ARC received for an honest review



In Choices and Fate, we get the story of Quincy, Declan and Brody, but what about their friends who get caught up in the fallout?

Patience is Jenna (Quincy's best friend) and Eric's (Brody and Declan's best friend) story, and it runs parallel to Choices and Fate. But don't get me wrong, while we get that story from the outside looking in, this is not that story rehashed.

In Choices and Fate, Eric and Declan made a bet - that Eric would not sleep with Jenna for 60 days.

This is the story of those 60 days.

60 days that will either make or break their budding relationship.

I loved the concept of this story. At an age where the one night stand can be the norm, Jenna and Eric are getting to know each other before they take that step.


I did feel sorry for Jenna for a while there when she was not in on the bet. She was very confused with Eric's behaviour, he seemed to want her but then he wouldn't go any further.

The big thing we all learn from this story ~ Patience. Not jumping straight into a sexual relationship, getting to know the other person, seeing where things take you before you take that next step.

Don't get me wrong, there is enough unresolved sexual tension between Eric and Jenna to light up a room!

There were some funny moments, there were some heartbreaking moments.

I enjoyed also dipping back into the story of Quincy/Brody/Declan and how it affected Jenna and Eric. I felt for them, it was hard for them to be dragged into the other's drama all the while trying to build their relationship.

And it was an absolute joy to be taken along for the ride while Jenna and Eric fell in love. Patience shows us more depth of their story, and makes us wonder if they would have the depth of love for each other if they had jumped right into bed together? Would they be a couple of would they have just been a wham bam thank you ma'am in each others lives?

I just love this series. Ms Lane has drawn me into the lives of these characters, and now I have to show some Patience (see what I did there!) while I wait for the next book in the series.

The Locker Room is a beautiful book about Xander and Chris, who have loved each other forever.

Of course being in the world of professional basketball, they have had to hide their relationship from their teammates and fans, especially when under the leadership of a bigoted,foul coach.

It was painful at times reading along as they had to pretend to be someone they weren't (doing some pretty terrible things to keep others happy).

I love how both Xander and Chris stay true to themselves, and never let anyone make them be anything else.

And proved that true love conquers all.

3.5 - 4 stars

I am not a huge paranormal/sci fi reader, and the same goes for YA (that stage of my life is a very distant memory!!!)but I did enjoy Here.

Milo is at a time of her life where things are changing. She is grieving her fathers death, her relationships with her best friends are changing, becoming a bit estranged.

Enter "Nick" who enters her life in a flash. He is different and they are very drawn to each other.

It took me a little while to get into Here. For the first maybe 1/3 of the book I was left scratching my head a bit thinking "huh? What?" but by then I was drawn into the story and needed to know where things were going.

Then, just as things were getting really interesting ~~~ BAM! It ended!!

I have read many of Ms James' other books and I do enjoy her style of writing, and I am looking forward to book 2, Trapped, which comes out very shortly.

4.5 stars, a great follow up to Here

Trapped follows on right from where Here finishes off, so you will need to have read it first.

We are thrown right into things with Milo, Nick and Vera. It is full throttle right from the start as our trio are on the run from the men in black. The aliens still want to destroy humanity, Milo can't believe it is all happening.

We are taken on a ride, and now we just need part 3 to find out how things turn out.

I love the chemistry between Milo and Nick, and I am starting to warm a bit to Vera. Things with her are very interesting at the end! Milo's friends thought - not liking so much!

Ms James has a knack of drawing you into the stories, and she has done this again with Trapped. I don't read many paranormal books, but I love this series.

I hope it is not too long before book 3, as I get very impatient!!

4.5 wonderful stars

ARC Received for an honest review

I have been slow getting to this series, but in the past few weeks I have read both Connected and Torn, and have been eagerly awaiting Dazed.

And I was not disappointed!

I have loved Aerie Daniels since we first met her in Connected and Torn. She is Dahlia's best friend and has been River and Dahlia's biggest cheerleader since... forever!

Jagger Kennedy is River's long lost cousin, and is just sex on legs. Really, just throw me in a room with River and Jagger and this girl here would die very happy :P

Aerie is very guarded with her heart, can Jagger be the one to tear down those walls and let them have their happy ever after? Nope, not telling, you are just gonna have to read for yourself.

I love love love these two together. They are sweet and funny and smart mouthed and witty. There is also a tinge of sadness along the way. Add in an ex with a plan, an ex that caused a lot of heartache.... Jagger and Aerie might just be perfect for each other.

And of course I could never forget that we also get a bit of a snippet of River and Dahlia's married life ~sigh, I just adore them, I really do.

Ms Karr has drawn me right into the lives of these people, and I enjoy every scrap, every morsel that she gives us. Her stories just flow off the pages, taking us readers along for the ride with her characters.

Now, thank goodness I have an advanced copy of the next book, Mended, because I am very impatient and don't like waiting!!

Copy received from from Harper Collins UK/Mischief Books via Netgalley

The Golden Locket continues on directly where book 1, The Silver Chain ends, so you will need to read that one first to get the whole picture.

I have to say that I liked this book better than the first one. Now we have met everyone, we can get to the nitty gritty of the characters. And boy, is there some nitty and some gritty! These are some very complex characters!

We met Gustav's estranged brother Pierre at the end of The Silver Chain, and even though he tries to make us like him, the more I read of him through the story, the more I really did dislike him!

Serena's best friend/cousin Polly - she's a pretty messed up girl. I did feel for her.

But this is really all about Gustav and Serena for me. We got to connect a lot more with them, as their burgeoning relationship starts to come together. They have their fair share of outside forces trying to destroy their relationship, and we see the strength within them both as they fight to keep their relationship together.

One thing though - I know the people Gustav has dealt with in the past are all very depraved and debauched, but seriously, every time Serena is left in a room with two or more people, they are all trying to drag her into a threesome!!! This did get a little bit tiresome as the book moved on.

Ms Bond has drawn me into the sexy, debaucherous world of Gustav and Serena, and I can't wait to find out how their story ends.

ARC received from Harlequin Enterprises Australia/Escape Publishing via Netgalley for honest review

I have been a fan of Ms Paton's work since I read Detained - if you haven't read it, go do it ~ NOW. And I was very excited to get an advanced copy of Floored to read and review (especially after seeing the cover with Mr Visible Panty Line~!!

And I was definitely not disappointed.

Floored is an Aussie road trip story, with a bit of an Underbelly/Sons of Anarchy feel to it, with a dose of romance thrown in for good measure.

Fetch/Sean is the messenger boy for Wacker,, president of an outlaw motor cycle club. As you expect, they are into all kinds of illegal activities ~ drugs, money laundering. He's the butt of all their jokes, a little slow on the uptake.

Or is he??

Caitlyn/Driver has troubles in her past she is trying to avoid. Now working as a hire car driver, the last thing she expects is a biker to jump in the back of her car. As scared as she is of him, she is drawn to him. He can't be all that bad, right? Even if he is getting her to drive him to his drop offs all over town.

When things take a bad turn, that's when things start to heat up.

Buckle up, because you are about to be taken on one hell of a ride!

Australia is a big country, and when Fetch/Driver - Sean/Cait take on a cross country drive, things start to heat up! Not much to do on a 4,000km road trip but get to know each other.

And get to know each other they do! There is still a lot of mistrust between the pair, but that simmering attraction has to lead to a little something-something.

Of course, pasts never stay in the past, but how will it affect Sean and Cait?

Uh uh, not telling.

One thing I always love about Ms Paton's work is, being a fellow Australian I know about/have been to many of the places she is writing about, and it makes it a lot easier to picture for a change - yay!!

And another thing that I loved ~ Ms Paton does not romanticise the life of the outlaw motorcycle clubs. We get the dirt, the grit, the downright horrible side of that lifestyle.

Ms Paton doesn't write a traditional romance, so you never know what you are going to get when you pick up one of her novels. When things went well for Sean/Cait I couldn't help but smile. When things went bad, I might have shed a tear.

If you are after a romance with a lot of twists and turns in the road, make sure you check out Floored, and any of Ms Paton's work for that matter.

Now, what to you have for us next?

ARC RECEIVED FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

My latest obsession is with m/m books. I can't get enough of them. It is a sickness!

So when I was given the opportunity to join the blog tour for When Sean Loves Rusty, you couldn't have kept me away if you tried.

And I was not disappointed.

Rusty and Sean are childhood best friends who realise very early in life that theirs is not just a friendship, but so much more. When Sean Loves Rusty tells their story and allows the reader to get to know them both as young boys and as the men they are today.

And you will fall in love with them both. Told through a series of 6 novellas, each novella tells us a different period of time in their relationship.

We get an insight to their childhoods, where they were discovering who they were. They could not come from two such completely different families. Sean's family is abusive, wiping him from the family when he comes out. Rusty's family is the family we all want. Close, loving, accepting. Not just of Rusty but especially of Sean.

Some of my favourite moments in the story are conversations that Rusty's parents have with both these sweet boys. They have a way of putting things in perspective and making those around them feel better about themselves and their situations.

Sean and Rusty's relationship has it's fair share of ups and downs, twists and turns. They are making their way in the big bad world. There are lots of trials and tribulations as they deal with everything life throws at them.

I loved watching them grow emotionally and spiritually. There were plenty of times when I wanted to scream at on or the other (and occasionally both) for their actions or attitudes to each other. You could feel the tension, the worry, the anxiety between them. But more than that, you could feel the love. The love between them shone from the page. There is no way you could imagine them ever not making it, even though there were enough tests to the relationship.

Chris Cox has a very easy going writing style, and the stories flowed together seamlessly once they got going. I do admit that for the first one or two novellas I was not as much into the story as the following four, but the was probably as we were in that learning curve, feeling out the characters. After that I was totally immersed. And by the time we get to the final novella, the story had taken a wonderful, fairy tale-esque arc that left me with a huge smile on my face, and maybe the occasional damp eye.

Let's not forget the secondary characters. Rusty's family were wonderful, Sean's not so much. Sean and Rusty's friends, two in particular, are so heartwarming.

But the one I want to know more about is Levi. Levi is woven in and out of Sean and Rusty's story and he becomes a bit of an enigma.

Chris Cox ~ please tell me we get more of Levi. We need to know about him!

If you are after a sweet romance with not tooooo much angst, then you must read When Sean Loves Rusty.

aaah I just cant get enough of these vamps.

was fantastoc to see more of V and the darkness he fibds himaelf is