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4 stars, Book Review, happily ever alpha

Until Sunrise by Sarah O’Rourke Review

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blurb

Michelle Buchanan wasn’t looking for the perfect man to fill her life.  She’d settle for Mr. Right Now to fill the empty spot in her bed – just someone that could help her with the little problem of her lingering virginity.  But when Luka Templeton invaded her blind date and suddenly begins taking over her every waking thought, she realizes that she is in way too deep with the confident alpha male currently wreaking havoc on her life.

Join us on this romantic comedy romp as Chelle and Luka find their way to happily ever after!           
Romantic comedy.  Releases on April 3 as part of Aurora Rose Reynold’s Happily Ever After Kindle World.  (And if you’ve read Aurora’s Until series, you’ll know Chelle from Until Ashlyn!)
AMAZON US

author

Sarah O’Rourke is actually TWO besties who live three states apart and write at all hours of the day and night! Born and raised in the Southern United States, they are overly attached to their one-click accounts, can’t make it through the day without copious doses of caffeine, and spend way too much time on the phone with each other.

Between them, they have four children and twenty-plus years of marriage…one to a retired super soldier and the other to egomaniac engineer. They hate empty chocolate wrappers and writer’s block, love to talk to readers…and oh, by the way, they write about strong, kick-ass women and hot alpha heroes!

FACEBOOK     TWITTER     AMAZON     WEBSITE     NEWSLETTER

review

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Not going to lie, even a little bit. I had another book I wanted to read today, because I’ve been waiting months for it to come out… and then the Happily Ever Alpha crew released a day early and I dropped everything to start reading… It’s 3AM and I’m up reading!

When I first heard this story was going to be titled Until Sunrise, I really didn’t get it. Most titles in this crossover series are pretty obvious- not this one. Once I got into it, I knew why it was. And I FREAKING LOVE IT! Luka has a dirty, foul mouth that goes well with his previous player ways (though he wasn’t that much of a player), and Michelle has some serious issues with men and has a crazy case of RBF. Together, sunrise means something special.

Though I commend them on their dedication to sunrise, I’d stab someone who wanted to meet at sunrise. I think I could give Ashlyn or Chelle a run for their money on morning grumpiness.

Michelle isn’t looking for her boom, in fact she doesn’t even believe in it. She’s just looking for a guy to fill some of the loneliness she feels. Luka takes one look at her and knows shes the One for him. His father fell in love with his mother in a split second, and told Luka the story (which is super cute by the way and absolutely amazing) so when Luka saw Michelle, he knew. He wasn’t afraid, but excited about the fact he found the love of his life. Chelle was a little less excited about the feelings she felt.

And Luka comes off as crazy, and I love the homicidal tendencies Chelle tends to have towards him. I totally get it. How Michelle talks her self off the ledge, many times, is absolutely fantastic.

I smiled through the entire reading of this book. Luka’s nickname for Michelle is so sweet, and his over the top alpha is awesome. He tries understanding Michelle, giving her the support she needs, but he also doesn’t back off. And Michelle gives it right back to him when he’s being too much (yes feminism!)

All the drama in this book comes from Chelle and her fear of being hurt by Luka. While I would have liked a little less craziness from her, I still loved this book.

Thank you Sarah!!!
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4star

happily ever alpha, Release Blitz!

~ Release Blitz ~ Until More by S. Van Horne

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Until More by S.Van Horne

Part of Aurora Rose Reynolds’ Happily Ever After Kindle World

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: April 3rd, 2018

Cover Design: SK Designs

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At twenty-two, Crystal Kopas didn’t know where her life was heading. Ghost writing romance stories for well-known authors isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when she couldn’t forget the one man who rocked her world. After moving to Hawaii, she thought she was finally getting her life on track. That is—until he showed up.

At twenty-five, Detective Vigo Conti decided it was time to take a vacation with his baby sister. After a grueling case that took everything out of him, he packed up Maddison and hit the beaches of Hawaii, praying to get his mind off the one woman who seemed to steal his heart when she disappeared after only one night together. He was finally starting to relax and enjoy his time with Mads uninterrupted. That is—until he sees her.

Without warning, disaster strikes and Conti vows he will do everything to get his family back. Because sometimes finding that special BOOM makes one cross lines never imagined.

Will Conti be able to save his family before it is too late?

FIND YOUR COPY HERE

This was my first dive into the Happily Ever Alpha world and it started with a huge boom. Seriously, S. Van Horne fit her characters into the Mayson world almost seamlessly, while staying true to her writing style. Horne was able to keep her voice in the story, while grabbing the essence of the characters from Aurora Rose Reynolds’ imagination. We got to see Conti and Crystal finally get together and we got to see snippets into Kai and Myla’s HEA (plus some bonus scenes with some other characters sneaking in! But I won’t ruin that for ya.) It was truly amazing.

Crystal and Conti are from S. Van Horne’s More series and have been running around each other for a year. A year! They met each other at a bar, had some wild, crazy, intense, monkey sex, and then Crystal snuck out avoiding Conti. Because Crystal didn’t want to clear up the misunderstanding, she made it worse throwing his words back in his face. She didn’t know what those words meant though.

So fast forward a year, to Crystal moving to Hawaii to feel closer to her parents, and Conti going on vacation with his autistic sister (and what’s hotter than a man who takes responsibility without hesitation for his siblings?!) and misunderstandings are cleared up. And I don’t think I’ve heard better advice, “C, pride is like a glass plate.” (I’ll let you read to find out the rest of that statement.)

Not only do Crystal, Conti, and Mads fit in perfectly in Aurora Rose Reynolds’ Mayson world, but they fit perfectly with each other. They were meant for each other. This is the story of insta-love, with the characters not quite believing in insta-love. They know they’ve wasted enough time not being together, but they fight to make sure they are in love.

S. Van Horne had me impatiently reading this book (which means I’ll have to do a re-read because I’m sure I missed something). From the prologue, to the last line, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I smiled, I laughed, I bit my lip, I bit my nails in anticipation. There aren’t many tense scenes, and it’s mostly a story about the love the two share, so it makes sense that the tense scenes weren’t too intense. I just wish it lasted a little bit longer. It seemed rushed.

But talk about epilogues, because these were seriously my favorite. I had tears (of joy) in my eyes at the end. And multiple epilogues!What’s better than multiples?! Nothing I tell you! Nothing!

So amazing job, and four stars for you Ms. Horne! I cannot WAIT to read the others in the series.

 

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S. Van Horne was born and raised in the small town of Belton, Missouri, which is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. She’s from a very large family and is the oldest of six. Growing up, she didn’t have the easiest life. She learned quickly that family means everything, even if it’s the type that you get to pick for yourself.

She met the love of her life at the early age of twenty and was married just after nine months of meeting him. Shortly after marriage, her husband rejoined the U.S. Navy and they moved from Kansas City and started their journey together. Currently they have two amazing children, a boy and a girl, and are still enjoying the Navy life.

She spends her days being a wife, mom, reading books, writing her latest novel, watching her beloved Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals, watching movies, hanging out with family and friends and having girls’ day at least once a month.

FACEBOOK     TWITTER     INSTAGRAM     WEBSITE     GOODREADS

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4 stars, Book Review

What color is my aura?

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arc review 1blurbwidowersauraLiving in a world full of colors, Sofia Brazier escapes a career gone south as a juvenile probationary officer in New Orleans. After moving to the small town of St. Fleur, Sofia opens a photography business in hopes of ridding her life of all the dark auras surrounding the damaged souls she once tried helping. Her comfortable new life is upended when widower, and ex-security-forces-turned-handyman hunk, Noah Tyler enters the local pub.

Noah attempts to avoid the voluptuous beauty who has captivated his every thought. That is, until his daughter vandalizes Sofia’s building and effectively seals their fate. After cutting his daughter a break, Sofia begins tearing down the walls he built after his wife’s death.

Just when life finally seems worth living for Noah, Sofia finds herself the victim of a string of crimes. Can he protect Sofia when he failed to protect his own wife?

Warning: Due to the nature of the explicit sex scenes this book is intended for a Mature Audience.

Amazon Rating: 4.7 Stars
Goodreads Rating: 4.54 Stars

Goodreads — Amazon — Kobo — Barnes & Nobles — iBooks

author

AJ Renee is the author behind the St. Fleur series, Beauty Unmasked, Winter’s Surprise, Surviving Paris, and Finding Love at the Falls…. She’s a military wife and mother to three young girls. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with her Masters of Science in Criminal Justice and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology while working at the library.

She loves to write steamy romance with suspense and a happily ever after. When she isn’t writing or interacting with her readers, you can find her spending time with her family or reading. AJ enjoys traveling, researching family history, and all things New Orleans.

Website — Facebook — Amazon Author Page — Instagram — Twitter — Goodreads

review

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Widower’s Aura is the first in the St. Fleur series (with the fourth book being released in March of 2018). It is a slow burn, so if you’re looking for quick instant-love, this isn’t the book for you, but I still recommend this book. If you like Mariana Zapata, you’ll like A.J. Renee. There is an instant connection between Sofia and Noah, but they both have some serious baggage.

Sofia worked with delinquent children in hopes she could help them and their situations. After a really scary and traumatizing experience, she leaves and starts her own business in St. Fleur, far enough from her old life to get away from the trauma, but close enough to stay around family. Although you don’t find out what happened until almost the end of the book, trust me, you want to know what happens.

Noah is an ex-cop for the Army, and was deployed when his wife ran out to grab milk, and was murdered. Noah leaves the army and, two years after her death, moves with his daughter, Lexi, to St. Fleur. Although he can never really get out of “cop” mode, he helps his friend with his construction business. Noah tries to ignore Sofia, and his reaction at the sight of her, but Lexi makes that impossible. She defaces, albeit with a beautiful mural, the side of Sofia’s building, which brings these two together.

When they finally get together, it is explosive. Noah is the alpha male that I love. He is possessive of “his” girls. He is wary of getting into a relationship, but Lexi makes it clear: she likes Sofia so go date her. Through the trials and tribulations, Sofia and Noah come together and fall in love in a beautiful way.

I gave this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed reading this (and I also have a thing for single dads…). The story is beautiful, and has some supernatural elements (Sofia can see aura’s; which I probably should have guessed from the title but I was not expecting it! That confused me when I first read it hah!) One of my biggest issues with the book, and it’s not really an issue as more of a pet peeve, I don’t know how old they are! It’s totally possible I missed it somewhere, but I didn’t read about how old Sofia or Noah were! Although it’s not super important, it helps me gain a better picture of who these characters are.

I really loved reading their love story and can’t wait to read more! (I’m also crossing my fingers that Lexi will get a story…)

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4star

5 stars, happily ever alpha, Uncategorized

A Lion is Called “the King of Beasts” for a Reason… and it’s LEO.

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arc review 1blurb

untilleo.jpgHaving been burned in the past, Leo wasn’t sure he believed in the boom. Not even seeing the happily married Mayson couples had him convinced…until he met Carrie and felt it for himself.

Carrie wasn’t looking for love when she crashed into the hot cop, but that’s exactly what she found. Then his past reared its ugly head, and she found a strength she didn’t know she had…until Leo.

 

 

author

rochellepaigeI absolutely adore reading – always have and always will. My friends growing up used to tease me when I would trail after them, trying to read and walk at the same time. If I have downtime, odds are you will find me reading or writing.

I am the mother of two wonderful sons who have inspired me to chase my dream of being an author. I want them to learn from me that you can live your dream as long as you are willing to work for it.

When I told my mom that my new year’s resolution was to self-publish a book in 2013, she pretty much told me “About time!”

review
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Guys, I’m a big blubbering mess right now. Until Leo is part of the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle Worlds Crossover, along with 15 other authors. When I heard Leo was going to get a story I was jumping up and down, literally. From the moment Aurora Rose Reynolds originally had him freaking out about his cheating ex, I’ve wanted his story. And now I have it and I’m never giving it back. I’ve said it once, and I’ll keep repeating it because it’s true: single parent books get me. Every. Single. Time. This wasn’t my first Rochelle Paige book (it was my second-still writing the review for her Blythe College series) but I know for sure, it will not be my last.

Leo was introduced in the Until series in Nico’s book, and this is his story. He is a cop who meets Carrie at a daddy-daughter class to help teach father’s how to do their daughter’s hair. Carrie is the teacher for the class, and the minute Leo sees her, he believes in the boom. Until then, he had always thought the Mayson’s were full of it when they talked about it. Carrie immediately falls in love with both Leo and Lynn (who’s ovaries don’t explode when they see hot guys with kids? I mean seriously.)

They move fast, and he takes a few pages from the Mayson brothers, but Carrie seems to move along with it just fine. Their love is fast, but so utterly amazing. I’m a blubbering mess because I am in absolute love with Leo and Carrie. And it’s even cuter because Carrie’s father met her step mother when her step mother taught her father how to do Carrie’s hair. I’m sure there’s a literary term for this somewhere, but I’m sleep deprived since I stayed up all night to read this book.

I absolutely devoured this, and I’m giving it 5 bright, shining stars because it deserves it. And there’s only one epilogue (can I petition for another one?) but it made my heart so happy to read. Carrie’s love for Lynn and Leo is so pure and amazing, and Leo loves Carrie HARD. And he goes so alpha so quickly, I got goosebumps. God, I love this book.

This book, and the rest in the series, release April 3rd… TOMORROW SO GET YOUR KINDLES READY!

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5star

5 stars, Book Review, happily ever alpha, romance

Until Kayla, CC Monroe

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arc review 1blurb

until kaylaKayla Mackey
I was ready to run from my loss and find something to make me breathe again.
I didn’t know it could happen. Until Jase.
Jase Riding
I felt desolate and alone when I lost the best part of me. I didn’t know where I would find someone to mend the broken parts in me. That was… Until Kayla.
We met, and with a brief hello and a hushed profanity, we were hooked.
I swear we heard thunder when our eyes met.
Boom. And our lives were changed forever.

Goodreads

author

22687879_379655212464978_1373405913340945735_n.jpgAuthor CC Monroe is from the hottest city in the world, Phoenix, Arizona. She spends her days working in fashion and her nights with her face in her laptop telling the stories of the voices in her mind. She left Arizona a few years back and now lives in the beautiful snow state of Utah, where she married her true love!

When she isn’t writing or working, she is making people laugh with her mad sense of humor and tip of the tongue one liners.

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review

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For some reason, single dad/mom novels are my favorites. There’s something about a dad opening himself up to love, and about a woman opening her heart to kids that aren’t her own that just get to me. And vice versa.

This was my first CC Monroe novel, though I do have a copy of Loving Ben Cooper. I haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet due to all the new releases- but since Sadie and Kate make their appearance in Kayla’s book, I’m going to have to crack that one open!

Until Kayla is the story of Kayla Mackey moving from Portland to Tennessee for school, two years after her parents pass away. Jace Riding is a single father who lost his wife three years earlier. He and his little girl, Avery, live in Tennessee and Jace is looking for someone to share his life with. Not actively, since dating with a daughter is difficult, but he does miss sharing his life with someone. But how could anyone take the place of Lainey?

Kayla is trying to move on, but the death of her parents hit her hard. but she’s hoping the move to Tennessee will help her feel closer to her parents. While unpacking her things, she meets Harlen and Harmony (from Until Harmony! Yay!). Did I mention Harlen and Jace grew up together? (BOOM!-yes I did that)

I really love the instant connection these two have. The kind that makes of them stupid for a minute… or two. And Kayla tries to deny her feelings for a hot minute. Jace ain’t havin’ that. One of my favorite things is that Jace curses a lot. I have the mouth of truck driver and I think Jace drops the f-bomb every five minutes (love it!). And he takes care of Kayla the best way possible. I also love the fact that Jace’s reactions feel real! I don’t want to give it away– so I won’t– but CC Monroe captures reality in her characters.

And can we talk about how she captures Harlen and Harmony? I do love the growly bastard.

5 Stars for this amazing read!

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5star

4 stars, Book Review, romance

You can Run…

4 Comments

I received a copy of Run, Hide, Break & Chase, in exchange for honest reviews. Here’s my first one…

blurb

runjennifervesterOliva wouldn’t say she was paranoid. Maybe she read a few too many books on true crime, but it was all in the name of solid research. She was comfortable and cautious after a tragic event in her past. It worked for her.

At least it had, until she met Aiden Latimer. He was tall, muscular and did that eyebrow arch thing like a pro. The billionaire spotted her, and her life has been anything but comfortable ever since.
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He was bossy and annoying. He even has a problem with her cussing. He’s done his own research on her and she’s convinced he even bugged her house.
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She wasn’t prepared for her attraction to him, much less his ardent attention. Their worlds seemed so far apart that she was ready to end it on day one.
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But things never go quite like you plan with an alpha male type.
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Now, she’s being bossed around by Aiden, trying not to get into trouble with her best friend and dealing with a psycho, stalker ex-boyfriend!
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The question is, when things finally do hit the fan, will she face her fears or run?

**Full-length standalone romance. 67,000+ words. No cheating, or cliffhangers with a Happily Ever After!

Goodreads — Amazon

author

Jennifer Vester is a romance author whose ambition is to entertain readers with off-beat female characters and the over-the-top alpha men that love them.

Her books revolve around romantic suspense with a little something for every reader. Always an HEA….(but look out for those twists!) It’s romance suspense after all.

The Lakefield series deals with some very serious subjects at times.

Come follow me!
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Or, join my reader’s group on Facebook:
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Newsletter  —   Website

review

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Have you had a good laugh lately? If not, then check out this book. Seriously. Olivia’s mind had me cracking up the whole time. I had a first hand experience with her brain and I wish I could have some more.

Run is the story of Olivia running from Aiden Latimer. Literally. She ran from him at the bar, the car, after their kiss. Aiden is your typical alpha with a little extra “stop cussing before I punish you”. I’m not sure if it’s insta-love between the two, but it’s instant awareness, instant attraction, and instant craziness. There’s danger, laughs, sarcasm, and a lot of wondering if the stranger kidnapping her is a serial killer. Oh and a lot of stalking. But if you’re gonna die, might as well do it in a Bentley or a Benz right?

Olivia has legitimate reason to be wary of the super-bossy Aiden. Her ex-boyfriend was not kind to her. And by not kind I mean the absolute worst. Olivia’s roommate, Julia, and her mother conspire against Liv and trying to push away a potential date (though if this was real life I would probably be screaming at her to RUN THE OTHER WAY. but it’s not real life so I can yell at her to stop running away from him.)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was full length- but it was a quick easy read. There was danger and excitement, as well as super steamy scenes, had some hilarious text messages, and guys that were like family to each other. It was definitely 4 great stars.

My issue with it was my issue with basically all heroines that have super hot, super rich boyfriends with awesome security: why do you try to ditch them?!? I’ve never needed security (knock on wood) and I definitely like to feel safe, so I don’t know why, when you get text messages from legit stalkers that you know are trying to hurt you, that you DITCH THE SECURITY TEAM. I understand independence and crap, but seriously stop running from the guys trained to take care of ya.

That’s my pet peeve though… maybe not everyone’s…

This was my first Jennifer read and I can’t wait to read the other three in the Lakefield series… Go add this to your TBR! Like… now! And do you have Kindle Unlimited? Well it’s free on KU!

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4star

5 stars, Book Review, happily ever alpha

Setting me on fire wouldn’t make me as hot as Until Arsen…

1 Comment

blurb

untilarsenLove is a novel creature.
Mysterious, heart pounding, like smoke on the wind.
We find it, only to lose it.
Until Arsen Daniels…
Marina Parks didn’t think she’d ever have it.

 

 

 

 

author

Krystal is a proud Canadian girl, hailing from Sherwood Park, Alberta. She has a strong dislike for the winter, and a love for spring. Married to her husband Steve, for 13 years, they have 4 beautiful read headed spawns ranging in ages 5-12. She has a strong love of coffee, sarcasm, and wine. (Not necessarily in that order either.)
She has been a published author for over 2 years now. With 9 full length novels (1 unpublished) and a dozen novellas with 3 published, 3 waiting to go into edits, 2 being rebranded, and 1 being extended into a novel.
Krystal loves to write about instalove between couples looking for love. She has a passion for contemporary romance and springs into menage as often as she can.
Currently, she is working on 2 new series, the Adair Empire (with the first 3 books already written). The Adair’s are a whole lot darker, dirtier, and grittier than what her readers are used to, but boy has she had a ton of fun writing them.
The What Happens When series will begin with Anonymous Bride on Oct 19 and continue with untraditional love stories. Bringing you all the good feels, a ton of love, and maybe – if you’re lucky 😉 a surprise baby or two!
With the exception of Anonymous Bride, you’ll be able to find all her books on all platforms!

You can find KL in any of these places! She loves to hear from readers all over the world!!
Contact her in any of these places:
Facebook — Friend — Reader Group — Twitter — Instagram — Email

Or stay up to date with all her latest releases here:
Amazon — Newsletter — Website — Bookbub — D2D release

review

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I’m not crying, you’re crying… Fine, I’m crying. K.L. Donn’s contribution to the Happily Ever Alpha world was absolutely fabulous. Marina Parks and Arsen Daniels are so perfect for each other it’s crazy. K.L., in her style, effortlessly (it seems) tells the tale of a damaged woman, and a detective who wants her to see she’s perfect.

This wasn’t my first K.L. Donn book; in fact, since I read her first Hogan Brother’s book I’ve been trying to get my hands on everything she’s written. So I can say this with full authority- K.L. Donn keeps the essence of the Mayson brothers, while keeping true to her own characters. This is the first in a new series for Ms. Donn, and I can’t wait to read about Kol and Ember. (By the way, these names? Love ’em!)

Marina Parks is a twenty-two year old kindergarten teacher who suffered an accident the year before, and has tried to move on. The scars are all internal. And while she loves teaching her children, she’s afraid they’re the only kids she’s going to have…

Detective Arsen Daniels is thirty-five looking for love. My favorite quote from him is “My name is Arsen Daniels, and apparently, I’m a fucking sappy little girl.” Usually, that would piss me off (hello feminism!) but honestly, he does sound like a girl looking for love in the beginning. And then what happens? He meets Marina Parks and, boom, his life is changed.

We get to see these two fall in love, with a little help from Sophie and Nico (*sigh*) and it is magical. And the pain that Marina goes through to try to open herself up makes me want to hug her tiny self. I almost feel like Arsen, and want to put her in a bubble so no one can hurt her. But she is strong, so strong, and seriously I wanna be like her when I grow up… even though she’s younger than me.

Or maybe Arsen can put me in a bubble, or in his truck so I can sit next to him.

If you had told me before reading this, I would be ok with the “Good Girl” thing I would laugh. Loudly. I hate that phrase, because my immediate response is “what am I, a dog?” But for some reason, I didn’t feel that way about Arsen calling Marina his good girl. I loved it. It wasn’t demeaning in anyway, shape or form. And Marina needed those words.

But if my man calls me good girl I will probably still stab him with a spoon or something. ANYWAYS…

My favorite part? MY FAVORITE PART WAS THE DOUBLE EPILOGUE. Ok, I’ll stop yelling. But seriously, I love double epilogues. And these were so freaking emotional that I’m still crying. Their love story was so sweet, and emotional, and I love Marina’s mom so much… I just had to sneak that in there. Her mom’s great. Can she adopt me?

Anyway, there are 5 days left until the big unveil of the Happily Ever Alpha world. I’ve got my countdown set, do you?
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5star

4.5 Stars, Book Review, happily ever alpha, romance

Until I Saw You…

1 Comment

arc review 1blurbuntilisawyouAt first glance, I knew you were mine.
Your smile captured me and refused to let me go.
I’m too dirty to touch you; too tainted from my past.

You deserve better.

But you’re the one thing I can’t run from.
I thought love wasn’t for me.
I was prepared to walk this world alone.

Until I Saw You.

 

 

author

jordanmarie.jpgUSA Today Best Selling Author Jordan Marie, is just a simple small town country girl who is haunted by Alpha Men who talk in her head 24 hours a day.

She likes to create a book that takes you on an emotional journey whether tears, laughter (or both) or just steamy hot fun (or all 3). She loves to connect with readers and interacting with them through social media, signings or even old fashioned email.

Join her newsletter to stay up to date as well as take part in giveaways and just let her know how you feel about her books!

Link: https://www.jordanmarieromance.com/subscribe

review

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This book wrecked me! Holy crap it wrecked me. This was my first Jordan Marie novel (shame on me!) and woah I need more. I don’t know what Jordan’s typical writing style is, but I know that this wasn’t Aurora’s, but only in the best ways. This Happily Ever Alpha Crossover is seriously wrecking my expectations for real life, so I’m going to need these authors to chill. This is a crossover into Jordan’s Filthy Florida Alphas series.

This is the story of Jessie Hart, twenty-four year old virgin, entrepreneur and sweet as freaking pie. This is also the story of Allen, an ex-junkie trying to make-up for his sins and trying to fight down the demons that continue to try to take him over. Until I Saw You is a novella that is short, super sweet, but it had the darkest past I’ve read in one of the Happily Ever Alpha novellas so far.

Jessie and Allen meet when Allen’s sister Ana goes shopping at Jessie’s store. Allen takes one look at her and and knows this is his one woman. Jessie feels the pull too, though she doesn’t understand it. She’s dated, but has focused on her store and getting it up and running. Allen tries to stay away from Jessie, because even though he is sober, he doesn’t feel clean. Jessie is so innocent, so sweet, he doesn’t want to dirty her up.

Normally, when a guy or a girl in a romance novel does the “I’m not good enough for her” b.s. I can’t help but roll my eyes want to shake them. But Jordan created such real, vivid characters that I didn’t feel like rolling my eyes. I wanted to hug Allen and tell him everything would be ok. Jessie and Allen were so believable in their vulnerabilities, but also wanting the best for their partner even after short time of knowing each other.

And seriously, when I heard this guy’s name was Allen, I did not know how Jordan was going to make this sound sexy to me. I had two crushes on two separate Allens in sixth and eighth grade, so all I could picture was tall(well compared to me tall), awkward kids that hadn’t come into their own skin yet. But OH BOY I will don’t think I will be thinking of them anymore.

I want to talk about the Mayson sneak peek, but I’m not giving anything away which means I’m not gonna say a THING about it ;).

I’m giving this 4.5 stars, which seems nit-picky, but honestly the only complaint I have, is that I know nothing about Jessie. I just wish there was one paragraph to talk more about where Jessie came from, who her parents were or something. That’s it. My one little thing that made this go from 5 stars to 4.5.

But I loved this book so much!  SUPER job Jordan!

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4andahalf

5 stars, Book Review, happily ever alpha, romance

Until Avery, Brynne Asher Review

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arc review 1blurb

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Dreams.

I never had one. Never even knew what a dream was until a certain unassuming Carpino waltzed into my life. That day my world tilted.

It became unhinged.

I might not have been a dreamer, but she was.

She wrote the words missing from my life. Her notes ignited my heart. Her flame lit up my darkness.

Her dreams became mine and I’d move heaven and earth to give them life.

Especially when my past surfaced and threatened to kill every dream we had.
Until Avery, I had nothing.

But I’m Link Forester. I’d fight for her, for us, because right now, I have everything to lose.

Warning: The author will have a dramatic fit—Scarlett O’Hara style—if anyone under the age of eighteen touches this book.

author

brynneBrynne Asher lives in the Midwest with her husband, three children, and her perfect dog. When she isn’t creating pretend people and relationships in her head, she is running her kids around and doing laundry. She enjoys cooking, decorating, shopping at outlet malls as well as online and is always seeking the best deal. A perfect day in “Brynne World” ends in front of an outdoor fire with family, friends, s’mores, and a delicious cocktail.

 

 

review

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YES! THE CARPINOS ARE BACK! My kryptonite is families like the Carpinos/Maysons. Big, loud, in your face, gossipy families that have your back no matter what. Brynne does an amazing job of mixing these two families together. I’d like an epilogue with the Carpinos and Maysons meeting each other for some fantasy football. That would be a hoot.

If Gus, from Until Nox, was my spirit animal, Avery is me. The good girl who doesn’t break the rules, goes to class, and definitely doesn’t use fake ID’s to get into bars. Link is the guy that owns the bar that Avery is trying to get into.
Illegally.
Avery is going to Vanderbuilt, the college near Nashville, and the Carpinos up Nebraska are not happy about that. They are supportive in the Carpino way, which means guilt trips to come visit soon, and calls to make sure she’s coming home for the holidays. Link just moved back from Vegas, and is happy to be home with his family, the Maysons. He’s not a Mayson by blood, but they like to adopt people they love.

God I love Link and Avery. And Brynne did such an amazing job with this book, it’s 5 stars. No, wait it’s 4 because it’s not long enough. I can make it 5 when Brynne writes more…

ANYWAY, I fell in love with Avery the first rambling page of her trying to use a fake to get into a bar just to hear one song. And I loved Link for bouncing her. I really loved him trying to ignore what he felt for her, but in the end he just didn’t care. Not even when Nico threatened his balls repeatedly. And Nico usually makes good on his promises. Brynne wrote this novella in her style, while managing to capture the essence of Mayson crew and beyond. She didn’t show snippets of the Mayson’s; she threw a freaking party…

…and we all remember the Star Wars Party… (if you don’t know what that means, then shame on you and go read Athica Lane right now!)

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5star

 

5 stars, Best of 2018, Book Review, romance

Here I’ll Stay… and cry

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blurb

hereillstayI wanted to give up.
I wanted to give into the hurt and not look back.
I wanted to let my demons win and succumb to the pain.
I didn’t want to live because leaving would be easier than dealing with it all.
But leaving wasn’t an option. Not when my best friends held onto me for dear life, and not when my heart had found one more person to beat for.
I was going to fight. I was going to love.
I was Daysie Flores and I was going to find every reason in the world to live—to stay.

Goodreads. Amazon.

 

author

16646808.jpgDominique Laura started off writing under the pen name Rosie C. but grew brave enough to transition to her real name (well, close enough to it). She loves to read and write whenever possible. She’s an advocate for love and happily ever afters, and she’s snarky and sarcastic. She lives in sunny Southern California with her dog, who she’s slightly obsessed with.

Facebook — Twitter — Instagram

 

review

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I’m not even going to lie, I usually stay away from Young Adult romances for a couple reasons. One, most don’t have steamy scenes in them. Two, if they do have them, I tend to get grossed out cause the characters are, like, 16. Three, I remember being an annoying teenager, thank you Facebook memories, really needed to see the song lyrics I posted 10 years ago, three times in one day, that spoke to my soul, and when I’m reading about 16 year olds, they’re annoying. Nothing against them, but I want to shake them, just like I want to shake my teen brother when he’s being stupid. But, hey, high school is the time to be stupid. Four, reading about people falling in love in high school makes me want to gag.

While there aren’t steamy scenes in Here I’ll Stay, the story of Daysie Flores is beautiful. This was my first Dominique Laura book, and I’m now going to go stalk her to see what else she’s written. This book spoke to my soul on a level other romances don’t often get to me. (Plus the teenagers, besides Jason, weren’t annoying like I was — which I’m pretty sure is not fair.)

Daysie is abused physically, emotionally, and verbally. Her father is an addict, to pain, alcohol, and drugs. Her mother is addicted to work. Neither should have ever been parents. Daysie has known pain almost her entire life. She has made a list of reasons to stay alive. At the top of the list are her two best friends, Maci and Sarah. Brenton Conners slowly makes his way to the top of the list. Although I would have loved to have seen him punch Jason, just once- please, he worked his way to the top of my list too. And he’s 18 so he can be on my “book boyfriends” list. He is sweet, charming, accepting, and honest. He openly communicates his feelings to Daysie and it is so important for her. Between Brent, and her friends, she makes her own family.

I think I was crying as much as Daysie did throughout the book. I’ve never been physically abused, but I have my own toxic people in my life. People that were supposed to be family saying nasty things to me, while I tried to fight my way out of their poison. Luckily, I had a support system that didn’t include those people, but did include family. Daysie didn’t have that. But I know secrecy, not wanting to tell people about what is happening, not being able to tell people about what’s going on, or how you’re feeling, making excuses for people that don’t deserve them. Coming up with reasons to stay alive.

I think one of my favorite things about this book, is something so little I didn’t notice till about halfway through the book. I was reading along, through tears in my eyes, when I noticed the chapters were reasons. Example, Reason One: Ice Cream. Each reason has something to do with the chapter, but usually they were little things. Things like ice Cream, coffee, or running. It caught me off guard in the worst and best way possible. I’m currently going through the chapters again to see what they all said. I’m mad at myself for missing it to start with.

This book was 5 stars, hands down. Thank you, Dominique, for writing this book. For making the characters believable. For making the teenagers not so annoying, while still making their emotions all over the place. Thank you for writing a beautiful piece of work about a topic that is not easy to write about.

Thank you.

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5star