RELEASE BLITZ: Anarchy Found by JA Huss

Anarchy Found – Alpha Lincoln
J.A. Huss
(SuperAlpha Series)
Publication date: December 2nd 2015 (Pre-order 11/29!)
Genres: Superhero Romance

Everyone needs a hero.
That’s what Detective Molly Masters tells me. “What we need,” she says, “what the whole world needs,” she pleads, “is a champion.”
The only thing I want to talk about with Molly Masters is how I’d like to make her scream my name when I push her up against a wall, slide my hand up her thigh, and live out my wildest fantasies.
“Someone who will fight against injustice,” she says.
I’ll fight against anything you want, honey. Just come a little closer.
“Someone who will stand tall in the face of adversity,” she says.
I’ll do it standing, sitting, or lying down. See how easy I am?
“Someone who believes in the value of a good deed,” she says.
I believe in the value of me, sweetheart. Because I’m Lincoln Wade. Jaded genius, obscenely wealthy, capable of violence, and looking for revenge.
Molly Masters might have delusions of grandeur. She might see me as some superman capable of cleaning up the scum, filth, and corruption in Cathedral City.
But I’m not the hero she’s looking for.
I’m the dark alley where all her good intentions hide.
So be careful what you wish for, Molly Masters.
Because you’re about to get it.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

—

Book Trailer:

EXCERPT:

(WARNING: Graphic language/words)

Little red lights line the tunnel. It sorta reminds me of an airport runway. The mud turns to concrete about twenty feet in and there’s a small light up ahead. I’m really not sure what to expect, so I get my gun out just in case.
A few paces on and the tunnel turns sharply to the left where the light is brighter. I can hear yelling. Bike boy is yelling.
Someone is talking back to him, but he’s laughing too. I let out my breath and relax a little as I creep forward into the chamber. The first thing I see is the wrecked bike mounted on a red mechanic’s lift. Then toolboxes, some weird contraption that looks like a… robot, rolling around? A computer, then another, and another. A whole wall of computers, actually. Food wrappers and half-empty protein shake containers. Parts. A black muscle car. A long table lined with shit that looks like pieces from a chemistry lab. And a massive aquarium-sized tank holding luminescent jellyfish.
All this time bike boy is yelling and waving those black-gloved hands in the air, splashing a protein drink all over the floor.
“What the f*ck, Case? I told you not to mess with my bike, you a$$hole.”
“I didn’t touch your bike, Lincoln.”
“Stay the f*ck out of my business. I crashed the goddamned bike and had to hitch a ride home and Sheila is somehow offline. Offline! You m0therf*cker!”
“Calm down,” Case says. “She’s not gonna miss anything being offline for a few minutes. In fact, if I were you I’d be asking how it’s possible she got knocked off so easy. Doesn’t that strike you as weird?” It comes from a giant face on a wall-sized flat screen mounted on the side of a… cave? What the f*ck? “And you lost your right to work alone months ago, so don’t get all self-righteous about me being around today.”
“What’s that supposed to—“
“Hey, a$$hole,” the guy on the screen says over bike boy’s tantrum, cutting him off.
“I didn’t need this complication—” Bike boy stops talking. Because the guy on the screen is waggling his eyebrows at me. “What the f*ck are you doing?” bike boy asks. “Stop making stupid faces—”
“We have com-pan-eee.” The guy on the giant screen nods his head at me.
Bike boy whirls around, shoots me a dirty look, and then growls, “I’ll call you back,” as the giant screen goes black.
We stare at each other for a few moments, our eyes locked. “Oh, my—”
“You’re still here,” he says over me.
“—God.” I look around one more time.
1. Cave filled with…
2. Super bike.
3. Souped-up muscle car.
4. Giant flatscreen phone chat.
5. Computers everywhere.
6. Robot?
7. Some kind of science lab.
A few loud beeps interrupt my list. “Online,” a female voice says from the ceiling. A pause, and then, “There has been a breach and we have a visitor.” A hologram in the form of a woman appears in the middle of the cave and I can only assume this is…
8. Sheila, apparently back online.
I look around a little more and spy… not a cape, thank god, but a… a…
9. Helicopter, parked at the far end of the enormous cavern.
And then I get the perfect list after all, because I see…
10. Guns.
No, they are more than mere guns. I know my way around a gun and these are—
“What the f*ck are you doing here, gun girl? I thought we parted back in the forest.”
“Oh, my God,” I repeat. “You’re Batman.”

Author Bio:

JA Huss is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).
If you're interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

REVIEW: Kick and Use (Songs of Perdition, Books 1 & 2) by CD Reiss

I honestly don't know how this happened. I realized I haven't posted my reviews here for Kick and Use, books 1 & 2 of the Songs of Perdition, wut?!?!!! High time to correct that! And what better timing than now, since Break, book 3, is gonna come out soon, wheeee!!!!

So, without further ado...

Kick

Amazon || Kobo || B&N || iBook

Blurb

You know what a celebutante is.
It's a Paris Hilton. A Kim Kardashian. Someone who's famous for existing. That's me, and in case you were wondering what it's like...trust me, it's the best shit ever.
I like coke and I like sex. I have the money to buy the first and the looks to get the second. No one needs to know where I am for days at a time and no one gives a fuck. That's just the way I like it.
You got issue with that?
Good.
Because you think I have problems, and I don't. A problem would be defined as some situation in my life I didn't arrange. Like having no money. That's a problem, and I don't have it. Like having a ton of sex I don't totally enjoy. Also not my problem.
Now that we understand each other, you and me, we understand that my life is exactly how I want it, and you don't have the right to hold me here. You can't keep me in a straightjacket and you can't put me in isolation. I'm too important. Too famous.
Right?
Right.
*MATURE AUDIENCES - I mean it. Don't come back to me with your therapy bills.

Review

RATING:

(Originally posted on Goodreads)

As if I need any more reason to love CDR and her writing!!!

This is a start of a new series, and we get introduced to another Drazen sister, Fiona. And is she messed up, or is she messed up! She actually made me start a new shelf. Antiheroine. Because in my head that's what she is. She's not your typical h in a way that she's flawed, debauched, and depraved. Yet, she is a h in her own right. For all her weaknesses, there's a toughness coming thru in her thoughts. She's not necessarily lovable but oh, I like her.

The first chapter will hook you right in considering where Fiona found herself and what brought her there in the first place. You'll start getting glimpses of her past and the man who is the epicenter of her world. All being unearthed by another intriguing character. Layer all these with the Drazen family relationship. Talk about dynamics!

Now, the story telling, if you're any familiar with CD's writing, is just brilliant. It's smart, tight, and lyrical. I'll say it again, CD can write!

Use

Amazon || Kobo || B&N || iBook

Blurb

A sex-addicted celebutante.
The master she stabbed.
A therapist whose professionalism is about to shatter.

Did she stab him to be free of him?
And free to what?
To whore? Snort? Party?
Or free to be normal?

TRIGGER WARNING
I mean it, again, if you're sensitive this is not the book for you.

Review

RATING:

(Originally posted on Goodreads)

MY, OH MY, OH MY, OH MY!!!

Typically I would write the review right after I finish a book, but I waited for this one (not that it's doing me any good). Instead I read other reviews, and just kept going through the thoughts and discussion with the other Canaries in our BR. Because that's what this book encourages, a whole lot of discussion.

I feel like as I'm writing here that my review will be just as long as the book just because of all the things it evoked out of me. No, of course it won't be.

For a reader who tends to stay away from love triangles, I embraced this book wholeheartedly. It's a continuation of the tale of a messed up woman whose identity is practically tied to her sexuality who ended up where she is because she stabbed the man she loves who fills and meets her needs. And where she ended up is another man bent on helping her heal to a point that lines are getting crossed as he, himself, develops feelings for her which then awakens other things in him.

GAH!!!

I can honestly say that by the end, I truly didn't know what to feel. I was smiling like an idiot as I read the interactions among the Drazen siblings. My eyebrows were arching and my mind was going 'ooooh' as I was reading what Elliot is dealing with. My heartbeat started rising when Deacon made an appearance. My mouth was gasping as I learned what really happened that fateful night. And throughout the story, my fist was raising as I cheered Fiona's feistiness. And at the ending, my heart was breaking for Fiona as she struggled internally, finally coming to some kind of determination to move forward only to be fall back where she started.

GAH!!!

Between Elliot and Deacon, I'm seriously torn at this point as to which of these gentlemen I want her to end up with, because for me, they're almost like 2 sides of the same coin. They both want and think they know what's best for Fiona. And I get it.

We shook hands. He looked me in the eye. Two gentlemen trying to protect the same woman, probably from each other.

I just want Fiona to get her happy ending. I may end up eating my words later in the series, but right now, I think either one of those two will be fine, as long he loves her the way she should be loved.

Fiona's perspective aside, we saw a lot of Elliot here. I'm assuming Deacon will get his turn next. Cannot wait!!!!

In short, I love, love this series!!! And as always, I love, love the way CD weaves the story line with her poetic writing. (I know, I probably could have just said that in the beginning and be done with it, but where's the fun in that, eh?)

Just BRILLIANT, CD, BRILLIANT!!!!!


To say I'm excited and nervous all at once for the third book coming out soon is putting it mildly, just sayin...

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: King & Tyrant by TM Frazier

King and Pup are back in this Limited Edition Box Set

T.M. Frazier!  

NOW AVAILABLE

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

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

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1R4LZMw

Paperback Amazon: http://amzn.to/1YsctJZ

Blurb

King: 

Homeless. Hungry. Desperate. Doe has no memories of who she is or where she comes from. A notorious career criminal just released from prison, King is someone you don’t want to cross unless you’re prepared to pay him back in blood, sweat, sex or a combination of all three. King’s future hangs in the balance. Doe’s is written in her past. When they come crashing together, they will have to learn that sometimes in order to hold on, you have to first let go. 

Tyrant: 

I. Remember. Everything. But the relief I thought I would feel never comes, and I’m more afraid now than I was the morning I woke up handcuffed in King’s bed. Because with the truth comes dark secrets I was never meant to know. I will put the lives of those I love most at risk if I let on that my memory has returned, or if I seek help from the heavily tattooed felon who owns me body and soul. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to resist the magnetic pull toward King that grows stronger every day. He’s already saved me in more ways than one. Now it’s my turn to do whatever it takes to save him. Even if that means marrying someone else…


**WARNING: Graphic words/language; maybe NSFW

King Excerpt

King

Tattooing Doe was the single most erotic moment of my life. Marking her perfect, pale skin with a tattoo I'd designed for her made me so f*cking hard I had to adjust myself every thirty seconds in order to concentrate on my work.

When I was done, I handed her the hand mirror, and she walked over to the full-sized mirror that hung on the back of the door, like she'd seen dozens of my other clients do before. When she held up the hand mirror, she gasped.

"What?" I asked in a panic, hoping she didn't already see what I'd hidden in the tattoo. I was an a$$hole for putting it there. I was an a$$hole for tattooing her in the first place.

I was just an a$$hole.

But I couldn't help myself. My name needed to be on her. It wasn’t enough just to call her mine. I needed to mark her as well. So hidden in the vine work under the quote I found that I thought was perfect for her, was my name.

KING was woven into the design. In order to see it you had to tilt your head or otherwise you wouldn't notice it. But it was there.

I would tell her eventually of course, but I wanted it to be my secret for a while. She'd stopped being my possession a while ago, a lot longer before I cared to admit, but I still felt the need to mark her as mine.

I still liked the idea of owning her.

Only now, she owned me, too.

She didn't notice the name. Tears filled her eyes. She stood there staring at the hand mirror in just her panties. Little cheeky ones where her a$$ hung out of the bottoms. Her tits were only inches from my face. Her tears of happiness made my d!ck twitch. Although her sad tears evoked the same response.

My d!ck wasn't partial to which kind of tears he liked.

I took the mirror from her hand and lifted her up onto the counter. "You like it?" I asked, pushing her panties down her legs.

"I love it," she panted, wrapping her legs around me, drawing me close...

...

I showed her how much I loved her until I couldn't tell where I started and she began. Until all that was in that room was me and her and the thing between us that kept pulling us together like magnets. Until we were lost in sensations and orgasms.

And in each other.

I f*cked her until we were one person, and in a way we were, because I'd lost myself along the way and I found myself again in the most unlikely place.

I'd found myself again in the haunted eyes of a girl who was just as lost as I was.

Or maybe, we didn't find each other at all.

Maybe, we just decided to be lost together.

Tyrant Excerpt

He cupped my a$$ and lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. “There was one point I’d made the decision to tell you the truth. I owed you that much. But then all the sh*t went down with Isaac and Preppy, so when I made the deal with your father for Max, I thought I was doing you a favor by giving you your life back and getting you out of all the sh*t that came with being in mine.”

I squeezed my thighs around his waist, rubbing myself against his hardness. I moaned. “But you weren’t giving me my life back.” I corrected. I placed my palms on his cheeks and held his face in my hands, searching for any sign in his eyes that what I felt for him might have been wrong, but instead what I found was a resounding need to fix what was broken between us. Tears formed in my eyes. “You were taking it away.” King’s lips parted. He ran his thumb across my lower lip, turning his head he kissed his way up my arm.

“Goosebumps,” King observed, running his fingertips across my already stimulated skin. I bit my lip and stifled a moan.

“It’s just the heat," I lied.

"You've got that f*cking right," King growled, bending my wrist behind my back, his lips came crashing down over mine. We were a tangling of lips, clanking of teeth, sloshing through the water to better line ourselves up with each other. It wasn't pretty.

It was need.

"I’m still f*cking mad at you for letting me go,” I said into his mouth, while our tongues did things other parts of me throbbed to do.

King stilled and held my face away from his, our chests heaving in unison, my erect nipples rubbing against his hot hard skin as we panted together. Our breaths mingled in the air. He ran his hand down the side of my face and cupped my cheek in his palm. "I didn't give you away, Pup. I released you."

I stilled. "You released me?" I couldn't hide the hurt in my voice. For some reason, releasing me sounded worse than letting me go.

King ran his tongue across the tip of my earlobe, holding me tightly against his warmth. Chills ran down my spine and into my very core and they had nothing to do with the temperature of the rain.

"I tried to release you, Pup. For Max. But there was a major problem with that plan, and no matter what happened, it would never have worked," King confessed.

"Why is that?" I asked, needing to know, but at the same time acutely aware of the pulsing between my legs. Relief and release was only a scrap or two of fabric away. Throbbing for me.

"The problem was…you never released me," King growled, crashing his lips to mine...

About the Author

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier resides in sunny Southwest Florida with her husband and three feisty fur kids.

She attended Florida Gulf Coast University where she specialized in public speaking. After years working in real estate and new home construction, she decided it was finally time to stop pushing her dreams to the back burner and pursue writing seriously.

In the third grade she wrote her very first story about a lost hamster. It earned rave reviews from both her teacher and her parents.

It only took her twenty years to start the next one.

It will not be about hamsters.

Stalk Her: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Goodreads.

THANK YOU!

These are both 5-napkin read for me! Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

COVER REVEAL: Anarchy Found by JA Huss

Anarchy Found
J.A. Huss
(SuperAlpha Series)
Publication date: December 2nd 2015
Genres: Superhero Romance

Everyone needs a hero.
That’s what Detective Molly Masters tells me. “What we need,” she says, “what the whole world needs,” she pleads, “is a champion.”
The only thing I want to talk about with Molly Masters is how I’d like to make her scream my name when I push her up against a wall, slide my hand up her thigh, and live out my wildest fantasies.
“Someone who will fight against injustice,” she says.
I’ll fight against anything you want, honey. Just come a little closer.
“Someone who will stand tall in the face of adversity,” she says.
I’ll do it standing, sitting, or lying down. See how easy I am?
“Someone who believes in the value of a good deed,” she says.
I believe in the value of me, sweetheart. Because I’m Lincoln Wade. Jaded genius, obscenely wealthy, capable of violence, and looking for revenge.
Molly Masters might have delusions of grandeur. She might see me as some superman capable of cleaning up the scum, filth, and corruption in Cathedral City.
But I’m not the hero she’s looking for.
I’m the dark alley where all her good intentions hide.
So be careful what you wish for, Molly Masters.
Because you’re about to get it.

Sign-up for the release blitz here!

Cover reveal video:
This is a hand drawn cover by Ambro Jordi – watch him draw the main image in time-lapse:

Author Bio:

JA Huss is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).
If you're interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Blog

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

REVIEW: Compromising Her Position by Samanthe Beck

RATING:

Amazon || Kobo

Blurb

He's not who she expected, but he's exactly the man she needs… 

When Chelsea Wayne drags Santa into a supply closet for a little office party nookie, she assumes the man in the suit is her on-again/off-again coworker boyfriend. Instead, it's Rafe St. Sebastian, a man known for his hard-driving ways in business as well as the bedroom--and, kill her now, the brand spanking new owner of Las Ventanas--who grants her naughtiest Christmas wishes. 

So much for her reputation, not to mention her career. 

Rafe needs to close three acquisitions to prove to his father he's ready to take the helm of St. Sebastian Enterprises. A hot interlude in a supply closet after deal number two seems like the perfect illicit Christmas bonus. Unfortunately, when that "bonus" becomes the key to the final deal, he finds himself back in bed--so to speak--with Chelsea, and after their steamy tryst, he's not interested in keeping things professional…

Review

I thought that was quite yummy…

This is a first Samanthe read for me and I’m not sure why. I have her other books but haven’t gotten to them yet, wut?!! I’ll say it off the bat, if all my Entangled Brazen reads are like hers (or Tessa’s, as in Tessa Bailey), you can sign me up ALL the time!

While this started out weird, as in “you seriously were not able to tell that wasn’t your boyfriend question mark times 2” type of weird, the story and the writing hooked me in quite quickly.

It’s a familiar trope with the former then turned potential boss again attracted to the employee. Rafe is the boss bent on proving something to his father, never the one for serious commitment and meeting a former turned potential employee again who somehow got under his skin. Chelsea is the employee, who’s trying to get on with her life with a fresh start but turns out, can’t get very far away from Rafe, and as much as she has this new deal with herself about relationships, which fortunately aligns with Rafe’s thing about relationships, the heart wants what the heart wants ultimately.

Their interaction is smart, funny and HOT *g*. The side characters are just as witty, with the exception of the ex, of course.

It’s a quick read, for sure. And it’s quite a delish read at that. Oh yah, I already mentioned that… Oh Rafe, Rafe, Rafe…

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

Review: Semper Fi (The Education of..., Book 3) by Jane Harvey-Berrick

RATING:

Amazon || Kobo || B&N || iBook

Blurb

Ten years ago US Marine Sebastian Hunter was a teenager in love with a married woman—a woman who broke his heart.

Kicking his heels in a desk job in Geneva, he’s given the chance to get back to the action. Life just might be worth living again … until he meets the woman who broke him 10 years earlier.

Now she’s back, but he’ll do anything to keep her at arm’s length. Temptation doesn’t come much stronger, but he’d be a fool to fall for her again…

Caroline Venzi is a successful journalist, preparing to head out to report from the front lines of the war in Afghanistan. Love is the last thing on her mind when she crosses paths with Marine Sebastian Hunter.

Will this chance encounter reignite the erotic passion of their past?

* * * * *

This story is a re-telling of the best-selling contemporary romance 'The Education of Caroline', now told from US Marine Sebastian Hunter’s point of view.

Profits of this book support the military charities Felix Fund (UK) and EOD Warrior Foundation (USA)

Review

Well then…

Lemme just put a few things out there before I go any further. First, I haven’t read the first 2 books in The Education series. Second, while this is the third book in the series, like Jane advised me in the beginning, this is a standalone. This is Sebastian and Caro’s story, or I believe, the 2nd book to be more specific, told from Sebastian’s POV. I completely concur. Duh, since Jane wrote this, of course she’s right! Third, I usually enjoy reading this trope, guess this is Dec-May? And fourth, call me pervy but that kiddo in the cover is yummy. If he’s Sebastian, so be it!*g*

On to the story… 10 years have gone by since the Sebastian and Caro have started their thing. Sebastian is now in the Marines, Caro is now a journalist. It’s about reuniting, getting their second chance, resolve any lingering issues from the past and moving forward. I knew the biggest thing about this story is the age difference b/w Sebastian and Caroline. He’s 13 years younger to be exact. I’m aware they have a long history that started from when Sebastian was young. And as they’re trying to look towards the future, things happen that can make or break their relationship.

Seeing this all from Sebastian’s POV, I’m a lil ambivalent about these 2. Sebastian, being 27 that he is, didn’t feel like he acts or thinks like his age at times. Or have I just forgotten how 27-year olds act and think? Or am I reading this all from the context of a 40-something-year old mind? Especially seeing that Caro is also 40? On the other hand, I’ve read enough NA H’s in the same age bracket and Sebastian sounded younger… hmmm… And Caro, for the 40-year old woman that she is, sometimes acted and talked like she’s in her 20’s. At least that’s what it felt like to me.

Sebastian almost always had his d!ck in his mind, and Caro’s doubts were not easy to relate to, to a degree. I suppose it’s an aftermath of having the kind of relationship they had at the time they did. Whether anyone liked it or not, there are life-changing events that shape a person and whether that messes one up or not, consequences out of that must be faced.

Here’s the thing. Because I know there were 2 books before this, told from Caro’s POV I’m guessing, I was wondering the whole time I was reading this whether I would be more enamored with this couple seeing it from Caro’s eyes or not. Did Caro understand the depth of Sebastian’s feelings or the impact that she had on him at such a young age? After all, for all my grumble about what kinda didn’t work for me here, Sebastian did kinda hook me in. For all the emotional instability he exhibited, one thing he didn’t waver about is his feelings for Caro, if that makes sense at all… And, I totally appreciate the details of what it means to be out in the field for the people who serve their country. It’s not an easy life, to say the least, and dangerous, at worst.

Plus: A personal bonus for me here, if I may add, is Sebastian having a copy of The Alchemist, an all-time fave, and, call me nutters, his birthday/wedding date is the same as mine (wedding, that is). That made me smile, for sure!

I don’t think this will be a fave Jane read for me, but it still made me curious enough to read the first 2 books… I think… And hey, for what it’s worth, this is supporting a very good cause. Good on Jane for doing that!

Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie

REVIEW: Reaper's Fall (Reapers MC, Book 5) by Joanna Wylde

RATING:

Blurb

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.

Review

I really took my time writing this review, which is opposite of what I usually do. Even as I’m typing this, I’m struggling with my rating on this one, and I can’t even fully explain why. In fact, not that it was bad, not at all. And it’s definitely more than just ok. This is Joanna after all. These are the Reapers after all. The humor, the sense of brotherhood, the biker drama and action- check, check, and check. The only thing, I don’t want to give it 3-napkin but I can’t seem to bring myself to give it 4-napkin. Hence, the 3 ½ napkin-rating… Sigh…

I’m not sure why but I got a totally different feel with this one. I know I got an ARC so I’m aware that last minute editing can still happen after, and as much as I didn’t want things like formatting affect my reading experience, seeing this is an ARC, I couldn’t help it, unfortunately. I’m saying this because that alone took some of the pleasure from reading this. The scene breaks felt off so it felt choppy at times. First time experiencing that with Joanna’s books… Sigh…

With regards to Painter, up until this book, I really don’t know how I feel about him. I liked him at one point, then I didn’t. Now that it’s his turn, I did like him, I really did, but something about him just keep jabbing me on my sides to make me not like him as much as the other Reaper fellas. He had a sh!tty childhood but somehow found salvation with his Reaper brothers. He’s an a$ and he knows it; he tried to not be one but at times, it felt like it wasn’t enough. He did redeem himself ultimately in the end, I think… Sigh…

Melanie is quite a straight-up h. She also didn’t have a pleasant childhood but she turned out ok. Despite the cards she’s been dealt with, she made the best decisions she could. On the one hand, she’s a very smart woman, on the other, I’m not so sure… Sigh…

Now put Painter and Melanie together, their union is searing, and I truly bought it. With the history they have, I felt it. But how their story was laid out, I actually don’t know if I truthfully cared for it. I get it; things don’t always turn out the way you think things would go sometimes… Sigh…

Which brings me to my next point, that this is probably the most realistic of all the Reapers’ stories, if I can put it that way in the context of a romance read. Of course, the biker drama and action are there. And while they eventually arrived to their HEA, their story spanned years, enough time to actually see them go thru the ups and downs of life, the highs and lows of a relationship, and decisions that impact life down the road… Sigh…

Is that what I expected? Maybe not. Could that be what’s affecting my feelings on this? Maybe. Did I like this enough? Yes. Am I still invested in those Reapers men? Absolutely!


Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie