Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Book Lull

     I am in a bit of a book lull.  I spent the last few weeks reading one amazing book after another and I have hit a wall.  I am trying to find the perfect book to read next but I am coming up short.  Help!

Review: The Edge of Darkness, By: Melissa Andrea

The Edge of Darkness
By: Melissa Andrea

Synopsis: After a tragic accident, Araya Noelle is left with a constant reminder that nothing is forever.

She is forced to give up her chance to be the youngest dancer accepted into Julliard & taking over their high society school by a graceful storm of determination is no longer an option. Instead of dwelling over her loss, she accepts the new future she’s been dealt. In a world as black as hers, there's no room for bitterness, no time for regret. Sheltered from the outside world, Araya has become suffocated by a life she has no control over. Until Ryland Dare comes crashing into her life.

You don’t know true darkness until you've felt light…

Like a firecracker, showering her with colorful sparks of freedom, Ryland quickly sweeps Araya away from her grey existence. For the first time since the accident, living in darkness is no longer something Araya wants to do willingly. Unleashed by the shadows of her reminder, being with Ryland, Araya touches light. Together they will learn what it’s like to feel alive for the first time.

At the edge of darkness, a ray of light will,
DARE them to HOPE. 
DARE them to LOVE
DARE them to LIVE

The Edge of Darkness is book 1 in the darkness trinity novel.

***
My Review:  5/5 Stars

"Nothing last forever Ryland."  "Then, damn it, let me be your nothing, Araya."

This has become the latest addition to my "favorites". I loved this story from start to finish and cannot wait for Araya and Ryland's story to continue.

Within a blink of an eye Araya loses everything she holds mot dear.  Her life is shrouded in darkness and she forgets how to live.  That is until Ryland stumbles into her life.  

Even though Ryland comes from a wealthy family his parents' marriage is loveless.  He is counting the days until he can walk away, that is until a little hummingbird flutters her way into his heart.  

Together they show each other that life can go on and that true happiness does exist.  If only it could be that simple.  

The author did an amazing job developing the story line and the characters. I could feel the emotions pouring off the pages.  I think part of me feel in love with Ryland along the way.  There were several moments when I had tears in my eyes.  I am counting the days until the next book is released.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Review: Entwined With You

By: Sylvia Day

Synopsis: The worldwide phenomenon continues as Eva and Gideon face the demons of their pasts, and accept the consequences of their obsessive desires...


From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn't resist. I saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside--so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.


No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I'd been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.


Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession...

***

My Review: 2/5 Stars

Wow, what do I say...

First of all, let me say that I love Gideon.  I have a soft spot for the alpha male type and Gideon is definitely a domineering, controlling, protective man.  The thing I love about men like Gideon is deep down they are big teddy bears just looking to be loved.  I also love Eva.  She is strong and intelligent.  I have always liked that she is just as damaged as Gideon.  She is not the weak innocent heroine that many similar novels have.  She brings just as much passion, lust, and desire to the relationship as Gideon.

I enjoyed watching their story unfold after hearing that Nathan is no longer a concern.  Unfortunately, I felt that the story line was slightly predictable.  As soon as the Mark and Steven's relationship took the turn it did it was obvious where Eva and Gideon would find themselves.  I thought Gideon's approach to the subject was sweet and romantic.  Swoon....

The only negative I have for this novel was the ending.  I can't help but feel disappointed that the author decided to drag out Eva and Gideon's story over additional novels.  It makes me question her intent and leaves me slightly resentful.  To have waited months and months to final purchase this novel only to have it end as it did leaves me upset.  Perhaps I need some time to let it sink in, but right now I am debating whether I will invest more time and money to see the conclusion of the characters journey.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Review: Being Me

Being Me
By:  Lisa Renee Jones      

Synopsis: I arch into him, drinking in his passion, instantly, willingly consumed by all that he is and could be to me. . . .
Sara McMillan is still searching for Rebecca, the mysterious woman whose dark, erotic journal entries both enthralled and frightened her. Tormented by a strong desire to indulge the demands of her new boss while also drawn deeper into her passionate bond with the troubled artist, Chris Merit, Sara must face a past as deeply haunting as Rebecca’s written words. In one man’s arms, Sara will find the      

***
My Review: 3/5 Stars

     Being Me is the second book in the Inside Out Series, which begins where If I Were You leaves off, with Sara in the creepy storage unit when the lights go out.
Sara continues to understand Chris’s world and has to decide whether or not she is ready to jump into the rabbit hole to be with him.  Chris’s strong alpha personality is tested when be begins to soften towards Sara.  However, everything cannot be pink and fizzy all the time.  Sara learns this all too soon the closer she becomes to Rebecca’s life.
I enjoyed the push and pull of all of the characters.  Sara’s push to remain independent, but the pull she feels to submit to Chris.  Chris’s push to protect Sara, but his pull to hide his dark side.  I enjoyed all of the twists and turns within the story line.  The plot kept me speculating “whodunit?”.  I am still on the edge of me seat, anxiously worried about Ella.
I am eagerly waiting to read the outcome of Sara and Chris’s relationship on Revealing Us.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Review: Driven

Driven
By:  K. Bromberg

Synopsis: Rylee Thomas is used to being in control. But she’s about to meet the one man that just might make her enjoy losing it…
     I am the exception to the rule.      In a world full of willing women, I’m a challenge to the roguish and achingly handsome Colton    Donavan. A man used to getting exactly what he wants in all aspects of life. He’s the reckless bad boy constantly skating that razor thin edge toward out of control, on and off of the track. 
     Colton crashes into my life like a tornado: sapping my control, testing my vulnerabilities beyond their limits, and unintentionally penetrating the protective wall around my healing heart. Tearing apart the world I rebuilt so carefully with structure, predictability, and discipline.
     I can’t give him what he wants and he can’t give me what I need. But after a glimpse beneath his refined exterior into the dark secrets of his damaged soul, can I bring myself to walk away?
     Our sexual chemistry is undeniable. Our individual need for complete control is irrefutable. But when our worlds collide, is the chemistry enough to bring us together or will our untold secrets and battle of wills force us apart?

***
My Review:

Driven is the first novel in the Driven Trilogy.  It is the story of Rylee and Colton.  Two people with painful pasts trying to move on with their lives, but when their paths cross during a passionate encounter their lives are forever changed.
Rylee is a strong independent woman.  She has survived a horrifying experience and now her main focus are her boys.  While they are not her biological children she loves the orphaned boys that she cares for as if they were her own.  They are her reason for getting up in the morning and her driving force for making it through each day.  Her determination to provide the best life possible for her kids also becomes her downfall when Colton enters her life.
Colton is confident in a cocky kind of way.  As a professional race car driver he is used to the adrenaline rush of moving fast and the potential of crashing hard.  He is used woman throwing themselves at his feet and never has to pursue them, that is until Rylee falls into his life, literally.  Whether it is the fact that he finds her attractive and wants her or if his desire is set off because she adamantly refuses his advances it doesn’t matter.  Colton is on the hunt.
I loved the dynamic of these characters.  Colton’s dark past his hinted through out the novel.  It makes you want to wrap him in your arms and hold him close.  There is a vulnerability under the surface that he tries to hide with his alpha male ways.  It is the hint of that softer side that draws Rylee to him.  Whether it is a magnetic primal attraction that pull her to him or her maternal instincts that draws her in wanting to protect him from his demons, it doesn’t matter.  Rylee is falling.  Will Rylee be able to break through the walls Colton’s heart or will he drive her away?