Monday, January 10, 2022

Friday, January 7, 2022

Shattered Desires by Victoria Ellis {a review}

Shattered Desires, by Victoria Ellis, is the second book in the Reckless Desires series, and takes place a year after the band left Hellfire Records. Get ready for the love triangle between Declan, Kade, and Spence. There is a lot of history with this trio, and it's not all good.

As the story begins, it's Declan's wedding day! She and Lucas are preparing for their happily ever after. Never mind the fact that Declan is having second thoughts. Still she heads down the aisle, and the ceremony begins. All is going well until a man shouts that he objects, and that Declan cannot marry Lucas. Yeah, that happened. That objection was all Declan needed to call off the wedding and run. Jump forward a bit, and the band is all meeting at the HQ for Rebellion Records. In walks Spence Reid. He's friend with all the band members, and has just been hired as their photographer. Declan is happy to see him, but he also has her on edge. She loves this man. She always has. But those feelings are not mutual. A few days later, Kane Reid arrives back in town, and is in need of a job. Spence inquires on his behalf, and Declan says he can be security for Miller. She wants nothing to do with Kane. He broke her heart, and she doesn't know why he ended their relationship. Obviously she's still not over it. What happens next is a whirlwind of a tour, an issue with Declan's mom, a couple of fights with the brothers, a few shared kisses, truth being revealed, heartache, tension, pain, and ultimately a reunion. It's quite the journey for Declan to get her happily ever after.

Note from the author: Please note that this book has trigger warnings for self-harm. If this is not something that you are comfortable reading about, please put this book down.

Shattered Desires was the first love triangle that I had read in years. The last was either Hunger Games or maybe even Twilight. I know. I KNOW! Pushing that information aside, I loved this story. I loved the tension, the drama, the moment when it was revealed why Kane left, the steam, the love, just all of it. I was grabbing for my kindle whenever I had a spare moment, and could not wait to find out what happened next. The storyline with Declan's mom I was a bit hesitant about. I can't lie. I wasn't certain why that tidbit of information was necessary, until it was, and that scene happened. My heart was definitely pumping during that. (nothing bad I promise.) Then there's Kane. That man is still a bit of a mystery to me. I didn't fully understand his game plan, or what his intentions truly were. So I struggled there. But he definitely brought the drama, as well as pieces of the truth. Of course he also brought his love for Declan. His feelings were still strong, and he didn't want to wait any longer. Spence intrigued me. He and Declan had this close bond as they had been friends forever. That friendship wasn't as easy while Declan and Kane were together, but it was still there. So seeing them reunite felt like coming home. Their friendship was able to rebuild, and these two halves were back together. There were a couple of scenes in this book where my jaw hit the ground. The first was when the truth was revealed, and the second was after Declan and Kane left together. I still haven't fully recovered from that scene. There was so much heartache and pain after that happened. Oh my heart.

Victoria Ellis has created this amazing band, and I cannot turn away. I am part of the Reckless Desires fan club, and I am not leaving. Bordeaux, Declan, Miller, and Flynn have been through a lot in their lives, and their journey toward their happily ever afters is definitely not easy.

Oh, that set up for Miller's story? Yes please! I cannot wait to see how that impacts his life, as well as that of the band.

If you are ready for rockstar romance that features the enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, second chance romance tropes, and also has a love triangle, then go grab Shattered Desires now! You don't need to read Reckless Desires before hand, but aspects from that book are weaved into this one.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts,

Laura

Cover Design: Cady Verdiramo @ Cruel Ink Editing & Design


𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃

My ex leaving me might have shattered my heart—If I wasn’t secretly in love with his brother.

It’s forbidden, but it’s hard to deny the connection the two of us have always shared…

Especially when he’s thrust back into my life and working alongside my band as our photographer.

And did I mention—My ex is back, too…And he’s our newest security detail.

𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑒𝑑.

𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

Declan has always been off-limits. I may have seen her first—But my brother, Kade, laid his claim on her when we were still in high school.

I never meant to fall in love with her. I’ve always done right by my brother, refusing to make a move on her, even after he left her without so much as a goodbye.

But being back in Chicago and working with her? There’s not a damn chance I’ll stay away from her this time.

I’ll give it to him. Kade has impeccable timing. He’s back and threatening to ruin my second chance with her before it even gets started—

𝑀𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑛.

𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒

The band is back, and this time, they’ve got total creative control.

No longer under Hellfire records, they’ve started their own label and they’re embarking on their first tour on their own.

This time, though, they won’t all make it back to the city alive.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞𝐬.

Nothing will ever be the same.



Grab Your Copy Here!

Add Shattered Desires to your Goodreads TBR!

Want to read more from the band?

Start with Bordeaux's story!
and then stay tuned for these upcoming releases!


February 4, 2022

Goodreads | Pre-Order

March 7, 2022

Goodreads | Pre-Order




Meet Victoria Ellis


Victoria Ellis started out writing primarily thrillers but slowly transitioned into both poetry and contemporary romance. 

Now, she is a multi-genre author that publishes Psychological Thrillers, Suspense, and Romance novels. She is also the author of two poetry collections.

 

Victoria has a penname, Gemma Stone, for her upcoming romance novels that she plans on releasing. It was important to her to separate romance from thrillers. Be on the lookout for more Gemma Stone news in 2021 and 2022!

 

Victoria is the founder of Cruel Ink Publishing, LLC.

 

She resides near Chicago, Illinois with her husband, newborn daughter, and an abundance of animals.

 

Connect with Victoria Ellis

Website | Newsletter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Reader Group | BookBub | Facebook 



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Thank you to Victoria Ellis, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced review copy of Shattered Desires.

The Lies You Love by Rachel Robinson {cover reveal}

 

Release Date: February 3

Auden
In a quest to forget my ex left me to marry a man, I turned to a few flings. Okay, more than a few, but I dare anyone to judge me after the life I’ve endured. Then, a one-night stand gets a little blurry in the emotions department. He’s muscular, smooth talking, and the chemistry is so hot that thinking about him makes me buzz. The catch is he can only commit to a one month fling. It’s so good, I agree, but it’s obvious there’s something between us that can’t be ignored. His secrets are deep, and I don’t want to get burned again yet, walking away is impossible.

Beck
I spend one month on duty guarding my Principal, and one month off letting loose. That’s my schedule, and I’m okay with it until I meet her. The night we meet is a little fuzzy, but our connection is not. When I wake up in the morning and discover my life-altering one-night stand is my Principal’s best friend, I know I’m doomed, but I make excuses to keep Auden for as long as I can. That is until both their lives are in danger and I can only save one.
My duty and honor, or the woman who I’ve fallen mercilessly for?

Always protect the heartbeat. 


Pre-Order Your Copy Here:

Add to your Goodreads TBR List! 


Meet Rachel Robinson

Rachel grew up in a small, quiet town full of loud talkers. Her words were always only loud on paper. She has been writing stories and creating characters for as long as she can remember. 

CRAZY GOOD and SET IN STONE, and TIME AND SPACE, three of her Navy SEAL novels are INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERS.

After living in San Diego, Virginia Beach, and then Fairfax, VA, she now resides in colorful Colorado with her badass husband, two children, her Sphynx cat, & her dog, Polly.

Connect with Rachel Robinson



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Thursday, January 6, 2022

Just a Kiss by Samantha Lind {a review}



Just a Kiss is the fourth book in Samantha Lind's Lyrics and Love series. If you are a fan of friends to lovers romances, then prepare yourself for Allison and Lee's story. 

As the story begins we are 10 years in the past. Allison, Lee, and their friends are all in high school and are preparing for the prom. Lee ends up asking Allison to attend with him, and that gets the ball rolling. Even then you could feel the attraction between them. At the prom they share a kiss that is etched into their memories. Jump forward to present day. Allison and Lee are both single. Lee doesn't do relationships, and is perfectly content finding someone just for the night. That is until he makes a move on Allison. He's finally taking his shot, and he is determined not to mess it up. After an amazing night together, they decide to enter a friends with benefits relationship. Which isn't usual for either of them. So what happens when feelings are caught? Can their friendship survive what happens?

He kisses me deeply. So deep I practically feel it down to my soul. He kisses me in a way that no man, other than when he was seventeen years old, has kissed me.

This was a pretty good friends to lovers story. I liked how it all played out. From their kiss at prom, to them reconnecting 10 years later, to everything that unfolded with their FWB relationship. A minor complaint I have is that I would have preferred for the story to be a bit more involved versus being a quick (short) read. I don't feel as though I got to know the characters that well.

I liked how open Lee was about not wanting anything permanent. He knew what he wanted, and he had it in his head that he wasn't worth a happily ever after. Yet here was Allison trying to convince him otherwise.

"I'm a one-night kind of guy, Allison. You know that. If I was dancing all up on you, it would get people talking and thinking about something else." 

When the moment of conflict happened I was curious as to how they would find their way back to each other. Wit how set in his ways Lee was, I wasn't certain what would happen. How it played out was good. I liked that Lindsay (Allison's best friend) inserted her into the situation and said what she did. Lindsay spoke her truth, and left it for Lee to figure out how to proceed. Now here's the thing...I feel like Samantha Lind could have used Lee's profession as a firefighter in their reunion. I just feel that going that route might have had a bit more of a dramatic feel to it all. Make him realize how quickly his person could have been taken from him. But she didn't go that route. She could have even used both their careers (firefighter & nurse) to bring them back together. It just felt like a lost opportunity. Yes the way it went down was FINE, I just wanted something more elaborate.

"Some woman is going to rock your world one of these days, and you're going to fall head over heels in love with her, and I can't wait to watch. It's always the ones that protest the most that fall the hardest."

I may have struggled with the fact that Just a Kiss was a shorter story (105 pages), but ultimately it still was a catchy friends to lovers story. Also, this book has me wanting to read Rumor Going 'Round so that I can find out how Lindsay and Tucker came to be!

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on Just a Kiss.
Laura

 

Cover Design: Oh So Novel
Cover Image via Deposit Photos


It all started with just a kiss.

The first was ten years ago in high school.

Our second was in a bar on the dance floor.

We agreed to keep things casual.

But we were like a fire burning behind closed doors.

Those sparks had me wanting more.

When I took a shot in the dark and asked for more, it brought us to the ultimate crossroads.


Do we do things right, with just a kiss goodbye?

Or do we do things right, with a kiss goodnight?


Grab Your Copy Here!
Add to your Goodreads TBR!



Meet Samantha Lind

Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons. 

She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.



Connect with Samantha Lind

Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub


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Thank you to Samantha Lind, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced copy of The Final Period.






The Hustler by Gina Azzi {a review}



The Hustler is the eighth book in Gina Azzi's Boston Hawks hockey series, and it is now available. If you've read the other books in the series and think you're ready for Theo's (Eddie) story, you're wrong.

Let's travel to Maui for the wedding of Preston and Heather. Sofia Carpenter happens to be planning it, and her life is about to change. Sofia is engaged to Don Servino, and she works for the family's resort (Lely Prive). However it turns out that Don's family has looked into Sofia's past, and it isn't going to work any longer. Not with her dad having served time in prison. Don ends things with Sofia, but then has the nerve to ask her to stay on until the Lawrence wedding is over. Flash forward to the week of the wedding. Sofia is out for a swim, and Theo is out surfing. Sofia catches his eye, and Theo is entranced by her. He cannot turn away. 

She's an anomaly in a paradise filled with beauty, laughter, and excitement.

 

The night before the wedding, Theo finds her again, and he's determined to meet her. They strike up a conversation, and that leads to a night spent together. Theo asks her to be his plus one to the wedding, and Sofia agrees. That is until the next morning when she finds out Theo Lawrence is really Eddie Sims. He lied to her. Or did he? Sofia's been hurt in the past, and she's struggling with this. So she leaves a note saying goodbye. Except it isn't goodbye, as Sofia will soon learn when her brother (Jesse) is traded to the Boston Hawks organization. Sofia and Theo are about to get their second chance. But will an issue from the past come back to hurt their chances for a happily ever after? Also, will Theo tell his teammates who he really is? They know Eddie Sims, can they accept him as Theo Lawrence? Will they feel betrayed?
 
Gina Azzi gutted me with this book! Oh the emotions.😭


Having read the description for the book, I wasn't certain what was going to happen. I was NOT expecting Sofia and Theo to meet at Preston's wedding, nor was I expecting it be after Don the dumbass broke off their engagement. Basically all I knew going in is that Eddie Sims was going by an alternate name, and I had no clue why. Well now I do! Of course I also knew that Sofia was a cancer survivor, and that experience had shaped her views on certain things.  

I loved how everything unfolded with their relationship. From the introduction in Maui, to Sofia's brother being traded to the Hawks, to everything that happened next (relationship/history/family).

The storyline involving Sofia's dad, and her cancer treatment? Oh my heart. I think anyone can understand why he did what he needed to. But at the same time you can see why the other party did what they had to do. It just goes to show how messed up health care truly is. Ugh. Also, I want to say that I called this aspect of the storyline pretty early on. So throughout the story I was waiting for it to be revealed, and I was waiting to see how both parties responded to the situation. But then that next bombshell was dropped, and my eyes became extremely blurry due to the tears that were about to be shed.



The one thing I haven't figured out is where that magazine came from that allowed Sofia to find out Theo's "true identity". I don't feel like I glossed over that, but maybe I did. 

No matter what, I loved this book! It very well might be my favorite out of the all of them. From their initial meeting (and subsequent hookup), to the reunion in Boston, to friendships formed thanks to the awesome wives and girlfriends, to the meeting of Theo's parents, to everything that happened next, to the revelation of the past, and so forth. I was all in.

I think I need a few days to recover from all the tears I shed. Oofta Gina's writing hit me hard with this storyline. 

Go read this story! Go fall for these two, and see how being together impacts both Sofia and Theo. Because these two definitely change with the influence of the other. Also, I need for Gina to write a story featuring Jesse Carpenter. Please and thank you.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on The Hustler. I hope you'll check out this fake identity, second chance romance.
Laura




Theodore Edward Sims was supposed to be my hot summer hook-up, a stranger I slept with in Hawaii. Now, he’s my stepbrother’s new hockey teammate.

When we met, Theo was a sexy surfer in Maui, riding waves by day and rocking my world at night. After being played for a fool by my ex-fiancé, Theo proved to be a source of instant gratification.

He was refreshingly honest, engaging, and incredibly charming. Theo built me up when it felt like my world was crumbling down.

Turns out, he’s just like my ex. A liar.

To avoid the gossip of my failed engagement, I hightail it to Boston, where I’m forced to cross paths with a new version of Theo, aka Eddie Sims, Boston Hawks right wing. Here, he isn’t the well-connected, alluring surfer but a determined, angry hockey hunk with something to prove. Especially to me.

Except I’ve written him off. Once a liar, always a liar.

But Theo isn’t backing down. Instead, he’s hustling for my forgiveness.

If I give him another chance, will he live up to his apologies? Or am I just lying to myself?



Add to your Goodreads TBR!






Meet Gina Azzi


I’m Gina Azzi, a book-obsessed, coffee-drinking, globetrotting, mama of soon-to-be three! I write sweet with a dash of spicy New Adult and Contemporary Romance full of good men putting in work to win the hearts of even better women.

A total Jersey girl at heart, I struggle with insatiable wanderlust and currently reside in Ontario, Canada with my family. 

 

When I’m not dreaming up storylines or writing all the words, you can find me hanging with my littles, attempting to bake, or planning my next adventure.

 

Connect with me on social media or at ginaazziauthor@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Happy Reading!

Xo,

Gina


Connect with Gina

Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Reader Group | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Goodreads    Amazon Author Page



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Thank you to Gina Azzi, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with an advanced review copy of The Hustler.

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