Tag: Steamy (Page 4 of 7)

BOOK REVIEW – Be With Me (Wait For You #2) by J. Lynn

BOOK REVIEW – Be With Me (Wait For You #2) by J. LynnBe With Me (Wait For You #2)
by J. Lynn
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Do Teresa and Jase have a real shot at getting together or will life get in the way?

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she's in love with her big brother's best friend, but he hasn't spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing kiss. Then she got out of a terrible relationship. Now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It's time for plan B: college. And maybe she'll have a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he's not telling anyone—especially not his best friend's incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn't have time for a relationship. But it doesn't help that all he can think about is kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they're thrown together more and more, Jase and Teresa can't keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they're willing to risk to be together and what they're willing to lose if they're not. . . .

Review:

I love the way J. Lynn books make me feel! They are sweet, sensual and have just enough angst to drive me the right kind of crazy. The second installment had me nervous, because how in the world can anyone live up to Cam and his cookies and eggs?! But you know what? Jase did an exceptional job. He brought cupcakes to Tess, yes cupcakes. I’m a sucker for cupcakes, and each time that happened I kept falling for him more and more. Well, when he wasn’t being his grumpy shut-down self, but more on that later! Be With Me was another exceptional book in the Wait For You series, and I loved each and every moment of Jase and Tess’ story.

“I mean, do you believe that some things are just meant to happen?” He murmured as he dropped his head and his lips brushed my neck. Another strangled gasp parted my lips. “Like no matter what you do, what you tell yourself, things are just going to happen? Some things I don’t think you can stop.”

Being Tess, well, it’s kind of complicated right now. After injuring her knee, she is stuck going to college where her brother Cam goes. It’s only temporary, and while it’s frustrating as hell, there is one benefit of having her dreams momentarily de-railed. Jase Winstead. Her brother’s best friend. They kissed when she was 16 years old and heaven help her, but she hasn’t ever been able to get him out of her head. She compares all other kisses to him, and sadly none have ever live up to that one blissful moment. Since then, Jase has been avoiding her. But with them going to the same school, there’s no way he can keep running away. And she’s right, because even during her first tour of the new town, she gets to drop by with her brother to see Jase. But she’s about to learn that Jase can flip from hot to cold in the blink of an eye, and being around him will be one confusing ride.

He looked away, shaking his head. “You don’t get it, Tess. I can’t have you.”
“But you do have me,” I whispered, and then clamped my mouth shut. Did I just say that? Horrified, I could only stare as his eyes widened.
Oh my God, I did just say that out loud.

I loved Tess. Her inner thoughts were absolutely hilarious. She constantly had me cracking up and I loved the way she saw the world. She had a smart mouth, a huge heart and she knew what she wanted and wasn’t going to compromise for anything less. Probably my favorite thing about her was her reactions to Jase’s sexiness. His comments and actions had me grinning like a loon and her reactions were exactly how I would react, I loved it!

Jase – “Keep saying my name.” His fingers bit into my skin, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from me. “And I’ll never stop. I swear to you.”

Jase was toe curling and smile inducing. Even when he was being the biggest jerk on the planet, I still couldn’t get enough of him. Although his douche-bag jerkiness isn’t excusable, that boy has a whole jeep load of baggage. It continually haunted him and while he was fighting his inner demons, he became the King of hot and cold to Tess! His sexy self would be intoxicating one instant and in the next he would be utterly intolerable. His whiplash feelings towards Tess drove me crazy. I just wanted to shake him and fix him. But when Jase was being good, oh wow, he was amazing. He was mind-blowing sweet and thoughtful. The cupcakes and all of the little things he did for her View Spoiler » made my heart completely melt and fall for Jase hard.

Jase – “You know, I’ve tried staying away from you. I’ve tried ignoring how I feel about you, which isn’t how I should feel. But it’s like fighting a losing battle. And I don’t want to fight it anymore. I don’t want to ignore this.”

I had so much fun watching Jase and Tess’ story unfold. Having a smile on my face while I’m laughing, being giddy and nervous always means that I have fallen for a book. And I adored this book through and through.

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.***
wait for you jennifer l. armentrout j. lynn
Wait for You #1
Reviews:

Chelsea
trust in me jennifer l. armentrout j. lynn
Trust in Me #1.5
*Cam's POV-Wait for You*

Reviews:
Jen
Be With Me J. Lynn Jennifer L. Armentrout
Be with Me #2
Reviews:
Jen
stay with me jennifer l armentrout j lynn
Stay with Me #3
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
fall with me jennifer armentrout j lynn
Fall with Me #4

Reviews:
Jen
dream of you wait for you jennifer armentrout j lynn
Dream of You #4.5
Reviews:
Jen
forever with you wait for you jennifer armentrout j lynn
Forever with You #5
Reviews:
Jen
fire-in-you-jennifer-l-armentrout
Fire in You #6
Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Stay with Me (Wait for You #3) by J. Lynn

BOOK REVIEW – Stay with Me (Wait for You #3) by J. LynnStay with Me (Wait for You #3)
by J. Lynn
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

At 21, Calla hasn't done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought shed left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from they moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn't give them her mom.

Review:

I always know that whatever book I pick up from J. Lynn, I am going to have a fun time devouring every page. I can always count on the males being drool-worthy sexy, heroines that I like, dialogue that makes me smile and scenes that will make my heart skip a beat in happiness and in shock. Stay With Me hit all of these marks. It was such an enjoyable, easy read.

But standing where I was now, I didn’t feel so lucky. Actually, I was pretty sure Lady Luck was a coldhearted bitch who needed to die.

This time around we get to be in Calla’s head, and in the very first chapter we get to see the mess that has become this girl’s life. Calla just met the girlfriend of the guy she was secretly crushing on, and that’s just the sprinkles on her my life is going downhill sundae. She doesn’t know if she will be able to continue her education because her mom has cleaned her out. Her mom has taken all of her money and run up an obscene amount of debt in her name. In the slim hope of being able to get her life back on track, Calla makes the difficult decision to travel back to where she was raised. It never felt like home and she swore to herself that she would never return, but she is left with no choice. Upon her arrival, she meets Jackson James who is working at the bar she spent the majority of her childhood at. From here, the story becomes a twisted path of dangerous lies and truths and Calla finds herself stuck right in the middle of it all.

Oh my golly gee, I hoped his shirt just ripped up the sides and fell right off.

Jax was by far one of my favorite things about this story. He was dangerously sexy. He was bold, demanding, blunt and then sensitive in a blink of an eye. He was an alpha male that Calla desperately needed. And I was hoping that underneath it all, he had a heart of gold. I loved Jax. He physically made the air rush out of me and he made it impossible not to smile when he was being his overpowering self. I couldn’t not love that protective, overbearing side of him.

Jack – “I like you, Calla. Yeah, I’ve only known you a couple of days. But you’ve made me laugh,” he said, his gaze never leaving mine. “I can also tell you’re nice and sweet when you wanna be. I think you’re cute as hell and you make me hard.”
Whoa. Did he seriously just say that?

Calla was so different than how I perceived her in the previous book. She was so broken inside. And she was so broken on the outside too. My heart hurt for her and I kept hoping that she would eventually find the correct path to getting her life back on track. But the obstacles that kept appearing in front of her seemed insurmountable. But though it all, thank goodness she had logic on her side (well, for the most part!), a sweet disposition and inner thoughts that kept cracking me up.

Jack – “When I want something, I go for it. Life is way too damn short to live any other way. And I want to get to know you better.” Those lashes lowered one time, his gaze tracking to my lips like they were some kind of mecca. “Yeah, I definitely want to get to know you better.”
Holy cowbells.

The first line of this book had me, hook, line and sinker.  It made me squeal with delight and I just knew it was going to be a fun book to read.  I loved Jax.  Jax was utterly irresistible and paring him up with a sweetheart like Calla meant that we were in for a delightful read, and that it was!  And I’m so glad we got to catch up and see what Cam, Avery, Jase and Teresa were up to.  They made a few appearances in Stay With Me, and each time was enjoyable and fulfilling.  The reasons I didn’t fully love this book are twofold.  One is that the story seemed to go on a little longer than I liked and the other is that I was bothered by how something was resolved.  But despite those two issues, I still found myself enjoying another book from the With You saga.  I can’t wait to read Roxy’s story in the next installment!

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.***
wait for you jennifer l. armentrout j. lynn
Wait for You #1
Reviews:

Chelsea
trust in me jennifer l. armentrout j. lynn
Trust in Me #1.5
*Cam's POV-Wait for You*

Reviews:
Jen
Be With Me J. Lynn Jennifer L. Armentrout
Be with Me #2
Reviews:
Jen
stay with me jennifer l armentrout j lynn
Stay with Me #3
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
fall with me jennifer armentrout j lynn
Fall with Me #4

Reviews:
Jen
dream of you wait for you jennifer armentrout j lynn
Dream of You #4.5
Reviews:
Jen
forever with you wait for you jennifer armentrout j lynn
Forever with You #5
Reviews:
Jen
fire-in-you-jennifer-l-armentrout
Fire in You #6
Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3) by Karina Halle

BOOK REVIEW – Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3) by Karina HalleDead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3)
by Karina Halle
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

4 “I most definitely had trouble falling asleep” stars

As I started DSM, I was giddy, excited, and couldn’t wait to delve deeper into Perry and Dex’s story. These two have been on tremulous territory since the first book, and Karina Halle is doing a great job of keeping everyone hooked- we’re just waiting for these two to realize how much they care for each other and at least hook up. But with this tremulous territory comes frustration and anger with both the characters and us readers.

The paranormal part in this story really merits 5 stars. It does. This installment was terrifying. I am not using that term lightly. It terrified me.

But, and this is a heavy but, the tension between Dex and Perry was a little obnoxious at times. Get over it Perry, he has a girlfriend. I know what it’s like to be into a guy who has a gf, we have probably all been through it, but she has taken the cute crush/love and turned it into something that can only be deemed slutty. I love Perry, she’s an awesome character and a lot like me, but it doesn’t excuse trying to get with a guy in a ‘serious’ relationship.

Something else has been nagging at me since I started Experiment in Terror as well, and until now, it’s been hazy and not quite clear as to what that something is…but, it’s now crystal clear: I am a flawed reader. Look at this scenario and tell me I am not perfectly flawed in my feelings and expectations:

-Dex has a girlfriend.
-Perry is in love with Dex.
-Dex is most likely ‘in love’ with Perry.

See, this doesn’t quite add up…I want these two to partake in the hanky panky department and Dex to drop his bitch of a girlfriend. Not in any particular order. Is it wrong that we readers root for the main characters to be together even at the expense of another [secondary] character? Even when one of these main characters has a other half that they used to/do care about? Are we seriously suggesting the main characters cheat? What does that make us? Hypocrites? If this was in real life, these people would be dubbed slut/manwhore. It seems that in literally every book, we root for two people to be together no matter what the consequences of the situation will be, and I feel it more and more as the series continues. I love Romance, and this is technically a horror/romance story. And that’s what this whole thing is: a story. They’re not really cheating, and nothing bad is really happening to anyone.

Don’t get me wrong. I am still rooting for Peclan, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t realized how wrong it seems-especially with this particular series. Now that that’s under my belt, I must say: the steam factor was through the roof in at least one scene. I loved it! It was built up sexual tension and it was a much needed ‘release’. I think readers will be satisfied, at least for a moment.

Now-the scare factor? 10/5 stars. I about died. Everything that scares me to the core was in this book. I thought-“oh, no buddy read on this one? Ok, I’ll be fine. The last two were scary, but I handled them pretty well. Piece of cake.” WRONG. This book scared me so deeply that I threw my Nook down on the bed and turned up the tv as loud as I possibly could without waking the bf. I couldn’t stop my labored breathing and my erratic heartbeat from a certain scene that gave me the chills, and I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder or to the side of the bed. I stared straight ahead every time I would go to the restroom, and my heartrate would accelerate yet again after I had already gotten it partially calmed down. Now, this might seem dramatic to those who like this kind of book and are used to it-but I am not, and little girl ghosts are my number one creep-out factor. Gah. I had to finish during the day, and even then I had to keep looking out of the corner of my eye. To say that I was scared to death was an understatement, and I truly am astonished I fell asleep.

So, all-in-all a very good read. It gets under your skin and makes you think twice about getting up to pee in the middle of the night. I love Dex and Perry, I do, and nothing can deter me from rooting for their relationship to move forward. They are flawed and they are real. It is a very refreshing change. I just wish View Spoiler » I can’t wait to start the fourth installment, Lying Season, but I have to wait on my buddy read…buddy (lol) to even begin what are supposed to be the scariest books in the series yet. Yikes.

BOOK REVIEW – Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4) by Karina Halle

BOOK REVIEW – Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4) by Karina HalleLying Season (Experiment in Terror #4)
by Karina Halle
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

The Absolute Best in the Series

So far, that is. I am…shocked. I am speechless. I am FLOORED at how good this book was. I was hooked from page one. Before this, Red Fox held the title for my favorite in the EIT series, but now this masterpiece has taken up permanent residence in my heart and stolen the number one spot. It might have even knocked Angelfall out of the running for the
I-am-shocked-this-is-so-crazy-good
award for the month.

I LOOOOOVED this book. I don’t think anything I say or do can express how much praise this book deserves. It’s not simply because we got more Dex and Perry time, it’s so much more than that. You get pulled into this intricately weaved story full of love, lies, deceit, anguish, pain, sorrow, fear….see? There is a magnitude of things I can say about LS, but not one of those emotions alone can encompass the feelings that were brought forth when engrossed in the story.

We delve head first into Perry’s world, once again, where she has only her sister that believes in her show, and her parents who could care less about the success of what they believe to be “nonsense” and “not real”. I don’t know what they’re smokin’, but I would think when their daughter comes back traumatized and bruised from her latest endeavor, they would start asking more questions and actually start focusing on something other than the fact that she’s overweight and isn’t in love with a guy they like. But this time it’s different, this time we get to see Uncle Al and the twins again and it adds some heart to the story. Al apparently has some good advice to offer. And Perry? She grows some SERIOUS lady balls in this one. I mean, I wanted to crawl in the book and hug her/congratulate her numerous times. She was a total badass!

“Perry!” she exclaimed in a voice that was annoyingly like Blake Lively’s in that low, throaty tone. Damn this sexy-voiced couple!”

Dex is…well, he’s Dex. Arrogant, funny, somewhat clueless, neurotic-and apparently he still hasn’t figured out how not to lie to everyone around him. Hmm. Should have been tipped off with the title lol. But Dex is forced to face some of his demons in this installment, though, and we begin to find out the truth, ironically, when we least expect it.

“…I think you traded in the wrong job.”
“Did I?” he questioned, peering into my eyes, already knowing the answer. His voice was warm and serious. I think he believed he had made the right choice; at least I hoped he did.

Okay-I’m going to level with you. I did not read one scary scene in the dark. I did NOT do well after Dead Sky Morning, and I think it soured my opinion of it. I wanted to read LS with a clear head and actually enjoy everything that was going on. Turns out it was pretty easy-while the asylum was freaky as shit, it was only a fourth of the book. There were creepy scenes in the apartment, sure, but they were bearable. In the light, of course. One of the only issues with the scare factor was that after the second visit to the asylum, things just stopped happening. Like…that was it. No more apartment scares, no more creepy drip, drip kitchen scenes-nada. What’s that about? Did the ‘ghost’ just decide it was tired of screwing with Dex/Perry’s minds? And what about the voice recording device? She just left us hanging on the supernatural spectrum! Ah well.

I tensed up and very, very slowly, turned around on the spot.
I expected that if anyone was behind me, they would be way back in the kitchen.
This was not true.
There was someone..
Right behind me.

Lying Season was a heart-pounding, hair-raising, spine-tingling thrill ride, and I couldn’t put it down. What with Dex’s past coming back to haunt him and all the emotions on high from close encounters of the bitchy kind, my head was spinning! I could hardly take a breath without something fun happening! Oh, and the level of sweet and steamy was through the roof. I couldn’t have been happier-and yes! There is a cliffhanger that will leave you teary-eyed and heart broken. A build up of anticipation that will have you screaming for more, but yet, leaving you satisfied with just how well-played and well-written the ending is. Yes, it is THAT good. It hurts so. good. Sometimes, I love being a book masochist. I live for that next thrill. Man, do I applaud that ending. I fed off of it-this is what good books are made of! Of course I want more! I’m dying to pick up the next book, and I doubt it could top how much I adored the acquisition of Peclan/Pex (WHATEVER) in LS…but damn if I’m not willing to let it try.

BOOK REVIEW – Unteachable by Leah Raeder

BOOK REVIEW – Unteachable by Leah RaederUnteachable by Leah Raeder
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

What a hot and steamy read!

When I first started this book, I didn’t know what to expect. The forbidden love scenario has been so overplayed lately that it’s becoming difficult to decipher one title from the next-but Unteachable had something that made it glow fluorescent among all these other dim works: Passion and raw, gritty writing. There are many times when an author will take a risk and write with an unusual style, thus either making the story stand out or fall flat on it’s face. In Unteachable, it immediately draws your attention on the first page, piquing your curiosity, encouraging you to read more…even if you don’t know how you feel about it. Soon you’re waist deep in the story and so far gone without even realizing it. You don’t know where all the time has gone, but you just don’t care. That’s the mark of a good author.

Mr. Wilke says I’m both cynical and wordly for my age. I choose to take them both as compliments.

Maise is a straight shooter. She says what she feels and isn’t ashamed to do so. Brought up in the most unfortunate of circumstances, Maise has always had to fend for herself and was forced to grow up at an early age. Who wouldn’t be cynical when one older man after the other made passes at you after screwing around with drugs and your mother-in no particular order. Life hasn’t been fair, so why should she?

I’m not going to do the whole rollercoaster/falling in love metaphor. I didn’t fall in love with him up there. Maybe I fell in love with the idea of love, but I’m a teenage girl. This morning I fell in love with raspberry jam and a puppy in a tiny raincoat. I’m not exactly Earth’s top authority on the subject.

When the opportunity for a real chance at something…special presents itself, Maise panics and runs the other way. Little does she know that she is running from fate, a moment where two people who are irreparably broken find each other in an attempt to face their fears. Funny, they are both running from their fears, but by meeting each other and participating in a secret love affair, they are staring their fears right in the face. They just don’t know it yet.

Somewhere in the universe, two hearts reached out and connected.

I loved Evan. Mr. Wilke. Whatever you want to call him. He was so sweet, kind, vulnerable, and caring. He’s not perfect-far from it, but he has embraced his imperfections and molded himself into a beautiful, nerdy man worthy of love. The entire book he treats Maise with nothing but respect, and I loved him for it. Everything he said was worth highlighting. Even his naughty whispered nothings in her ear lol.

All of this came from one night. If I hadn’t gone to the carnival, you would’ve looked at me like any other student when I walked into your class. And that made my heart ache, too-the thought of how much happiness lay scattered across the universe, unrealized, in fragments, waiting for the right twist of fate to bring it together.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the deep meaning hidden throughout. Sure, there was grit rubbed into each and every page, but between the grime, there was almost always something beautiful hidden between the lines. I stopped to think on this last quote, because I feel that way every day-what if I hadn’t done this? Would I even be here right now? What would I be doing? So, to say I enjoyed the dialogue would be an understatement.

Without further ado, I will explain my rating. I couldn’t plausibly give this book a 5, because in reality, while I enjoyed this story immensely, I did get a little depressed for a good portion in the middle. I felt heavy from the outside circumstances suffocating Maise and Evan’s little world, and I felt like I wanted to run to the fridge and grab a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough and stuff my feelings into a hole until the ache went away. There was a lot of good in the story: like Evan’s sweetness, Maise’s brutality in this harsh world, Wesley in general-he was a friend that Maise needed desperately. There was also a lot of bad: her mother, the betrayal that was sure to come from someone, the heaviness of a hidden love affair…secrets can swallow you whole. But none of the dreariness in this story should deter someone from reading it-it’s the negativity in the story that pushes for something beautiful to unfold, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with rising from the ashes.

So, overall, such a fun, unexpected read. I would recommend it to everyone around me. Suit up for rude and crude-but the absolute best kind.

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