getting along in this book. At the beginning their relationship was easy, cute. But then a curveball was thrown and their relationship became off balance. Madisons mom worked so hard for redemption, but Madison used her anger as a buffer for the hurt. I understood Madisons feelings considering what her mother had withheld from her. Speaking of her mother, there was this whole second storyline of her and hot yogi getting along oh-so-well because he was training her to instruct yoga classes. I don't think we ever saw resolution on those two  did their relationship ever bloom into something more?

I went into this novel without many expectations. I wanted a cute, fluffy contemporary. In the end, yeah, I got it. But I felt very underwhelmed with the whole thing. It was a simple, easy contemporary, but it dragged in parts and wasn't that spectacular. I liked it, sure. But was it everything it could have been? No, not really. One thing I did like was how all the characters developed in their own ways, and I also really enjoyed the deul points of views. I definitely think that others will enjoy this book a lot, especially in the teen range, but having just finished an amazing book it fell short in comparison. I would recommend this to people who enjoyed her first book, as well as those who are fans of easy contemporaries.

Notable Scene:

Wren smirked.

What?

You really don't see it?

Of course I saw it, but I didn't get it. At all. We crossed the street with arms still looped.

Zachs hot and fun, but you never had that thing.

FTC Advisory: Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of The Secrets of Attraction. No goody bags, sponsorships, material connections, or bribes were exchanged for my review.
1683664
I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because I'm not sure it's a 4 star but definitely better than three stars. At times the pacing is odd, it plods along for the first three quarters and then the ending comes suddenly. I know there are follow up books and there is something to be said for lead ins to sequels but I feel there was far too much glossed over.

There was very little development in the two main characters. The author is definitely capable of character development since the two "main supporting" characters seem much more rounded out and real.

All of that aside, the story was good and I enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading the sequels.
550095
I believe the author had a great idea for this book but I just found it didn't flow that well.  There was a few things going on with this story, due to the build up for the other books in this storyline, and was sometimes confusing.  I enjoyed Hayley's character, and found Alex harder to like but by the end he had redeemed himself.  The other male characters in the story were not likeable either, and hope the next book is more enjoyable.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
4173119
First off, this is part of a series but definitely can be read as a stand alone. I recommend reading the whole of House of Oak series though. Characters make sense and you know whats going on a little bit more. While I enjoyed the series, this one was not a fave of mine. I did like Daniel, and remember him from the previous novels, but this one was just okay for me. Daniel and Foster aka known as Fossi, their connection I felt was more on her end due to the fact of the circumstance Daniel was in. Would I read more from this author? Absolutely. 3.5 stars.
2858588
Sadly this book didn't really live up to my expectations, I did enjoy itbut I wanted a bit more from it and I didn't find the ending that great. I thought that the build up was quite slow and the story didn't really pick up any pace until around half way through, to be honest, I'm more of a reader that needs to be drawn in from the first few pages with this kind of book and that meant thatI didn't really connect with the characters and it did affect my enjoyment, but that is not to say that it would be the same for all readers. If you are into books with a slow build up this is definitely one you would love but sadly it wasn't a 5 star read for me,3.5 stars from me for this one rounded up to 4 stars.
584975
This has been reviewed enough. I'll just say that overall I love this series, but unfortunately I'm kinda disappointed in Reaper's Stand. It was just "okay," in my opinion. Joanna Wylde has proven herself to be a great author, especially of MC romance books, but this felt a little choppy to me, and it has over the top drama that's just a bit too annoying/much for my liking. (*What London was planning/attempting to do in regards to Reese... well that was downright ridiculous and almost ruined the story for me.) Oh well... can't win them all. :) Anyway, I'm still looking forward to the next installment. This book hasn't made me any less of a Reapers MC fan. Just a little bit of a wary one now. Hopefully though, the next one gets back on track! I have faith that it will. :)
4465350
3.5ish stars. I am interested in seeing where this series ends up. I thought it was a good read, but not great. I wanted a little more character development.
1125960
Usually I love these books but the main characters where a little off...for me.  The female doubted herself throughout the story and the main male character wasn't alpha enough for my tastes.  Was still an okay read with some really hot parts.
4421086
3.75 stars or 4...I can't decide. It was good, better than good but I think I was hoping for a little more. Don't get me wrong, I read it very quickly and it kept me interested but it just seemed anti-climactic in some way. It ended the way I wanted it to end so really I can't put my finger on it. I almost feel like this wasn't the final book in the series but maybe I have just become accustomed to epic epilogues.

What I did love is the Abbi Glines signature touch. I really LOVE the way Abbi Glines tells a story. She creates characters you fall in love with and the dialogue always feels right. Her characters don't do stupid and don't frustrate me the way some can by fighting so hard against what should be. She doesn't make us suffer with miscommunications that end up ruining a large portion of the story. I especially love the southern roots of the stories/characters; I always feel transported down south for a bit.

For fans of this series: you will be under Dank's spell once again because he seriously pulls out all the stops to make Pagan fall in love with him again. As usual he is utterly swoon worthy. He is sex appeal all wrapped up in a dark mysterious package and you can't help but fall in love with Death. AND - Pagan is one my favorite heroines. She is smart, confident and trusts her emotions; she does not self-sabotage and second guess her instincts.

I would highly recommend a refresher by re-reading book 2 and Leif before tackling this (or at least re-reading the last few chapters of both). I didn't and wished I had because I was having a hard time remembering certain things, deals, sacrifices, rules, etc.