Jul 31, 2015

REVIEW: Vision in Silver (The Others, #3) By Anne Bishop

Genre:
Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep…

RATING: 4/5 stars

***REVIEW***

What to do when you are in need of a fun, action-packed, suspenseful and sex-free fantasy read with awesome characters after some disappointing adult contemporary romances? Read The Other series by Anne Bishop of course!

"We will fight for what is ours. In the end, your young will have enough to eat because there will be fewer humans wanting a share. And our young will grow strong on all the meat harvested from the fight."

DANGER ALERT! Meg Corbyn and a couple of other "Wolf lovers" are the only things keeping the human race from the sharp claws of The Others right now. Whatever you do, DO NOT, I repeat- do not provoke or mess with The Others if you want to live to see the light of the following day. 

What I loved about this book:

~ The playful side of the otherwise serious and grumpy wolf leader-Simon. He even blushed for G's sake. O.O
~ Simon & Meg getting closer and closer.
~ The mystery behind the cassandra sangue race a.k.a the blood prophets.
~ The once fragile and insecure Meg becoming stronger and confident and adopting more and more behavior of the wolf clan, like growling and "arrooing", LOL.
~ The bad guys getting what they deserved.

This book is around 400 pages long. It consists of multiple povs from different characters and the story-telling is very detailed, which honestly did become a bit exhausting for me from time to time, but the world-building and the characters were so good and compelling that it was mostly a positive thing. After the last page I felt as if I had watched a 24 episodes long season of some urban fantasy/pnr TV show in 2 days, but it was totally worth it. 

"He wasn't human. Would never be human. And Meg didn't expect him to be. But feeling her hand in his, Simon thought maybe he could learn to be human enough."

Arrrooo, bring on the next one! 

xoxo,
Purple, The Wolf Lover

Jul 25, 2015

Pre-Release ARC REVIEW: Stepbrother, Mine (Part 1#) By Opal Carew

Expected publication: July 28th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Genre:
Erotica Romance/ Contemporary

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AMAZON / B & N / KOBO

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Opal Carew comes an erotic new serial about the lengths to which one woman will go to live the life of her dreams.

Dana's always had a clear vision of what she wanted out of life. But when her father dies during her final year of college, Dana's whole world threatens to topple down. In desperate need of money, she comes up with an idea. It's scandalous. It's HOT. And it's got everybody talking. . .Is Dana really going to auction off her own virginity? And at what cost? 

RATING: 2.5 / 5 stars

*** REVIEW ***


I requested this arc for one reason only- to see what's the hype around stepbrother ft. stepsister romances in the reader's world and because, just like the female MC, I'm thinking about auctioning off my virginity. Duhhh. (Yeah, right!) Anyway, the 1st part was only 49 pages long and I know that many readers enjoy books by this author, so I thought to myself: what the heck, let's do this!

Why 2.5 stars ???

~ Naive female character who, despite being in her early 20ies, sometimes acted as a clueless child. I almost fell from my bed when she asked him: "Did I hurt it?" o.O

~ Rushed Plot

All in all- I can definitely see the appeal of this type of romances, but maybe this wasn't the right type of a read for me. In comparison to the rest of the books I read, this is a 2.5 stars book for me. That's why I don't see myself reading the 2nd and the 3d part of the novel, but I've been recommended other books by this author by her fans, so I'm gonna try some of those.


xoxo,
Purple

Jul 22, 2015

ARC REVIEW: On the Clock (Market Garden, #8) By L.A. Witt, Aleksandr Voinov

Genre:
MM Erotic Romance/ Contemporary

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AMAZON / B & N / KOBO

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

When Blake Raleigh’s favorite rentboys retire from Market Garden, they’re sure their friend Jason will be a perfect replacement. Though Tristan and Jared are a tough act to follow, Blake returns to London to test out their recommendation.

Jason is right on the money. Negotiations turn him on. Getting paid turns him on. The higher the stakes, the hotter things get. Each trip to London is more expensive than the last, and the webcam sessions don’t run cheap, but Jason is well worth the sticker shock.

The more time they spend together, the more Blake wants, and not just sex and transactions. But Jason’s been burned before by men who thought they were in love with him, and he’s not making that mistake again. When the lines between personal and professional start to blur, it’s going to take more than money, jewelry, and sports cars to keep Jason from clocking out and walking away.

RATING: 2.5/5 stars

*** REVIEW ***


Rent-boys were never the characters I prefer reading about. In fact this is the only book series I read and enjoyed with them as the MCs. The main reasons I even gave these books a shot were:
~ A. Voinov being one of my fav mm authors
~ the series started out as short, fast-paced, fun and way-too-hot stories with book 5, 7 and now 8 being full length novels (around 220 pages.)

I had my doubts when I saw that book 5 and 7 will be full-length novels, because sex takes a major part of the plot and that can easily become boring and repetitive for me if not done right. Those type of stories were usually a hit or miss in my reading history, but luckily I ended up enjoying both of those books. The short stories with Tristan, Jared & Blake a.k.a Rolex are my favorite among this series, so since in this installment we finally get Rolex' story I was positive that I'm gonna love it, BUT I was wrong.

~ 3 main reason why I'm disappointed with this installment:

Reason No. 1 : Who are you Blake and what have you done with Rolex??? I don't know about you guys, but after reading those short stories I obviously had a totally another picture of Rolex than this version of him we got in this book. I imagined him as this cool, sensual, provocative, confident and a bit bossy dirty-talker who knows what he wants and how to get it and not this confused, quite insecure and regular guy he turned out to be. The whole time I was like: Seriously, this is the famous Rolex? O.O

Btw. to be honest, I wasn't overly impressed with Jason too. He was fun and all, but since the whole book is written from Rolex' pov, I feel like we kind of didn't get to meet Jason that good, at least not outside the bedroom. 

Reason No. 2 : Where is the chemistry??? I don't know, maybe it's because I couldn't quite warm up to the MCs til' the very ending of the book, but I wasn't feeling any chemistry or sparks between them since the moment they met, and that's why most of the sex scenes (and there were too much of a lot of them) or even more emotional moments felt pretty impersonal and the ending with some sappy statements pretty unconvincing.

Reason No. 3 : So, that's it??? This refers to the plot of the story which was, aside some parts, quite plain in my opinion. 

The writing was good as always and there were some parts I've enjoyed, like f.e. the scenes when Tristan and Jared showed up and later on Zach and Raul, but basically that's it. Maybe this was the wrong book at the wrong time, maybe my expectations were too big since this is the story of my fav Market Garden sugar-daddy Rolex or maybe I had my fill of mm romances with rent-boys and it's time to move on, but I just wasn't feeling this story or the characters it revolves around.

I expected this installment to end up being my favorite of the series, but sadly, it ended up just the opposite. Either way, I've seen and read a lot of positive reviews from the majority of fans, so I guess this is one one of those not-my-cup-of-tea reads.


xoxo,
Purple

Jul 21, 2015

Mini REVIEWs: Cold War & Holding the Edge (Cold War, #1 & #2) Keira Andrews

 

Genre:
MM Contemporary Romance/ Sports 

Buy The Books:
Book 1 (100 pages) ~ AMAZON / B & N / KOBO
Book 2 (95 pages) ~ AMAZON / B & N / KOBO

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Synopsis: 

RATINGs:

Book #1: 3.5/ 5 stars
Book #2: 3/ 5 stars

*** REVIEWs ***

Book #1:


“I'm not your friend.” Dev was simply stating a fact.
Mikhail--Misha--smiled softly. “No. You are my ...little rebellion.”


2 famous, top-leading skaters: a Russian & an Indian American. Two sworn rivals competing in one of the most important competitions of their careers. With eyes only on the prize. Until one heated argument in the locker room changes everything.

Fast-paced, fun, emotional and smoking hot enemies-to-lovers mm romance.

3.5 stars and only because some situations were rushed and that drama near the end which could have done a bit better in my opinion. Other than that I loved the palpable chemistry between the Mcs and their opposite personalities- Misha, the cold, calculated and always in control Russian who became a totally another person when behind closed bedroom, shower or locker room doors with the sweet and outgoing Dev.


Book #2:

My first thoughts before diving in Holding the Edge (Cold War, #2) were that the cover guys are totally not what I had in mind, especially not Dev, so I just stuck to my dirty imagination. When I started reading it I was positive that I'm gonna enjoy it more than Cold War (Cold War, #1), because- hey, Dev & Misha finally came clean about their feelings for each other and started a real, even though still closeted relationship and they even got a pet .

Another thing that I liked is that we finally got Misha's pov and the building friendship between their dance partners who couldn't stand each other not so long. The skater boys have done the easy part, but now comes the hard part when they have to face their families, friends and society. Will the pressure be too much for them? Buy the book and find out!

All in all, it was a sweet, emotional and quite satisfying conclusion to the short Cold War series. 3 stars because there was some cheesy content, especially in the 2nd half of the book which kind of lessened my first impression.


xoxo,

Purple

Jul 20, 2015

SPOTLIGHT TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Desecrated Beauty (Twisted Fairy Tales, #1) By Kyleigh Castronaro



Desecrated Beauty
(Twisted Fairy Tales, Book 1)
by Kyleigh Castronaro

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: July 6th
Number of pages: approx. 180
Word Count: 58,883
Cover Artist: Kyleigh Castronaro

Book Description: 

Once upon a time, that’s how most of these stories start. But this isn’t one of those stories… Sure, it has the heroine and the hero but they’re not as you would expect them. Both of them have a bloodlust, one different from the other. 

Quill was born and raised as a cold killer who takes enjoyment from the kill. Nero is the son of a Viking and a 1500-year-old vampire whose never been denied his pleasures before. 

Until he meets Quill. He forces her to exchange her life for Rose’s, his indentured servant and Quill’s little sister. Drawn by her fearlessness and strength he has to have her but such a woman cannot be possessed. Both must learn to give up their carefully afforded control to let the other in. Only then may they have their happily forever after.

Sink your teeth into this dystopic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast and satiate your booklust. 



Excerpt



“I thought I might choke and die on your blood, but because I’ve already ingested some I would come back to life… like you.” She looked up at, her eyes wide with the panic that had gripped her before looking down at her feet again and taking a deep breath. She hated feeling vulnerable in front of him like this. But most importantly she hated not having all the answers like he seemingly did. 

“The process is a little more complicated than that, but you would be temporarily held in a state between beings until I decided to claim you.”

“And would you have?” She looked up, her voice quiet as she spoke. There was an underlying fear in her question. A part of her was repulsed by the idea and yet the rest of her longed to know he would have her. She needed to know he would keep her even if she weren't the feisty human woman he claimed he was so intrigued by. When had she decided that his opinion of her was that important? When had she decided at all to allow a man to determine her fate? 

Nero looked back at her unflinchingly as he moved closer to her, reaching out and tracing her lips gently before bringing his hand up along her jaw toward her ear. His fingers toyed with the hair tucked behind her ear before he shook his head at her.

“I would have to, I’m afraid to admit.”

She stared back at him in surprise, unsure of what she was supposed to say. She was far too distracted by his lingering fingers and how they gently caressed her skin, moving along it and forcing it to blossom into gooseflesh. 

Bringing herself back to the moment she swallowed hard, forcing some kind of sound from her lungs, “why?”

“Because you have enraptured me in the most illogical way. Never before has a human woman been able to hold my attention for so long. Something about you calls to me like a familiar lullaby I once knew.” He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts. “My life will last forever but trifling with a mortal can feel like an eternity in hell. Humans by nature are far too slow, uncultured, undomesticated and someone my age doesn’t have the time to break something like that. But then I met you… You, curious you, who fights back, who questions me, who doesn’t want me in the way all women who have ever looked at me have. I don’t understand it, but I want to and worst of all I want you in a way I have never wanted anyone. I don’t need others, but I need you. I feel myself longing for it and whether it would be against your will or not I would change you because I cannot live without you.”

“One day you will have to.” She whispered quietly, staring at him with a bewilderment he had grown so accustomed to.

“Not today.” He whispered back, his voice much lower than hers as he leaned in and caught her lips with his. It was a bruising kiss that she felt all the way down into her toes. It ached in a way that touched her heart and soul. She felt it flow through all her veins and consume her like a fire.



About the Author:

Kyleigh Castronaro is the author of the debut series Grace of Gods. She is a self-published author who tackles many of her projects entirely on her own. She designed the cover of her first novel, self-edited and prepared all formats of the book for publication. Originally from Milton, Ontario, she currently lives in Nottingham, England with her husband and their adorable miniature dachshund Hera.

When not writing Kyleigh enjoys spiritual development, crafting, travelling, spending time in nature, going to the movies, cooking and baking (and then eating), working on self-improvement and spending time with friends and family.

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*** GIVEAWAY ***



Presented By

Jul 16, 2015

Pre-Release ARC REVIEW: Beware of Me (Dark Obsession #4) by Cynthia Eden

Expected publication: July 28th 2015 by Hocus Pocus Publishing, Inc.

Genre:
Romantic Suspense

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AMAZON / KOBO / 

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

Walk on the wild side with New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Cynthia Eden's dark new romantic suspense, BEWARE OF ME.

Criminal. Killer. Monster. Ethan Barclay has been called many things in life, and he usually doesn't care what people say about him. He's tough, hard, and brutal when he needs to be. But even the most dangerous of men can have a weakness. Ethan's weakness has--and always will be--Carly Shay.

Their pasts are tied together--twisted and melded by blood and death. Walking away from Carly was the hardest thing that Ethan ever did, but it was also his one good deed. He knew Carly deserved far better than him, and he wanted her to have a perfect life, a life that didn't involve paying for Ethan's sins.

Only now the secrets from their past have been revealed, and Carly's life is on the line. Ethan's enemies, Carly's enemies--the predators are closing in on them. But Ethan isn't going to let Carly be threatened. He will move heaven and hell to protect her. He won't lose Carly, not again, and for those foolish enough to try and take her from him...they are about to see just how deadly Ethan truly can be.

Author's Note: BEWARE OF ME is a complete, stand-alone story. All of the books in the Dark Obsession series are stand-alone titles.

Dark Obsession Series:

WATCH ME, #1 / WANT ME, #2 / NEED ME, #3 / BEWARE OF ME , #4

RATING: 3/5 stars

*** REVIEW ***


No, I did not picked this book up only because of the cover guy, really, I didn't. (Yeah, right.) The last book that ended on my favorite shelf was a romantic suspense novel, so the genre and the synopsis sounded like something I might enjoy. And I did for the most part.

"You are so wrong for me," she said. And she was the only right thing in his world.

Carly Shay has been hiding from her past for the past few years and pretty successfully until her ex-lover Ethan Barclay, the infamous mob boss and a man who broke her heart, pays her a visit. Carly and Ethan have been through a lot. The time they spent together is at the same time one of her most cherished memories and worse nightmares which still prevent her from moving on and having a normal life. Ethan wants her back at his side and this time forever, but he's not the only one. There are also enemies from her past who want her dead, suspicious friends who want to help and FBI agent who is one step behind from solving her darkest secret. And the question is- whom to trust, the devil you know or the one you don't?

"When you get scared," his voice was gruff, "when you think the world is going to pieces around you, I'll be there. I can help you. I will help you.


The story was dark, action-packed, suspenseful, emotional and steamy. My favorite character was definitely the sexy, provocative, sensual and bad-ass Ethan. The scars on his face only added to his appeal. In comparison to him, I wasn't the biggest fan of Carly in the beginning of the story, because she seemed quite naive and impulsive in some situations, bringing herself in danger, but she did get better later on, especially in the second half of the book.

My rating would have probably been bigger if the suspense had been done a bit better. The twists were okay and they did have the element of surprise, but what can I say- I've read better. My favorite was the last one. I definitely didn't expect *that*, even though I had my suspicious about that person. All in all- it was an enjoyable, fast-paced read. It can be read as a standalone, but still, somehow I can't lose the impression that I would have liked it more if I had read the previous installments of the series. 

"I thought you'd lost your soul a long time ago."
He smiled at her. "I did. I gave it to a seventeen-year-old girl...a beautiful girl who was willing to do anything  in order to save my sorry ass."

xoxo,
Purple

Jul 15, 2015

Pre-Release ARC REVIEW: To Love a Traitor By J. L. Merrow

Expected publication: September 15th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Genre:
MM Historical Romance/ Suspense

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

Wounds of the heart take the longest to heal.

When solicitor’s clerk George Johnson moves into a rented London room in the winter of 1920, it’s with a secret goal: to find out if his fellow lodger, Matthew Connaught, is the wartime traitor who cost George’s adored older brother his life.

Yet as he gets to know Matthew—an irrepressibly cheerful ad man whose missing arm hasn’t dimmed his smile—George begins to lose sight of his mission.

As Matthew’s advances become ever harder to resist, George tries to convince himself his brother’s death was just the luck of the draw, and to forget he’s hiding a secret of his own. His true identity—and an act of conscience that shamed his family.

But as their mutual attraction grows, so does George’s desperation to know the truth about what happened that day in Ypres. If only to prove Matthew innocent—even if it means losing the man he’s come to love.

Warning: Contains larks in the snow, stiff upper lips, shadows of the Great War, and one man working undercover while another tries to lure him under the covers.

RATING: 3.5/ 5 stars

*** REVIEW ***

War brings out the darkest side of human beings- fighting, killing, death...And what is even worse, if you're one of the lucky ones who survive, later on you have to learn how to live with the consequences, guilt, memories and nightmares of your sins which keep haunting you til' the day you die. 

If anyone knows the dark side of the war it's the solicitor’s clerk Roger George Johnson who did the one thing the society despises and condemns the most in the time of war- he refused to take part in it and became C.O. a.k.a conscientious objector. Conscientious objector is a person who refuses to serve in the military because of his moral or religious beliefs, but the society doesn't forgive or care about your reasons, so that was the one mistake which in the end costed him almost everything in his life.

In search to redeem himself to his family and best friend Mable he undertakes sort of an "undercover mission" to investigate the suspicious circumstances around his brother murder in one secret military operation. On this mission he meets his main suspect, the person who was potentially a war traitor and who costed his brother his life- Matthew. But Matthew is definitely not the person he suspected him to be. He is in fact a genuine, charming, inspiring person, the spirit of every conversation and everyone seems to be fond of him, even Roger himself. That kind of person could never be a traitor or could it all be an act?

3.5 very emotional, touching, thought-provoking, suspenseful and quite charming stars.

The heart of this post-war story was definitely the lovely Matthew and his loving family who won me over completely, even though we didn't get his pov. Ex-soldier who lost his arm in war, but who despite every horrible thing he's been through hasn't lost his will or joy for life. Such an endearing and awe-inspiring character. And don't let me forget his lazy, mischievous, but adorable cat named Marmaduke.

The whole book was written from Roger's pov. Even though Matthew stole the show, I liked Roger too. Unlike Matthew, it seemed that the war left even bigger emotional and psychic scars on Roger and it was impossible not to feel sorry and protective of  him. I also liked the fact that he wasn't a drama queen when it came to his investigation and that he didn't jump to conclusions without strong evidence.

The romance was sweet, slow-building and light on the heat. In around 160 pages Merrow has managed to touch many sensitive subjects- war history, the strict measures and influence of society, the inferior and hard position of women and homosexuals during that time, family and friendship bonds etc. When it comes to the plot- it was one of those I've enjoyed it, but I didn't love it types. The suspense part and the ending could have been done a bit better in my opinion and maybe be a bit longer, not so rushed. That is why 3.5 stars. All in all- it was an interesting story. It was my first book by this author, but it won't be the last.

xoxo,

Purple

Jul 14, 2015

Pre-Release ARC REVIEW: Vice By Rosanna Leo


Expected publication: September 22nd 2015 by Samhain Publishing

Genre:
Contemporary Romance


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Synopsis On Goodreads:

As a Vegas singer and volunteer counselor, Kate Callender has experienced life on both sides of Sin City’s bright lights. The thrill of performing, and gambling’s devastating effect on the addicts’ families.

Liam Doyle is just the kind of man she despises—a handsome, enigmatic businessman with a knack for seducing customers into his casino hotels. Determined to put a lid on his growing influence, she prepares to picket the opening of his newest casino, Vice.

When Liam spots the lone protestor hassling his customers, annoyance wars with instant attraction. And he quickly discovers the leggy redhead not only can’t be bought, she tempts him the way the sound of a roulette wheel lures a gambler. 

They are natural enemies, but when a vile attack sparks Liam’s protective instincts, they begin a sexual odyssey that dances on the edge of addiction. Dangerously close to losing control...and losing themselves.

RATING: 2.5/5 stars

*** REVIEW ***


As you all know- I'm always up for a good enemies-to-lovers romance whether from f/m or m/m genre and that was the main reason I picked this book up. Unfortunately, this ended up not being the right type of a read for me.

Why it didn't work out for me:

~ Insta-love romances and some cheesy content rarely work for me, especially the more books I read. The story must be either pnr romance or really good for me not to be annoyed by it, but this  wasn't the case. It took about a week or two for the main couple to develop such strong feelings for each other and do some *pretty unbelievable things* all "in the name of love." Some might find this highly romantic, but for me this is where the story lost its credibility.

~The enemies-to-lovers plot-line felt anticlimatic in my opinion. I wanted sparks, slow-building intensity, passion, a lot of sexy banter, but everything felt so rushed that those things ended up lost somewhere in the story, at least for me.

~ We are all humans and make mistakes every day, but I couldn't not think of Kate's behavior when it comes to her patients and rushed relationship with Liam a bit hypocritical considering her profession. 

~ The 2nd half of the book seemed to revolve only around "sex solves everything until it doesn't" plot followed by a fair share of unnecessary drama.

The best plot-line of the story for me were the parts focused on the side-effects of compulsive gambling. Those parts were really touching, emotional and thought-provoking. Kate's dad is a compulsive gambler whose addiction costed her a lot of bad things in her life and made her become volunteer counselor for the near  family of gambling addicts later on. My heart was breaking for her while reading about her father's addiction and all the things she went through because of him. Other than that the story and its characters failed to touch me on some deeper level. In the end I just couldn't connect to it and that's why 2.5 stars.

Read it & decide for yourself!

xoxo,
Purple

Jul 13, 2015

REVIEW: Superhero by Eli Easton

Genre:
MM Contemporary Romance

Buy The Book:
AmazonDreanspinnerpress / B & N / Kobo

Connect With The Author:
Goodreads / Website / Twitter

Synopsis On Goodreads:

It’s not easy for a young gay artist like Jordan Carson to grow up in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where all anyone seems to care about in middle school and high school are the sports teams. But Jordan was lucky. He met Owen Nelson in the second grade, and they’ve been BFFs ever since. Owen is a big, beautiful blond and their school’s champion wrestler. No one messes with Owen, or with anyone close to him, and he bucks popular opinion by keeping Jordan as his wingman even after Jordan comes out at school.



Their friendship survives, but Jordan’s worst enemy may be himself: he can’t seem to help the fact that he is head-over-heels in love with a hopeless case—his straight friend, Owen. Owen won’t let anything take Jordan’s friendship away, but he never counted on Jordan running off to find a life of his own. Owen will have to face the nature of their relationship if he’s to win Jordan back.


RATING: 4/5 stars

***REVIEW***

Who said I can't read a super-cute, fun, romantic and butterfly-inducing story and enjoy it? I admit, I prefer a bit darker, raw and emotional stories, but basically if the story and the writing style is good I can read anything. I've always wanted to read smth by E. Easton and considering my mm friends-to-lovers/GFY plot-line addiction Superhero seemed as the perfect choice. And it was.


"Without a doubt, the luckiest thing that ever happened to me was that I became best friends with Owen Nelson."

I fell in love with Jordan's and Owen's story right in the first chapter. They became inseparable best friends in the second grade of elementary school, their love for comics and action figures being the thing that brought them together. The main voice of this story was Jordan a.k.a Jordy who re-tells us their story from the very first day they met, but later on we get Owen's pov too. The sweet, brave, selfless, fun and charming geek Jordy as the MC was so easy to love. It was crush at first sight for him when he met Owen and with every next day that love and longing only became stronger and stronger. Too bad Owen was straight and didn't want Jordy that way or is he really?

Owen, the untypical jock, was also a likable character. I loved how protective, supportive and accepting he was of Jordan. His insecurities over his sexual identity and his relationship with Emily tended to be a bit frustrating for a hardcore mm lover like myself, but overall the story was simply beautiful, touching and swoon-worthy. Other than mm romance, this book also deals with themes such as coming out and bullying.

Btw. Excuse me for my bluntness, but I still don't get why did people on GR marked this as YA fiction just because there was no penetration. Well, they did everything else, so I definitely wouldn't say this is your typical YA read, more of a coming of age/new adult story, but hey, that's just me. 

“Say yes, Jordan,” he said, shifting closer.
“No,” I said.
Owen smiled. “Close enough.” And then he kissed me.”

Highly recommend this novella (around 90 pages) to every mm reader with a "fetish" for friends-to-lover romances and anyone who is interested in this genre and doesn't know where to start. This was another winner!


xoxo, 

Purple

Jul 7, 2015

Buddy-read REVIEWs: THE BLACK WOLF (In the Company of Killers, #5) By J. A. Redmerski

Genre:
Thriller/ Romantic Suspense

Buy The Book:
AMAZON 

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

Since devastating secrets were uncovered by Nora Kessler, Niklas Fleischer and Victor Faust have been divided as business partners and brothers. But ultimately Niklas is persuaded to lead a mission to Italy, and he sees it as an opportunity to set in motion forgiveness—or retribution—for his brother’s betrayal. 

The mission: play the role of a wealthy German investor and kidnap a beautiful, notorious madam named Francesca Moretti. No stranger to these types of roles, Niklas is the best man for the job, but this time the risks will be much greater as he will not be doing it alone. Izabel Seyfried, still fresh out of a life of imprisonment and sex slavery, could be negatively affected by the things she will see in Moretti’s mansion, and Niklas must keep her in line so she does not blow their cover and get them killed.

But Niklas isn’t the only one who must play a role—Nora takes on the humiliating task of playing Niklas’s slave, and Izabel must play the role of his lover.

On one hand, Niklas couldn’t be enjoying himself more. On the other hand, the emotions that continue to rage inside of him may be too much for him to control, and it may be Niklas—not Izabel—who needs to be kept in line. He cannot forget what Victor has done, and this mission may just be the beginning of his downward spiral.

Can the blood bond that Niklas and Victor share as brothers be stronger than resentment? Or will vengeance dig the blade so deep that their bond be eternally severed?

PURPLE'S RATING: 5/5 STARS
BEATRIX' RATING: 5/5 STARS 

*** REVIEW ***


Purple:

After the brilliant previous installment- Seeds of Iniquity (ItCoK, #4) I was positive that there was no way I could love this book as much as I did that one, BUT I was wrong. Niklas was not among my favorite characters. As the matter of fact I was quite annoyed with him until the previous two books because of the *thing* he did in the 1st one and his rather superior/macho attitude, but now we all know the cold front he puts up is only an act and that he can be quite charming when he wants it and add to that very, very sexy. Together with Fredrik and Nora he is now without a doubt one of my fav characters in the series.


"Niklas wanted freedom; he has always wanted to be his own person, play by his own rules, live by his own standards, and not in the shoes or the shadows or beneath the gavel or the whip of anyone else."

The story was dark, gripping, action-packed, suspenseful and twisted with some unexpected and jaw-dropping twists as always. J. R. Redmerski keeps mindfucking us messing with our heads and in the best possible way. Our dearest rogue agents are at it again- on another undercover case in Italy trying to solve one of their most dangerous cases so far.  The undercover trio was so bad-ass and the villian and her devious plans so fucked-up. I won't say anything else about the plot, except that it was spectacular.

And the ending? Oh. My...I'm still trying to process what had happened. I don't know what to think, what to feel and I definitely don't know what to expect from the next installment. I have billions theories of the possible outcomes, some of which I fear greatly and truely hope the author doesn't take the story in that direction. J. A. Redmerski, I trust your judgement, just DO NOT turn this into one of those melodramatic love triangles, I beg you!

All in all- I'm in love with this series! This is my 2nd favorite installment and my third 5 stars rating so far this year and damn well-deserved. I'll be crossing days until the next one.


“To be human means to always go with your heart. The moment you betray your heart is the moment you lose everything.”

Highly recommended to every fan of dark, romantic and suspenseful thrillers  and fans of TV shows  like Nikita. This series is a must-read!


Beatrix:

I can honestly say that with each new book In The Company of Killers series gets better and better. This series is dark, suspenseful, characters and relationships between them are so complex.

I wanted a book about Niklas since forever (okay, since book #1 – I was always curious about him and I thought there’s more to him than what he showed to the world). And now we finally got it and it was everything I wanted and more. If you’re already a fan of this series, and you approved of the direction things took in Seeds of Iniquity, you’re gonna love this! 

Anyhow, this time around, the main story revolves around Niklas, Izabel and Nora, on a mission in Italy. I don’t want to spoil anything about that, I’ll just say it was exciting, gripping, bloody and just overall, amazing. After five books, I don’t doubt J. A. Redmerski; wherever she decided to go with the plot, I’m on board. This has become one of my favorite series, precisely because it’s unpredictable and unconventional.

This particular installment picks up where things left off in the last book – Niklas is hurt over Viktor’s betrayal and nowhere to be found; and Nora is the new addition to their Order. Since her introduction in the last book, I loved Nora. She’s so badass and great, and I only wish she had a bigger role in this book. (There’s a lot we don’t know about her yet, but I’m hoping it’ll be remedied in the next book.)

Furthermore, these characters are what do it for me in this series. Now, in the book #5 we feel like we know them (I’ve personally grown so attached to them), but in fact every one of them is hiding something and we’re on our toes to know everything about them. 

Finally, the reason why this book was so bloody awesome is that ending! Whoa! What happens next is the big question. I was buddy-reading this with my dear Purple and we have SO many theories. Also, while she’s very against a love triangle, I can honestly say I wouldn’t mind it. But, I guess we shall see. 

***

My favorite Killer in this part: Niklas, obviously.
My least favorite Killer in this part: I love them all.
I particularly liked: Niklas – Izabel dynamics.
I didn’t like the fact that there was so little of Nora. With Fredrik and Niklas, she’s my favorite character and I wish she had a bigger role.
I hope that the next book features more Fredrik. (I miss him!!)
Book #6 I want more than any other book right now! I’m both anxious and eager. Hurry up please, JA we’re dying here!



xoxo,

Purple & Beatrix

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