4.5 Stars

Rome may not have been built in a day....but it was most certainly conquered in one. I devoured this book! I couldn't get enough. Not only do we get Rome and Cora's story, which was fantastic, we also get to see new developments with all our other favorite characters as well. I am such a huge fan of this series.

Everything felt right about this book. I loved Rome. He was so strong and fractured at the same time. It was an incredible journey he went through in this book, and who better to be by his side than Cora. They were ying and yang, darkness and light, one lived in the pain of the past, while the other had her eyes focused on the dream of a perfect future. Neither lived in the present, and both missed out on so much by doing so. They brought balance to each other and I loved watching their world getting shifted on it's axis.

How freaking awesome was the Bar?!?! It melted my heart. The Bar, the owner, the customers, and everything they stood for was so incredible. I felt like what the tattoo parlor was for Rule and the bunch, this bar was for Rome.

"Rome, there are not enough good men in this world. Men that fight for what they believe in. Men that are more than willing to sacrifice for the greater good." - Brite

There were so many touching scenes in this book. Brunch with the Archer family was EPIC! And I'll be damned if the Remy and Rome scene towards the end didn't bring tears to my eyes.

I love how very different each character is in these books. No one is just a different version of the same. They are all so unique, and in turn so are their stories. Everything just fits and feels right with each pairing so far. I couldn't picture any of them going differently! This was the third book in the Marked Men series, and it has been fantastic since book one. I am beyond excited to read Nash's book next. Waiting until April is going to be torture. Absolute torture. Jay Crownover is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. She is someone to definitely look out for. If you haven't started this series yet, quit bring lame and dive in, you won't be disappointed!

Gaaaahhhh this book was hard to rate! There were some things that I loved about it, namely Dawson, the storyline I thought was pretty great too (a few unexpected surprises). But then there were things that I really couldn't stand, and most of the time those things were Grey, or Grey related.

Let me start by saying there were a few things I liked about Grey, I thought she had a very interesting and unique story to tell. There were even a few times she did or said something that really pleasently surprised me. But most of the time she was an indecisive, blubbering mess of a person. She was a walking contradiction. It's like she always was pretending to be one radical or another for someone else, with absolutely no inclination as to what she wanted. Seriously, if you can go 10 pages without her crying if be shocked.

Dawson was a whole different story. He was smoldering hot and a pretty awesome dude too boot. He also had a very interesting story and really must have had the patients of a saint to deal with all of Grey's craziness. There was definitely an insta-love type scenario here which was a little lame, but the sexual frustration and passion will melt your panties off it's so hot.

See what I mean about the rating now?! There wasn't a whole lot of middle ground with things in Stripped for me, I either loved it, or hated it. All together it really ended up in my mind averaging out to be a 3 star book.

I read Karen Marie Moning's other Fae series and I LOVED those books! So naturally I was interested in starting this series. All in all I think it was a pretty good book and I will most likely continue on with the rest of them. And my GOD can KMM dream up some irresistible men!

4.5 Stars

Where did this book come from?! I am an avid reader, and as such, I vigorously research a book before I read it. I did not do that for this book, which is so very rare for me. I was simply browsing NetGalley and happened upon Best Kind of Broken. I thought it had a pretty cover, and I loved the title. So I figured, why not give it a try. I'm so glad I did. This book knocked my socks off, this was NA at it's best!

I loved that this book started out immediately right in the middle of Trixie and Levi's very complicated relationship. You were completely in the dark as to why things between them were so strained. As their story progressed we got glimpses into the past. It was a puzzle that was slowly coming together, page by page. I really enjoyed those flashes of the past, most of them were heartwarming, and only made me fall more in love with these amazing characters. The rotating chapters and perspectives between the two was also well done and I really liked getting a sense of what they were both feeling at the same time.

Trixie was a brooding artist, burying the ghosts of her past and keeping people at arms length just trying to drudge through day by day. Levi was a wounded and haunted man, hiding from his life by staying busy with mundane tasks. It was not lost on me that he was spending his time fixing things, while he ignored fixing himself and the life that was fractured around him. When fate, or Ellen ;) happened to, unknowingly to them, get them together for a whole summer, their wounds were slowly exposed. It was also about more than just repairing their relationship, but more about healing themselves, and moving forward.

So many of the characters in this story were so well developed and real. I couldn't get enough. I would love to see more from Jenna, Jack, Zack, Daren, and really anyone at the Inn. That place and all of its inhabitants and staff were absolutely charming.

I thought this was a beautiful story about love, loss, and pain. One tragedy changed so many lives and moving to see their journey.

"They're stronger, you know." Paul looks up at me.

I shield my eyes from the morning sun. "What's stronger?"

"The plants that you revive, " he says. "When you bring something back from the brink of death, it fights harder to thrive." Paul leans against his cane again and smiles. "So is the story of life, I guess."

Amongst the gloom in this story there was beauty, hope and even humor. While not dealing with their real feelings, Trixie and Levi resort to some pretty comical immature lengths to annoy each other. And I enjoyed every second of it!

This was my first Chelsea Fine novel, but it will not be my last. I was so pleasantly surprised with Best Kind of Broken, and I will be painstakingly waiting for the next book in the Finding Fate series! I can't wait to read more from this author!


This ARC was provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked Faking It. I was happy to see Cade get some action in this book, after all his struggles being locked in the friend zone in the previous book. Cade and Max were both likeable characters and their story was funny and cute. While I do like this series so far, I am really hoping the next book brings a little something extra to it. I like the characters and stories, but nothing has brought it to the next level yet. I like it all, but I don't love it, and unfortunately with as many books as I read, that is a huge difference. It's the difference between these stories standing out and being memorable or just falling into background and ultimately being forgotten about.

Donners of the Dead, like all of the Karina Halle books I've read, was FANTASTIC! One of the many things that I love about Halle's writing is that her characters are so real, they are flawed and in your face and you can't help but to connect with them and love them. This book was no exception, Eve was strong, capable, noble girl and you couldn't help but admire her. And Jake was mysterious, sexy, and stoic, I knew I loved him the first time he called Eve Pine Nut! It was the goofiest, unsexiest nickname I've ever heard and I LOVED IT! I couldn't help but grin like a fool every time he said it.

The other thing I love about Halle's writing is that she has a real talent for sending chills right down your spine when she wants to. I love a good scare, I started reading Stephen King novels when I was just a kid and I've been hooked ever since. While all my friend's were playing mall madness I was engulfed in a story about a killer clown and lulling myself to sleep with lingering "We all float down here, Georgie". There aren't that many writers that can make my heart race, or make me check over my shoulder for the things that go bump in the night, but Karina Halle is one of them. Donners of the Dead was a chilling tale and not only because of the flesh eating atrocities that were running rampant in this book, but also at the truly frightening ugly side of human nature...

"There are only monsters inside of angels and angels inside of monsters. Choose wisely."

I loved the fact that this story was prompted by an actual event in history, it honestly made me want to know more about the actual events that transpired with the Donner party. I also liked the Native American aspect to this book, it had some cool myths and interesting facts that brought a lot of great elements to this story! I read this book start to finish in one day. I couldn't sleep not knowing how it all turned out. Thankfully it was quick and effortless to get through. It kept me completely engulfed from start to finish. Anyone who enjoys Karina Halle books will not be disappointed in this! And if you live under a rock and haven't read anything by her yet, I recommend doing so, immediately. This was a gruesome tale and I loved every minute of it!

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Wrecked lived up to it's title in both expected and unexpected ways. I was not prepared for this book to be as funny as it was. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Lorrie was pretty annoying at times, but man did she have some amazing one liners! My favorite being...
"Friends don't make friends get boners."
I just about died when she said that, and even mentioned him getting one in general was a riot! Who does that?! I would totally pretend it didn't even happen, I'm way too polite to just throw that out there in the world, especially when just recently becoming friends with someone. This type of stuff though to me was Lorrie's saving grace. She could be so indecisive and flakey through the first half of the book, her going back and forth between just wanting to be friends and denying her true feelings but still acting like a jealous lover at the same time definitely wore thin after awhile. One thing I can say I really set her apart and made me respect her was after she would have a confusing blow up with Hunter over her crazy jealousies, she would eventually calm down and realize she was acting like a psycho and apologize. That takes guts, admitting you're wrong and acting like a fool is a hard pill to swallow and I thought that made her alright in my book.

I loved Hunter! He was also not just your typical ripped drool worthy bad boy. He could definitely kick some ass, being an MMA fighter and all, but he was also an good guy, and although secretive, he never really wavered and treated anyone poorly, I really liked that. The kittens were an absolutely sensational addition to this story! How freaking cute would it be really to see this sexy muscle bound giant bottle feeding and cradling his baby kittens. My heart would swell as my panties simultaneously melted right off! Their names for the kittens were equally as cute as the kittens themselves. As were their nicknames for each other, come on....Snorrie was freaking adorable, don't deny it! It made me smile every time I read it!

I also have to say that I did NOT see some parts coming! The big secret Hunter was holding onto was shocking to me! I thought I knew what it was, and boy was I off. It was heartbreaking and so surprising. There was definitely a cliffhangery ending to this. This story is clearly far from finished, and thank goodness for that. It was kind of sad to say that Hunter and Lorrie's biggest downfall was not being up front with each other. Although not done viciously or intentionally, they created some major rifts between them by holding back. I'm looking forward to seeing how they will repair those rifts. One other thing that is driving me mad is I really want to know more about Lorrie's issues. I feel like there may be a surprise twist involving the tragedy with her parents, and I can't wait to see what happens. I will definitely be looking out for the sequel, Rescued, which I believe comes out in the next week. This was another random pick for me from NetGalley and another win! I breezed through this book in a day and I am glad to have come across this gem.

THIS ARC WAS PROVIDED BLACKBIRD PUBLISHING VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Rating a book 5 stars does not happen all that often, for me. But when it does, it's always the same, I end the book and think the same question every time, how is my next book going to top this? It's simple to answer, it's not. It might be equally as fantastic, but 5 star books for me are in a rare category all to themselves, the top of the top, the best of the best, rival to none. Down London Road has landed itself in that exclusive group. Samantha Young is a very talented writer. I LOVED On Dublin Street, so much so that I was slightly worried about starting Down London Road for fear of it not being as outstanding as it's predecessor. People, if you were like me, have no fear. This book was AMAZING.

Let's start with gushing about these characters. Jo was someone who we got to meet in On Dublin Street, and while she wasn't necessarily painted in the most lovely light, you knew that there was going to be an interesting story there. I'll even venture to say that Jo was relatively hard to like and relate to at the beginning of this book as well. It's hard to make someone that is dating men mostly for their financial status appealing. While I surely did not always agree with the decisions that Jo made, the more you got to know her, it was clear that she was not a cruel or heartless person. She did what she felt she had to for her family, as misguided as that sometimes was. And try as I might to hold on to any begrudging feelings towards Jo for any of that behavior, it was near impossible to do as the book went on. She was living in a truly tragic and deeply upsetting situation. With the horrific upbringing she had it was a wonder that she turned out as well as she did. It was heartwarming how much love she had for Cole. He was her whole world, and not a single decision ever got made without him being at the fore front of Jo's mind. She was in almost every respect his mother, and they had a touching relationship.

Cameron....just wow. His raw sexual energy BURNED of the pages. Even when he was being a complete tool at the beginning, I still wanted to know more about him. And make no mistake, he was a brash judgmental ass towards Jo before he got to know her. It was freaking hostile, and unfoundedly so! And yet again, the more that we got to know Cam, the more he wormed his way right into your heart. He was a very dominant Alpha male type, but he definitely had a large heart and was a no bullshit kind of dude. I really liked that about him, he was mostly honest, even to a fault. The way he took to Cole just solidified the love I had for him. I really enjoyed watching their relationship blossom right along with his and Jo's.

It was so nice to see all the people we loved from the first book stay very relevant in the second installment. Lots of big changes going on for them too in this book. We also got to meet a few new great additions, Mick, Olivia, Nate and Peetie. One of my favorite things about her characters are their flaws. They are so real and relatable. She has this talent for taking these people who a first glance seem so rough and troubled, and gradually showing you how much more wonderful things there are about them just below the surface. And little by little they grow on you, until you can scarcely remember having shied away from them in the first place.

I would say that this book actually deals with quite a few touchy subjects. It was challenging to not get emotional at a few parts, the good and the bad. Another favorite thing of mine was the beautiful truth, that it's not always the blood relations that make the family, but sometimes it's the people that are there, loving you and supporting you by choice that mean the most. The Sunday gatherings at the Carmichael's were always an enjoyable thing! It was touching seeing how they had all formed this ragtag family and were so much better for it.

It looks as if the next book in this series has Olivia and Nate as the leads, and that will most likely prove to be a very interesting story. At this point I have no reservations about diving right into the next book. Samantha Young has shocked and awed me two out of two times now, and I can't get enough!! I think this was a fantastic story, and I truly can't wait to read more about all these wonderful characters.

This was a short sweet read. I enjoyed getting the closer look into Adam and Ellie's relationship. It was very cute how we got all the flashbacks through Ellie's diaries. We got to see their relationship grow and change since they were just teenagers. I felt kind of sorry for Ellie watching her love Adam for so long without him returning those feelings right away. But it ended up working out, and it was sweet to get a better idea of what they had been struggling with over the years.

I really enjoyed this short story with Joss and Braden. It was so great to see the proposal, wedding and all the HUGE developments that happened afterwards!

It was definitely noticed, in the previous full length novel in this series Down London Road, that Joss had grown a lot and was really working through a lot of her issues. Although in this novella we do see her still struggling with some of them, it was still a complete difference than in On Dublin Street. She has come such a long way, and I really liked that the author didn't go the route a lot of others do, and make it as if she's 100% cured from her problems once she settled with her man. She still has the same issues, but she's clearly dealing with them now and not shutting out all the people she cares about. And anyone who has read the previous books knows that's a huge thing. We are human beings, no one is perfect, all we can do is try, and Joss is definitely trying.

I was a little disappointed with the way Braden handled some things, but it was slightly refreshing at the same time to see that he can fowl things up too. He showed some weaknesses and it was a welcome reminder that he's human and has issues of his own too.

This book was great and I can't wait to see where things go from here!