ARC received from publisher for an honest review

I don't know what rock I have been under, but this is my first Rachael Johns read - even though I have had the pleasure of meeting her.

I will definitely be rectifying that situation soon though.

I adored The Patterson Girls - what was there not to love. Four sisters, all so different, but with a bond that time nor distance can break. Each sister has their strengths and weaknesses that the others rely on or help with.

When they all get together for a family Christmas, their lives and loves all come to the fore. Each has their own struggles, but with the love of each other they can get through. Family secrets and curses are revealed, which gets them all thinking.

The Patterson family just feels so real. None of those perfect-made-for-TV families here. They fight, they laugh, they cry. They bicker like any siblings do.

This story is told from all 4 sister's perspectives, with alternating chapters. Each sister has such a distinct voice that I never felt confused as to who I was reading at the time.

Word of advice though - don't read this book on a coach tour like I did - you will need to hide those tears! I had to stop reading until I got to my hotel room at night! I swear I went through a whole box of Kleenex!

I love a book that tugs at the heartstrings though!

Ms Johns has written a beautiful, emotion-packed story and now I really, really need to read more of her work.

Cannot wait to see what she brings us next.

Sigh..... the last Amy and Liam book, what am I going to do now/


You will need to have read the first 3 books in the series, as this follows on from where Chad's story in Forsaken ends.


I have to agree with Bianca up there, where she says that the first book was exceptional and my expectations were very high for the rest of the series. Whilst they did not quite get to the dizzying heights of Infinite Possibilites, I still loved the whole series.


There is so much going on in this novella-sized story, I was not sure how everything was going to be able to be tie up all the loose ends. Mostly things were cleared up and all the questions that were raised were answered.


However, I did feel that there was more to Jared's story than was told in Forsaken and Unbroken, and I felt that this was a loose end left dangling, making me want more. Maybe it is just me though who thinks Jared's story feels unfinished?


This is a suspenseful but also sexy short story, drawing me back into the wonderful world of Amy and Liam. Now I am left wanting, no needing to know what Ms Jones will give us next.

A new story from Ainslie Paton? Woo hoo! Over the past year or so, Ms Paton has quickly become one of my "would read if she wrote the takeaway menus" authors.

Inconsolable has Ms Paton back at her contemporary romance best.

When Foley climbs down into the cave on the cliff to move the homeless man to somewhere safer, she never thought it would the one thing she did that day that would change her life.

Oh man, what a difference a day makes! Drum is not what either Foley or I expected. He's not your regular, everyday homeless man.

There was just something that I couldn't help but instantly like about Drum. I knew that there was something beneath the surface, knew that whatever his secret was, that he couldn't truly be that man... could he?

Our main bad boy in Inconsolable is Foley's boss, Gab. She is out to cause trouble, but at the end of the day, she is what she is, and you knew what you were getting, and you hoped, at the end of the day, that she was going to get what was due her.

However, the person that I ended up disliking more than the intended bad guy, was Foley's best friend, Nat. I know, right? How could I dislike the best friend??

Now, it may just be me, but I didn't feel that Nat deserved to hold the "best friend" card. While yes, I could understand some of her actions and words towards Foley, I also felt that she pretty much disregarded Foley, her thoughts and feelings on Drum.

I loved the air of secrecy that surrounds Drum. Little by little we learned more about him - and my heart just melted for him more and more.

Once again, Ms Paton has delivered an all-encompassing story which I couldn't help but lose myself in - and didn't want to be found!

I look forward to what she brings us next.

ARC received via Give Me Books for an honest review

Rocco and Sophie - woohoo!

It has been a couple of days since I finished reading Switch, and I still don't know how to write this review to do this book justice.

I have not read all of the Spark series so far, even though they have been sitting on my shelves forever - so many book, too little time.

Right from the start, Sophie and Rocco got to me. Both so emotionally broken, emotionally brittle. To the outside world they are funny, snarky, the life of the party, but as they start to open up to each other, we see the real man and woman behind the smiles and the laughs. We see how alike they really are.

Switch delves into some darker places than you expect. Alcoholism, addiction, prison life, deceit. Nothing was sugar coated or glossed over. Ms Ryder got right to the heart of the matter and dealt with issues realistically and honestly. And boy did it get to me

       

I absolutely and utterly adored Sophie. No matter how sh!tty her life got, nothing and no one would keep her down. She would dust herself off and keep going.


Rocco, dear Rocco. So much is going on in his life, so much pain. My heart broke for him as one knock came after the other. I loved how even though he was hurting his friends, they kept on coming for him, to help him. That he meant enough to them that they did not desert him.

Most of all, I loved how good Rocco and Sophie are for each other. They are the salve that soothes each other's pain. They are each other's compass, keeping them on track. They want to become better because of each other.

Switch is a beautifully written, emotional story. I was completely drained after reading it, it affected me so much.

Trust me when I say you will want a box of tissues beside you as you read!

I cannot wait to see what Ms Ryder brings us next!

       

ARC received for an honest review

I adore Mia Sheridan's writing, so the opportunity to read about Grayson was a no brainer.

Oh how I adored this book. I loved how Grayson and Kira met, how their relationship came about. I loved how they bicker with each other, how they love to hate each other. LOVE their nick names for each other.



But what I loved the most is how that fine line between love and hate is soon blurred.

Oh how things get blurred!

There were a few tears as I read Grayson's Vow, as we learned more about Gray and Kira's pasts. But the snarky fun times and the sexy-ish times far outweighed the tears.

And I was glad to see that Karma really is a bitch and bit back hard! Can I get a big woohoo! for that!

Grayson's Vow was a lovely, albeit predictable story. From the time I was about 10% in I knew how the story was going to go, however the journey I was taken on with Ms Sheridan's beautiful writing had me reading in one sitting.

Can't wait to see what she brings us next.

ARC received for an honest review


Kristy Love is a new-to-me author, and the synopsis caught my attention.

And when I read it, I could not put it down. I have not read the first book in the series, but this was not an issue at all.

Jax and Cassie's relationship was one heck of a rollercoaster ride.

From the minute we met Jax, I, like our leading lady Cassie, was enamoured. His words, his actions... swoon!

Cassie was very guarded with her heart - and when you find out early on why, you cannot fault her reasons.

Right from the very start, I felt like someone had taken the air from my lungs, had their hand around around my heart and had punched me in the gut - all at once.

As much as I adored Jax, there were so many times that I just wanted to slap some sense into him. And at the same time I wanted to give Cassie a talking to, much like her sister Roxie did.

There were a couple of twists and turns along the way, and as we all know, the road to true love is going to be rocky.

There were some fantastic secondary characters that I would really love to hear more about - Cassie's sister Roxie most of all.

I hope we get more of this series, and I will be making sure I go back and read book 1 in the near future.

I enjoyed Ms Love's style of writing. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the dual POV and past/present timelines but once I got into the swing of things, the story flowed well.

I look forward to seeing what Ms Love brings us in the future.

ARC received for an honest review


Complicate Me is a step away from M. Robinson's usual genre, but believe me, you will no be disappointed with the change of scene.


It is days after I finished reading, and I still don't have the words to describe how I feel about this book. to do this book justice.



M. Robinson has knocked it out of the park with Complicate Me. It is the first of 4 books in the Good Ol' Boys series, each book focusing on one of the boys - Lucas, Jacob, Dylan and Austin, This is Alex and Lucas' story.



There was quite a bit of set up for the later books in the series, these are such complex characters and I devoured every piece of information we got.



Right from the prologue, I knew my heart was going to be ripped out and stomped on. There is so much emotion in this book. Make sure you have a box (or two) of tissues handy, as if you are anything like me, you are going to need them.



Alex and Lucas have loved each other since they were young kids. But everyone in their life has been determined to keep them apart, to make sure they experience the world. But their hearts just know.



Complicate Me is a tumultous ride. We are taken to the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. You just never knew which way your heart and mind were going to be taken next.



Alex and Lucas - oh man! Their relationship could for the longest really is a beautiful disaster. There were so many times that I wanted to slap the crap out of Lucas - surely he could not have been as clueless as he acted at times? Gah, he frustrated me!



My heart broke repeatedly for Alex as the years progressed. Although Alex tried to do what everyone else wanted her to do - make her world about more than her boys - I just couldn't help but want, no need, her and Lucas to be together


Complicate Me is just a beautiful, frustrating, heartbreaking story about first love, true love. About the friendships that last our lifetime. I loved every single word, and I am now impatiently waiting for Jacob's story.

       

ARC received for an honest review

On her way to her first day at her dream job, Lara flat out falls in front of her new boss - who she does not know is her new boss.

Reed is momentarily worried about her suing him, but once he sees her, really sees her, he is immediately intrigued by the beautiful woman in front of him. He is not sure what to do with these feelings he has for her - he doesn't do the relationship thing, more of a wham bam thank you ma'am kind of guy.

I loved that Lara did not instantly succumb to his charms. She is a bit put off by the way he acts towards her, tells her rather than asks her, that kind of stuff. She is attracted, no doubt about it, but he has other attributes that tone down that attraction.

I am not sure what it was, but there was just something missing from Reed that stopped me from going from the "yeah I like him" to the "OMG I love him". Can't quite put my finger on what it was though - maybe it was just my frame of mind at the time of reading, maybe it is just me.

And Lara's oft repeated "I don't see myself like that", rather than her being the sexy mama that Reed and her besty keep telling her - it frustrated me. It was not like she had terrible self esteem, just GAH! It made her feel more immature than she really was.

There is no denying that when they are together, the sexy times are hot as f*&k. Fanning myself here!

Although I liked Lara and Reed, at times I just didn't feel them.

There are some great secondary characters and relationships in Chasing Happy. Lara and Kade - her bestie - have an amazing relationship, feels so real. You can't help but love Kade. I reaally, really hope that his is the next book in the series.

Reed's family and friends are amazing. They are wonderful, funny, snarky, so much love.

This was a solid start from a debut writer. It touched on some deeper, darker topics than I expected, and it captivated me enough that I am looking forward to more in this series.



       

ARC received from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review

This is the 4th book in the Scandalous Highlanders series, but I have not read the first 3. This, however, did not take away from my enjoyment of Some Like It Scot.

I am a sucker for a sexy scotsman - seriously, my dream holiday is to go to Scotland, stand in the street and just listen to them talk!

Cat and her sister Elizabeth are on the run from a very unsuitable engagement. Cat has secrets she is hiding even from her sister. She is a tomboy,

Munro "Bear" McLawry, brother to the head of the clan, and somewhat the black sheep of the family. And boy did I like the man! I loved how he stood up to his family, went for what he wanted no matter the consequences.

Now, it may just be that I haven't (yet) read the first 3 books, but boy I found his family (except his sister) very hypocritical! They blasted Bear for what he does, but it was no different wot what they had all done in the past. That irritated me no end, so much I wanted to jump into my kindle and slap them with a lump of 2x4!

Bear and Cat really made this story for me. The attraction, the tension between them is off the charts. I loved the bickering, the snarky remarks. Loved how Bear embedded himself in Cat's life, and how - eventually - she realised that the couldn't do it all on her own, and didn't need to.

The one thing that did take me a while to get use to was the thick scottish brogue. It took me probably the first 20% to get used to it, but after that I was used to it, and eventually was reading with that accent in my head.

This is my first Suzanne Enoch read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pacing was good, the story flowed and I felt involved in Cat and Bear's lives.

I will be going back to read more of this series and Ms Enoch's work.