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BOOK REVIEW: Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3) by Libba Bray

November 24, 2018 / Arielle / 2 Comments

Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3)
by Libba Bray
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that early claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough of lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over, and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them fact-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.

Review:

In this history, someone wins and someone loses. There are patriots and enemies. Folk heroes who save the day. Vanquished foes who had it coming. It’s all in the telling. The conquered have no voice.

I…..I am left without knowing quite what to say. I stayed up until around 1 a.m. last night to finish this because I couldn’t bear to stop. The story would not let me stop. I know that isn’t really even that late compared to how late I’ve stayed up in the past for a book but I can guarantee you it’s the latest I’ve stayed up reading since having my daughter. This series has had be on an emotional roller coaster the past few weeks. I have not read Bray’s writing in years so I had forgotten how consuming it can be. I’ve been terrified, I’ve been hurt, I’ve been worried, I’ve been in love. Even as I sit typing this, when I think about everything that happened in the last half of the book, my heart starts beating faster. Honestly, this has been the most visceral reading experience I’ve had in a LONG time.

“Aw, Sheba. I didn’t mean anything by that. Look, I know I’m no egghead and I’m no saint. I can’t heal like Memphis or play the piano like Henry. And I sure don’t look like Freddy the Giant,” he said, exposing his own soft wound. “But I got my own kind of smarts, from the streets, and when I go after something, well, just try’n shake me off. I’m an odd fella, but I know I’m an odd fella. What I can’t figure out is why you gotta make yourself crackers trying to be somebody you can’t ever be instead of just letting yourself be the one and only Evie O’Neill.”

I want to do my best to give away as little as possible. I’m always one for reading ahead or looking at spoilers and other than looking to see what happened at the end of Lair of Dreams I was good. I had NO idea what to expect for this one other than having certain gut feelings throughout the book. I want to warn you all, this book—this entire series—is dark. There are horrible ghosts, there is death, there is racism and bigotry. While I abso-posi-tutely loved reading about this era, it was so hard reading about the racism. Like seriously when everything goes to shit at the end with the King of Crows and certain deaths, etc., all I could think about was “yeah sure, they’ll probably defeat him in the next book but Memphis and Theta will still never be able to live peacefully in love. Henry will never be able to get married. Ling will always be judged for both the color of her skin and because of her braces.” GAHHH I hate that that’s the way things used to be…that that’s the way it still sometimes is now. It’s unfair and it sucks and I will never understand why people can’t just let other people be happy. It’s a load of B.S. if you ask me.

“I suppose it’s all in how you define patriotism. Some say that’s only saying good things about your country. Others say that it’s speaking against what you feel is wrong with your country and trying to make a change.”

BUT, I don’t want to make it seem like everything is just a huge suckfest. No. This book has love and joy and hope as well. Just because Theta and Memphis’s relationship is looked down upon, doesn’t mean it affects their love for one another in any way. Nothing stops Henry or Ling from being exactly who they are as well. And as for Evie and the kinda-love triangle….oh baby. My lips are sealed muahahaha.

Seriously though, the second half of this book was my favorite. It’s all like BAM BAM BAM in your face. Here’s a tad of information you might want, but then boom, here’s a little more mystery to add to your ??? files. You learn so much about Project Buffalo that is so messed up but still I have more questions about James and Sam’s mom and the weird blue serum that Marlowe gives to Jericho. It’s just so crazy think about how “simple” things were in the first book –lolol yeah right, but you’ll see what I mean if you read these. Then they were just dealing with one murderous ghost, not an endless supply. One thing that held the test of time, though, is the friendships. In fact, the motley group of characters have become a family, they become the reader’s family. I care so much for each of them that I will be so sad to see them go after the next book…fingers crossed they all live.

He was beautiful to her. She reached her hand toward him, and if she lived for a hundred years more, she would never forget his expression, as if he had been lost in a dark wood for a very long time and she had just opened the door to him, light spilling out to let him know he was home at last.

I am so deeply in need of the fourth book it’s not even funny. After everything that happened in the last half of the book I am left empty and with little hope. There is going to be a great reckoning and I am so nervous to see how everything comes to an end.

LIBBA PLZ GIVE US EVEN A ROUGH RELEASE DATE.

In our shrouds, we look up and watch you. . . You, who ask, “Am I enough?” You, who pray to leave a mark. You, so full of life. You, capable of such moments of transcendent beauty that it shifts the atoms of history into an ecstatic sigh. You, who erect the monuments so that you’ll remember, for a time. You, who will also wither and die. We marvel at your endless capacity to dream and create and, yes, even to love. To keep inventing yourselves. To ignore history’s lessons. To rewrite the story again and again. We wish you love. And dreams. And hope.

BOOK REVIEW: Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray

November 23, 2018 / Arielle / 0 Comments

Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2)
by Libba Bray
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

In this heart-stopping sequel to The Diviners, Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray takes readers deeper into the mystical underbelly of New York City.

Review:

The land has a memory.

Every stream and river runs with a confession of sorts, history whispered over rocks, lifted in the beaks of birds at a stream, carried out to the sea. Buffalo thunder across plains whose soil was watered with the blood of battles long since relegated to musty books on forgotten shelves. Fields once strewn with blue and gray now flower with uneasy buds. The slave master snaps the lash, and generations later, the ancestral scars remain.

Under it all, the dead lie, remembering.

At this point I honestly don’t know whether I should race to finish book three to see how things progress or take my time and savor it as much as I can. You see, there is no publication date yet for book four and the trend ~seems~ to be that she is taking two years to write each book. I mean…if that’s the case, COOL. Before the Devil Breaks You came out last year so that means the fourth could possible come out next year….right??!?!? Either way, you better be sure I will be stalking the GR page, Libba’s website, and every other media outlet available until I catch of wiff of a due date. That is reason #1230942830598 how you know you’ve found a good series.

“Did she just say they’d drag the river for your body?” T. S. Woodhouse asked, his pencil poised above his open notebook.
Sam sighed like a man deeply in love. “She did, the little bearcat. It’s the only defense that poor, helpless girl’s got against the animal pull of our love. Uh, you can quote me on that.”

This book was a great sequel to its predecessor, though I will admit that it scared me a lot less (and that is NOT a bad thing). It picks up shortly after the first left off and it seems that Evie exposing herself as a Diviner has made her quite famous. She landed herself a radio talk show where she reads people’s items and basically tells them the positive things they want to hear. With her sass and genial personality, she has become New York’s Sweetheart Seer and has won the hearts of many. One heart that she did not immediately win over, though, was mine. I can’t lie, there were parts of this book where I became frustrated and annoyed with Evie because she was drinking and partying a LOT and it seemed to me like she was brushing off anything serious and ditching her friends. For some reason, it just didn’t click with me that she might be getting/staying drunk and making light of everything because that was the only way she knew how to cope with EVERYTHING that happened at the end of the last book. She and Sam had a conversation about it towards the end of this book and I kind of sat there for a second, thinking, damnit Arielle, of course Evie wasn’t doing all of that on purpose!!! I mean let’s face it, I can’t even think about that last scene with Naughty John without scaring myself and it’s all just a story…it makes perfect sense that Evie would be seriously changed and scarred by the event. I just needed that all to be said in case anyone initially has the same thoughts as me!

Sam had a skill that often let him take what he needed. But you couldn’t do that with love. It had to be given. Shared. Through the window, Evie saw him. She made a funny face—a silly gesture—and Sam felt it deep inside.

Anywayyyyys this story, while still featuring all of our favorites from the first book, centers more about Henry and a new character, Ling, who can always dream-walk. After a chance encounter in a dream one night, Henry finds Ling in real life and convinces her to help him find Louis’s dream so he could suggest him in his dreams to come to New York to be with Henry.

Before I go on, I just need to say that I loved Ling’s character in this book! After being annoyed with Evie’s occasional surface level-ness, Ling was so blunt and straightforward about everything. She seemed like just the right person to add to the group. Another thing that I loved about her/ these books that I never mentioned in my first review is the diversity we see. Henry is gay, Memphis and Theta are an interracial couple, and Ling is disabled (has to wear braces/ use crutches because of a sickness that basically destroyed her leg muscles) and bi-racial (we also see how immigrants were poorly treated, too). Obviously each of those things can still be hard for people to deal with today but it was VERY interesting to see how they coped with being “different” in the 20s. My heart hurt for all of them for different reasons on multiple occasions but it was refreshing to have these characters and see how they just went on and lived their lives anyway. AND it’s a sad reminder that people have had to deal with people’s ignorance and intolerable BS basically forever.

But I digress. Back to the plot. The main new obstacle in this book is something called the Sleeping Sickness. People are being preyed upon in their dreams and if they “agree” to keep dreaming, they are stuck in a deep sleep, unable to wake up until they are basically burned up from the inside. Yeah, pretty messed up, right? Well even more messed up is that the area that is being the most affected is China Town and people are becoming extremely restless. It’s up to our favorite Diviners to save the day! Ugh, this book has a lot of sadness to it in my opinion. You find out more about Henry’s back story, you find out about a third dream-walker’s story, and you feel bad for Isaiah because Uncle Bill is THE WORST, UGH, Mabel feels like she isn’t special and keeps being ditched by Evie, the list continues on…

I also may have said book one scared me more, but don’t take that to mean this one isn’t scary. The thought of going down into a dark subway tunnel with weird animalistic ghost creatures chasing you IS REALLY SCARY, TOO. No thanks. I hope I come out of this series as a braver person, I really do lol.

But the gin had loosened the last of Evie’s restraint. “I’ve seen you. The true you. I’ve held your secrets in my hands. You’re scared, Sam. You pretend you’re not, but you are. Just like the rest of us.”

By this point in my review I finally noticed that three out of my five quotes are from Sam or Sam/Evie. Oops. No regrets. Their fake engagement was basically my favorite part of this book. I want to tell people that there is kind of a love triangle only…it’s not a typical one like with Bella/Edward/Jacob or Tessa/Will/Jem. Jericho likes Evie. Sam likes Evie. Evie has kissed both and kind of likes them both but isn’t particularly *with* either one of them (other than the fake engagement, of course, lol). In my heart, I think it will be Sam, and want it to be Sam. You just don’t get an opening meeting like they did and have nothing happen. No. Way. Plus uhhhh they had some pos-i-tute-ly dreamy tension a few times. Looooooved it. Also, I loved that he trusted her enough to tell her about Project Buffalo and wanting her to help him find his mom.

BTW I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS MOM AND EVIE’S BROTHER AND THE CROW GUY SEEMS SCARY AF, TOO HELP ME.

For dreams, too, are ghosts, desires chased in sleep, gone by morning. The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

Soooo yeah, on the level, I’m probably just going to binge book three because let’s face it, how could I ever try to pace myself with these characters characters and a story like this?!

BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: You Had Me at Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence #2) by Jennie Marts

November 21, 2018 / Jen / 2 Comments

You Had Me at Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence #2)
by Jennie Marts
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
This cowboy is falling hard

Mason James is the responsible one who stayed behind to run the ranch while his brother, Rock, took off to play professional hockey. Women have used him before to get to his brother--and Mason intends never to get burned again. But after he meets quirky Tessa Kane at his brother's wedding, Mason discovers he's ready to take a chance on love.

Tessa Kane is a reporter on the verge of losing a job she desperately needs--unless she's clever enough to snag a story on the famous Rockford James. But when she falls for her subject's brother, she's caught between a rock and a hard-muscled cowboy. What will happen when Mason finds out who she really is?

Review:

You Had Me at Cowboy was such a sweet, heartwarming story. It was filled with strong families, sexy cowboys, adorable pets and I loved how friendship, trust, love and second chances were strong themes. And while this could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with Caught Up in a Cowboy. That’s where you first meet the James family, who are now preparing for a wedding.

No stopping whatever this crazy thing was that was happening between him and this woman he’d just met. Although it didn’t feel like they’d just met. It felt like he’d known her forever.

Tessa Kane was having the worst day ever. In those first few pages, when she arrived at the pre-wedding activities as someone’s date, I was already cringing and laughing out loud. And just when things started to turn even worse, in walked Mason James. Not only did he come to her rescue, Tessa eventually realized that Mason was the ticket to keeping her job. She was supposed to get an exclusive interview with the famous NHL groom, Rock. And Mason was Rock’s brother.

He wanted to touch her, to taste her, to adore her.
She was his fantasy.

I loved that Tessa and Mason clicked right away. Their friendship and chemistry were smile inducing and so much fun! I kept finding myself laughing at their antics and then sighing over their sweeter and sexier moments together. What was happening between them felt so magical, as if it was meant to be. But Tessa was just here for the story, so she could save her job which would help save her Grandma’s house. But even she couldn’t deny what was going on between them. It all felt so true in her heart.

He knew the right thing to do, the chivalrous thing. Finding his voice, he leaned toward her ear. “I’ll give you some privacy and see if I can find you some dry clothes.”
She whispered one word, but he heard it as clearly as if she’d shouted.
“Stay.”

You have to meet Mason James! I was obsessed and easily found myself enraptured by that cowboy. Mason was seductive, hilarious, thoughtful, compassionate and caring. Yet he was definitely guarded. Women had used him in the past to get to his famous brother. So my heart hurt for him and I understood why he didn’t have a date to his brother’s wedding. That was until he crashed into Tessa and later asked her to be his date for all of the wedding activities. Mason thought he finally found a woman that wanted only him. And I was so nervous, because I was waiting for everything to explode.

As much as she wanted to tell him the truth, to come clean about who she was and why she was really there, she wasn’t ready to let him go. Wasn’t ready to let this go.

Tessa found herself in a tough situation, and while I didn’t agree with some of the choices she made, I more than got it. How could I not like her when Tessa was kind, funny, quirky, compassionate and had the hugest heart ever. I loved how she jumped right in to help others, and that was just one of the countless reasons why she fit in so easily with Mason’s family. And then when I saw her interaction with Dewey, a dog, oh my heart. She was so sweet to him and little Dewey added so much heart to this story. But best of all, I loved how Tessa made Mason feel. It warmed me all the way to the tip of my toes. So, I just kept my fingers crossed because the truth was bound to come out. And I hoped it would all work out for the best!

Somewhere in the last few days, he had become all hers. And no matter what happened next, whether she stayed in his life to see where this led, or if she went back home after the wedding, Tessa Kane had ruined him for any other woman.

You Had Me at Cowboy was the perfect mix of sexy and sweet. I loved that we got to be in both Tessa and Mason’s heads. And I loved that we got to spend time with all of our favorites from Caught Up in a Cowboy! Rock, Quinn, Vivienne and so many others graced the pages and it was absolutely perfect! Now I’m left excited for the next book. It’s about the youngest brother in the James family. I fell in love with the moments between him and the girl he seemed interested in…it was all so adorable with a little bit of awkward thrown in. So I can’t wait to read their story next!

PS Mimi, Tessa’s grandmother, was hilarious. We didn’t see much of her, but when we did, she had me rolling with laughter. Ohh Aunt Sass too. There’s an ice sculpture scene between Aunt Sass and Mason that made me laugh so hard I cried!

PPS I know that I rarely give my opinion on covers, but the covers in this series are HOT. Having them on my Kindle isn’t enough, I also need them on my bookshelf *fans face*.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #) *Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.*
Caught Up in a Cowboy #1 Reviews: Jen	You Had Me at Cowboy #2 Reviews: Jen	It Started With a Cowboy #3 Reviews: Jen
Wish Upon a Cowboy #4 Reviews: Jen

Giveaway:

✮ Enter to win a copy of Caught Up In A Cowboy, that I’m personally giving away, on our Instagram and Twitter.

✮ Also, enter the tour giveaway below!

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About Jennie Marts:

Jennie Marts is the USA Today bestselling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. She is living her own happily ever after with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies, in the mountains of Colorado.

BOOK REVIEW: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

November 16, 2018 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

*ARC Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Rhen puts his hands on my arms and leans in. When he speaks, his voice is very low, very quiet, just for me. “My father is dead, my lady. My whole family is dead.” He pulls back, meeting my gaze, but his voice doesn’t change. “That monster killed them all.”

This book is everything I knew I wanted and needed in my life. And, also, this book is everything I didn’t know I wanted and needed in my life. Yes, it’s a Beauty and the Beast re-telling (the most used and, in my opinion, most successful Fairy Tale retelling) but it was far different than anything I could have hoped for or anticipated.

This is the most reckless thing I’ve ever done.
Wait. No. The most reckless thing I’ve ever done was attack a guy on the street with a tire iron. So I guess this is fine.

In many ways I did long for the more traditional approach, such as hanging out in the castle together, etc., but, from what I can tell, the author was trying to accomplish something far greater for our two heroes and I think it would have came off as boring, comparatively. Now, that doesn’t mean I didn’t want them to have more time together, because I felt that, sometimes, we lacked that. But, as a whole, this book made my feels go crazy and I was on the edge of my seat the entire story.

This feels like the cruelest season of all, to present me with a girl with the fierceness to stand at my side—yet with a home and family she needs to return to so badly.

Every moment was just so beyond addicting, such as it always is with Kemmerer’s writing, but there was something just so cool about her writing a fantasy-a fairy-tale retelling from the woman who creates the most deliciously tortured male leads, like, ever. Declan is a BBF I will NEVER forget, and now Rhen is way up there for me, as well. He was just so alone. My poor lonely soul *tear*

I give her a nod and turn for the door.
“Rhen,” she calls after me.
I pause in the doorway and face her.
“I’m not going to fall in love with you,” she says. Her words are not a surprise.
I sigh. “You won’t be the first.”

And the dynamics between Rhen, Grey, and Harper? Oh my gosh, words cannot even describe how strongly I fell for this trio. My heart, my soul, and my entire being longed for this story to never end because there could never be enough of their story. For real, though-my biggest complaint with this story??? I. NEEDED. MORE.

More Rhen and Harper. More Rhen and Grey. More Grey and Harper. More. More. MOAR. I cannot stress that fact enough-I’m starting another book tonight, but my heart remains with these characters, this curse, and the love that might or might not have blossomed between Rhen and Harper. And this is really hard for me to talk about, because I don’t want to spoil anything…so I can’t say why I wanted more. It just….I need it.

Rhen has made it to his feet. “You cannot harm her,” he says. “You swore.”
“I swore not to kill them,” Lilith says. “I swore not to interfere with your attempts at courtship.” She steps closer to me. “That,” she says, “is all I swore.”

And can we talk about that torturous storyline? I’m not exaggerating. I absolutely ADORED when Lilith (I hate her but loved what she brought to the table) came around to bother Rhen. Many of you will call me a sicko, but I was a sucker for the struggles Rhen faced and how Lilith tested his limits and went over his boundaries. There’s something about a character in the worst moments of their life that make a story more candid-and I lived for these moments…for better or worse. And why couldn’t I have gotten that oneeee thingggg I realllyyyyyyyy wanted at the end?! GRR. I kind of did…but it was toned down and boo.

I stay close to Rhen and keep my voice low. “Do people always do everything you want?
“Not always.” He turns to look at me, his expression inscrutable. “Clearly.”

I’ll leave most of the story alone so as not to spoil it, but I want to draw the comparisons between the Fairytale and this book, because I actually found them wonderful. Rhen was the beast, obviously. Grey, I believe, was Lumiere. Lilith had to be a mix of the witch/the mirror. Harper’s brother and mother were Belle’s life (the mother was the father in this case, but she had a true sickness, she wasn’t mad as they said the father was). There was dancing!

Adorable. Harper was clearly Belle (I know, Captain Obvious), and the curse was the same-to find true love to break the curse….but with a HUGE, nasty twist for poor Rhen: Instead of being a beast full-time, at the end of every failed season, he turns into a beast (a different one every time) that ravages those around him and all his people, only to come to after the fact with blood staining his clothes and hands…and everything resets for the next season. Rinse. Repeat. For eternity. Yikes. But no library. That sucked haha.

This story was about Harper making him see what he can do to save his people. It was about finding who you were meant to be, no matter the cost, and it was about a Prince who never could find true love…until a girl called him on his games and demanded more. Sincerity. Love. Kindness.

This early in the season, the other girls would sit by the hearth and gaze at me over crystal goblets, while I’d pour wine and tell stories with just enough devilishness to make them blush.
If I put a crystal goblet in this one’s hand, she’d likely smash it and use the shards to cut me.

I loved this book. So much. Is that not clear? There were a few moments that got to me, though, and the one that sticks out the most is this trigger: View Spoiler » And that was the only specific moment it showed-what purpose did this serve? To make me madder? Well, it succeeded. Other than that, I loved what Rhen had to go through, but that bothered me.

A sound chokes out of my throat. I want to weep for an entirely new reason. The burning pain has reached my head, and my eyes begin to cloud with stars.
“You are responsible,” she says, her terrible voice fading away. “You, Rhen. You alone will destroy them all.”

I sometimes thought that Grey and Harper’s relationship got more time developing than her and Rhen’s…and I’m not sure that was ever not true. But his relationship with Rhen was also a big part of the story, and it just showed how truly wonderful Grey was in every way

-he was such a comedic relief that I lapped up in every moment. I wondered if this was going to be a love triangle…and it wasn’t? As time passed nothing arose that worried me in that way, but, in the end, I was thinking-so…was I right?? Did he like her?? That was a bit odd, as well, I will say. And I fear people will say she had more chemistry with Grey, but I am ride or die for Rhen and Harper and it didn’t effect me one bit-I just know how fickle we readers are and I fear this is a reaction I will see from many of my friends or other reviewers. I’ll deny them wholeheartedly, of course, but that doesn’t make it true for anyone other than me.

I step closer, until her skirts brush my legs, and I rest a hand on her waist. “I am inviting you to dance, not dragging you behind a horse.” I sigh dramatically. “Must you look so tortured?”

Okay. This review was not what I wanted it to be at all-this is in part because I wrote my review at work and people kept interrupting me and it made me severely scatter-brained…and partly because I am a bit confused on my feelings toward the end. I. WANTED. MORE. Lol. Clearly.

And this is totally Rhen-Sorry not sorry.

**********

Okay. Okay. So….I pos-i-tute-ly LOVED THIS….but that end??? Like-I don’t-What?

Tell me there’s more? Because my thirst cannot be quenched when it comes to my baby Prince Rhen and my baby Grey!!!!!!!!!! I NEED MORE!

RTC.

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW: Arrogant Devil by R. S. Grey

November 15, 2018 / Arielle / 2 Comments

Arrogant Devil Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A full-length STANDALONE romantic comedy from USA TODAY bestselling author R.S. Grey.

Everyone in Cedar Creek, Texas, knows Jack McNight is an arrogant devil. Physically, I get it: he’s tan and fit, with coal-black hair that’s clearly been scorched by hellfire. Oh, and his personality? It burns just as hot.

When I show up on the doorstep of Blue Stone Ranch, I’m run-down and rockin’ my last pair of underwear. I’m hoping for a savior, but instead, I find him.

My opinion of Jack is marred by a dismal first impression, but his opinion of me is tainted even before I arrive. He’s heard I’m a spoiled princess there to take advantage of his goodwill. To him, I’m more trouble than I’m worth.

Our button-pushing banter should get under my skin. His arrogance should be a major turn-off. Problem is, devils are known to offer their own form of temptation.

Every one of his steely glares sends a shiver down my spine.

Every steamy encounter leaves me reeling.

Sure, it could be the Texas heat messing with my head, but there’s no way I’ll survive the summer without silencing him with a kiss and wrestling him out of those Wranglers.

Who knows…going to bed with the devil might just be the salvation I’ve been looking for all along.

Review:

Be glad I’m with you.
Be glad I’m with you.
He was holding my head under water, and I didn’t drown, didn’t break. I grew gills.

As Kevin says to Dwight when they show up at his bar during Dwight’s bachelor party during the finale, “Well, well, well, well, well, well.” (I’m pretty sure after reading like three Office references that Grey must also be a rabid fan like myself) I found another winner, guys!!!! I don’t know about everyone else but I LOVE when I find a romance author who has consistently great/ HILARIOUS writing, especially when they already have quite a few books out. I had read a few of her books previously, one being a hit and one a miss, and I just didn’t feel like venturing forth into more for a while. THAT IS until I signed up for a free month’s trial to Kindle Unlimited and basically all of her books are free muahahah.

“Oh I’m sorry, Alfred! I just realized I didn’t give you any. How rude of me to bring it up.”
He forgives me because he’s a dog and he doesn’t speak English. Also, I think he’s my best friend.

Anywayyyys this particular book is about Meredith and Jack. Meredith is a woman who came from a well off family and married a well off man straight out of college. She really hasn’t had to ever work for anything in her entire life until the day/night she decides to finally leave her emotionally abusive/manipulative sleezeball of a husband and run to Texas where her half-sister lives. When she finds that her sister is in fact halfway across the world on a vacation because her house is being renovated, she is forced to take a job at Jack’s ranch. Jack is a hot, prickly cowboy who would really rather not have Meredith around. He’s heard from Meredith’s sister about how she’s never had to work a day in her life and has probably just left her husband to get attention of some kind. Obviously that all changes once the two actually get to know each other/ each other’s stories.

Alfred follows after me, acting as my accomplice, and together, we hightail it back to the shack. Once we’re inside, I slam the door closed and press my back against it. Mission: Possible, apparently.
I glace down at my bounty. I managed to nab a bottle of Jack Daniels. Fitting. I pour myself a bit and barf a little in my mouth when I take my first sip.
“It’s so bad,” I tell Alfred, trying to keep the rest of it down.
He looks at me with sad, questioning eyes as if to say, Hmm, and I thought you weren’t a little bitch.

There were so many things to love about this book:
-Meredith’s tenacity to prove to Jack that she can work her butt off and that she isn’t just some rich, flighty girl who left her husband because she was somehow bored or unhappy
-Alfred the golden retriever who sounds exactly like my dopey golden named Oakley
-Jack’s grandma, Edith, who is a hilarious angel sent from above
-Jack and his prickliness and how he obviously is a big softy on the inside and once he hears Meredith’s story he immediately believes her like no one else ever has
-Sexy scenes that will make you blush
-Meredith getting to tell off her horrible husband and being extremely brave about it and realizing her self-worth
-More Alfred
-More Edith
-Super adorable epilogue

I have one thought before I reach her: if there have to be consequences, make them all worth it.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Page 154 of 419

BOOK REVIEW: Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3) by Libba Bray

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BOOK REVIEW: Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray

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BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: You Had Me at Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence #2) by Jennie Marts

Synopsis:

Review:

No stopping whatever this crazy thing was that was happening between him and this woman he’d just met. Although it didn’t feel like they’d just met. It felt like he’d known her forever.

He wanted to touch her, to taste her, to adore her.
She was his fantasy.

He knew the right thing to do, the chivalrous thing. Finding his voice, he leaned toward her ear. “I’ll give you some privacy and see if I can find you some dry clothes.”
She whispered one word, but he heard it as clearly as if she’d shouted.
“Stay.”

As much as she wanted to tell him the truth, to come clean about who she was and why she was really there, she wasn’t ready to let him go. Wasn’t ready to let this go.

Somewhere in the last few days, he had become all hers. And no matter what happened next, whether she stayed in his life to see where this led, or if she went back home after the wedding, Tessa Kane had ruined him for any other woman.

Giveaway:

About Jennie Marts:

BOOK REVIEW: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

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BOOK REVIEW: Arrogant Devil by R. S. Grey

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BOOK REVIEW: Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3) by Libba Bray

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Review:

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BOOK REVIEW: Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray

Synopsis:

Review:

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BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: You Had Me at Cowboy (Cowboys of Creedence #2) by Jennie Marts

Synopsis:

Review:

No stopping whatever this crazy thing was that was happening between him and this woman he’d just met. Although it didn’t feel like they’d just met. It felt like he’d known her forever.

He wanted to touch her, to taste her, to adore her. She was his fantasy.

He knew the right thing to do, the chivalrous thing. Finding his voice, he leaned toward her ear. “I’ll give you some privacy and see if I can find you some dry clothes.” She whispered one word, but he heard it as clearly as if she’d shouted. “Stay.”

As much as she wanted to tell him the truth, to come clean about who she was and why she was really there, she wasn’t ready to let him go. Wasn’t ready to let this go.

Somewhere in the last few days, he had become all hers. And no matter what happened next, whether she stayed in his life to see where this led, or if she went back home after the wedding, Tessa Kane had ruined him for any other woman.

Giveaway:

About Jennie Marts:

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

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Share this:

BOOK REVIEW: Arrogant Devil by R. S. Grey

Synopsis:

Review:

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He wanted to touch her, to taste her, to adore her.
She was his fantasy.

He knew the right thing to do, the chivalrous thing. Finding his voice, he leaned toward her ear. “I’ll give you some privacy and see if I can find you some dry clothes.”
She whispered one word, but he heard it as clearly as if she’d shouted.
“Stay.”