Unravel Me (Unravel me, #1) by Kendall Ryan

Buy The Book:

AMAZON

Author's Page:

Facebook/ Twitter / Goodreads

Genre:

Contemporary Romance/ Adult

Summary on Goodreads:

Psychology student Ashlyn Drake’s neat, orderly life takes a turn for the crazy when she finds the perfect subject for her amnesia thesis – a young man without any memory of his previous life, including the murder he’s accused of committing. 

Against all common sense, Ashlyn’s drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Perhaps it’s that he’s so incredibly male, and even handcuffed to his hospital bed he could pass for a cologne ad – Scent de Insanity. Or perhaps it’s because she’s spent too many lonely nights studying. Either way, she’s determined to help him solve the mystery of his past. She begins to unravel who he was before, using his cryptic tattoos, and his paintings that scream of a dark past as her only clues. When she finally learns his secret there’s no telling which one is the real him, the gentle lover she’s fallen for or the troubled man with a dark past.

My Rating:

***REVIEW***

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi.

“I will either find a way or make one.”

This book had a lot of potential, there are some pretty good ideas, but IMO the problem is- they aren't well-written and lacked imagination, but I think that the author has potential to improve considering that this is her first book. There is just something missing, some parts felt unfinished and left unsaid, especially when it comes to the background of the main characters. I felt that we were given only pieces, but mostly left in the dark about some important information, considering both plot and characters. The beginning was kind of shaky. It has lots of ups and downs and lots of me *eye-rolling* at some parts which I consider totally unnecessary and illogical and there were some grammar and plot mistakes.

“I trust you.” “If you knew what I thought about….you wouldn't trust me.” My heart strummed in my chest. “What do you think about?” “All the things I want to do to you, but can’t.”

What really bothered me was the lack of character development, especially the main female character Ashlyn. She started off as a strong and intelligent young woman, but as the story progressed she turned out to be just the opposite and her behavior really started to annoy me in the second half of the book. Even the main male character Aiden didn't impress me that much except, of course, his physical appearance. I could understand his worries and insecurities, because he had amnesia, but at some point it just felt that he was manipulating and using her and he was using his state to cover that and what really annoyed me is that she let him do that with no objections. I'm just not a fan of weak, naive and immature characters with no attitude. I mean, who is?

There were some interesting and fun parts that I enjoyed and the hot scenes weren't that bad, but as I said they need improvement. I considered giving it 3 stars, but the ending of the book which again felt rushed and left many things undone decided it for me. I think that this book would appeal to readers who are beginners when it comes to this genre and who don't spend much time reading as I do. Considering all the great books I read so far I can't give it more than 2/2.5 stars.
I knew him better than anyone. I knew he was kind, and sweet, and hard working. And that he liked steamed milk in his coffee and that if I was ever in a trivia game involving history questions, I’d make damn sure he was on my team. I knew that he made me incredibly hot, and nothing would change my mind about wanting to be with him.

XOXO

The Mighty Storm (The Storm, #1) by Samantha Towle

Buy The Book:

AMAZON

Author's Page:

Goodreads/ Blog / Twitter / Facebook

Genre:

Contemporary Romance/ Adult

Summary on Goodreads:

It's been twelve years since Tru Bennett last saw Jake Wethers, her former best friend and boy she once loved.

Jake Wethers, sexy, tattooed and deliciously bad lead singer, and brains behind The Mighty Storm, one of the biggest bands in the world, left Tru with a broken heart when he moved from England to America with his family when they were both fourteen.

Sent to interview Jake for her music column by the magazine she works for, they are both unprepared for the sparks that fly the instant they reconnect. Only, there’s a complication to their instant feelings for one another—Will, Tru’s boyfriend of two years. 

Then Jake makes Tru a job offer she can't refuse—travelling the world with him and his band. But taking the job means leaving Will behind, and being on the road with the band means spending an inordinate amount of time with Jake. 

Is Tru strong enough to resist the delectable bad boy who once held her heart so completely, or will she willingly risk it all for one night with the world's most notorious womanizer?

My Rating:

***REVIEW***

First of all, I want to point out to everyone who like me saw these reviews and comments about this book being smth similar to the Fifty Shades Trilogy and decided to read it (o.k., I lie,the cover did it for me and a promise of the messed up, hot & tattooed rocker, but that's not the point :P)- this book is nothing like FST. The only similarity is that the male character is a rich, arrogant, a bit messed up (in comparison to Mr Grey, this rocker is a saint- believe me), jealous and highly possessive of the woman he loves-but aren't they all?

So all of you who detested FST don't be afraid to give this book a shot,because it's really nothing like FST when it comes to the plot. P.S.Lately, I've been reading lots of comments and book premises who start smth like this:"If you loved Fifty you would love this book etc." In the begging it was kind of "cute", but now it really started to annoy me, especially when the book is nothing like FS. I find it pathetic actually-be unique, be yourself, don't steal other people's ideas or try to promote yours using other people's success (although FS is supposed to be some twisted version of Twi-fiction, so I can't really argue with that.) But back to this book:

Okay, so tomorrow, at 10am, I’m going to see Jake for the first time in twelve years.
Jake Wethers, the man who used to be the boy I loved.
Jake Wethers the biggest rock star, and most wanted man in the world, tomorrow will be
sitting before me giving me an interview, and I haven’t got a bloody clue what I’m going to ask him.

So the story started off really good. It's told from the from the first pov by the main female character-Trudy Bennett, a music journalist. I really liked her at the beginning, especially because we have some things in common- we both play piano, love rock music (and have a weak spot for musicians:) and we both got our taste for music from our dads who are huge rock fans, know to play guitar and who once wanted to have a band and be greater than the Rolling Stones.

As much as i liked her, the moment this tattooed "bad-boy" rock star Jake Weathers entered the picture, he stole the show for me. Girls & musicians,ha?-The resistance is futile. He is a typical *bad-boy type* on the outside: arrogant, bossy, doesn't take 'no' for an answer with his own harem of women worshiping his every breath and a scandalous past hunting him his whole life.

He looks at ease up there, but I can tell he’s a little on edge. I can see it in his eyes. That little lost look he gets.
He exudes calm control to everyone, but I can tell. He was the same when we were kids. Other people probably miss it, but I see it, I’ve always seen it in him.

But Trudy is one of the rare people who knows that there's more to Jake than this, because before he moved and became a famous rock star he lived near her and they were BFFs who were secretly in love with each other, but he moved and they lost contact before they were old enough to act on it.
We were our own island, and when he left, I was left adrift for a long time.

But twelve years later and their life roads cross again bringing back old memories, suppressed feelings and things left undone, but things are different now. They aren't kids anymore, they grew up, a lot of things happened, both good and bad, they have their own lifestyles which differ greatly and the question is: are they willing and strong enough to overcome those differences and is it all worth it?
Well, you're just have to read the book to find it out.

I gave it 3 stars, because around the middle all this unnecessary drama and increasing amount of cheesy content kind of ruined the initial impression for me, especially Tru's irrational behavior. I really started to dislike her towards the end. I would recommend it to the readers who liked books like Thoughtless which are high on drama and cheesy lines. It will probably be a real treat for them.

Lost in him. To him. Consumed and totally intoxicated.
I feel reckless. Heedless. Like I could do anything … want to do anything, with him, right
here and now. 

XOXO

Beneath the Burn by Pam Godwin

Buy the ebook:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Kobo 

Author's:

Website / Facebook / Amazon page 

Rating:

Summary:

They meet by chance. The timing is wrong.

Three years later, she finds him again, but their separation was poisoned with narcotics and bloodied by enslavement.

Her freedom gambled away, Charlee Grosky escapes the international businessman who held her captive. But his power reaches beyond her protective barriers and threatens everyone she has come to love.

Jay Mayard wears his tortured secrets under his rock god facade. Drugs are his release, even as he seeks to be the man forged of the steel only she can see.

In a celebrity world filled with paparazzi, groupies, and drugs, Jay and Charlee must face their worst fears. When the battle is over, what will be left...Beneath The Burn.

Genre: Romantic/Erotic Thriller

Content warning: Includes graphic rape, sex, anal, bondage, and violence. Age 18+ only.

Review:

"For three years, he'd been in love with the idea of her. It had been the sort of devotion that breathed through his songs and embraced him in his loneliest hours. It was too soon to fully appreciate the woman she was, but during the course of a single day, a sweeping, chaotic sensation had taken up residence inside him It cowered at the prospect of losing her again, but also galvanized with a sense of duty. Love wasn't a feeling. It was a mission. A driving purpose to fulfill her every desire, to give her a life worth sharing."

This is a story about how one meeting, one encounter, one hour, can change your life forever...

One evening, the rising star musician and singer Jay Maynard couldn't manage to shake the memories of his past. They tortured him, making him desperately want something to block them, to forget. High on drugs and sensitive to people's touch, he was still panicking and then he saw a tattoo shop and a chance to just for a little while replace the pain inside, with the pain on the out, on his skin. There, he saw the brilliant blue eyes of Charlee Grosky and that hour he spent tattooing his scarred back changed him forever.

You know, when you read the first chapter or two of a book, most of the time you already grasp the notion of the book and usually know if you will like it, love it, or dislike it. Beneath the Burn had one of the best first chapters I have ever read. I loved the writing style from the first page - the artsy, sensual way the author described the connection between the characters, their feelings and reactions with a sense of deep emotional knowledge.

Jay and Charlee.. just wow. One of the most fascinating characters ever. Especially Charlee. Her life is a story of innocence lost in the most horrific way, a story of life controlled and shaped by slavery and other people's actions and choices. And all through that, she learned how to survive, how to protect herself. She didn't give up to her torturer, fought the battles she could, trying to manipulate Roy back, learned his triggers and ways to avoid the worst. She even escaped the first chance she got and lived in fear always running away. And after meeting Jay Mayard and falling into captivity again, she held onto her memory of him drawing strength from it.

"White blonde hair. Slender frame. Mouthy. Strangely perceptive. And eyes so blue you'd never fucking forget them."

"Her armor rose from her skin and outlined her body. She kept herself safe beneath it where he couldn't see her or hurt her."

 "You should remove the chain. Because I intend to strangle you with it while you sleep."

"I would kill you if you try."

"Would you survive my death?"

Charlee Grosky is a survivor.

One of the most interesting things about Charlee is her masochistic side. I loved how the author explored it - the causes, the reasons, the way it works. It was heart-breaking to watch her successfully battle the fear and hurt with accepting it, being open about it, but maybe she was too open about it. Maybe she accepted it too much and fell under the weight of the slave situation in a way that got used to it and developed a masochistic side. She resented it off course, hated that she needed pain, searched for it even when she was free. It was even harder to watch Jay deal with it.

Jay lived for three years thinking his muse was dead after their encounter when he decided to be better for her, to try harder to not let his past control him. Charlee's strength inspired him and his song writing and it was beautiful. Some would say it was unrealistic that a girl he met for one hour had that much effect on him. But that's the beauty of understanding and connection. Charlee was his angel, his reason to battle the demons. Not many people have that kind of support.

"He didn't want to be a rock star. He wanted to lose himself in his music, singing and playing guitar, town after town, night after night. Above all, he just wanted to forget."

"She's created the epitome of beauty and strength in pain. And yes, it fucking celebrated the freedom in survival... It was cruel that art could be so exquisite and heart wrenching at the same time."

Jay was a sensitive, moody artist and when he reconnected with Charlee it was like he got his miracle again. They were painfully honest to each other - especially Charlee. They both didn't hold back anything. But I found it a little unrealistic that he changed so fast. He was still the same and a few mistakes were inevitable, but suddenly he was this Alpha guy, not letting his girl out of sight. But I guess when you get your angel back, you do everything to not lose it again. and I totally fell in love with his romantic side.

„You can't control love. It's like creating music."

"How so?"

"Love is like a series of improbable, lonely notes landing together in meaningful chaos. Where every channel carries a rhythm that conveys an expression of emotion. It doesn't feel flat or fake or hollow. It's not exaggerated with overtones. The complexity might feel organized, but the creation is never controlled." 

"The act of love couldn't be governed by tradition of conformity. It was an individual choice, sometimes one that was questioned and judged, perhaps abandoned in frustration, but always returned to. Just like writing music, love was a unique, hard-earned and giving experience."

"Charlee, fuck. Tell me I'm not dreaming. You're my here, my now, and God, if I'm lucky, my hereafter."  

This book is as dark as it gets - it contains some pretty graphic scene of rape and abuse. It's also partly a thriller with Charlee running away from her abductor Roy - I loved this side of the book too even though thrillers are not so interesting to me.

There are certainly some bad stuff in this book. The biggest problem was that things were too rushed, too many things happened in a short period of time. Most of the important plot points were in a span of a day or two. Most of the scenes had a soul-deep, gut-wrenching effect on me but there were times when things went slow and relaxed. Those were good scenes, but they confused me, took away from the excitement, even came across as too cheesy. Or maybe the length just disturbed everything. This book is, for me, a dynamic and emotional romance thriller. Some people argue that this should have been two books instead of one. Weeell... Maybe. The excitement would've probably been a little lost in between. But with things a little more organized, it could've worked.

But. I'm a sucker for great writing style and character chemistry so I loved this book more then I disliked several of the problems. So 4 stars! Pam Godwin, you're an awesome author. I want to quote your every word. I can't wait to read Dead of Eve. Zombies and stuff like that are so far from my comfort zone but I can't resist you!

"You have the heart one expects to see at the center of a fire, bending and twisting like steel, but never breaking. If something happens to mine, yours would be stubborn enough to beat for both of us."

Until next time,

Waiting On Wednesday (#2)

Waiting on Wednesday is weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Goal is to connect bloggers and readers trough their most anticipated upcoming reads. So, here is what we on Way Too Hot Books can not wait to grab.

Wethering the Storm (The Storm, #2) by Samantha Towle

Music journalist Tru Bennett has done the impossible: capture the heart of rock-star bad boy Jake Wethers. Now they’re busy planning a wedding and navigating their new life together in the US. Of course Tru misses London and her best friend, Simone, but living happily ever after with Jake in LA is going to be great…right?

Wrong. Even the bright California sun can’t whitewash the dark side of celebrity coupledom. Greedy music execs, merciless paparazzi, and Jake’s wild past are lurking around every corner. Making matters worse, Jake announces he doesn’t want kids, which just may be a deal breaker.

Tru loves Jake more than anything. But when a devastating crisis threatens to destroy everything they’ve fought for, the couple must face the hard truth: What if, this time, love is not enough?

Publication date: August 20th

Tell us what you want to read ASAP. Leave us link in comments.

xoxo,

Way Too Hot Books

(Book Tour) An Easy Dare (Big Easy Series #1) by Rosalie Rousseaux

Link to the whole tour schedule:

http://www.cblspromotions.com/2013/07/booktour-easy-dare-big-easy-series-1-by.html

An Easy Dare (Big Easy Series #1)
by Rosalie Rousseaux

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self/Indie

Release Date: July 2, 2013

Heat Level: Sensual

Word Count: 60,000 words

Description:

Cat loved Gabe from the time she was five years old. She thought it would be easy: fall in love with your childhood sweetheart, get married and live happily ever after. But as the years go on, the fairy tale soon falls apart. At twenty, Gabe – penniless, unable to find work, and drinking himself into a bad reputation – leaves New Orleans, believing that Cat is better off without him.

She doesn’t hear from him for three years.

Not until her bachelorette party, when he sends her a $400 bottle of Champagne the night before she’s set to marry Cort Belrose, a wealthy restaurateur that Gabe despises.

It seems the past three years have treated Gabe well. He’s now mysteriously wealthy and the picture of a perfect Southern gentleman – a gentleman who is quietly seeking vengeance on the man who forced him out of the city, took three years of his life, and stole the woman he loved.

With Gabe’s return, the sweltering heat of New Orleans becomes even more stifling as Cat struggles with the truth about her malicious husband and her consuming lifelong love for the vengeful and troubled Gabe.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual

About the author:

Rosalie Rousseaux is a proud Louisiana girl who thinks New Orleans is the most enchanting city on Earth. This is her first novel. Visit http://rosalierousseaux.wordpress.com for book trailers, contact information and more about AN EASY DARE.

Facebook page

Available at:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Dare-Crescent-City-ebook/dp/B00DTV0DLI/

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/NOOK-Book-eBook-store/379003094/

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt:

This was our place, the park. This was our bench. When we were kids we would stand on it and throw bread crumbs to the ducks. When we were teenagers we exchanged kisses here – secretly at first, then openly because we didn’t care. I dare you to kiss me in front of everyone, he’d say, and I would. It was an easy dare.

In the wayward days after high school, when we had nowhere important to go, we would sit here, under the sweltering heat of the New Orleans sun, and lay against each other until our longing led us to his backseat—an unromantic bed in theory, but a passionate scene in practice. I remember how his sweat felt against my body. I remember how his dark hair glimmered in the afternoon heat. There was nothing about Gabriel Augustine that didn’t burn itself into my memory and linger there, even after he left me.

Especially then.

Things should have been easy. You fall in love with your childhood sweetheart. You give him your first kiss, your heart, your virginity. He loves you back. You get married and live happily ever after. That’s how I thought it would be. But there are other things that make up a real life—things that aren’t in the fairy tale. Things like fathers, expectations, obligations. Families and money and futures. Love gets tucked away somewhere and forgotten. Love is for movies and books. Love is for fairy tales. Instead of happily ever after, your childhood sweetheart loses a job, drinks too much, becomes a victim of his own unhappiness and disappears, thinking you’re better off without him when you know that’s not true. When you know—in your heart—that love could win. Would win if he would just let it. But he doesn’t believe enough. Despite what he said on those mornings when you’d wake up sweaty and tired and euphoric from lovemaking, or on the nights when your face was wet from his kisses and your body breathless from his love, he didn’t believe enough.

And you decide: I don’t believe, either.

Because you have to in order to survive.

How To Kill A Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Buy The Book:

AMAZON

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Twitter / Blog

Genre:

Contemporary Romance/ Music/ New Adult

Summary on  Goodreads:

Written in her wonderfully honest, edgy, passionate and often hilarious voice, Tiffanie DeBartolo tells the story of Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, and Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza's reverence for rock is equaled only by Paul's, and the two fall wildly in love. 

When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza must make a heartbreaking decision that leads to Paul's sudden disappearance and a surprise knock-your-socks-off ending.

Rating:

***REVIEW***

*I read this book a year ago and it's still one of my favorite reads ever.

When I learned how to fly

I wanted to touch the colors of the bleeding sun

and then I fell from the sky

You never saw me again

not even when I returned

you never noticed my broken heart

or how my wings were burned

But if they tell you they saw me

do a swan dive off that bridge

Remember I’ve always been more afraid to die

than I ever was to live

And on the day I disappear

You’ll all forget I was ever here

I’ll float around from coast to coast

And sing about how you made me a ghost. 

You know you read a great book when you finish reading it and want to write a review, but you feel at loss for words when you want to describe it. That’s exactly how I feel after reading this book and that’s why I’ll try to give you some insight, because I really don’t want you to miss out reading this.

What makes this book so special? Without hesitation I would say the amazing writing style of the author which is so unique, honest and emotional, at times poetic that it truly moves you and makes you feel that you can connect to every word this woman writes.

How to Kill a Rock Star is a beautiful story about love, loss and sacrifice, about finding your place in the world, trying to make your dreams come true while at the same time trying not to lose yourself in the process. It’s deeply connected with music and music industry and the way music can influence on our everyday life.

I imagined the towns were filled with people like me— lonely people who wanted to fly away, who wanted more from life than a dreary existence of one-stop shopping, but either didn’t know what that meant, or didn’t have the guts to go out and find it.

It sounds silly, I know. But for me, the power of music rests in its ability to reach inside and touch the places where the deepest cuts lie. Like a benevolent god, a good song will never let you down. And sometimes, when you’re trying to find your way, one of those gods actually shows up and gives you directions.

Her characters aren't the perfect supermodels with billions in the bank, but ordinary and realistic people who are trying to follow their dreams and succeed in life. They are people with flaws, insecurities and lots of “baggage” from their past which complicates their life even now and sometimes makes them make wrong choices. They are people you can connect to. You’ll find yourself falling for this hot & fucked-up rock star the minute he enters the picture and even more every time he starts talking about his pancreas (don’t ask, just read:). You’ll be swept away by things he’ll do for the main female character, especially by the beautiful songs he’ll write to her.

This book will put you literally through heaven and hell in the way only a book can do that to you, but I promise you, you’ll love every second of it. It's one of the best books I read last year. I recommend it to everyone who can’t live without music and romance, both combined in an epic love story.

I just want to sleep with a clear conscience and wake up with the ability to look at myself in the mirror. I also want my life to be my own. Even if it’s a shitty goddamn life, it’s still mine. 

XOXO

Cover reveal + Giveaway: Unlocked (The Alpha Group Book Three) by Maya Cross

Summary:

The breathtaking conclusion to the USA Today best selling Alpha Group Series.

Who is Sebastian Lock?

The heart can lead you to dangerous places. Abandoned by the man she loves, with nothing more than sweet words and riddles for an explanation, Sophia Pearce felt like her life was crumbling before her eyes. And then they came for her. Now, things will never be the same.

Confronted with the truth about Sebastian’s identity, she’s thrust into a high stakes world beyond anything she could have imagined. A world that threatens much more than just her feelings. Sebastian’s enemies will stop at nothing to get what they want, and they want her.

The energy between them is as intense as ever, but as the danger mounts, and loyalties are tested, Sophia must answer one simple question. What is she willing to risk for love?

This book will be approximately 45,000 words, or about 160 printed pages. It contains erotic content and a dominant man who always gets what he wants in the bedroom. It is intended for readers aged 18 and over.

Release Date:

August 18th

Cover Reveal Giveaway (10 copies of Locked + Lockout):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teaser (Note: Text may change a little before publication):

The third or fourth time I woke, it was with a sob. Moonlight cast the room as a series of jagged silhouettes, and despite knowing that I was somewhere safe, the unfamiliarity of my surroundings sent something sharp skittering through my chest. Suddenly, it felt like everything was closing in around me. I let out another cry and burrowed deeper under the covers, feeling fresh tears welling in my eyes. I didn’t want to be this person, this person who cried at shadows, but I didn’t know how to deal with the emotions that were roaring up inside me.

I felt another bolt of fear as I heard the door open, but in a moment there was a familiar weight on the bed, and then Sebastian’s arms were circling my body from behind.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “Let it out.”

I have no idea how he knew I was in distress, but in spite of everything that was still unresolved between us, I loved that he’d come. The sheer strength of his presence dwarfed everything else, dulling the fear. He was like an anchor, and I clung on for dear life lest I slip back below the surface again.

He didn’t say anything else, and so neither did I, but just the act of being together was enough. I lay there, listening to the sound of his breathing, enjoying the sensation of that solid chest rising and falling against my back. Gradually, my turmoil began to dissipate. I had no idea how he had such a calming effect on me. When we were together, nothing else seemed to matter.

He felt like home, and for just that night, I pretended like he still was.

Links to Other Books in the Series

Locked (The Alpha Group Book One): Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

Lockout (The Alpha Group Book Two): Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:

Maya Cross is a writer who enjoys making people blush. Growing up with a mother who worked in a book store, she read a lot from a very young age, and soon enough picked up a pen of her own. She’s tried her hands at a whole variety of genres including horror, science fiction, and fantasy, but funnily enough, it was the sexy stuff that stuck. She has now started this pen name as an outlet for her spicier thoughts (they were starting to overflow). She likes her heroes strong but mysterious, her encounters sizzling, and her characters true to life.

She believes in writing familiar narratives told with a twist, so most of her stories will feel comfortable, but hopefully a little unique. Whatever genre she's writing, finding a fascinating concept is the first, and most important step.

The Alpha Group is her first attempt at erotic romance.

When she's not writing, she's playing tennis, trawling her home town of Sydney for new inspiration, and drinking too much coffee.



Social Media:

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