REVIEW: Reap (Scarred Souls, Book 2) by Tillie Cole

RATING:

Amazon || Kobo || B&N  

Blurb

Raised as a prototype for the Georgian Bratva's obedience drug, 221 fails to think, act, or live for himself; he's his master's perfectly-crafted killing puppet. Standing at six-foot-six, weighing two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, and unrivaled in to-the-death combat, 221 successfully secures business for the Georgian Mafiya Boss of NYC, who rules the dark world of the criminal underground. Until his enemies capture him. 

Talia Tolstaia dreams to break from the heavy clutches of Bratva life. She dreams of another life--away from the stifling leash of her Russian Bratva Boss father and from the brutality of her work at The Dungeon, her criminal family's underground death-match enterprise. But when she stumbles upon her family's captive who is more monster than man, she starts to see the man underneath. A powerful, beautiful, damaged man whose heart calls to hers. But sacrifices must be made--blood for blood...life for life...souls for scarred souls...

Review

This is me BEFORE reading it:

HOLY SH!!!T!!! I gotz it!!!

*whispers* That cover!!!

This is me AFTER reading it:

HOLY SH!!!T!!! I heartz it!!!

There’s no 2 ways about it, I’m completely hooked on this alternate world that Tillie has created revolving around the “royalty” of the Russian underworld. I'm telling ya, the things I've come to expect from Tillie's dark books- the OTT-ness, an old-world feel to the language that's somehow brutal, cheesy and charming all at once, they all just totally worked for me.

While this is standalone(-ish), it really is best to read the series in sequence to get the full experience. As I’m typing away here, I realize my mind is referencing the first book a lot, but no worries, no plans of giving away anything. This is now about Raze/Luka’s sister, Talia, and 221/Zaal, the man she was forbidden to love but did anyways.

Before I go any further, call me stupes but I admit I forgot Raze’s real name is Luka so you can imagine my confusion when I was reading his POV in the beginning of the book. And furthermore, I also did forget that Talia was his sister. Anyhoot, putting my senior moment aside, I was just really glad to be lost once again in Tillie’s version of a pseudo Romeo and Juliet done Russian mob-style.

221/Zaal went through what Raze went through as well, and actually broke my heart more just because it felt it had a more brutal start:’( And the things done to him just felt more violent:’( Gah!!!

Talia, for all her status afforded her, caught in the violence of her world, she just wants to find love. And unexpectedly she did, in the form of Zaal, the boy borne of the wrong family, with a violent background and no memories to boot, sigh…

I’m telling you, with this dark world that Tillie created... the violence! Eeek... the heartbreak! Sigh... the emotions! Swoon...

Zaal was definitely the highlight for me here, along with the riveting premise. The innocence of his words and actions just totally melted my heart! 

And on that note, I will just leave it at this...

Hey, just following Tillie's lead, das all... sigh... swoon... sigh...

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

COVER REVEAL: Kinky Sexy Dirty by Christine Reiss

Now Available for Pre-order!

AMAZON - http://amzn.to/1MkP9W6

iBOOKS - http://apple.co/20dqYmZ

KOBO - http://bit.ly/1NL2fBG

Release Date: March 28th

OR, watch it here:

COVER REVEAL Kinky Sexy Dirty by Christine Reiss from Becca the Bibliophile on Vimeo.

Blurb

Cocky. Sexy. Charming. Out of my league.
That's Dash Wallace. A toe-curling, sheet-ripping mistake waiting to happen.

It would be helpful if he'd stop moving with the grace of a hungry cat. Or staring at me with his thumb stroking the stitches of his World Series ball. We're talking about the game but all I can think about is how much of my body he can cover with those hands. It's keeping me from concentrating on what his lips are saying.

Which is dirty. All dirty. I have to gird my freaking loins against this guy. I'm determined to know his secrets and he seems determined to get into my pants.

Sleeping with him could ruin everything, and let's face it, I don't trust him enough to let him anywhere near me.

Smart. Witty. Direct. Sexy as a fastball low and inside.
That's Vivian Foster. A real pistol with legs till Tuesday.

I can't get around her. She has a way of asking me one thing and meaning another, which I'd manage fine if I could get my mind off all the things I want to do to her. On the desk. In bed. With-a-feather-blindfolded-and-her-hands-tied-to-the-headboard kinds of things.

She doesn't trust me. Just like everyone else, she thinks I gambled against my own team.

She's wrong, and I'm going to prove it.

Author Note: You’re going to notice that the cover doesn’t say CD Reiss. It has a real first name, and it’s a name I’ve always been grateful to have. 

I’ve discovered that The Submission Series is considered quite dark and scary to some readers. I didn’t realize that when I wrote it. I was just turning myself on. So, in the interests of making it easy for new readers to separate the lighter from the darker, I’ll be using a full first name on some of my new work.

CD Reiss will be the darker stuff. Everything from Submission to Perdition and what’s in between (and darker, if I have it in me).

I’m going to label lighter stuff with Christine Reiss. I missed Shuttergirl and it may be too late to change that. But going forward, any fun kink that doesn’t go into serious pain up to light, fun romance will be Christine Reiss. Kinky Sexy Dirty will straddle the line. Since it’s kinky without being as dark as Submission I think it’s a great place to start with the new pen name.

I’ll be promoting from the same accounts, same email lists, same everything. So fear not, this shouldn’t create confusion, only clarity.

If you want to find out about sales, new releases, giveaways, audiobooks – everything, sign up for my mailing list…http://cdreiss.com/cd-reiss-mailing-list-signup/

About the Author

CD Reiss is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets.
Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did embed TV story structure in her head well enough for her to take a big risk on a TV series structured erotic series called Songs of Submission. It’s about a kinky billionaire hung up on his ex-wife, an ingenue singer with a wisecracking mouth; art, music and sin in the city of Los Angeles.
Critics have dubbed the books “poetic,” “literary,” and “hauntingly atmospheric,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to give the toilets a once-over every couple of weeks or chop a cord of wood.
If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

THANK YOU!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

EXCERPT REVEAL: Reaper's Fall by Joanna Wylde

Excerpt

(WARNING: Graphic words/language)

“You’re not going back to the party.”

She cocked her head, and I saw the confusion in her alcohol- glazed eyes as she wrinkled her nose at me. All cute, like a rabbit.

“You look like a bunny.”

“You look like an ax murder,” she said, frowning. “And I thought London was looking for me. Aren’t we going the wrong way?”

“I lied. I do that a lot,” I told her, staring at her lips. I reached out, catching her chin in my hand, running my thumb across her lips. Our eyes locked, and I don’t know if her pulse started to rise but mine sure as f*ck did. What the hell had I been thinking, writing to this girl? She was so pretty and perfect and had this amazing, magical life just waiting for her and all I could think about was dragging her down into the dirt and shoving my c*ck into every hole she had.

She’d scream while I did it, too, the same sweet screams that played in my head every night while I jacked off.

I hated myself.


“Why did you lie?” she asked, her voice a whisper.


“To get you away from Taz. It’s not safe with him.”


Mel’s forehead creased in confusion, her brain moving so slowly I could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She might be smart as f*ck most of the time, but she’d transitioned to drunker than f*ck tonight. Kit. Kit and Em. They’d done this to her.

I leaned in closer, catching her scent. For an instant I swayed, so tempted . . .

“They told me all about you,” she whispered.


“Who?”


“The other girls. Kit, Em. Jessica. I know how you operate,” she continued. One of her hands rose, touching my chest. Fire burst through me, because if I’d wanted her before I was desperate for her now. She was so soft, so sweet . . . so perfect.

Then her words sank in.


“What did you just say?”


“They told me all about you,” she said, eyes dropping to stare at my lips. “They told me you have a Madonna-whore complex.” I froze.

“A what?”

“A Madonna-whore complex,” she repeated, her voice earnest. “You like to screw dirty girls and you put clean girls on pedestals, where they can stay perfect and pure. That’s pretty messed up, Painter. There’s no such thing as Madonnas and whores. We’re all just people.”

The words stunned me. What the hell was she talking about? Just because I didn’t want her dragged down in the drama and bullsh!t of this life didn’t mean I had some sort of f*cking complex. And who the hell were the Hayes sisters to have an opinion? I couldn’t tell what pissed me off more—the fact that they’d talked to Mel about me or that they hadn’t done a better job of scaring her off.

She wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Kit and Em are crazy, and that friend of yours—Jessica? She’s like a car crash. You don’t belong here, Mel.”

“And where do I belong?”

“With some nice kid who’ll treat you like a queen and work his ass off to give you everything perfect for the rest of your life.” The words were practically a growl.

Her eyes widened.


“What if I don’t want perfect?”
“Too f*cking bad, because that’s what you’re getting."

Reaper’s Fall is the newest standalone in the Reaper's MC Series.  Painter & Melanie's story will be available on November 10th and is currently up for Pre-order!

Available at the following retailers:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1DsDyRt

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1yYt1Rn

Nook: http://tinyurl.com/pljucpa

iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/pwfxzyj

Blurb

The New York Times bestselling author of Reaper’s Stand is back in her “uber-alpha rough world of MCs”* as one woman’s future is rocked by the man whose hardcore past could destroy her…

He never meant to hurt her.

Levi “Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf.

Melanie Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly. Harmless. Safe.

Now Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

About the Author:

Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Goodreads

THANK YOU!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

BLOG TOUR: Hard Beat by K Bromberg

Meet Tanner & Beaux in HARD BEAT - the newest stand alone in the

Driven Series by K. Bromberg!

NOW AVAILABLE

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/20laOb3

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1PZxwlp

Nook: http://bit.ly/1XIwjk2

Kobo:http://bit.ly/1k2fXVd

iBooks:http://apple.co/1Hlkve0

Cover & Book Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sweet Ache comes a blistering new novel filled with danger, secrecy, and a desire that can’t be sated…

Foreign war correspondent Tanner Thomas is addicted to living on the edge. Needing the adrenaline rush of his job to help him cope with a personal loss, he throws himself back into the game, concentrating all his energy on getting the next big story. But when he meets his new photojournalist, Beaux Croslyn, he can’t help but feel like he’s losing his focus—and maybe risking more…

With secrets she won’t address, Beaux is far from your ordinary woman. Determined to keep her distance, she’s willing to pull Tanner in closer and hide behind the sparks flying between them. But as Beaux’s past begins to put their relationship—and their lives—at risk, Tanner’s determination to find the truth puts them both in jeopardy.

He's ready to chase her to the ends of the earth to find out if what they had was real, or if the danger surrounding them was just an exquisite heat fated to burn out….

Excerpt

“Beaux!” Even when I say her name, I’m cursing myself for it. “Beaux!” She just keeps walking, causing my better judgment to win out over my obstinacy.

“I said stay away . . . and it’s BJ to you.” She stops and turns around, but a passerby on the sidewalk bumps harshly against her shoulder. Her small frame sways from the contact, and I’m beside her in two strides.

“You can’t go that way unless you’re looking for trouble.” I decide to ignore her comment.

She just shakes her head and starts walking away from me, but at least she’s moving in the direction of the hotel. I swear I hear her mutter something about always looking for trouble, but I miss the rest of it when a car passes in between us, the sound drowning out her voice.

My feet kick up the dirt on the street as I try to catch up to her. I lie to myself that I want to talk to her to establish some kind of ground rules about how we’ll work together, try to restore a professional level, but I know I’m just making sure she gets back into the confines of the hotel safely.

The barely chilled air-conditioned lobby of the hotel meets us as we enter, but it feels like heaven in contrast to the stifling heat outside. If she knows I’m beside her, she doesn’t acknowledge it, and that’s fine with me. I just want to make sure she’s nice and tucked away in her room where I don’t have to worry about her for a bit while I try to drum up some leads.

The elevator car opens on cue as we approach. I step in right behind her, lean against the rear wall, and fold my arms across my chest to mimic her posture. The door closes, but neither of us moves in a game of chicken. Just when the doors start to open up again without the car ascending, Beaux steps forward and presses the button for the twelfth floor. She looks over to me and raises her eyebrows in question.

“My room, please. You remember where that is, right?” I angle my head, stare at her, and enjoy watching her cheeks flush with anger.

I wait for the snide comment to come, but she just turns and faces the doors of the elevator without pushing the button for the eighth floor. Tension is so thick in the car, you can all but see it.

“I don’t trust you,” I say evenly, but it cuts through the silence.

“Good,” she says matter-of-factly as the car alerts our arrival on the twelfth floor. “Be careful whom you trust—the devil was once an angel, you know.”

And with that she walks off the elevator without another word, her comment already replaying in my mind.

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.

She’s a mixture of most of her female characters: sassy, intelligent, stubborn, reserved, outgoing, driven, emotional, strong, and wears her heart on her sleeve. All of which she displays daily with her husband and three children where they live in Southern California.

On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Since then she has written The Driven Series (Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced, Aced (releasing 1/11/16)), the standalone Driven Novels (Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, Hard Beat (releasing 11/3/15), and a short story titled UnRaveled. She is currently working on new projects and a few surprises for her readers.

She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon

GIVEAWAY

Mystery Box (3 Winners)

This box will be filled with goodies from K. Bromberg!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THANK YOU!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

REVIEW: Middle of Knight (Jack & Jill, Book 2) by Jewel E Ann

RATING:

Amazon || Kobo || B&N || iBook

Blurb

The living seek forgiveness. The dead seek revenge.

A first love.
A last breath.
A haunting past.
Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan’s unsuspecting—older—housekeeper.
Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson’s advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson’s marriage proposal on their first date.

What could possibly go wrong?

While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future—the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one.

Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past.

Review

I don’t think I can say enough how glad I am that I came across Jewel’s works thru a blog tour. Because of that, with my experience so far, I’m being given unique story lines and fascinating characters.

And talk about a captivating set of characters with this series! And talk about A ride! If I thought the 1st book in the series was quite an emotional roller coaster ride already, I was wrong;

this is THE roller coaster of a ride, as in the Six Flags kind! 

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I was practically crying one second, laughing the next, all hot and bothered the next, nervous the next, back in tears the next, as in possibly even bawling by the end… sigh… I feel like there is so much to this 2nd book, I don’t know where to start… 

This picks up right where End of Day finished. Jillian is now dealing with what’s going on with AJ. We also see more of Jackson who’s now focused his attention on one older woman. In the meantime, we see more of Jessica’s past, and slowly but surely, the past is starting to catch up with the present. On top of that, new things are popping up that could be a cause for concern… That’s all you’ll get from me as I feel it really is best to just dive in…

I cannot be any more in love with with all the characters, honestly! I may have been remiss in mentioning that in my review of the 1st book. So just let me say it here… Jillian with her snarky ways and all her vulnerabilities! Jackson with his hilarious comebacks, sweet insecurities, and his alpha tendencies! Jillian and Jackson together, having one of the best sibling dynamics I’ve read in a long while! AJ, knowing what I know of him from the 1st book, no matter what’s going on with him or would go on, or not… sigh… I just love him! Luke with his sweet, adorable, loving ways… sigh… I love him just as much! And now, there’s Ryn as well, with her quirky thoughts, a woman after my own heart!

Oh my goodness… I think I may have just lost a few minutes or so back there, just making me think of some of the scenes all over again… book hangover for the record… those funny scenes… those poignant scenes… sigh… 

I say just dive in and brace yourself! Get ready to feel a thousand emotions, enjoy Jewel’s brilliant writing, and get lost in the world of Jackson and Jillian! I don’t think I’ll be wrong when I say that I don’t think you’ve read something like this before. I know I haven’t. And for that, no matter how evil I think Jewel is for putting me thru the wringer, I’ll always be thankful!

And at this point, I guess nothing left to say but anxiously, yes, anxiously, wait for the 3rd book. Reminder to self, stock up on Kleenex, prepare to be called psycho by my hubby with the varied emotions I’m sure I will exhibit during my read, and see this through the very end, with relish! Did you hear that, Jewel?

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

REVIEW: Friction (Legal Affairs, Book 8) by Sawyer Bennett

RATING:

Amazon || B&N 

Blurb

At the powerhouse law firm of Knight & Payne, winning comes first and ethics a distant second. Leary Michaels uses her female charms to daze opponents, and it’s always worked well—until now. On her most personal case yet, she finds herself going up against a defense attorney just as skilled, shameless, and seductive as she is.
Reeve Holloway has never met a woman as sure of her own sexuality, or as ruthless in wielding it, as Leary is. But he won’t be toyed with. What Leary starts, he’ll finish—in the courtroom, the bedroom, or any-damn-place he wants. The sex is uninhibited, electrifying, and absolutely against the rules. Reeve’s job is to ruin Leary’s case…even if it destroys her in the process and costs him the woman he’s come to love.

Review

This is the 8th book in the series. I haven’t read the previous books in the series and it didn't make a difference for me. And I really enjoyed it at that! It’s a quick read full of heat! *fans self*

Reeve and Leary are 2 lawyers each on the opposite end of a case. The case is more personal for Leary, and just a job for Reeve.

I wasn’t sure how much I would like Leary at first with that brief backdrop I was given of her rise in her law firm. But as it turned out, she just has a lot of balls, so to speak, and just really feisty about things she’s passionate about. And as it turned out, her history shaped her for what she’s become which I totally appreciate.

Reeve is just too delish for words, from the self-deprecating thoughts to the dirty words to the caring actions.

While it started as insta-lust, I fell for it. How can it not, especially considering the way Reeve went at it in the beginning, totally hot! And as the story progressed, just call me weird or whatever about this part, one moment I feel like that all they do is hump like rabbits and next moment, I feel like Sawyer could have expounded on some details in the bedroom. What can I say, the dirty in me just had to voice that out, teehee. But wait, I do have to add that in the end, I saw the there were growth in the characters and progression in their relationship.

Also, since this is set in the legal world, I appreciate that I was given some jargon but not too much that I was lost, nor did I feel it was dumbed down for it to feel condescending to readers. So thank you, Sawyer, for that.

Overall, another delightful heat-inducing Sawyer read for me:D

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

REVIEW: Walk Through Fire (Chaos, Book 4) by Kristen Ashley

RATING:

Amazon || Kobo

Blurb

Millie Cross knows what it's like to burn for someone. She was young and wild and he was fierce and even wilder-a Chaos biker who made her heart pound. They fell in love at first sight and life was good, until she learned she couldn't be the woman he needed and made it so he had no choice but to walk away. Twenty years later, Millie's chance run-in with her old flame sparks a desire she just can't ignore. And this time, she won't let him ride off . . .

Bad boy Logan "High" Judd has seen his share of troubles with the law. Yet it was a beautiful woman who broke him. After ending a loveless marriage, High is shocked when his true love walks back into his life. Millie is still gorgeous, but she's just a ghost of her former self. High's intrigued at the change, but her betrayal cut him deep-and he doesn't want to get burned again. As High sinks into meting out vengeance for Millie's betrayal, he'll break all over again when he realizes just how Millie walked through fire for her man . . .

Review

Oh Logan, seriously, you had me at "Hey!"...

More and more, I’m thinking the Chaos men are becoming top fave KA H’s, next to the Unfinished Heroes ones. Well, it does start with the granddaddy of em all, Tack, so how can that not be a good start to this series, no?

Maybe it’s just me, but this has a slightly different feel than the other Chaos books. There feels like more angst, less crazy shenanigans, and less OTT alpha gathering (ie outside of the Chaos men). No? Just me?

Logan/High and Millie has quite the history. Honestly, the beginning of their story just felt too good to be true, and at such a young age at that, you just know something is gonna create a (huge) ripple in that serene waters of young true love. Then came their second chance, and boy, was that ever the one of the sweetest second-chance story I’ve read.

There were things that made me ask what would’ve happened if certain things happened or didn’t. Thing that normally I couldn’t overlook or would not make sense in my head; like the extended length of time it took for them to reconnect after what felt like a very random occurrence or like the lack of communication that triggered it all. But in the end, I’m all ok with it. It felt like it was necessary. Things had to occur. Some learning curve needed to happen to take them to a better place. As far as I’m concerned, KA made it so that it makes sense to me. My heart broke for those 2, felt the pain that Millie went thru and the anguish that Logan went thru. Every now and then, that 1 pivotal scene runs through my head, and I feel all kinds of emotion wash through me.

While it might be hard to agree with Millie’s decisions, especially the one that caused it all, like Logan, I understood. For the price that she paid because of it, she deserved every bit of happy that she got. Oddly enough, High didn’t quite stand out for me in the previous Chaos books which was why I was a little surprised that his story came first before Rush. But I am glad nevertheless that his story came. Logan/High, I thought, was another pure KA alpha, swoon!!!! I cannot be more in love with this dude, honestly. Even when he was hurting, I couldn't not like him. After he learned the truth, he understood. He did his best to be a good dad. He loved, he lost, he took care of things, he took charge... sigh...

I  appreciate the fact the H&h are older than usual in this genre. And in true KA form, outside of the H&h’s story, there was the friendship, there was the humor, there were children (not as adorbs as the others but realistic nonetheless) and there was the hotness factor. What more can I ask for, right?

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie