Category: Review (Page 196 of 297)

BOOK REVIEW – Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

BOOK REVIEW – Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan EeAngelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1)
by Susan Ee
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with Raffe, an injured enemy angel. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco, where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Review:

I was addicted to Angelfall by the first page.  The story-line was vivid and always left me with that desperate feeling of having to know what was going to happen next!  The characters were full of life, even the secondary ones, and I became deeply immersed in what happened to them.  And the peril and slight moments of horror that were intricately laced throughout the story made my emotions flail into overdrive.  How could I not fall for this book?  Add in the fact that every single tiny detail in this story called for my absolute attention, especially that ending *clutches heart*, and I was a goner!

“Where are we?” Raffe asks from the shadows behind me.
“In Hell,” I say.

I loved Penryn from the moment that I met her!  She is a teenage girl who lived with her mom and sister.  In hopes of finding somewhere safer to live, they left their home at twilight since the angels wreaked havoc at night, and the gangs ruled the days.  In those first few chapters, when they’re trying to get to safety, my heart was in my throat.  And what unfolded was utter horror.  While Penryn was fierce and brave, she ended up being left with an Angel who was injured.  And he was her best bet for finding her little sister, who was taken by the other Angels.

When you’re small enough to have to look up at everyone around you, there’s no such thing as a dirty fight. That’s a new motto for me. I think I’ll keep it.

Penryn’s decision making twisted my gut at times, yet her decisions were sound and made me cheer for her.  You’ll get what I mean within those first few chapters lol.  I loved that I quickly connected to Penryn and felt every single thing she did.  Especially her fear, her bravery, and her struggle over choices she made.  She definitely soared right to the top of my list for favorite kick-butt heroines!  Which made her interactions with Raffe, the injured Angel, that much better.  He is a creature who could decimate her in a second, yet Penryn stood up to him.  What she did, to try to convince him to take her to find her sister, wow, her loyalty and bravery were amazingly impressive.

“Sometimes, as we’re stumbling along in the dark, we hit something good.”

Raffe, awwwwww *flails around*.  He would leave the craziest smiles on my face.  With his ridiculous sense of humor, his bantering and no-nonsense ways, I adored him.  But one of my favorite things about Raffe was the ability to find clues in his actions or words.  Because while he tried to come off as indifferent, I just didn’t want to buy it.  Because some of the things he did and said, while I may be reading way into them, had me jumping for joy.  I have HUGE hopes for Raffe, and what is going to unfold!

I nearly stumble over a fallen branch. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“I never kid about my warrior demigod status.”
“Oh. My. God.” I lower my voice, having forgotten to whisper. “You are nothing but a bird with an attitude.Okay, so you have a few muscles, I’ll grant you that. But you know, a bird is nothing but a barely evolved lizard. That’s what you are.”
He chuckles. “Evolution.” He leans over as if telling me a secret. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been this perfect since the beginning of time.” He is so close that his breath caresses my ear.
“Oh, please. Your giant head is getting too big for this forest. Pretty soon, you’re going to get stuck trying to walk between two trees. And then, I’ll have to rescue you.” I give him a weary look. “
Again.”

If you haven’t read this series yet, it’s a must!  The story was ALL consuming!  The pace had me flipping through the pages trying to see what was going to happen next.  And I quickly connected to Penryn, fell madly in love for Raffe and loved the moments where her mom and other characters graced the pages.  I honestly loved every single thing in this book and I hope you will too!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
angelfall susan ee
Angelfall #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
Laura
Anna
world after susan ee
World After #2
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
end of days susan ee
End of Days #3
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea

BOOK REVIEW: Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms #4) by Morgan Rhodes

BOOK REVIEW: Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms #4) by Morgan RhodesFrozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms #4)
by Morgan Rhodes
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Rebels, royals, and monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.

CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.

MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.

She raised her brow. “Thank me? Am I dreaming?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure it won’t happen again anytime soon.” Magnus drew even closer to her, and her smile faded at the edges.
“Was there something else you wanted from me?” she asked.
If only you knew, he thought. You’d probably run away from here and never look back.

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There’s something to be said about less is more…and perhaps I should just leave my ridiculously weird pre-review as my main review. However, it just doesn’t feel right to not talk about my favorite book of the series, yet. Sure, I’ve had butterflies and endless feels-all when it came to Magnus. I might have even became a little obsessed with him (COUGH a lot). But nothing-and I do mean NOTHING-has come close to how I felt during the last 20% of this book. NOTHING.

Magnus just stared at her, unsure if he was impressed or horrified by this poisonous tirade escaping the petite blond.
No, he was impressed. Very impressed and very happy.

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Think about it-we have all been waiting for our dear stubborn enemies to finally unite…and you start to hear things about each new installment as you near it. Just wait! and It’s coming! or OMG I can’t wait until you get to THIS part! And, normally, I must say that these claims ruin what should be a normally pleasant surprise. Hype is a dangerous thing-Too many times I’ve grasped onto a shred of what people are saying and been let down when it doesn’t exceed my expectations or is underwhelming compared to people’s claims. But here, just this once…..the hype did not even begin to justify the choking and loss of breath I felt when certain things transpired.

Cleo wasn’t a romantic fool, a silly girl who believed a villain could become a shining hero overnight, even if he had saved her life once. She was a queen, who would reclaim her throne and destroy her enemies-all of them-once she possessed the magic and power she needed.

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My heart broke so much in this book that I really thought I was going to have a mental breakdown. I mean, how many fucking times can we watch these two scratch, claw, belittle, and circle each other. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. But more than once my heart would shatter, slowly piece back together again….and then shatter into oblivion for the millionth time. This cat and mouse game Morgan Rhodes has created is something else, and I haven’t felt this desperate in a long long time.

Magnus wasn’t any different than the king. He, too, was afraid of the princess. Her spirit was so bright, he’d been blinded by it.
And yet, he’d never wanted to close his eyes to block out that light.

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And I do adore Magnus, he is literally my EVERYTHING when it comes to this series…So I guess that’s why it was all the more painful to see his inner turmoil and dark struggles in this book. He is a shell of a boy who only wants to belong, to be loved-Not that he’d let that show to anyone, least of all Cleo. He is cruel and hurtful and pushes away those who try to be close to him….and he is so slow to trust. It’s almost comical how blind he is. But then we see those assholes who are just plain…well….assholes to him and it made me see red. You. Don’t. Fuck. With. My. Magduck. YOU DO NOT.

We all know Magnus harbored questionable (cough) feelings toward his sister, Lucia, that are now just strong ties of memories, estranged friendship, and a sad wish to still be as close as they used to be as children-telling one another everything and watching each other’s backs. His internal pain as Lucia continues her path to being the biggest and most laughable moron of the series killed me inside, because she was all he had and now he [thinks he] has no one. I could go on. And on. And ON about this bitch….but I’ll just say this: That little trollop better watch her back or I’ll stab it. Here’s hoping the only main character death belongs to Lucia, because I’d even hate to see Jonas die…but if we’re choosing who lives and dies…..

OOPS.

NOT REALLY.

I don’t love long series because they scare me-more room to mess up ships, to kill people, to elongate a story that need not be elongated. But it seems that each new installment makes the villains more evil (or multiply), the story much thicker, and broadens an already far reaching world. It seems Rhodes has a direction she’s going and is pacing it pretty epically (it’s a word, look it up in the Chelsea dictionary), and I’ve yet to be bored by the story. And probably my favorite part (BESIDES YOU KNOW WHAT) is that she doesn’t change plots in each new book. Each story has a fluidity about it that continues what we were reading before without making it complicated by adding one hundred new reasons we needed said story. It just…exists. The story has flowed from book one on, adding mayhem and dirty dealings with a grace that makes it all the more dramatic-Subtlety is a specialty I’ve grown to admire from these YA fantasy authors.

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There is so much more I could say, but like with all popular long series, it’s nothing that hasn’t been said before, so why say it again? This is by far my favorite book in the series and I have high hopes that the extreme feels I felt in this one will only continue. I have now seen book 5’s cover (OMG I CAN’T EVEN) and seen the synopsis. My only response for what’s to come?

I.

NEED.

THAT.

BOOK.

NOW.

That is all.

**********

I. COULDN’T. BREATHE. The last 20%. But this sums up my love for this story until I can write full review…

And, just for argument’s sake, let’s pretend Magnus is a chicken. Let me show you my extreme feels for him:

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Or maybe he’s this unfortunate fish with young little me:

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When….you know…that trust bone was thrown my way I may have done this…

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And then obviously I was doing this until I closed the book…

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so yeah. I was a mess, sitting there hyperventilating due to loss of breath, extreme butterflies, and over exaggerate desperation for my boy to live out the rest of the book without the loss of his life…and any limbs.

I LOVEYOU THANKTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU THANK YOU THANKYOU Morgan Rhodes

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THANK YOU

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WHAT?! I love Scream Queens OKAYYYYYY

I can’t even deal.

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BOOK REVIEW – Shade (Shade #1) by Jeri Smith-Ready

BOOK REVIEW – Shade (Shade #1) by Jeri Smith-ReadyShade (Shade #1)
by Jeri Smith-Ready
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Aura can see ghosts. Born after the Shift, a little-understood event that enabled younger generations to communicate with the dead, Aura is relentlessly pursued by these violet-hued spirits. They need help to pass out of this world and into the next. And some are so angry they are on the verge of becoming Shades, dark vortexes of energy. But Aura just wants the ghosts to leave her alone so she can spend time with her boyfriend, Logan.

When Aura is paired with a new foreign-exchange student to research the Shift for a class project, she is determined to ignore her partner’s sexy Scottish accent and discover the cause of the Shift so she can reverse it.

Then Logan dies a most untimely death. Forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead, Aura is caught in a love triangle with her violet-hued boyfriend and her hot research partner... one of whom may hold the key to reversing the Shift.

Review:

Shade was filled with intricate characters, a fun paranormal element and a story-line that kept me glued to the pages.  Yet this book solidified my distaste for a particular trope, since it’s done in a way I can’t handle.  I know many people enjoy love triangles and I can too sometimes, yet I loathe when a heroine flips back and forth between liking the guys.  I become devastated when I see the boy I fell for get his heart crushed again and again.  But if you adore multiple love interests, where you don’t mind who the heroine ends up with, then you may just fall in love with this story.

A hole opened up inside me, so raw I had to curl up on my side away from his light, pulling my good knee to my chest to ease the ache.  The hole gaped so big it seemed like I could crawl inside, let the darkness swallow all thoughts of the future that once stretched before us.  We had lost forever.

Everyone born after the Shift can see and talk to ghosts who have a violet hue, and Aura is one of them.  She’s always been a little irritated by it, especially since she helps be their translator in court cases with her Aunt.  Aura and other kids her age and younger have to be translators because those born before the Shift can’t see or talk to ghosts.  Yet this ability won’t be a hindrance to Aura much longer because her boyfriend, Logan, is about to become one of them.  He dies within the first few chapters of Shade and even though I knew it was coming, I was still devastated when it happened.

I couldn’t help it.  I wanted Logan back, even in violet.

See….doesn’t this sound like a lot of fun?  A paranormal element that has become the norm in society, a boyfriend and girlfriend whose love doesn’t diminish just because he has died?  Oh I loved all of this!  And I especially loved Logan.  He is the singer of a band and even though he can be a little obsessed about being in the public eye, his heart is always set on Aura.  Logan loves Aura with his whole heart, and even death can’t change that.  He will do anything he can to make her happy, to show her how much he loves her and all of those moments……..oh they were beautiful. Yet I didn’t always get those same feelings from her.

All I know is that I was ecstatically, painfully in love with him, waiting for him to slip away, leaving me with my palms singed from clutching a blue-hot star.  No matter how many times his eyes found mine, or how brilliantly he smiled at me, I could still taste the bitterness on the sides of my tongue.  Because he loved the crowd more than he loved any one person, even me.  He always would.

Aura has huge doubt monsters in her head (in case that excerpt above isn’t obvious enough!).  Will her boyfriend love her less when he signs the deal with the record label, will he leave her for groupies?  This girl constantly doubted so much in her life.  And even though Logan proves himself over and over again even in death, it just never truly sinks in for her.  So when Zachary, a foreign exchange student, enters the picture after Logan has died and is still around….well let’s just say I didn’t get the warm and fuzziness for him. Even though Zachary is sexy, nice and tries to help Aura with her grief, I just could never warm up to him. If you’re like me, then that’s going to be a huge problem.  Because Zachary has a lot of mystery surrounding who he is and he becomes an integral part of this book and to Aura.

“Aura,” he whispered, “I wish I could wipe away just one of your tears.  Then I’d feel like a person again.  Like I’m something more than a bunch of light.”
“You can.” I reached into the space between our bodies. “Just follow me.”

When Aura was leading on and then pausing with both boys time after time, that’s when I stopped liking her.  I couldn’t handle seeing my sweet Logan become devastated and have his heart ripped out so many times.  So to be honest, I was curious what path this series would take.  I was undecided whether I should stop or continue.  Luckily a friend lent me this trilogy so I skimmed a few parts in the second book and after what I saw in the second then I went right to the end of the third book.  I have NEVER done this before!  But I’m so glad I did because I would have struggled with how this series progressed.

So ultimately, I think it’s all up to how you handle love triangles.  If you’re like me and get attached to the first and become depressed when another is brought in and refuse to like them, then definitely avoid!  But if you have an open heart and have no problem caring for both of the boys then definitely give this trilogy a try.  It was a lot of fun.  And I didn’t even get to talk about how Aura is trying to find a way to stop the Shift from continually happening to those that are born.  So yeah, lots of fun but so not the right trilogy for me!

BOOK REVIEW: Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2) by Morgan Rhodes

BOOK REVIEW: Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2) by Morgan RhodesRebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2)
by Morgan Rhodes
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

The road to power... is paved with blood and magic.

Cleo is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people.
Magnus stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia.
Lucia is haunted by the outcome of the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms.
Jonas watched at the palace gates a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius.

After a bloody siege, Auranos has been defeated, its young queen orphaned and dethroned. The three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But the allure of ancient, dangerous magic beckons still, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the whole world over...

At the heart of the fray are four brave young people grappling for that magic and the power it promises. For Cleo, the magic would enable her to reclaim her royal seat. In Jonas's hands, it frees his nation, and in Lucia's, it fulfills the ancient prophecy of her destiny. And if the magic were Magnus's, he would finally prove his worth in the eyes of his cruel and scheming father, King Gaius, who rules Mytica with a punishing hand.

When Gaius begins to build a road into the Forbidden Mountains to physically link all of Mytica, he sparks a long-smoking fire in the hearts of the people that will forever change the face of this land. For Gaius's road is paved with blood, and its construction will have cosmic consequences.

Sometimes, to regain sanity, one had to acknowledge and embrace the madness.

This week is dreadfully busy for me so I find I won’t have much time to review what I read…..which makes me extremely sad for my beautiful boy, Magnus. I just want him to be happy, poor tortured thing. But I WILL say this:

Since I read the first book in February, every time I think of picking up the second, Magnus is all I see. He is all I think about. He is what I missed the most. And now, here in this book, I feel like I truly connected with his surly self-I am a goner. And hey, I hear he gets even better….I don’t know. I don’t know if my heart can take his pain. Who am I kidding. I would walk through fire for this dude.

He wanted so desperately not to care about this-not to care about anything but finding the Kindred for himself and for Lucia-to be as cold and ruthless as his father found it so easy to be.
If only that were possible.

And just so everyone knows, since I am loving this series so much, I might be coming back and adding stuff here and there since I’m so busy. So…sorry in advance. Whoops.

The boy nodded. “It’s best in the end that a princess marry a prince. I suppose.”
“Ah. I suppose.” Oh, this was deeply unpleasant. Being trapped into meaningless small talk with an idiot had never intrigued him, even on a good day. Which this wasn’t.

MAGNUS! AGH!

“…You have a kind heart, Magnus. And there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

EEEPSSSSSS now I really have the Magnus fever….AND I DON’T WANT TO BE CURED AGHHHH!!!

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BOOK REVIEW: Priceless (Forbidden Men #8) by Linda Kage

BOOK REVIEW: Priceless (Forbidden Men #8) by Linda KagePriceless (Forbidden Men #8)
by Linda Kage
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Three things in my life were fact.
I needed Sarah to survive.
I needed sex to remain sane.
And I could never mix sex with Sarah.

I just knew—deep in my marrow—that if I did, I’d somehow lose her. All my deepest darkest secrets would crack open, bleed out, and ruin everything between us. I wouldn’t unleash the shit inside me on my worst enemy, let alone her. So she stayed strictly in the friend zone.

People probably thought I never went there with her because of her cerebral palsy, but f*ck them. She knew she was the most important person in my world, and I wasn’t about to risk hurting our relationship just to make my c*ck happy.

Until the moment she begged me to take her virginity.
Now it’s all about to hit the fan, because how the hell do you resist the one person forbidden to you when she says please?

--Brandt Gamble

“This right here-every single piece of you-is very precious cargo to me. If anyone mistreated it, I’d lose my shit. You’re not just my best friend, you’re my sanity. You’re priceless, Sarah.”

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Let’s make this short and sweet, shall we?? I discovered the Forbidden Men on a whim last year when I couldn’t find anything that suited my mood. I had To Professor, with Love on my iPad from years ago and saw it sitting at the veeeeery bottom of my kindle app ripe for the picking. I thought…fuck it. I don’t know what else to read, so why not??? And what I found was something that has stuck with me since November. Yes, they are cheesy as fuck-some more than others (they are rated accordingly, you can tell which I couldn’t tolerate as much, cheese wise). Yes, they are less than perfect. Yes, they are cliche, ridiculous, unbelievably crazy…but there is just something so amazingly addicting about them. And what you get in return for tolerating some of that…it’s so worth it.

“Oh my god, you’re such a pain in the ass.” Why, oh why, couldn’t he have just dropped it? “If you want to see me that bad, then come over and see me already. Jesus Christ.”
“Fine,” he said. “Be there in ten.”
I snorted. “Why not make it five, you clingy son of a bitch.”
“In that case, I’m already outside your window. Open up.”
I glanced out my window, only to gasp. “Oh my God.”

Strong friendships and laughter. Deep-rooted connections and passionate love. Unforgettable sibling bonds and group gatherings that make you tear up every time they are together. These books make your heart soar and your soul rejoice. They warm you up from the inside out and they make you smile like a loon. They give you butterflies no matter how hard you try and resist-These books own a very large chunk of my very being…and a large part of that goes to the boys. Doesn’t it always come back to a boy, in the end?

Except I totally would have, because she wasn’t a normal, average woman. She was the most precious thing in my life. I knew it was unnatural how much I relied on her to be there for me when I needed a friend, but I didn’t care. Sarah was priceless to me. I couldn’t help but be overprotective of her and snarl at any threat that came near her.

From the moment I met the macho, womanizing Noel, my heart was claimed. I mean….Yeah, the cheese was almost unbearable (Didn’t rate this one a five, but I decided after a month with it at a three that I thought about it way too much for it to be any less than four) and I remember rolling my eyes a lot…but after I finished I just remember not being able to move on. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. And what’s worse, he made me curious about a genre I’d long since written off. I mean, he cried and fell hard for this woman he cherished, for fuck’s sake.

Pain wound so tight through my chest I could barely breathe. The one thing I could never handle was her tears. She rarely cried, so when she finally allowed them to fall, it was that much more devastating to me. Helpless frustration roared through me until I wanted to pound my fist against my truck.

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So this curiosity ebbed and grew, making me want to meet more tortured men in this cheesy genre…but no matter how many series, books, stories I tried, none compared. So what did my wonderful Bestie Pea suggest?? READ MASON. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. So, begrudgingly, I did. I picked up Price of a Kiss and met this gigolo (bahhaa really?!), Mason.

I.
Was.
A.
Goner.

Mason. Was. EVERYTHING. I still, to this day, can’t not think about him. I even used one of his quotes to put on my wall at home. Yeah, he is bae. <<<< I’ve never said this, but I don’t care. I adore him. So, yeah. That’s the thing. Mason and Noel really are the only two forbidden men who TRULY hold my heart. They were my first, maybe that’s why. I was so excited to read the rest, but after you’ve had Mason and Noel…there’s hardly anything anyone could do to top them. I almost feel bad for the rest lol. And the other epic thing about this author: No fucking around once they have admitted their love for one another. On breaks there are no whoopies or oops or needs for explanations because these boys are loyal AS FUCK. So yeah. Had to throw that in there

“Hey,” I murmured. Since she looked as if she were on the verge of tears, I caught her chin and stared her straight in the eye. “If someone can’t look past a little shaking and see what kind of amazing person you are, then they’re a fucking idiot, and you don’t need to befriend someone that stupid, anyway.”
A single tear tracked down her cheek. I wiped it away. “You just being yourself is what made you my favorite person, so just keep being you, okay?”

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So naturally, here we are on book 8, and guess who the love interests are? THAT’S RIGHT. My two boys’ siblings. I. Couldn’t. Even. When I saw this plot I literally almost peed my pants I was jumping up and down so much from excitement. And that’s the thing: I hate cheese and I hate fake drama…but this series has made me a shameless fangirl…and I’m not the least bit sorry.

Resting my cheek against her hair, I closed my eyes and tightened my grip on her, holding her closer. I hated it when she cried. When she hurt, I hurt. Feeling her tremors of sorrow ripped me to shreds.

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If you can remember, Sarah is Mason’s sister, the one he would do anything to protect. He is her hero, and now we get to see protective Mason when little sis is all grown up. It’s not as hard for Noel, seeing as he only has little brothers left and it’s more natural to accept a brother dating than a younger sister (COUGH when Caroline fell for Ten COUGH). So we’ve been through the ringer with all these boys…but this might be my next favorite after Mason, Noel, and Ten’s stories. After all….Mason or Noel were in every chapter along with the very sexy Brandt ;). I mean, what is there to lose?

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Sarah messaged Brandt by FB on a whim and they became fast friends. No one can talk about Sarah and he would do anything for her. They are immediate best friends….but they both are secretly in love with the other. They would drop anyone and anything to help each other out, and everyone around them knows they will end up together. Of course, like most books, Sarah and Brandt don’t see that for themselves. Brandt is tainted (ummm more on this later…..) and Sarah is precious to him-the most important thing to him in life, so he won’t risk his relationship with her for a single thing. Sarah doesn’t give up so easily, though.

“If you’re like disfigured-you know, down there-it wouldn’t bother me. I mean, heck, I probably wouldn’t even know the difference since I’ve never seen one before.”
I laughed, pretty sure that was her intent the entire time, to lighten the mood. “Shut up, smart-ass. I’m not disfigured.”
“Oh.” I swear, she actually sounded disappointed about that. “Well…whatever. I’m just saying, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

I absolutely adored this story and everything about it. I may have become a bit detached in certain moments (Which had nothing to do with book because I loved it) because I had a really bad weekend, emotionally wise. This, perhaps, was a bit denser story than I should have been reading, but I wanted my forbidden men, GD, and I got them. No regrets. At all. Though…that beginning. What. The. FUCK. I adore Linda Kage (her books have gotten me through a lot of shit, she deserves praise for that) but damn was that a weirder intro than usual. I just….*shivers* Eew.

He only sniffed and glanced away. “Hey, if the guy can’t take a little heat, he should stay out of the kitchen.”
With a growl, I jabbed my finger in his direction. “Except this is the only time anyone’s ever wandered anywhere near my kitchen. Don’t fuck it up for me, please.”
His eyes flared. “Did you just compare a kitchen to your…” When his gaze wandered down to my lap, his expression filled with dismay as if I’d just traumatized him for life.

I may not have talked about the two main people very much, but I wanted to get across how wonderful this series is as a whole. It’s not so much about each new character’s story, but about the group as a whole and where they are now. I know, I know, each person deserves their own spotlight, but I just feel it’s even stronger with EVERYONE involved…and that’s why I continue to love every installment, cheesy as they are. If it wasn’t for the main guys, these problems, friends, characters, stories wouldn’t exist…so it’s necessary to recognize that while I ADORED BRANDT-he was so protective, loyal, fierce-I adored the whole story more. So…..take with that what you will. My quotes will do the rest of the work.

************

Soooo yeah…..THIS happened. My boys (Noel and Mason) were in this THE WHOLE TIME. I almost feel bad for Brandt and Sarah…almost. Because as much as my heart adored him-and oh f’in boy did it-when my two favorite forbidden men even got MENTIONED I was a heaping pile of goo.

Noel’s brother, Brandt, meets Sarah, Mason’s sister, through one single moment where Sarah, in an act of courage (based on her personality), sent Brandt a friend request on Facebook-From then on they were BFF’s forever.

This book, this story, this network of characters, these men…they have completely stolen my heart. And it’s more than that-whenever I’m sad or upset, I simply turn to these guys. They are literally PERFECTION. And the thing is this: These are the only cheesy books that I can stand. It’s like…Linda Kage has a way of making these cliche, ridiculous, out-of-this-world dramas bearable and completely tolerable.

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Yeah, they have issues. No, they aren’t perfect….but they are perfect for me. And what else could I possibly ask for? Nothing.

Review to come. I do so love reviewing about my boys.

**************

I WOULD SELL MY NONEXISTENT FIRST BORN CHILD FOR THIS. My two favorite Forbidden Men: Mason and Noel….connected in the same book-in each POV-in some way??? Their siblings IN LOVE????? GIVE ME THIS BOOK NOW!!!! I NEEDS IT.

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I NEEDS IT NOW.

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