Dec 30, 2014

PRE-RELEASE ARC REVIEW: A Little on the Wild Side (Wild Thing, #3) by Robin Kaye

Expected Publication: January 6th 2015 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Buy The Book:
AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / KOBO / BOOK DEPOSITORY

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Genre:

Contemporary Romance

Summary on Goodreads:

A woman who gets what she wants...

Bianca Ferrari—ex-supermodel turned successful business woman—seems to have it all: beauty, brains and a career she loves. And she did it all by herself . . . through sheer force of will and ruthless determination. So when her life is suddenly turned upside down, it's hard for her to admit that going it alone may not be an option...

A man who knows what she needs...

Sexy, rugged and down-to-earth, Trapper Kincaid has a knack for attracting all kinds of women—mostly the wrong kind. When he finds out that the exhaustingly independent and drop-dead gorgeous Bianca is in serious need of help, he knows he's the man for the job. But Bianca isn't going to make it easy...

RATING:

***REVIEW***

~Arc provided by the publishers in exchange for honest review~

This book is the 3d installment in the Wild Thing series, but it can be read as a standalone, even though you might be a little bit confused and overwhelmed at the beginning with the plot and the quite numerous number of secondary characters, but you'll catch up pretty quick. This is the first book I've read from this series and my first read by this author in general, but all in all, some minor issues aside- I liked it.

3 Romantic, fun & emotional stars!

It's a heart-warming hate-to-love story told from 2 point of views by its MCs: Bianca Ferarri, ex supermodel and the boss of one successful model agency, and Trapper Kincaid, the attractive, intelligent and wealthy judge. Both of the MCs are in their mid-30ies and they are the type of strong, independent, ambitious characters who, after some bad experiences, gave up on love and focused completely on their carriers. In fact Bianca and Trapper couldn't stand each other when they first met, but the chemistry between them was too intense to walk away, so they decided to solve their differences between the sheets, but then something life-changing happened and complicated their "have them & leave them" plan for good.

What I liked the most about this story is that both the main and secondary characters were witty, down-to-earth and relate-able, even though they are described as gorgeous, famous and wealthy. Bianca tended to be difficult from time to time, but it was mostly understandable considering her "situation", while Trapper made me swoon with all the beautiful gestures he did for her. His family was fun and endearing. My favorite secondary characters were Bianca's best (gay) friend James, Trapper's grandfather Joe and his younger sister Karma. Joe and Karma were hilarious with their snide remarks and pranks they pulled on their family members in the most inappropriate situations. They made me laugh so hard.

The reasons for my 3 stars rating:

~ It was maybe a bit too romantic and light for my taste.

~ I prefer more slow-building romances and this had some elements of insta-love.

~ The main female Bianca tended to be quite frustrating from time to time, but then again, she did have a justifiable reason for her behavior.

~ There was some cheesy content (at least the type of content which I consider cheesy) and my tolerance for those situations is almost non-existent.

You should definitely read this series if:

~ you're a big contemporary romance fan and don't mind some cheesy content in your books.

~ you're a fan of fast-paced, light on the drama, HEA love stories.

~ yore're a fan of strong heroines and sexy heroes.

~ you're a fan of fun and endearing secondary characters.

~ you don't mind some not too explicit sex scenes in your books.

All in all, if you're looking for a light, emotional & a little steamy romance for holidays which will leave you with a smile on your face, try it!

xoxo

Dec 29, 2014

(Watch Me) Break You (Run This Town, #1) by Avril Ashton

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / BOOK DEPOSITORY / ALL ROMANCE

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Genre:

MM Romance/ Bdsm

Summary on Goodreads:

Here comes trouble…

Men. Women. Drugs. Dima Zhirkov’s favorite things. Add in the element of danger and he should be right as rain. But not today. It’s not working, hasn’t for a long time. He’s grasping at the flimsiest of straws to prove he’s indeed strong enough to run his streets. Until he sets eyes on him. In the midst of a room full of strangers, Dima is drawn to a man as cold and dangerous as he’s beautiful. Captivated, Dima embarks on a ruthless campaign to get his new toy into bed.

Here comes the danger…

Xavier “X” Storm is content to pull the strings while someone else handles the day to day dealings of his gang, The Rude Boys. He’s after what Dima holds closest—the Coney Island streets. He contracts out the job of killing the Russian, except Dima isn’t that easy to kill. When he suddenly shows up in X’s path, tempting him to indulge in the dirtiest play, he finds Dima isn’t all that easy to shake, either. His cocky attitude and rough submission tempts X to go where he’d vowed to never return, and they plunge head first into an affair fueled by possessive obsession.

Run for cover

Sex and pain Dima can handle, and X delivers the most depraved kind. Their connection is explosive, their games addictive, but Dima can end it whenever he wishes. He doesn’t see that X is breaking him down, giving Dima everything he wants and even more than he ever thought to need. By the time he realizes who X is and what he wants, Dima is raw and bullet riddled. It’s run or fight. And Dima doesn’t back down. Neither does X.

Warning: Includes strong BDSM elements.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

"Watch me," his toy whispered. Sadistic. Eyes so black Dima didn't see the whites. He looped the rope around Dima's neck. Tightened it. "Let's play then, Rush." He pulled the rope. "And watch me." Dima did.
"Watch me break you."

Being sick during Christmas holidays sucked, especially with all that delicious food around me (even though my thighs are thankful- traitors!), but at least I had my books to comfort me and since I was "a little" moody, my book choice was also from the darker side. Yup, definitely not the most appropriate book to read during holidays and I totally blame my weakened state of my mind by lack of sugar or Christmas food in general :P. Yeah, right.

“Blood and violence gets me hard,” Dima murmured with a smile.”

3 dark, raw, suspenseful, emotional, kinky stars!

A year ago this book would have probably never found itself in my hands and the biggest reason for that is the fact that the MCs have a Dom/sub relationship and practice heavy BDSM (whipping, flogging, breath play, gun play etc.), but I became more open-minded after reading some awesome books with similar elements, books like: Rough Canvas (Nature of Desire, #6) by Joey W. Hill, Dark Soul Series by Aleksandr Voinov etc.

Nowadays, the most important thing for me when it comes to this type of relationship is that the romance is slow-building, that the relationship is based on deep connection and not just sex and that the MCs are equals in their relationship or to be more exact- I don't like it when the guy who is Dom in the bedroom is also Dom out of it and the other way around, because I prefer both of my main characters to have strong personality and not just go with the flow.

That's why I liked Dima's & Xavier's relationship in general. Both of them were strong, straight to the point characters who weren't defined by their roles in the bedroom. The chemistry between was scorching hot from the moment they set their eyes on each other and I liked their intensity even though some of the HBDSM stuff they "practiced" made me cringe.

~ This is definitely a book for you if you are:

- fans of D/s interracial romance with elements of heavy BDSM

- fans of enemies-to-lovers stories

- fans of shady MCs involved in street gangs

- fans of dark, raw and raunchy reads

- fans of dark romance and lots of dirty talking
- fans of mm crime/mystery reads

~ It would have been a 5 stars read for me if :

- the romance had been more slow-building

- there had been less push & pull (melo)drama

- there had been less possessive "caveman" behavior

- there hadn't been some cheesy content
- the writing had been a bit more polished

All in all, aside some minor issues I liked it enough and I will definitely be reading the next one- (Watch Me) Body You (Run This Town, #2) which features the secondary characters Israel & Reggie as MCs. It's supposed to be bffs-to-lovers/GFY romances, one of my biggest guilty pleasures when it comes to the mm genre. The resistance is futile!

“He’d fallen in love with Quinn slowly, quietly. With Dima, it was like a baseball bat upside the head, these feelings. They completely swamped him, made him want different things, made him want to be different.”

xoxo

Dec 27, 2014

PRE-RELEASE ARC REVIEWs: Don't Deny Me (Part 1-3) by Megan Hart

Expected Publications:

Don't Deny Me, Part 1: January 13th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Don't Deny Me, Part 2: January 20th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Don't Deny Me, Part 3: January 27th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Don't Deny Me: March 10th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Buy The Books:

Don't Deny Me (Part One): AMAZON / B & N / KOBO
Don't Deny me (Part Two): AMAZON / B & N / KOBO
Don't Deny Me (Part Three): AMAZON / B & N / KOBO
Don't Deny Me (1-3): AMAZON / B & N / iBOOKS

Author's Page:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Genre:

Contemporary Romance

Synopsis on Goodreads:

They had it all—until he broke her heart.

Now he’s back, and the heat between them cannot be denied…

Alice and Mick had it all: the happy days, the heartfelt evenings, the hot, slow nights. Mick knew she was too much, too good, more than he deserved…and when Mick couldn’t give her what she needed, in a moment of crisis, they lost everything. Torn apart, Alice tries to pry him out of her life and move on—until a not-so-chance meeting at an old friend’s party brings them face-to-face once more. Now they’re talking again, Alice can’t escape the burning in her chest whenever he’s near, the way his eyes still follow her around the room…but she won’t repeat the mistakes of her past. Because people, and relationships, can't really ever change.

But if Alice does decide to let him back into her heart—and into her bed—will Mick be ready to show her the man that he’s become…and take a chance on love? And can Alice ever trust him again?

***REVIEW***

~ Arc provided via St. Martin Press in exchange for honest review ~

As I already said before- aside book series, I'm not exactly a fan of dividing and publishing novels into several parts, but for my favorite authors I'm willing to "suffer" through everything. The biggest reason for that is the fact that the novel is cut in short parts, counting no more than 50-100 pages and I don't know about other bloggers, but I find it extremely difficult to rate something that short, especially if it's a part of a standalone novel. Good thing I was one of the lucky ones to get the arcs.

At first I planned to rate the novel as a whole after I finish reading it, instead of rating every part separately, but then I read the 1st part which was so good that it totally changed my perspective. Unfortunately, later on, after reading the 2nd and the 3d part of the novel I kind of regretted not sticking to my first decision, but it was already late.

Rating for Don't Deny Me (Part One): 4 stars

"I wanted to drink in the memories of you, absorb and consume them. I sat unmoving. Breathing, breathing, trying to keep myself covered in the way you felt. Trying to hold on tight to the memory of how it had been, that first time I saw you. It was like trying to grab glass out of a sink full of soap. Slippery, sliding, and ultimately, the choice became hold too tight and shatter it in my fist..."

4 Emotional, Bittersweet & Steamy stars!

It was one of those right-in-the-feels stories and we all know that M. Hart excels at those. In the first part of the novel we are introduced into the life of the MCs, the ex couple Alice & Mick, who meet again on their friend's party after 10 years of no contact. Except little clues, the readers are left in the dark in this part about the situation that led to their break up, but it's obvious that there are still so much deep, suppressed feelings and longing between them, that there's only a matter of time when those feelings will come to surface.

I think that many of us can find ourselves in this touching "the one that got away" story. At least in my case- the story hit close home. That's probably one of the biggest reasons I was able to connect to it and its characters and enjoy it this much. It was almost a perfect, bittersweet treat for the masochist in me. One of my favorite parts were the thoughts or sent and unsent messages from Mick & Alice which were at the beginning of every chapter. I loved those, even though some of them had me on the brink of tears.

The writing was superb. It was Megan Hart and her sadist pen at her best! The rating would have been even bigger if the story was longer.

"How many times do I let you break me, before I decide I've had enough?

We spin and spin so much we've created our own gravity. Like no matter how hard we try, neither of us can break away. We are in orbit. Caught. How many times do I let you break me?

I guess the only answer is, every time."

Rating for Don't Deny Me (Part Two): 2.5 stars

This review was hard to write, but this is how I felt. My thoughts while writing were something like this: I can't believe I'm rating M. Hart's book 2.5 stars! I can't believe I'm rating M. Hart's book 2.5 stars! I was so uninspired to write it, especially because it's written by my fav author and it took me more than a week to finish it, because every time I started I put it aside after just a couple of sentences.

Don't get me wrong, the writing style was flawless as always, my rating refers solely on the plot which, in my opinion, unlike the 1st part, failed to deliver. The author set the bar very high with the first part. After such an emotional and heartbreaking intro I expected the story to continue in the same flow, but it didn't. Instead, it was quite frustrating. This time the setting of the story is in the past during the time when Mick & Alice first met and began their relationship.

I must admit that I would have been totally fine if I had never met the younger version of Alice & Mick, because they managed to change my opinion of them as characters and the story in general. We find very little about their relationship in the first part, except that it ended badly and that their love still managed to survive in spite of the harsh parting words and time. Because of that, I thought for sure that the connection they had must have been something special, something extraordinary to have the power to survive even 10 years of separation and that's why I was so excited to read this part.

Sadly, that wasn't the case. In reality, it was pretty plain. If you ask me I don't even know if I would consider labeling what they had as a relationship, as the matter of fact- Mick definitely never did. They met, they became intimate in a short amount of time, and from then on they started visiting each other casually, once or twice a week, for a couple of months until it ended. Both of them acted quite immature and had huge trust and communication issues and to be honest I never took them seriously.

In my opinion, Alice had no backbone in their relationship, instead she bit her tongue and continued satisfying herself with little pieces of affection Mick threw at her, while Mick continued to be this frustrating, closed off person, interested only in the physical stuff. They both had their flaws, but I would have dumped him long time ago! Those are the biggest reasons why I didn't enjoy this part of the story.

Rating for Don't Deny Me (Part Three): 2.5 stars

I think I enjoyed this part the least, because it was the most frustrating of them all and I felt that neither the story nor the characters progressed in the way I wanted them, or better say not enough for my liking. That's the curse of shorter stories, I guess- you always feel that something is missing, and that's why I don't like rating them.

The setting of the story is back to present. It continues after the cliffhanger of the 1st part of the novel. Unfortunately, this last part didn't manage to change my opinion about the characters. I wanted more maturity from them, more character growth, but I didn't get it. Just like in the past, they still have big communication problems, especially Mick, and therefore I felt that "their situation" concluded too smoothly.

After reading some extraordinary books from this author, books like Broken, Tear You Apart etc., for me, this novel as a whole was more of a 3 stars read. Those books are among my favorite books ever and they had a bigger impact on me which is both a positive and negative thing, because I'll probably compare every next book by this author with them. I would recommend this novel, especially the first part which was the best, to readers who want a fast-paced, emotional, steamy romance with a little drama, but if you want something really good from this author, choose one of the books listed above.

xoxo

Dec 25, 2014

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays !!!

Friends, followers, authors, fellow bloggers thank you for being a part of our life and our blog all this time. Since it's holiday frenzy we won't be that much around, but we promise to catch up after New Year!

Merry Christmas to everyone who's celebrating! May your holidays be filled with laughter & joy! <3

Way Too Hot Books Team

Dec 23, 2014

Review: COUNTRY MOUSE (Country Mouse, #1) by Amy Lane & Aleksandr Voinov

Owen may be a bit of a country mouse, but he's loving his vacation in London. After a long day playing tourist, he's on the hunt for some cheap beer and a good burger. Instead he finds a man hunting him, an arrogant prick with only one thing on the brain: the kind of meat that doesn't come on a bun.

Eighty-hour weeks at a trading desk don't leave Malcolm Kavanagh much time for meaningful relationships. Besides, in his world, everything's a competition-even sex. When his newest one-night-sub fails to show, Malcolm sets his sights on the pretty young Yank on the bar stool beside him.

Owen's all for an adventure with a native, but he's not the pushover Malcolm thinks he is, and Malcolm's not as shallow as he tries to be. They both soon learn that nothing's too intimate to share with a stranger, and the strangest things happen when two people share the most important pieces of their hearts.

Add to Goodreads

Buy links:

Connect with the authors:
Amy Lane:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Aleksandr Voinov:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

My rating: ★★★★

My review:

A lovely beginning of a romance in London between a Brit and a Yank that made me smile, laugh, and go

many times. Malcolm and Owen do have that effect.

Reading hasn't been going great for me lately; thinking about real life related things has been distracting me too much, and if that wasn't enough, I've been clueless as to what I want to read. Normally, I know what I'm in the mood for, but that's not been the case lately. After starting and abandoning several books, I finally I decided on Country Mouse, which was lucky for me because Malcolm and Owen were so much fun from the very start. Abandoning them, too, never crossed my mind.

And here's what happened: Owen came to London as a tourist with his ex-girlfriend, went to a bar, drank ugly tasting beer, and met a bossy, arrogant British banker--Malcolm. Malcolm, who worked at a bank, and played Dom because it was easier to get laid that way, was tired of waiting for his latest sub, so he approached an American tourist instead. And thus began a life changing weekend. You see, the more they were together the more they didn't want to have to say goodbye so soon. Owen seemed to be the one more honest with himself, and more emotionally mature, while Malcolm, oh, sweet Malcolm, was finally acting like his true self, and admitting to having emotions. I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed reading the parts where Owen really got to Malcolm. The big bad Dom was so cute!
Spanking of, I mean speaking of enjoyable parts, Owen and Malcolm did some kink together, and even that was fun. These two characters are a good combination. I can't wait to finish this review and dive into City Mouse, and see how the lovely couple is doing.

All in all, a sweet, fun, and hot first part of Malcolm and Owen's relationship.

I enjoyed the story as a whole, obviously, but there were a few details I particularly liked. The usage of the metric system is always welcome. I find it so rarely in the books I read, so I get oddly excited when I come across litres, metres, centimetres... and you get the picture.
The tidbits Malcolm shared with Owen about London were a nice addition.
As someone who wears glasses, Malcolm's troubles with adjusting to new visuals after taking off his glasses, the squinting, the new-found clarity after putting them back on were all too familiar. I feel for you, Malcolm. I really do.
And there was Josh. Is by any chance this Josh the same Josh from Return on Investment? *ponders*

However, there was one tiny thing I didn't like. They talked about carbs as if carbs were some evil. I don't like anyone talking bad about carbs. Carbs are delicious!

Now to the City Mouse.

XOXO

Dec 19, 2014

PRE-RELEASE ARC REVIEW: Falling (Fall or Break, #1) by Barbara Elsborg

Expected Publication: March 24th 2015 by Samhain Publishing

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / KOBO

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter /Facebook

Genre:

MM Contemporary Romance

Summary On Goodreads:

Falling is easy. Landing without breaking your heart? Impossible.

Harper is no longer behind bars, but it doesn’t feel like it. Ten years serving time for a crime he didn’t commit have left him shut down, numb, and a frozen wreck over the simplest of choices.

He’s acutely aware of the dark-haired young man checking him out in the supermarket, but he’s too deep in panic mode to even meet the guy’s gaze. Afraid the slightest move will trigger a fall that will never stop.

Fresh off a long-term relationship with a controlling man, Malachi is stuck living with relatives who think he’s a waste of oxygen. The tall guy in the long, gray coat is the first bright spot he’s glimpsed in a long time…though the man’s unblinking stare at a bottle of shower gel is a touch alarming.

Hard experience tells both of them to turn away before lust turns to hopeless attraction, and inevitably to disaster. But once their sparks connect, the arc of electricity is too strong to deny. Even if the cost is too much to bear.

Warning: Contains an ex-con with disaster written all over him, a boy toy who’s trouble with a capital T, a damp old British house, compulsive meddling, and enough hot sex to cure the severe case of nervous babbling.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

Arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for honest review

"Without you, I'm nothing. With you, I'm everything."

My first mm read by Barbara Elsborg and all I can say is- what a pleasant surprise! This book was one of those spur of the moment/ I'm-captivated-by-the-cover picks, but it ended up being one of the best mm romance reads I read this year.

4 dark, bittersweet, suspenseful, & deeply emotional stars

This is an mm contemporary romance with a suspenseful mystery which will keep you on your toes til' the very end. It's not an easy read, because it deals with some heavy subjects like abuse, rape, suicide etc. It is told from two point of views by its main characters: the 24 year old journalist Malachi and 34 years old high school teacher and ex-prisoner Harper.

Both MCs didn't have an easy life. The timing sucks when they meet for the first time, both of them not being in a good place. Their luck seemed to keep getting worse with every next chapter, but they are not the type of characters to give up so easily, especially not the adorable, selfless and witty Malachi. He always seemed to find something positive and humorous, even in the most chaotic situations. The story had me on brink of tears a couple of times, but then, he would say something totally inappropriate and hilarious and made it more bearable. In comparison to him, Harper was more one of those closed off and mysterious types, but fortunately Malachi's enthusiasm and humor were contagious and it was slowly helping him to come out of his shelf. Both of them are broken in their own way, but maybe together they can help each other heal.

When it comes to the mystery the author keeps you second guessing til' the last page. I must admit that the revelation of the bad guy totally caught me off guard which is another positive thing, because that happens quite rarely lately.

And the ending? Well, I loved it! The last page left me with a huge smile on my face. That's all I'm going to share. I assume that the next book will feature one of the secondary characters in the main role and my vote goes to the guy who scared the c*ap out of me through most of the book and whose gut I hated almost til' the very ending and that's the cold, calculated, but intriguing Conrad. What can I say? First impressions can be misleading. The guy totally won me over in the end.

Who should read this book:

Readers who enjoy dark, heart-wrenching & touching stories.
Readers who enjoy love stories with tormented, but fun & endearing heroes.
Readers who prefer a slow-building, heartwarming, steamy and light on the drama romance.
Readers who love an interesting, suspenseful & unpredictable mystery/crime.

Message Of The Story: Sometimes, the people & world around us can be very dark and cruel, but at the same time, if you're lucky enough, there are moments when even in that ugliness of life you can find things worth living for, your personal ray of sunshine. Things like love.

Ok, I better stop now, before I get too sappy, LOL. All in all, I'll be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series! In the meantime I'm definitely going to read something new by this author.

Highly recommended to every MM Romance fan!

xoxo

Dec 16, 2014

Deceptive Innocence (Pure Sin, #1) by Kyra Davis

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / BAM! / ZOLABOOKS

Author's Page:

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Goodreads

Genre:

Contemporary Romance / Suspense

Summary on Goodreads:

Kyra Davis, the New York Times bestselling author of Just One Night, returns with book one in the thrillingly erotic Pure Sin series featuring a beautiful young woman out for revenge—until she falls in love with the one man whose secrets are as dangerous as her own.

Ever since Bell’s mother died while serving time for a murder she didn’t commit, Bell’s been focused on one thing: revenge. She knows her mother was set up by Jonathon Gable, the head of both the powerful Gable family and an international banking corporation. Now she’s determined to take him down—from the inside.

Bell needs access to the Gable home and offices, so she poses as a bartender to seduce her way into the bed—and life—of Jonathon’s rebellious youngest son, Lander. He’s not a typical Gable, spending more time in the dive bars of Harlem than the posh cocktail lounges of the Upper East Side. He has an attraction to danger, a vulnerability Bell isn’t shy about exploiting. It should be easy to uncover the secrets she needs to destroy his family and clear her mother’s name.

But it turns out Lander is much more complicated than she ever imagined. He’s enticing, intelligent, mysterious—plus their sexual chemistry is off the charts. Even though Bell knows he’s the enemy, she can’t help but be moved, both physically and emotionally, by the man she swore was just a target. When he finds out the truth she’s sure both their hearts and her plan will be crushed...until she begins to realize that Lander might be hiding his own secrets, darker than she ever imagined.

NOTE: This book includes Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 which are no longer sold separately.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

Without revenge and vengeance- without war- what's left of me?

Are you a fan of the TV show Revenge? Do you enjoy reading books with similar themes? Then, come and meet Deceptive Innocence (Pure Sin, #1) by Kyra Davis.

Dark, gripping, suspenseful & emotional mindfuck.

There are 4 leading players in this mindfuck:

~ Bellona Dantes a.k.a Bell is the main character of this series and the story is told from her pov. She and her single mother led a peaceful, normal life until one horrible event that took place when she was only 12 years old. That incident turned her life upside down and had a major impact on the person she became today- strong, intelligent, calculated and merciless for everyone who ruined the life of the innocent child she once was.

I really liked Bell as a MC. Some issues aside, she was the type of the character I prefer reading about. She is far from perfect, but I was touched by her story and cheering for her to make them pay from the page 1 and I think that every reader will.

~ Lander Gable is Bell's love interest and also the person who may or may not had his fingers in the incident that ruined her life. The readers will be in the dark through most of the story about Lander's potential guilt. What hides behind his poker face? Is he a trustworthy person? What are his true feelings for Bell? I'm still undecided about him. The chemistry between them was off the charts and resulted in some pretty steamy scenes.

“My beautiful warrior.” He gently lifts my chin. “You’re mesmerizing.”

“Yeah? Well. you’re going to have to come out of your trance,” I uncurl the belt, swing it over the wide part of his back, use it to pull him to me. “I want you now.”

~ Travis Gable is Lander's step-brother and in his case the readers won't have problem with figuring his character out. Manipulative, cruel, aggressive, ruthless. A true psychopath.

~ Micah is a mob boss and Bell's frenemy- it remains to be seen. Just like Travis, this guy scared the crap out of me. With Travis at least you know what to expect, but this guy is totally another story. Is he there to protect Bell or is he another person to add on her black list? We'll just have to wait and see.

Everything starts out as a game of revenge, but can you truly win without any loss in a game whose rules are based on secrets, lies and deceit? When the poker faces start falling down who'll be the last one standing?

~ Negative:

I would have preferred if the romance was more slow-building or to be more exact- I felt that Bell fell too quickly for Lander even if she tried so hard not to and therefore made excuses for him even when she didn't know him that well or long enough.
A few details of the plot reminded me on the TV show. I don't know if that's coincidence or not or if the author was inspired by that show. It didn't spoiled the story for me, but I hope she'll develop the story in her own, unique way.

Throughout the story my rating was changing between 3.5 and 4 stars, but the awesome ending decided it on 4 stars. All in all, this was a promising beginning to the new book series. I have huge hope for book 2!

Recommended to the fans of suspenseful mindfucks with a kickass heroine and fans of the TV show Revenge.

Being with him like this shouldn't feel this powerful. I've forgotten who I am. Maybe that was inevitable. But I shouldn't forget who he is.

xoxo