PLAY (Stage Dive 32) by Kylie Scott

Play by Kylie Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

4.5 - 5 HILARIOUS PUMPKIN STARS

Malcolm "Mal" Ericson is the drummer we met in Lick , the first installment in the Stage Dive series.

Something is going on with Mal and he won't talk to anyone. Where he has always been the life of the party, something is different. He seems to have these manic highs, but they feel forced.

"Come find another toy." ~ Ben

"Ooh, she's shiny." - ~Mal

"Why don't you go and ask her what her name is?" ~ Ben

"Do I need to know her name?" ~ Mal

"I've heard it helps" ~ Ben

"Maybe for you," Mal scoffed. "I just call out my won name during sex." ~ Mal

"You're an awesome lay, a great girl, I fucking hate it when you're sad, and I don't like it when you're not around. I'm even getting used to the fighting and drama now and then, because the make-up sex is rocking." ~ Mal

Next door neighbor, drags Anne Rollins, to her friend Ev and David's condo for a party. Where Anne meets Mal after he overhears he telling a friend that everything that could go wrong has. The next thing she knows Mal has moved into her apartment and is asking her to fake being his girlfriend. She agrees, because not only has she had a major crush on the drummer since she was a teen, she really needs the money. It doesn't hurt that Mal is an adorable sweetheart she needs the help, financially.

"You know, I honestly can't decide if your ego is repulsive or just impressive." ~ Anne

Soon it become apparent that something is wrong with Mal and Anne will do anything to help him.



But her long time crush, Reece, has finally realized that Anne is special and he wants her as well. As Mal and Anne get closer, they don't seem to be faking it anymore. Hilarity ensues with Mal being jealous and not knowing how to deal with those feelings.

The chemistry between the two Mal and Anne was smoking...



He makes her laugh and she is the perfect person for him, because she's good at letting things go. She can even laugh at what most would find annoying about Mal. As everyone knows, I LOVED Lick , but this one surpassed my expectations. Sweet, funny and a rock star... What more could you ask for?

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UNDERESTIMATED TOO (Underestimated, #2) by Jettie Woodruff

Underestimated Too by Jettie Woodruff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 - 4 VERY DISTURBING STARS

It started off slow. But once I got into it, it got interest. I still don't like Drew. I think Morgan was a freaking doormat, although I understand that this was all she knew for the most part. I hated how long it took to resolve some issues with her family that could have been deal with in the first book. I also found this book a little easier to take than the first book, given the fact that I still can't seem to write the review for the first book.

I loved ultimately where Dawson and Lauren end up. I think they deserve exactly what they got. This book didn't have half as many spelling and grammatical errors and I definitely think they writing improved. Its not easy to surprise me, but this author did. There was one thing I didn't catch on to right away, but did before it was confirmed in the book and one thing that shocked me like nothing else.

Anyway, I liked it for the most part. Aside from the fact that I didn't like the main characters and how they were with each other. I felt the author accomplished what she set out to do, which was make you very uncomfortable and like reading it at the same time.

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UNDERESTIMATED (Underestimated, #1) by Jettie Woodruff

Underestimated by Jettie Woodruff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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JANE'S MELODY (Jane's Melody, #1) by tyan Winfield

Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ARC provided by Atria through NetGalley for a honest review.

4 STARS

I really liked this book. I had been in a total book funk and this book brought me out of it.

I loved Jane. She went through so much from her daughter's death to her family's ability to make life difficult. Until Caleb came into her life, she had no one who focused on her. Grace was her best friend and sponsor, but still had her own issues to deal with. Jane always thought of other people, and if only for a moment, she took some time to think of herself and ultimately grew from it. She learned to take chances. Although I know Jane was grieving, I was a little sad that she didn't realize that something was going on with Grace earlier.



Caleb was the best man I've ever read about. He was thoughtful and sweet, strong and sturdy, talented and patient most of all. Everything in a guy I would love to meet myself. He had a charm about him that made everyone love him, even her friends. He had a rough life, but never felt sorry for himself. He had a dream and went after it, only pausing to fall in love with Jane.

This book reminded me, loosely in theme, of the 1979 film Tim, which stared a very young Mel Gibson and Piper Laurie as his older lover.



Reading how Jane and Caleb fell in love was so touching. I felt every moment of their falling and Jane's confusion about their relationship.



"I'm going to take you home and rip these clothes off and fuck the self-doubt out of you. That's what I'm going to do." ~ Caleb

THE GOOD: I loved everything about Jane and Caleb getting to know each other and falling in love. I loved how patient he was with her and his getting to know Mrs. Hawthone, which was funny.

THE BAD: I wish there had been more POV from Caleb. I though it was odd having on the two instances, when there was so much more to learn from him and how he was feeling when Jane would act out or feel insecure. There were, yet very few, slow moments.

All in all, I enjoyed this read and am looking forward to the next installment.

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THE BILLION DOLLAR BAD BOY (The Billionaire's Club, #2) by Jackie Ashenden

The Billion Dollar Bad Boy by Jackie Ashenden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ARC provided by St. Martins Press through NetGalley for an honest review

2.5 - 3 PRINCESS STARS

This one wasn't as good as The Billion Dollar Bachelor , but still cute. Donovan "Van" Morrow is the younger, playboy brother to Jax Morrow. He's the face of the family business and runs all their P.R. He never felt as if he fit into the family and felt used by his father, so now he's determined to keep some property that Jax want to get rid of.

While going through the motions of reviewing bids for the property he has no intentions of selling, Van meets Victoria de Winter. She is the daughter to real estate magnet, Cameron de Winter. She's known as the "Ice Princess." She's shrewd in business and known for taking no prisoners. But she's had to be. She also feels unaccepted by her family for many reasons.

These two see something in each other that calls out to them. Maybe loneliness, the need for love and acceptance. But what ever it is, they can't seem to stay away from each other. She wants the deal to happen and will do anything to make it so. He won't budge and she's determined to find out why. They can't seem to stop testing each others boundaries and limits. Until they realized that they only need each other.

This one was much harder to get into than The Billion Dollar Bachelor , but it was still sweet.

The Good: Two people finding each other when there was every reason for them to never believe in love. I did like the ending.

The Bad: Very slow moving and getting to the point. The connection wasn't there as much as it seemed to be with Jax and Pandora's characters.

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THE BILLION DOLLAR BACHELOR (The Billionaire's Club, #1) by Jackie Ashenden

The Billion Dollar Bachelor by Jackie Ashenden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ARC provided by St. Martins Press, through NetGalley for an honest review.

3.5 FAIRY TALE STARS

Started off a bit slow, and I was anxious for the author to get to the point. But once it did, it took of and was emotional and really HOT.

Though Pandora Garret is a beautiful woman, she's sheltered by her mob boss father. Not because he loves her, but because he thinks of her as a commodity. A bargaining tool. When Pandora realizes that her father is about the give her to someone who can make his position stronger, she uses an opportunity of lapse in security to sneak away.

With no money and no friends who aren't loyal to her father, she walks into a bar where she has an immediate chemistry with mogul, Jax Marrow. Neither knowing who the other is, they begin an affair that sets off an series of events where Jax feels the need to protect Pandora and get her away from her father's machinations.

The Good:

The moment they connected, the chemistry was HOT and Pandora liked it rough. The story was short and sweet. I wanted her safe and I knew he needed something in his life other than work.



The Bad:

Because this was a short novel, the rough and (view spoiler)[why Jax was really uncomfortable (hide spoiler)] was not really explained. Also the beginning dragged a bit. There was this need for them to get moving and the reasons they didn't weren't really valid in my opinion. Also the family dynamics were a bit vague. I don't understand what was going on with Jax and his younger brother Donovan, which I guess is a good reason to read the next book int he series.

It was definitely good enough to keep reading the series, but needed some editing and maybe a few more plausible situations.

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DENIES ME (Every Part of You, #4) by Megan Hart

Denies Me by Megan Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

3.5 CROP STINGING STARS

It started out a little slow, but gave a bit more back story into Elliot's personality. Once things heated it up, the story was intense and HOT. I want to see how Elliot gets out of the hole he's dug for himself with Simone. And will Simone regret her hasty decision?

I do feel this could have been one whole book. Breaking it up, I feel, allows you to disconnect from the story between installments. Which I think does it a disservice.

I am curious about the next installment.

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GRIMM FAIRY TALES: OZ by Joe Brusha

Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz by Joe Brusha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Provided through NetGalley for an honest review

4 OZ-TASTIC STARS

This beautifully illustrated. Though the story story was a little simple and quick, it still worked. I like how I though the villainous traitor was one person and it turned out to be the one I never expected. I like how Oz was a real used by evil to get to Earth aka Nexus and that Dorothy's hope and goodness was the thing that guided her most and was able to overcome evil.

The one thing the story didn't explain is who Dorothy really is and why she was able to wield the scepter. (view spoiler)[The Wicked Witch's second who created the monsters said she was a Highborn, but no one explained how she is a Highborn and she got to Kansas. (hide spoiler)]

Either way, I still liked it.

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EXERCISE IN ACTION: CORE by Hollis Lance Liebman

Exercise in Action: Core by Hollis Lance Liebman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars

Fantastic instructional book. Shows a lot of different core exercises. Exactly what part of the body they effect, modifications for the exercises. Starts with stretching, that I always forget to do. Goes through Swiss Ball, Body Weight, Free Weight and many other types of core exercise that you can do at home or in the gym.

I find it tough to find books like this, because you never know what exactly they show unless you actually go into the store to go through them or buy them and risk that they aren't what you are looking for.

I would totally buy this book. There's a yoga book coming out and I will definitely buy that one.

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INNER CORE (Stark, #2) by Sigal Ehrlich

Inner Core by Sigal Ehrlich
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sorry... Not better than the first book for me. Too bad. Just wandered and felt like a run on sentence. There were times I re-read things trying to figure out where the author was going with the story. Hayley annoyed the heck out of me. Daniel was sweet when he wasn't being a total dummy.

Again there were funny moments, fewer than in the first book. But it was the only thing that saved it from being a one star read.

It just didn't work for me... Bummer.

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LAYERS (Stark, #1) by Sigal Ehrlich

Layers by Sigal Ehrlich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 - 3 STARS

It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. I was expecting so much more from some of the great reviews, i'd previously read. I found the story pretty boring for the most part. I was confused almost from the beginning. The transitions from one thing to another jumped all over the place. I just found the writing tough to read as well as the storyline being very slow. Even the sexual encounters of the characters were quick and not much there.

I mean I've read an entire book and only figured out that her father was a physician at the very end of the story when he asks her to come to his in office clinic to talk. I mean she spoke of her parents and never mentioned the man was a doctor. She and Daniel say they love each other, but they know very little about each other. He's reluctant to talk about much of his past other than his mother, and she's not spent much time with him doing anything other than having sex, which has lead to very little conversation about her family.

(view spoiler)[There are also things that come out of nowhere and all of a sudden, like at the very end of the book, were we discover that Danielle's been involved in illegal fight clubs. Huh? (hide spoiler)]

I also felt like this book was a combination of Fifty Shades, Crossfire and the Stark Trilogy, but with their more slow aspects.

There were some really funny moments, which made me laugh out loud. I often wish that some of the things she thought internally Hayley would say out loud and would make the story more interesting. These are the only reasons I didn't give it one star. Anyway, I read it quickly and that was one of it's few saving graces.

I've been told that the second book gets better. I'm crossing my fingers, otherwise I will have wasted a lot of time reading this series.

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TAUNTS ME (Every part of You, #3) by Megan Hart

Taunts Me by Megan Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 - 4 SPANKING STARS

Pretty hot and very intense. I guess i'm just noting like Simone emotionally because I can't understand why she lets him dictate what he is willing to give her when she knows she wants so much more from him. One minute he's telling her it can only be sex, then the next he's acting jealous.

Looking forward to the next installment.

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BITE M (Pride, #9) by Shelley Laurenston

Bite Me by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 HONEY BADGER STARS

Olivia "Livy" Kowalski has lost her creative edge. She's been working as the photographer for the Shifter Sports League, which her friend Toni, from Wolf With Benefits , got her. And something just doesn't feel right. Going against who and what she is, she has a steady job and an apartment. Its not until after her father's funeral when she runs into Vic Barinov that things start to change.

Vic can't understand why Livy is the only person that doesn't irritate him. Even when she breaks into his house causing costly damage and eats all of his honey.

He needs her for a job as they are still trying to find Whitlan, the full-human who was providing shifters for hunting expeditions. But when the results of that job put Livy in danger, Vic refuses to let her go it alone. They will find out who's protecting the full-human and killer her father.

This was a bitter sweet ending to the seires. I fell it could go on longer with others finding love, but I get that sometimes its better to end on a high note than to fade away because the story has gone on too long.

I loved that Kyle and other members of the Jean-Louise Parker family came back. They are hysterical. I love how Vic and Bo, finally figured out how to co-exist and even become friends. I still don't like how Toni and Livy treat Blayne, but I guess not everyone can like her. I also loved how Vic and Livy connected. They were sweet.

I think one of the best parts of this entire series for me beside the hilarity and the hot relationships, is how the author didn't worry about race. These characters had bigger fish to fry and I think that's what made it sweet to me. There are many ethnicities in the world and they come together in work and in play. I like that it was weaved into this story, but wasn't the focus.

Thanks Shelley for a great series. I look forward to other books from you!

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UNDER LOCKE by Mariana Zapata

Under Locke by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 RITZ STARS

This wasn't your typical MC book, but I really liked it. Dex has anger issues, which is the reason he's an ex-con. But when his fellow MC brother, Sonny asks him to give his half sister, Iris, a job as his receptionist, he doesn't give her the warmest welcome.

Iris has had some hard breaks growing up. Her father, also Sonny's father walked out on her and her family when she was ten. Her mother died when she was a teenager and her grandmother who took over raising her and younger brother, Will, died when she was just 18. Iris "Ris" and "Ritz" had to raise Will until he took for the Army. Ritz had to rely on the kindness of her older half bother, Sonny, when she lost her job and needed to begin again.

Iris is shocked at how rude and aggressive Dex is when she first meets him and is determined not to interact with him any more than she has to. Even when he decides to apologize, which isn't easy for him.

Dex can't seem to stay away from Iris. He seems to want to be her protector. When past family issues threaten Iris and Sonny's peaceful existence, it's Dex who stands by her and protects her along with other members of the Widows.

I thought this book was really sweet. I loved how Iris was so sheltered to an extent and didn't even curse unless she was pushed far enough. I get that for certain reason, she didn't like negativity in her life. I loved how she didn't understand when things changed for Dex towards her. Don't get me wrongs, Dex was full on Alpha. But, Iris didn't let him get away with anything. She was actually one of the few who could calm him down when he went off the rails. Unless it was at her, which was always funny once she responded.

I haven't read a real romance like this in a while and thought it adorable.

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OIL AND LEATHER (Sons of Mayhem, #1) by Nikki Pink

Oil and Leather by Nikki Pink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Me likey. Very interested to see where the rest of this story goes. Good for a very short novella. Jus the right amount of information to whet your appetite for the characters, enough sex to make it hot and enough drama to want to know where the rest of the story is going.

I will check the rest out later after my BR.

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MENAGE A TRACY (Menage a, #1) by Anna March

Ménage a Tracy by Anna March
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very short, but pretty HOT for what it is.

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INTO THE MIST by Lacey Thorn

Into the Mist by Lacey Thorn
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It went from paranormal mysticism to homophobia induced suicide to erotica, which I must say wasn't even erotic. I respect all authors for putting themselves out there, but this wasn't any good at all. Really not even ratable... Sorry!

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BEAR MEETS GIRL (Pride, #7) by Shelly Laurenston

Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 NAKED CUDDLE-BEAR STARS

This book was hysterical. Lou "Crush" Crushek reminded me a lot of Novikov, but with more personality and more tolerant of other people. But not by much. Marcella "Bare Knuckles" Malone aka Cella is like Dee-Ann, but as a cat she loves to toy with people and annoy them and boy can torture Crush. He's so uptight that she's able to needle him every time she's around him.

I loved the dynamics of the Malone Pride and the growing friends and family to this really fun series. I laughed a lot. I can't get enough. I'm getting to the last book so far. Shelly has to write faster.



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