Where Sea Meets Sky is a spin off of the LIE Series. While you don’t have to read the LIE books to understand it, you do get to meet Josh and get to know him a little bit…plus…I LOVED the Love, in English – A LOT! One of my favorite books of 2014 – check out my review here!

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

He’s thirty-eight. I’m twenty-three.

He speaks Spanish. I speak English.

He lives in Spain. I live in Canada.

He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I’m covered in tattoos.

He’s married and has a five-year old daughter.

I’m single and can’t commit to anyone or anything.

Until now.

Because when they say you can’t choose who you fall in love with, boy ain’t that the f*#king truth.

To a restless dreamer like Vera Miles, it sounded like the experience of a lifetime. Instead of spending her summer interning for her astronomy major, she would fly to Spain where she’d spend a few weeks teaching conversational English to businessmen and women, all while enjoying free room and board at an isolated resort. But while Vera expected to get a tan, meet new people and stuff herself with wine and paella, she never expected to fall in love.

Mateo is unlike anyone Vera has ever known, let alone anyone she’s usually attracted to. While Vera is a pierced and tatted free spirit with a love for music and freedom, Mateo Casales is a successful businessman from Madrid, all sharp suits and cocky Latino charm. Yet, as the weeks go on, the two grow increasingly close and their relationship changes from purely platonic to something…more.

Something that makes Vera feel alive for the first time.

Something that can never, ever be.

Or so she thinks.

 

Title: Love, In Spanish (LIE Book #2)

Author: Karina Halle

Release Date: November 11, 2014

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

“She sat beside me on the bus – and she changed my whole life.”

Successful, wealthy and absurdly handsome – Spanish ex-football player Mateo Casalles seemed like he had it all. A high-society wife, an adorable little girl, and flashy apartments in Madrid and Barcelona only sweetened the deal. But there was more to Mateo than met the eye – a life of uncertainty and regret that colored his black and white world.

That was until Vera Miles came into his life like a shooting star. Tattooed, wild and young, Vera seemed like Mateo’s polar opposite at first. But you can’t choose who you fall in love with and the two lost souls did everything they could to be together, all while suffering the grave consequences.

Now with Mateo divorced and living in Madrid with Vera, there is a whole new set of challenges and setbacks facing the couple and rocking the foundation of their star-crossed relationship.

Unfortunately for them, the brighter the star, the faster they burn.

 

And get ready for Amber’s book!  We meet Amber in Where Sea Meets Sky – she’s awesome!  I’m super excited to see what happens to her in Italy.  You can read an excerpt here.

Title: Racing the Sun

Author: Karina Halle

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

From the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky comes a new adult novel about a young woman who becomes a nanny in Capri and falls for her charges’ bad-boy brother.
When I’m traveling, I feel like the secret to my life, to myself, to really becoming, is one step ahead. It’s in the next destination, the next town I get lost in, the next stranger I talk to. It’s always next but never here . . .

After six months of backpacking and soul-searching across the world, Amber MacLean is flat broke. There are worse places for a twentysomething to be stuck than the Amalfi Coast, but the only way she can earn enough money for a plane ticket home to California is to teach English to two of the brattiest children she has ever met.

It doesn’t help that the children are under the care of their brooding older brother, ex-motorcycle racer Desiderio Larosa. Darkly handsome and oh-so-mysterious, the young master of the crumbling villa tests Amber’s patience and will at every turn—not to mention her hormones.

When her position turns into a full-time nanny gig, Amber grows dangerously closer to the enigmatic recluse. But can she give up the certainty of home for someone whose closely guarded heart feels a world apart from her own?

 

 

Vancouver

Josh

I get an erection the moment I first lay eyes on her. She looks like no one I’ve ever seen before. Tall, curvy, with thick superhero thighs and a round ass, showcased in black Lycra that hugs every slope. Her big, high breasts and small waist are accentuated by her white tank top. Her body has just enough meat for me to grab a good hold of, and I imagine running my hands over her hills and valleys. I want to imagine more than that, but I’m horny as hell as it is and my erection is already inappropriate, considering I’m in public and all.

She finally looks my way, aware that I’ve been staring like an idiot. She catches my gaze, her eyes twinkling a vibrant yellow, her pupils large and wet. She smirks at me, causing a shower of glitter to rain from her cheeks, and brushes her purple hair over her shoulder before she bends over to slide a gun out from the harness strapped to her boot.

I try not to stare into the blinding sun of her tanned cleavage. I try to think of something clever to say to her. Something along the lines of, “I think I know who you are, but shouldn’t you have one eyeball instead of two?”

But it’s she who comes over to me, gun comfortably in her hand, and stops only a foot away. When she smiles at me, I see fangs.

Now I’m really confused. At least I know what to say now.

“Who are you?” I ask her, happy that my voice is hard and deep. I hope it makes her think of sex.

She raises a perfect brow and up close I’m struck by how bronzed her skin tone is. I don’t think it’s makeup. Not many people in Vancouver manage to keep their tan into the fall.

“You don’t know?” she asks. She has an accent. I immediately want to say she’s from England but that’s not it. It’s not Australia either.

“I thought I did,” I say. “But your eyes and fangs are throwing me all off.”

“I’m vampire Leela, from Futurama.”

I grin at her, happy that I was half-right. “Shouldn’t you just have one eyeball then?”

She reaches into her other boot and effortlessly pulls out an eye mask. It’s painted white, with a black pupil in the middle. She waves it at me. “I put it on for photos but I can barely see out of it. I walked into a wall, twice.” She raises two fingers for emphasis. “I figured I’ll just be a vampire the rest of the time.”

I can seriously listen to her talk all day. “I don’t remember any episode where Leela turned into a vampire.” Maybe it hinted at my secret nerd-boy status, but I watched the cartoon Futurama religiously.

She wets her lips for a moment and I try my hardest not to adjust my boxer briefs underneath my costume. “I like to think she’ll become a vampire in future episodes. Or maybe she was one once and Matt Groening scrapped the idea. I believe characters have more to their lives than the lives we are shown.”

“Kind of like people,” I say, hoping I come across as somewhat profound.

She gives me a slight nod – indicating I’m not as profound as I thought – and looks me up and down. “I just had to come over here to tell you you’re the best-dressed guy here. I mean, that must have taken some effort.”

I grin at her. “Game of Thrones, fan?” I ask.

Another sly nod. “Of course. But who doesn’t love Khal Drogo?”

“Last year I dressed up as the author George R.R. Martin,” I tell her. “People kept mistaking me for Ernest Hemingway, even though I was carrying a bucket of fried chicken around with me and had a pillow stuffed down my shirt.”

“So you went for something sexier…” she says as she lets her eyes trail over my body, which automatically makes me stand up straighter. I haven’t left much to the imagination. Jesus sandals, weird billowy pants that I think some granola dude dropped off at the thrift store, plus a leather corset over my abs and leather cuffs on my forearms. My upper body is bare and covered with bronzer and streaks of blue paint and I found a black wig with a long braid down the back. It kind of works. I guess if you don’t know the show, I look like some sparkling warrior who wears too much eye-makeup.

“Hey, girls can’t be the only ones to slut it up at Halloween.”

She raises her brow.

And once again, my foot goes in my mouth. “I mean, not that you’re dressed slutty or anything, I just mean–”

She laughs. “Don’t worry about it,” she says with a wave of her hand. “Everyone here is dressed slutty. That’s what the holiday is all about, isn’t it? Pretending to be someone else? This is actually my first Halloween, so I’m feeling a little overdressed. Or super nerdy.” She looks around her at the drunk girls—referees and fairies and nurses in wonderfully indecent outfits—and shrugs.

“I wholeheartedly disagree,” I say, trying not to ogle her all over again. I pause. “Wait, your first Halloween?”

“First proper Halloween. The North American kind. We don’t really celebrate it the way you guys do.”

I cross my arms, insanely curious now. “And who is we?”

“New Zealand,” she says. “I’m from Auckland.”

“Nice,” I say, “I was going to ask if you were from New Zealand.”

Her lips twitch and she gives me a shake of her head. “No you weren’t.”

“Well, I definitely wasn’t going to ask if you were from Australia. I know how you feel about that.”

For a moment her features look strained, then it passes. “Kind of like if I asked if you were American.”

“Exactly.”

“So,” she muses and steps closer. She lays her hand on my bicep and I suck in my breath. “Are the tattoos real?” She removes her hand and peers at her palm which is streaked with bronze shimmer shit. “Because your tan sure isn’t.”

Damn, I hope I’m not blushing. I clear my throat. “The tattoos are real, I assure you. I needed a bit of, um, help to get that Dothraki tan going on.”

“And this?” She reaches for my face and I am frozen in place while she gently fingers my goatee and beard. She grabs the end of it, which I had attempted to braid, and gives it a little tug.

“Ouch,” I say, though it doesn’t really hurt. It turns me on instead. Big surprise.

“So it is real,” she says. She sounds impressed.

I shrug. “I had a month to grow it in. I say, it’s all or nothing. But tomorrow everything is getting shaved off.”

She frowns and lets go. “Pity. I love a scruffy guy.”

I can’t help but smile. “Lucky for you, I’m scruffy for at least twelve more hours.”

Her mouth twists into a wry smile. I realize I’m being kind of forward with her, but at the same time, she just felt my bicep and fondled my man hair. Then again, I’ve never been very good at reading women. Half of them seem to love my tats and black hair and piercings; the other half seem to think I’m a delinquent from Skid row.

I’m wondering what she thinks about me when I realize I don’t know her name.

“I’m Josh, by the way,” I say to her, holding out my hand.

She gives me a surprisingly firm shake in return. “Gemma.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” I tell her. Even though I’m sincere, I’m aware that it’s very much a pick-up line.

Gemma snorts and it’s absolutely adorable. “Right. Well, in New Zealand, Gemmas are everywhere.”

“But I bet they don’t look like you.” Okay, so now I’m totally swerving into pick-up line territory. I push it further. “Can I buy you a drink?”

And there the question sits, floating between us, along with the haze of pot smoke that hangs in the air. The rejection might come fast, or if I’m lucky, not at all. But it’s Halloween, I have a three-beer buzz going on, and I’m feeling pretty good.

Still, when she nods and says, “Sure” I feel my whole body lift with relief.

 

 

 

Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

3.5 “Comfortably Numb” Kisses

I have been beyond excited about Where Sea Meets Sky since the moment I knew it was going to be released. I’ve had a soft spot for Josh since meeting him in Love, In English…he doesn’t play a huge part, but his relationship with Vera and what he does for her drew me to him. Plus if he was anything like his sister, then it was going to be epic. Oh…if I only knew. Let’s see if I can get through this review without babbling my head off – but I’ll warn you right now, I make no promises. 🙂

Joshua Miles…this man blew me away. To another planet…another solar system…gah he was everything and then some. He is just as amazing as his sister…possibly a tiny bit more so for about a million of inexplicable reasons because to truly value and appreciate the magic that is Josh, you have to read him. From the moment he described his Khal Drogo costume, I was in it to win it – he’s my sexy nerd dream come true. He’s smart and witty, talented, charming, kind, sweet…he’s just the total package. I mean I’m all for hot guys, and Josh is pretty freaking delicious – TDH (tall, dark and handsome), gorgeous blue eyes, tattoo’s and piercings…but looks aren’t everything – lucky for me, he had an awesome personality to back up the hotness. Josh had me swooning all over the place and laughing so hard I was crying – truly, it was his sense of humor that really got me. He might be one of the funniest BBF’s I’ve ever read…dry, sarcastic, I mean his liners were amazing. Josh is the ultimate threat in my book…he deserves nothing but the absolute best…and he’s got his heart set on Gemma.

‘He kisses me and the world around us slips away. His tongue is smooth but urgent, the tongue ring stimulating, and our kiss builds with desire until my whole body feels like it’s being licked by the sweetest flames. I’m sucked under, in a riptide, into the undertow, and it’s dark and I’m tumbling and I don’t know which way is up but oh god, how I don’t want it to stop. I could drown in his mouth. I could sink into him forever.
I barely know this guy. I’m leaving tomorrow and I’ll never see him again.
But I want to drown in every moment we have.’

Gemma Henare…I started out good with Gemma…she was a cool chick, I liked how different and unique she was, she clicked well with Josh…there were a few red flags that I was concerned about…but superficially, I was hopeful that I my feelings would continue to stay positive. That all got blown to smithereens after the road trip started. Gemma is…a lot of things…she’s incredibly independent…she’s strong, in many ways – physically, mentally, emotionally…she’s very self-contained, which can be a good thing but for me, it went past the point of frustration, but that wasn’t all there was. The few moments of vulnerability…where Gemma let go…brought down her walls and gave her and Josh a moment to just be…that’s when I felt like I got to see the real Gemma. There was so much potential there…so much just begging to be let free…dreams, wants, desires, hopes…but as quickly as my hopes would go up, she would smash them back down with those walls. *sigh*

“Josh?” I ask softly.
“Yeah?”
“Do you ever find yourself wanting something so badly but you don’t know what it is?”
His breath is heavy in my ear for a moment. Finally he says, “Yes. I do.”
I swallow, my throat feeling thick. “I have this…I don’t know what it is exactly. But I wake up and it’s there and it’s been there for a long time. It’s just this absence. It tells me that either something was there before and now it’s gone or that something should be there at this point in my life. But I don’t have it. I feel this lack. So much that it hurts. And I don’t know what it is. It just makes me sad. It makes me long and ache and I need something to fill it. It’s a constant pain and I’m so fucking tired of it.”
My voice chokes up a bit at the end and the tears that didn’t come during the sunset are coming now, slowly, cold on my cheeks. “I think I ache for things I may never have. I long for purpose, for life, and yet sometimes I think I’m too afraid to live.” I pause. “Do you ever worry, that there’s something out there that you’re missing?”
“I do,” he answers quietly, pulling back the edge of my hood. His warm lips brush against the rim of my ear and I close my eyes to intensify the feeling. “The feeling that you won’t be happy until you find it.”
“Yes,” I say, relief flooding through me at the realization that he understands. “Do you know what yours is?”
He pauses. “I have an idea. It’s becoming clearer day by day.”

Josh and Gemma are…well, like fire and ice and they come together to form this insanely combustible and addictive force that I couldn’t pull myself away from. They’re so different and yet have so much in common…it’s like a balance that shouldn’t work but was absolutely perfect. I loved their connection with art…it was almost like even with all the cultural differences, the things that should have made it harder for them to connect…art was their base line – the thing both of them had a deep love and appreciation for…no matter what, they both understood how much it meant to the other and they just got it. That and sex…I mean, that’s how this whole thing got started – the one night stand that crossed two continents. Their chemistry was never a problem and that was fine by me because let’s be honest, they were damn good at it. Good is putting it lightly, Gemma and Josh are fuckin’ hot as hell…they’re sensual, their physical connection is just off the charts in my book but it was only the first step in drawing me into them as a couple. It was like every moment…every memory they made together…each leg of their journey, I was watching Josh fall in love more and more with Gemma…and despite her best attempts to hide and deny her feelings, it was the same for Gemma. It pulled at every single romantic ounce of me.

“Am I your issue?”
She shoots me a quick glance but doesn’t say anything.
I put my hand on her face, making her look at me again. “Am I your issue?”
“I…I don’t want to become attached to you,” she says, and I can see it took a lot of effort to admit it.
I frown though something inside me is growing warm. “Why not?”
She balks like I asked a stupid question. “Because.” She sighs harshly. “Attachments hurt when they’re taken away. You’re leaving.”
“So what?” I tell her. “I’m attached to you already and I’m still leaving. I almost left right now. Doesn’t mean that the pain negates everything, that none of this was worth it.”
She swallows, looking surprised. “You’re attached to me?”
I shake my head incredulously and run my thumb over her lips, marveling at how fucking clueless she is. “Gemma, Gemma, Gemma,” I murmur. “I told you how I feel about you. I told you why I’m here. Of course I’m attached to you. And I know very well that I’m leaving, but that isn’t stopping these feelings from happening. In fact, it only makes it sweeter, stronger, because I know we don’t have much time together.”

Alright…I’ve got to rant so…if you don’t want to hear it – skip this paragraph. My main issue…actually, my only issue, with this book was…Gemma. I could not, for the life of me, understand this girl. It was like she deliberately was making the wrong decisions and with very little logical thought to rationalize those decisions. At the end of the day, I know every human is different and has the right to make their own choices but when even she wasn’t happy with the choices she was making…how the heck am I supposed to buy that? I get it…everyone deals with shit in their own way…we all go through tough times and emotionally, you do what you can but for the love of Kiwi’s…I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. Her behavior was like a cycle of good then bad…and I was right along for the ride, ranging from trying desperately to understand her, barely tolerating her and wanting to murder her. Maybe it was because I was so connected to Josh…maybe it’s because I couldn’t grasp why she was acting the way she was…I don’t know…but I really cannot think of any other time that I have had this negative a reaction to a heroine…and that’s one of my crucial things while reading, if I don’t connect to the heroine…I feel lost. I absolutely hate saying this, but if I was basing the book on Gemma alone, I shudder to think of what my rating would be…I might have even DNF’d it. Okay…rant over, hopefully.

‘When that first sun rose over that deserted beach on the East Cape and my fingers captured that moment, that feeling – hazy, grand, messy, warm – I felt like my heart rose as well.
I was shining on the inside.
It’s all because of Josh. All because of this funny, sexy, handsome, generous, adorable man who knows my body better than I do, who sees the real me underneath the ice and isn’t afraid of her. Who believes in who I am and what I can do, more than I can believe it myself.
That morning showed me what he saw in me, and it was beautiful.
That morning I realized I love him. Deeply, desperately, dangerously.
I am in love with Joshua Miles, and it’s bringing me to life.
It’s killing me.
It’s making me crazy.
I think I love that part, too.
It twists and loops around us, tying us to one another. It steals my thoughts and makes me think of him. It steals my hands and makes me touch his skin. It’s brutal and kind and sharp and soft and warm and cold and freeing and imprisoning. It’s an incognito imposter taking over my world, spreading itself like a disease.
It’s a million and one things, and it’s real to the bone.
It’s in my bones.
It’s love. And I have no idea what it’s going to do next.
I can only hope that I’ll have the strength to keep it in line.’

I haven’t been this conflicted over reading a book in a while…to have undying love for one character and borderline hate at times the other, it felt like I was being pulled in two. There were some tough moments…times that I needed to rant or scream out of shear frustration…and there were a couple of times that I questioned why I was still reading and the answer is easy. Josh. He made reading this book worth every single solitary moment of dealing with Gemma’s bullshit. I can’t even explain it – after talking with my bestie about it, she flat out asked me why I was still reading and when I said his name, it slipped out…I didn’t even have to think about it. I would give this book a million stars for Josh because he’s worth every single one of them…I’m not trying to make him out to be a saint, but good grief he did everything right in my opinion and I loved every second of him. Don’t get me wrong…I’m an angst whore – I love good angst and there was some fantastic angst going on initially, but somewhere along the way, I lost the good angst and was stuck with just frustrating decisions and no logic. Eventually…I got the logic…it does come, at like 92%…and it makes sense but by that point my brain was exhausted and my heart was too bruised.

“How can you love me?” I’m surprised that’s what comes out of my mouth but it’s the truth and it’s out there, floating in the dark.
He’s surprised, too. He balks at the question, his head jerking back.
After a long moment, the silence filled by the lapping water on the shore, he asks, “Do you want the truth?” Of course I want the truth. Of course I need to heart it. But I steel myself against it all the same. “It’s not easy to love you, Gemma,” he says, his fingers sliding up through my hair, gently, affectionately, in contrast to his words. “You are not an easy person to love because you don’t seem to have any use for it. You don’t want it. But the more you push, the more I pull. I fell in love with you because it was like staring at the frozen sea. I only saw the surface but I knew there was more underneath, miles of depth that no one has had a chance to discover.”

The other thing that kept me reading…Karina’s writing. By far and away she is one of my favorite writers ever – her books are unquestionably must-reads for me. Her tone is so distinctive and I’m addicted to it. Especially with this book and the Love, In English series…since they’re not based in the US, she is forced to take you to a different place, and there is a good chance that you’ve never been there before (I know I haven’t!) – but good gravy, does she a magnificent job of transporting you. Her ability to be so detailed and yet not make it flowery, over the top or boring is…pretty awesome, if you ask me. It’s easy to get bogged down in the details but the way Karina writes it, it’s like painting a picture before my eyes – I’m a visual person and considering I have no real concept of what these places actually look like in real life, but I truly felt like she took me there. The entire book was this epic journey across New Zealand and I loved experiencing every moment of it. I can’t imagine the kind of research that was put into making this as authentic and genuine…because that’s what it felt like to me…no detail was spared…and I appreciated all of them. Something random that I really liked and seems kind of minor…the different words for things, like a chilly bin instead of a cooler (heck…I might start using chilly bin cause…it’s just fun to say) or boot instead of trunk…petrol instead of gas…some of the words I understood because they’re similar to English (UK English, not US) words…but it was a tiny detail that made all the difference to me.

‘I wonder if I’ll run into him somewhere. I wonder what I’d say.
I know what I’d say. I’d tell him I’m sorry. I’d tell him I didn’t mean to hurt him. I’d tell him what he means to me in the big, bad world, how his arms are the ones that kept me safe, that his eyes are what still coax me out of my shell. He gave me the courage to try again, to create, to lay myself bare, and that won’t stop, even after he’s gone.
I want to tell him that I love him. So deeply that I’m afraid I’ll never be able to remove it, that I’ll have to carry it with me forever, like a badge. And I want to tell him that’s not a bad thing. It’s an honor to love him.’

The ending…ahh, the ending…I have a love/hate relationship with the ending. I love it because…well, if Josh is happy then I’m on cloud freakin’ nine…so it’s hard for me to find fault in that. Alas, the way things were resolved did feel a tiny bit too easy. There were so many feelings involved…anger, frustration, sadness…and I’m all about forgiveness but even just a 15 minute conversation or something to address things that needed to be said would have been nice. I mean…Gemma made huge strides…the fact that I didn’t want to kill her by the end of the book proves that, but I definitely feel like after what happened, she owed Josh a little more. At the end of the day, even though I had my ups and downs with Where Sea Meets Sky it still gave me exactly what I ask from every book I read…heartfelt, deep, raw emotion…and through the good, the bad and the ugly, I thrived off of every feeling.

View all my reviews

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Karina Halle is the New York Times bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, The Pact, Love in English, and other wild and romantic reads. A former travel writer and music journalist, she lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails, and devours a lot of books.

 

 

Confess by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4.5 “OMG” “Even when I shouldn’t.” “fate” Kisses

Well…surprise surprise – Colleen Hoover did it again. Confess just devoured my heart…brain…soul…all of it was just sucked up into 320 pages of unputdownable bliss and I was simply helpless to the awesomeness. I’m not joking…I Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. I finished it in less than a day…I was captivated and entranced…possibly even hypnotized – I mean, we are talking about Colleen Hoover, the woman is a genius with words. I really don’t know what to do right now. I’m beside myself because I seriously am not ready to let go of these characters. Welcome to Book Hangover…party of me.

Auburn Mason Reed…well, this chick held my heart in the palm of her hand from basically the second paragraph and she never let go of it for one second. There is something about Auburn that pulls inexplicably at every single one of my heart strings. I want to comfort her…hug her…protect her…because she’s never had that. Life hasn’t been fair or kind to Auburn…and surprisingly you would think that would result in a negative attitude or a huge chip on her shoulder…but she takes everything in stride. She does what she needs to do and she makes the best of it…ignores the pain and the emptiness and just remains resolute on moving forward. That takes an enormous amount of self will and determination cause I’ll be honest, if I’d been through half of what she had…I can’t say I would have made it. I ached for Auburn to have some kind of peace…happiness…something just for herself because good Lord did she deserve it…and lucky for me she got all of that and more in the form of a gorgeous boy with beautiful green eyes.

‘“I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he whispers. His mouth connects with mine, and at first his kiss is like the one I gave him in the tent. Soft, sweet, and innocent. But then the innocence is stripped away the second he runs one of his hands through the back of my hair and slides his tongue against my lips.
I don’t know how I can feel so light and so heavy all at once, but his kiss makes me feel weighted to a cloud. I slide my hands up his neck and do my best to kiss him the way he’s kissing me, but I’m afraid my mouth doesn’t even compare to his. There’s no way I could make him feel like he’s making me feel right now.’

Owen Mason Gentry…my sexy artist with a ginormous heart. Owen is…a lot of things…so many amazing things…where do I even begin. Well…he’s kind and generous…incredibly thoughtful…sweet and sincere…funny…charming…oh who am I kidding, he’s completely swoon-tastic. He has a cat – which in my book makes him awesome…plus he named it Owen…and it’s a she, really? I can’t even with how amazing he is. I already said he was an artist…but he’s also incredibly talented, which makes him 10 million times sexier, but what led him to painting and what he paints takes everything about his art to a whole new level. The confessions and what he does with them is…like giving a visual representation to a secret…a fear…an emotion…a dream. I mean…it’s truly a mind-blowing concept and something you just want to dive into headfirst and never re-surface. When I say Owen has a ginormous heart it might be the understatement of the year. I’ve never met someone more self-sacrificing…more giving…he never thinks of himself first and while he may not have a lot of people in his life, he would do anything for those he loves. And…lastly…the most amazing thing about Owen is that his initials are OMG. 🙂

‘His mouth meets mine again, and he lands a kiss as soft as velvet against my lips. He slowly moves his head until his mouth is directly over my ear. “Is this it? Is this how it ends?”
I nod, even thought it’s the last thing I want to do. But this is the end. Even if he were to change his life completely, his past choices still affect my own life.
“Sometimes we don’t get second chances, Owen. Sometimes things just end.”
He winces. “We didn’t even get a first chance.”’

I loved everything about these two. From the moment they locked eyes I had a smile on my face and even through every angsty second I could not help but fall more in love with every little nuisance that was revealed. From the same middle names…to all the different ways they connected…they just got each other and I felt every second of their connection. I reveled in it…and considering the way Auburn and Owen’s relationship develops, that speaks volumes. I’ve always said that if I can feel the emotions from the characters…nothing else matters…so when it was actually brought up how many days they had spent together, I kinda had to do a double take because it felt like so much longer. They had this brilliant chemistry…it was effortless, the way everything was blended together just aligned perfectly and I really fell hard for these two, my heart simply overflows with love and adoration for Auburn and Owen.

‘“You’re being unfair.”
“No, I’m being selfish,” he says.
“It’s the same thing.”
He takes a step toward me. “No, Auburn, it isn’t. Unfair would be giving you an ultimatum. Being selfish is doing something like this.” His lips connect with mine with strength and purpose. His hands slide into my hair and wrap around the back of my head. He kisses me like he’s giving me every kiss he wishes he could have given me in the past, and every kiss he’ll wish he could give me in the future.
All of them, all at once.
His hands drop to my back and he pulls me against him. I’m not sure where my hands are at this point. I think I’m holding on to him for dear life, but every part of me other than my mouth has just gone completely numb. The only thing I’m fully aware of is his mouth on mine. His kiss is all I know in this moment.
All I want to think about.’

This plot…gah…it’s not called Confess for nothing…so many secrets…so many little details…so many things that could be spoiled…hence the reason why I’m not really talking about it. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out what the secrets were that they were keeping…but it really didn’t matter – that didn’t make me want to hear it directly from the characters any less. And trust me knowing the secrets beforehand did not change the emotional impact it had on me when the truth finally came out. There’s a million different ways to write a heart wrenching scene…but I promise you, Colleen has a direct line to whatever controls my tears…because she nails it every time. I mean I knew when I was crying two pages in on the prologue this book was going to be a doozy, but I was blown away. It was everything I needed…the entire emotional rollercoaster set to level 10 – and maybe it was because I was so connected and invested in these characters but I felt everything so deeply and I couldn’t stop loving it. I guess that my only complaint would be the ending, it felt a little…abrupt. I have come to expect a full story…a complete experience…and not that I didn’t love the insight that we get after the final chapter (I truly loved it)…I guess I was expecting an epilogue or maybe a little bit more closure. After I sat back and thought about it…I was fine with the ending…I don’t have to have everything spelled out for me, but I guess I was just a little surprised.

‘“I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me. Because I know that if you walk out that door, then ten years from now…twenty years from now…we’ll wish we had listened to our hearts when we think back on tonight.”
“That’s what scares me,” I tell him. “I’m afraid if I listen to my heart once, I’ll never figure out how to ignore it again.”
Owen lowers his mouth to mine, and in a whisper he says, “If only I could be so lucky.” His mouth connects with mine again, and this time I’m very aware of every part of me. I’m pulling him to me with as much desperation as he’s pulling at me. His mouth is everywhere as he kisses me with relief, knowing this kiss is me agreeing to whatever he’s asking of me. It’s my way of telling him he can have tonight.’

Confess is a classic example of why Colleen Hoover is an absolute must read for me…her books demand to be read because they’re just excellence personified. She has this unique capability to create characters that steal my heart…compel every emotion out of the spectrum…concocts unique and original plots…and then packages it all up nicely with writing that blows my mind. I don’t even know how to explain it and do it any sort of justice. Her dialogue is some of the best that I’ve ever read…she is able to infuse the deepest emotions into the most simple of things – in fact everything she writes feels like it just bleeds emotion, and that might be why her books are like crack to me. She can have me dying laughing and bawling crying, sometimes all in the same chapter…heck it could be in the same paragraph…and while her books are no where near erotic, she’s still able to make things sexy and give you those feelings without taking it to that level. Plus anyone that can work the line ‘Texas is turning me into a whore.’ into a book…is seriously a genius.

View all my reviews

 Visit Atria’s Tumblr page from 3/9 – 3/22 to enter to win and a grand prize of a signed framed print of one of the images in the book plus a signed copy of CONFESS or one of the runner up prizes of one of four signed copies of CONFESS.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, and Finding Cinderella. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com.

I LOVE this series – so much!  It’s one of my favorite series ever!  Every book and character are so completely unique and oh-em-gee…the feels!  Absolute must reads!

Want to see my obsession for the Fall Away Series?  Check out my review for Bully, my birthday interview with Jared & Tate, my review of Until You plus a deleted scene and Jared’s Love Note to Tate for Valentine’s Day.

Title:    Bully

Series:    A Fall Away Novel, Book #1

Author:    Penelope Douglas

Genre:    New Adult Contemporary Romance

My name is Tate.

He doesn’t call me that, though. He’ll barely refer to me at all, and he’ll hardly ever speak to me.

But he still won’t leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I’ve been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on. I even went to Europe for a year, just to avoid him.

But I’m done hiding from him now, and there’s no way I’ll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have.

It’s time to fight back.

 

When one brave young woman stands up to her best friend Jared, now tormenter, the consequences go beyond anything either of them ever would have imagined….

 

Title:    Until You

Series:    A Fall Away Novel, Book #1.5

Author:    Penelope Douglas

Genre:    New Adult Contemporary Romance

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or numb to all emotions? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between. Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don’t care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum.

I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can’t let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn’t trust her—or anyone else. So I hurt her. I pushed her away. But I still need her. She centers me. Engaging her, challenging her, pushing her—it’s the one last part of me that feels anything anymore.

But then she went and screwed everything up. She left for a year and came back a different girl. Now, when I push, she pushes back…and I’m not sure either one of us will ever be the same.

Madoc and Fallon rocked my world just like Jared and Tate did – check out an excerpt from Rival and my review!

Title:    Rival

Series:    A Fall Away Novel, Book #2

Author:    Penelope Douglas

Genre:    New Adult Contemporary Romance

Want more details about what happened in Arizona?

Falling Away by Penelope Douglas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4.5 “gutless and helpless” “Only Ever You” “” Kisses

I kind of don’t know what to think right now because Penelope Douglas just blew my mind. My heart feels like it’s going to burst…my eyes are red and puffy from crying…emotionally I’m a hot mess – and I love it. I have so many thoughts…too many emotions…and not enough words to get everything out of my head. Okay…so if you haven’t read the other books in Fall Away Series (Bully, Until You,  & Rival) yet …then you must! While the books focus on different couples, I wouldn’t recommend reading them out of order…each book builds off the other and things just make more sense. Plus they’re amazing and this is one of my favorite series ever!

Juliet Adrian Carter…gah…there is so much I want to say about KC and so much I can’t say about KC (mainly because I don’t want to spoil) but suffice it to say, she surprised me in all the best ways possible. It’s funny because I know after Bully, a lot of people disliked KC…and I never did. Of course, I didn’t love what she did to Tate, but I always thought there was more to it…and there really was. There is so much about Juliet that can be misunderstood and truly getting to understand her past…her relationship with her mother…why she acts the way she does…it’s like a puzzle that just finally clicks into place. The more I understood her, the more I loved her. Finally seeing the real KC…hearing her thoughts and emotions…truly connecting to her, well, it gave me a new appreciation for her. I cannot tell you how much I loved seeing her come into her own, seeing who she was when she stopped being KC and finally started being Juliet was…absolutely amazing. And it was all thanks to the guy who always saw her.

‘“Come on.” He took my hand.
The car grime on his hand rubbed into mine, and I held him firmly, a smile tickling the corners of my mouth that I wouldn’t set free.
I liked how it felt. Sandy, gritty, alive.
Everything had always been clean for me. Every moment of my life had been clean for me. Every moment of my life had been manicured, pedicured, and scrubbed. My clothes always clean, and my biggest decisions were whether I should buy the silver ballet flats or the black ones.
Now Jaxon Trent’s dirty hands fused with my sweaty palms, and I wondered how good his dirt would feel everywhere else on my skin.’

Jaxon Hawkins Trent…*sigh*…oh Jax, where do I even begin? It’s impossible to grow up the way Jax did and not have a chip on your shoulder. But he has mastered the art of hiding his insecurities and fears behind bravado and attitude. Jax is…complex, he’s deep, and I knew that going in…but actually experiencing it was something I don’t think I fully prepared myself for. Jax did a number on my heart…I was completely and totally invested in what was happening to him and finally tapping into all his feelings about his past…his family…KC…it was a lot to process. For so many reasons I was just completely tied to anything and everything that was happening and it all hit me so hard. When Jax was sad…upset…remembering his past…going into self destruct mode (I think that’s a Trent thing…)…it nearly killed me. Being in his POV, hearing his thoughts, truly experiencing what had happened to him…it was hard. But…the upside to that is when Jaxon Trent is happy…there is nothing in the world more beautiful – that boy deserves nothing but good things and it made me heart leap out of my chest when he was happy. And nothing makes Jax happier than KC.

‘She smirked happily. “Touch me all the time,” she repeated. “But we don’t get along.”
“We get along great.” I grinned. “As long as you don’t talk.” And I leaned down, snatching up her lips again.
She laughed and tried to push away from me, her back bending and her head falling back, but I held tight.
“Stop!” She giggled and squirmed as I kissed a trail up her neck. I loved seeing her giddy.
“Stop talking,” I scolded, still kissing her. “We get into trouble when you speak.” And I took her earlobe in my teeth, sucking hard, and she went limp.
“I feel like I’m falling,” she admitted through her breathlessness, standing up straight, and taking my hands away. “But it feels good.”

Jax and KC have been a long time coming. I knew in Until You that they were meant to be…just by their first interactions, it was obvious how perfect they were for each other. The prim and proper good girl and the rough-and-tough bad boy…how could they not be amazing? But the reality of them together seriously defied any and all expectations I may have had in my brain. They were beyond brilliant…and they didn’t even try that hard. All they did was pay attention to each other. There is one scene at almost 30% that I think was one of the first times this book made me cry (yes…there were multiple times!)…a lot of stuff had been going on and emotions were already pretty high…but the things that both of them revealed just broke me. I was already in knots over them but this scene pushed every button, showed me exactly what I needed to see about their feelings for each other…and from that moment on, it was like they held me in their hand.

‘Her body trembled in my arms as she tried to catch her breath, but she quieted and slowly relaxed her hold around my neck. All I felt was the heat of her lips against my skin, and I knew one thing.
I wanted her more than I wanted my secrets.’

Penelope’s writing never ceases to amaze me. Falling Away proved even more why she is one my favorite writers ever. Her ability to blend angst, passion, humor and sensuality into a incredibly captivating story that leaves me begging for each word never ceases to amaze me. The strength of this series for me are two key things…her characters and the emotions she brings out in her writing. I have loved with an unending passion every single character that she has created. It started with Jared and Tate, grew with Madoc and Fallon and is at an all-time high with Jax and KC. These are the kinds of MC’s (main characters) that I will never let go of…that are deep in my heart…they’re unforgettable. And the emotions…oh good gracious…the amazing emotional rollercoaster her books take me on is one I consistently look forward to. I span the entire range of good to bad, beautiful to ugly, high to low…but I love love love it! I enjoy it when I’m laughing at some dialogue that the boys said as much as when Jax and KC are getting hot-n-sexy and yes, even when I’m bawling my eyes out…I’m still in my book nerd happy place. Penelope’s writing gives me a book high that I can live on for days…and that’s why I love her writing.

“Tell me what I want to hear,” he demanded, thrusting his hips and making me groan.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I cried, the rod between his legs relentless where it pressed against me.
“That’s not what I want to hear.” His teasing voice laughed at me.
“You’re an asshole?” I ventured, dragging my nails over the soft skin of his ass.
“No,” he grunted, grabbing my hands and pinning them over my head. “Say it.”
I smiled, loving how worked up he got. Loving how much he wanted to hear it. And as I looked over his face, falling into him with my heart swilling in my chest, I felt more at home, more safe and more cared for, than ever before in my life.
I swallowed down the tears in my throat, trying to whisper, but it came out barely audible. “Only. Ever. You. Jaxon Trent.”

There is a reason why I love series so much…and the Fall Away Series is a key example of that. I keep raving about the characters so much but reading Falling Away there were moments when I just had to sit back with a big goofy grin on my face. The chemistry between all of these characters is undeniably magical…it’s something you can’t force or fake, they’ve either got it or they don’t and OMG do they have it. Jared, Madoc and Jax have one of the most epic bro-mances I have ever read…I kinda would like to start a petition to require Penelope to just write the three of them for the rest of my life. They just make me smile, they’re hilarious and cute in the we’re-sexy-tough-guys-but-we-are-actually-really-sweet kind of way. And I had the same pull towards the girls…obviously KC and Tate were best friends and still have that connection, adding Fallon to the mix was super natural and cohesive. The energy of the entire group is electric and magnetic…it’s impossible not to love all of them together.

‘I darted out and circled my arms around her from behind, holding her close and burying my face in her neck. “Don’t,” I begged. “Please don’t.”
My muscles strained, holding her so tight, and I heard her suck in quick breaths. I spun her around, wrapped my arms around her waist, and lifted her up kissing her deep and hard.
“I can’t let you go,” I panted. “I want you all the time. I’ll be unbearable, Juliet. They won’t know what to do with me.”
Her hands clasped my neck, as she looked into my eyes.
“I like you, Jax.” She ran her fingers through my hair above my ear. “I like you a lot. You’re important.”
I closed my eyes, meeting her forehead. “Say it,” I whispered.
Her sweet breath fanned over my lips. “Only ever you.”
And I groaned, hating and loving how those words affected me.’

So…the ending was…a nail biter for me. When I was crying (again…yes…I told you it happened multiple times! Sorry!) around 85%, I really didn’t know if an HEA was possible. But…it worked, it was a little quick, but after everything that Jax and KC went through…it worked and I’m happy. So, Falling Away is over and I click to the next page on my kindle because I heard there was a tease to Aflame…which is like the best news ever, I’m a Jared-and-Tate-aholic over here! Yup…cry #8925 happens. I know Aflame is not going to be rainbows and unicorns and happy puppies…but seriously. I feel like my heart just got ripped out. But that teaser has me more excited than I was before, if that is even possible. Yes…it hurts, but I trust Penelope enough to know that she will deliver another amazing story and that’s what I want. So, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be counting the days until April. #JaredandTateforLife

View all my reviews

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to “just get the degree!” She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.

 

Save me and I’ll save you…

My name is Calla Price. I’m eighteen years old, and I’m one half of a whole.
My other half– my twin brother, my Finn– is crazy.

I love him. More than life, more than anything. And even though I’m terrified he’ll suck me down with him, no one can save him but me.

I’m doing all I can to stay afloat in a sea of insanity, but I’m drowning more and more each day. So I reach out for a lifeline.

Dare DuBray.

He’s my savior and my anti-Christ. His arms are where I feel safe, where I’m afraid, where I belong, where I’m lost. He will heal me, break me, love me and hate me.

He has the power to destroy me.

Maybe that’s ok. Because I can’t seem to save Finn and love Dare without everyone getting hurt.

Why? Because of a secret.

A secret I’m so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming.

You won’t either.

And after that ending…you better have Verum at the very top of your TBR!  😉  #EasyOneClick

The truth shall set you free.

My name is Calla Price and I’m drowning.

My new world is a dark, dark ocean and I’m being pulled under by secrets.

Can I trust anyone? I don’t know anymore.

The lies are spirals. They twist and turn, binding me with their thorns and serpentine tongues. And just when I think I have it figured out, everything is pulled out from under me.

I’m entangled in the darkness.

But the truth will set me free.

It’s just ahead of me, so close I can touch it. But even though it shines and glimmers, it has glistening fangs and I know it will shred me.

Are you scared?

I am.

 

“Please,” I say softly, my breath escaping me.  Dare smiles against my lips, knowing the effect on me, knowing and loving it.

He leans forward and rests his forehead against mine, and we’re so very close that I can feel his breath mingling with mine as his hands work absolute magic.  Pleasure laps against me, like the water against the shore and I lose all cognizant thought, and instinct takes over.

I tug at his jeans, unbuttoning them and pushing them away, and suddenly, he’s naked and in my hand, long and thick and bare.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t think.

I can only move.

I slide my hand along him, softly, gently, then harder, harder.

He bucks into me, his eyes shuttering closed.

“I’ve waited for this,” he murmurs into my neck, as he wedges his rigidity into my thighs, closer, closer.  “For so long.”

“Please,” I say again, my hand cupped around his neck, pulling his mouth to mine, so I can taste him, inhale him.  He pulls off my sundress, and stares at me in the sunlight, as the light exposes every plane of my body to his searching eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, his eyes glittering in the sun.  “You’re so much better than I deserve.”

Wordlessly, he pulls back for a moment, and I protest, but then I hear the crinkle of a wrapper and he’s back, and he’s sliding into me and I can’t think anymore.

Motions become blurs, blurs become colors, and all I can do is feel.

His hands, his mouth, his skin.  The way he slides in and out of me, the friction causing me to crest in waves, his fingers bringing me to it faster.

“I…you… God,” I manage to say, because the words I want won’t come.

Dare smiles slightly and slides back into me, moaning my name.

“I want you to know me,” he says, his voice a husky chant. “I want you know me.”

I’m knowing him now like I’ve wanted to for weeks.  Intimate and close and I can’t believe this is finally happening, I can’t believe it’s so amazing, I can’t focus, I can’t focus, I can’t focus.

The lights, the sun, the sea, Dare’s scent, his fingers, his hands.

I grip his back, where his words say LIVE FREE and I’ve never felt freer in my entire life.

And then my world explodes in a kaleidoscope of colors and lights.

Nocte by Courtney Cole

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

5 “Funeral Home Girl” “Dare Me” “Save Me” “Dragonfly” “Secrets. Everybody’s got ‘em.” Kisses

OMG…OMG…OMGOMGOMGOMG…there aren’t enough OMG’s for this book. It has officially taken all of them from me. I  knew  I was in for something amazing with Nocte but…wow. I wasn’t prepared for that. There was so much unknown about this book that it went past curiosity for me…I needed to know Calla’s story. It was beautiful…and haunting…and emotional…and absolutely unforgettable.

Calla Price…Calla-Lilly…but only Dare calls her that. Calla is…a lot of things. She’s a twin (and don’t even get me started on her connection with Finn)…she’s a daughter…she’s the Funeral Home Girl…but she’s also an 18 year old who is still trying to figure herself out. Between the obligations and the guilt and what she feels she needs to do, she’s torn in a million directions…but there is also an underlying current of what she wants to do. She’s conflicted…unsure…and I felt for her because she really wants to do it all. I loved Calla’s heart and her spirit…she really is an easy to love character…but her overwhelming guilty conscience almost killed me. I got it…believe me…I understood it, but it was crushing. There was really only one thing that brought true joy and happiness out of Calla…and that was the boy with the dark eyes…

“Why exactly do you think this is kismet?”
His eyes crinkle up a little bit as he smiles yet again. And yet again, his grin is thoroughly amused. A real smile, not a fake one like I’m accustomed to around my house.
“It’s kismet because you seem like someone I might like to know. Is that odd?”
No, because I want to know you, too.
“Maybe,” I say instead. “Is it odd that I feel like I already know you somehow?”
Because I do. There’s something so familiar about his eyes, so dark, so bottomless. But then again, I have been dreaming about them for days.
Dare raises an eyebrow. “Maybe I have that kind of face.”
I choke back a snort. Not hardly.
He stares at me. “Regardless, kismet always prevails.”

Adair DuBray…Dare…oh-em-gee…how much do I love Dare…let me count the ways. He’s tall, dark and handsome…mysterious in the best ways possible…British, need I say more? Oh…but I will…he has beautiful, deep, dark eyes that I want to stare into for hours…he’s an artist…has a motorcycle… and I’m really just scratching the surface of all that is amazing about Dare. Everything I learned about Dare drew me to him more and more…there was always this underlying intrigue about him, I never felt like I knew enough…but the pull was constant. He’s understatedly sexy…sweet, caring and kind…thoughtful…oh Dare completely won my heart and then some. I think what I loved most was what he did for Calla…he brought her back…he saved her. It’s really hard to describe without spoiling but the relationship that he and Calla have is completely priceless to me.

“Calla, look at me.”
I stare pointedly at the walnut cabinets, trying not to let the hot tears spill, because as much as I’m trying to hold them in, the tears keep welling up.
One escapes, slipping down my cheek.
Dare pulls me around, then drops his hand, staring me in the eye. He’s so intent, so serious. He wipes my tear away with a thumb.
“You deserve to have a life, too,” he tells me, his voice even. “You can take care of Finn and still take care of you.”
I don’t deserve it.
“You don’t understand,” I start to say, then decide I’d sound crazy if I tried to explain.
“You can’t say that, because you don’t know me,” I say instead, my voice harsh and stilted.
Dare runs a hand through his hair and his eyes glint like obsidian. “I guess not.”

Finn Price…I can’t not talk about Finn…Calla’s twin brother. My heart ached for him because he’s so precious and sweet…which I know is a weird thing to say about an 18 year old boy, but it’s true. Finn has problems…lots of problems…deep problems…but I loved that Calla was one of the few things that helped him. She brought him back…kept away the demons…I couldn’t have loved their connection more if I tried. It was really easy to love Finn…I can’t even explain it…I mean the boy is a hot mess, there were times while reading his POV that I was concerned for my own sanity…but because of Calla and the way she felt about him, I was able to see past all his faults to the goodness that she saw and loved. He didn’t ask to be the way that he was and I couldn’t fault him for that, so I focused on the positive.

‘“Kiss me,” I whisper, looking hungrily unto his eyes. He blinks, then stares, his mouth tightening.
“I shouldn’t,” he answers, low and husky.
“Do it anyway,” I reply, hoping, praying, holding my breath.
Then he does.
He lowers his beautiful face and hips lips come down on mine, soft, firm, real. I sigh into his mouth, into the spearmint breath that absorbs my own, into the thing I’ve been wanting for weeks.
He feels so comfortable, so exciting, so natural to me. Kissing him is like taking a breath. It gives me life.’

Calla and Dare…Dare and Calla…you can’t have one without the other. I adored falling in love with these two…they’re one of the most unique couples I’ve ever read. I already said there was something about Dare…this pull towards him, I felt it because Calla felt it…and the development of their relationship is very original. You could feel the strength of his feelings for her from the very beginning and even though she couldn’t explain why she felt the way she did for him…it still worked. As I already said I didn’t get enough Dare, but I definitely didn’t get enough of Dare and Calla…but there is a reason for that. This book is not just about Calla and Dare’s relationship…it’s about Calla and Finn…Calla and her parents…really, it’s all about Calla. Understanding her…seeing her go through a huge trauma and how she handles it and her emotions…and comes out the other side. It’s so many things and it’s all powerful and almost overwhelming at times but it really is amazing…through the entire story, I learned to appreciate Calla more as a character.

‘Dare pauses. “No?”
I shake my head. “No. I just wanted…to feel something else.”
“Something other than?” Dare waits.
“What I’ve been feeling.” I clarify. “Craziness. Sadness. I just want to be someone else for a minute.”
Dare examines his picture, then sits back in his seat a minutes.
“Why would you want to be anyone else?” he asks softly. “Calla Price is amazing.”

Alright…this book, these characters, this story…just took my brain and my emotions on the ride of a lifetime. I can’t even tell you what it did to my heart…it’s so mysterious and I hate a love/hate relationship with all the questions and not knowing or understanding everything completely. I mean…I love secrets but their secrets had secrets! Every time I felt closer to figuring out one, ten more popped up and I was left scratching my head. There were many times that I felt torn in two…sometimes even in three because my heart was always with Calla, but I couldn’t help what I was feeling for Dare and Finn too. Everything about this book is very unique and original…it’s really not like anything else I’ve ever read and I appreciated that. It was like an intense breath of fresh air…kept me on my toes and had my feelings wrapped up in a ball of knots…and I loved every second of it.

‘“You make me feel guilty,” I tell him quietly, opening my eyes. He’s sprawled out, his legs propped up on a seat. He glances at me, his forehead furrowed.
“Why in the world is that, Calla-lily?”
The names make me smile.
“Because you make me forget that I’m sad,” I said simply.
Softness wavers in Dare’s eyes for a minute before they turn back into obsidian. “That shouldn’t make you feel guilty,” he tells me. “In fact, that makes me happy. I don’t like the idea of you being sad. Come sit by me.”
He opens his arms and I sit on the seat next to him, leaning against his hard chest and into his beating heart. His arms close around me and for the first time in my life, I’m lounging in a guy’s embrace. And not just any guy. Dare DuBray, who I’m guessing could have any girl he wants.
And right now, in this moment, he wants me.
It’s unfathomable.’

The way Nocte was told was absolutely brilliant. I had thoughts and ideas throughout but there was really no way to piece together how this story was going to play out and that’s all because of the way Courtney Cole wrote it. I mean…there were times when even I felt like I might be going a little crazy…but it was a beautiful and emotional journey. Her writing blew me away…the pacing was magical…the way she described things, the pureness of the emotions from all the characters…this story is so complex and so many things could have gone wrong but she executed everything flawlessly and the way it all fell into place just stunned me. I’m not going to lie, I was hit with a freight train of emotion at 90%…it was an ugly cry of massive proportions and oh dear lord was the pain intense but totally worth it. In Courtney’s letter from the author she said it was ‘It was too dark, too twisted, too much, too, too, too.’ …that’s a pretty good articulation for what Nocte was for me. It’s so many things and all combined it just set me ablaze with this intense array of emotion.

‘I laugh, a hysterical sound, like a deranged hyena.
I’m unhinged unhinged unhinged.
I’ve come unhinged.
“Aren’t you tired of talking me off the edge?” I demand. “Aren’t you? Aren’t you tired of balancing on these cliffs and being afraid that we’ll tumble over the edge? I know I am. This isn’t life, Calla. This isn’t living. Love is stronger than death, Cal and this isn’t living.”’

So…I guess it’s time to get this part over with…the ending. It’s a cliffhanger. But…it is one of the best cliffhangers I’ve read in a long time. Was I clutching my kindle, frantically trying to click to the next page that was never going to come? Yes! What I screaming NOOOOO!!!!! at the top of my lungs? Absolutely! So why does this excite me? Because Courtney did her job! I knew when I was getting towards the end of the book that there were still too many questions left unanswered and I was excited about the prospect of where else she could take them…now I have even more questions and I’m desperate for the next book in the Nocte trilogy…so, touché Miss. Cole…well done. If I didn’t care…I wouldn’t be upset – but I do care because she made me feel for them and feel for their story and want their HEA. So if that means I have to wait for the next book…I’m cool with that because I would rather Calla and Dare get the full and complete story they deserve.

‘“It was you,” I tell him softly. “You’re the thing that brought me back. You gave me reality. You tethered me, anchored me, loved me. I thought you were going to break me, but that’s just because I didn’t understand. You were trying to help me all along.”
He pulled me to him and kisses me softly. “I love you, Calla.”
“I know.” And I do. For the first time in months. I can see it. And I believe it.’

Nocte is one of the best books I’ve read this year. For me…a book is all about the emotions it brings out in me and the journey with the characters…Nocte gave me more than I could have ever imagined and then some. Cannot wait to see what happens with Calla and Dare in Verum next!

View all my reviews

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get exclusive hints, clues, and exclusive excerpts only on the NOCTE list. Sign up right here. 

Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling novelist who would rather write than eat chocolate. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business, but no amount of working in the corporate world could quell her urge to write.

Courtney was born and raised in Kansas, home of incredibly friendly people and the most horrendous weather on the planet. Because summer days were so hot, she grew up reading stacks of books… and when she didn’t like the ending, she wrote her own.

Courtney loves hot pink nail polish, Mitch Albom and thunderstorms (not necessarily in that order).

She currently lives in Florida with her real life Prince Charming, two sons, one daughter and small domestic zoo. To learn more about her, visit www.courtneycolewrites.com and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Jack Daniels is the cure to all evils.

Sex should be casual and, preferably, anonymous.

Giving a damn is for nurses, philanthropists and suicide hotlines.

My name is Mathew Rogers and those are the values I built my adult life around. They are also the reason I had to forsake everything I loved in Seattle and embark on a solitary road trip across the country, with no direction other than searching for the next small town, the next girl, and the closest liquor store.

Boredom, frustration and a series of unfortunate decisions led me to the rickety-ass town of Jolene, Alabama—a town I wanted to leave behind from the moment I passed the welcome sign. But it was there where I met her. The girl who made me question everything I’ve always believed in, and the only one who has ever had the power to break my heart.

Her name is Lexie.

She’s beautiful, and I’m pretty sure she hates me.

And for once in my life, I give enough of a damn that I keep finding a reason to stay.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hopeless dreamer, tattoo enthusiast, Disney addict and hoarder of nail polishes and vegan recipes. Patty lives with her husband, her crazy cat, two dogs and elderly bunny in a house frequently visited by wild birds and chipmunks. Check out more on her website.

Max Payton lives by two rules:
Size and strength win any fight, and never show weakness.

When a rash of assaults sends Bowler University for a tail spin, Max volunteers to help teach a self-defense class. One of the other instructors is the beautiful pixie-faced girl he keeps butting heads with…and who challenges everything he thought he knew.

Lea Travers avoids guys like Max – cocky jocks who assume she’s fragile because of a disability caused by a childhood accident. She likes to be in control, and something about being with Max makes her feel anything but. But during the moments he lets his guard down, Lea sees a soul as broken inside as she is outside. Trusting him is a whole other problem…

When the assaults ramp up and hit close to home, Lea and Max must learn, before it’s too late, that true strength can come from vulnerability…and giving in to trust is sometimes the only way to make things right.

Have you read the first book in the Bowler University Series?  I really recommend reading this series in order and I totally loved the first book, you can read my review here.

Genre:   New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new college math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends–both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

 

Make it Right by Megan Erickson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4 “doll” “white knight” Kisses

Oh boy…so much to say, so many words and I feel like I can’t get everything out fast enough. I really enjoyed this book…like a lot. I mean of course I had high hopes, considering I loved  Make It Count, the first book in the series, but Make It Right was a little trickier. MiR is part of the Bowler University Series…it’s possible for it to be read as a standalone, but I really wouldn’t recommend it. It makes more sense if you read MiC first, because that’s where we initially meet Max.

Max Payton…what do I think about Max…well, after MiC, I can’t lie – he was already at a disadvantage. It’s not that I didn’t like Max…I just wasn’t crazy about him. He’d done some not too great stuff (no…I’m not going into detail) but I guess I was a little ambivalent about him….I could take him or leave him, I wasn’t impressed…but I was excited about the prospect of him impressing me. And…he totally did…he could be the poster boy for proof that people can and do change. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things to like about Max…he’s attractive…popular…can sing karaoke with the best of them – he’s a fun loving guy but very few people know the real Max. He is…full of potential but held back by so much…and I hate that he had to hold back in the first place. I think what surprised me the most was Max has such a big heart when he lets himself love…and seeing him let go…trust…feel without restrictions…he was like this gorgeous creature that I couldn’t get enough of. That’s what Lea did for him…

‘She wondered if he realized how much those eyes gave him away when he wasn’t careful. She wondered if anyone ever tried to look deeper.
She wondered if he wanted anyone to.’

Lea Travers…oh my tough little cookie, Lea touched my heart in a very different way. She’s brave…she’s a fighter…and she’s got so much passion packed into her little body. Lea was dealt a tough hand…a car crash changed how she would live her life and while I think it made her a stronger person, it definitely made her more guarded. She trusts few and protects fiercely…none of which are necessarily bad qualities but it’s turned her into quite a control freak – which I can totally relate to! Lea’s sweet…funny…kind…strong in a million different ways that you could never imagine, it made my head spin. I adored her relationship with her father, who called her La La (loved the story behind that nickname)…and honestly it wasn’t until pretty late in the book that the differences between Lea’s relationship with her dad and Max’s relationship with his really set in for me…it was quite eye opening. But I digress…I grew very attached to Lea…and it was easy to do…she was full of surprises, from her tattoo’s and piercings to the way she was with Max…but he wasn’t the only one that changed…Lea went through her own growth, and it was all due to a boy with beautiful brown eyes.

‘Max stepped closer and she leaned slightly into him. Something was obviously wrong but he found a small bit of satisfaction that his presence seemed to comfort her. And that should weird him out. Because he didn’t do this “damsel in distress” thing. He wasn’t a white knight. He’d learned that the hard way. But something about Lea made him want to be.’

Oh boy…what did I love most about Max and Lea? Their combativeness. They’re both so strong willed and stubborn…I love seeing them rile each other up…cause it was just one of many amazing emotions they evoked out of each other…but I absolutely thrived off the fact that Lea didn’t let Max get away with shit! Max and Lea each have their own unique insecurities…their own quirks and things to overcome…but it was all part of their journey. The beauty in what Max and Lea find and have together is their ability to trust in one another…to have faith in another person and know that they feel the same thing…the capability to share themselves and give wholly to another human being and seeing them open up to that was astounding. Max has never had a strong female in his life and Lea has never felt comfortable enough to let another man in as much as she does Max…so their both opening themselves up to a very vulnerable situation…but the fact that they allowed it to happen spoke volumes to me about their relationship and who they are as a couple.

“Anything?”
She didn’t like this look in his eye. “Wait-”
“Go out with me,” he blurted.
She snapped her jaw shut, then licked her lips. “What?”
His gaze darted back and forth between hers. He was nervous. “Lea Travers, will you go on a date with me?”
“I-”
“You said anything-”
“Okay, but I might have some caveats.”
His dark eyebrows dipped. “I don’t know what caveats are but they sound fancy.”

As usual, I fell more and more in love with these characters the more I get to know them. I loved seeing more of Alec and Kat…seeing little bits of their progression, even from someone else’s eyes, it just does stuff to me…one of the many reasons why I love series. I did not expect to fall more in love with…Danica! Of course I thought she was a riot in MiC and I loved her friendship with Alec, but she took on a different role with Lea…almost like a big sister. I kind of already have crushes on Max’s older brothers, Cal and Brent…they’re typical older brothers but with the way they were raised…they just have an interesting dynamic and I really liked their interactions. It showed a different side to Max…and if Cal and Brent are half as interesting as Max is, then oh boy, do I want! 🙂 (a girl can hope!). But…there was one character that completely stole the show…Wayne. Wayne is…a cat. Yup…a cat who in just a few scenes is magically able to show a completely different side to the tough and burly Max…I don’t want to give too much away, but Wayne totally rocked it out and I loved what he brought out in Max.

‘“No, I’m not going to ask how I’ll know.”
She smiled. “Confident?”
He huffed out a breath and said softly. “Not at all.”
She sucked in a breath. “You still want a date with me?”
His chest hitched. “If a date with you means I get to look into your eyes when you smile and smell your hair when I’m close and feel those fingers on my skin when you laugh, then yes, doll. Yes, I want a date with you.”
It was too much and not enough all at the same time. Because he was all around her, he was her – supplying her legs and providing her heat and giving her breath because she inhaled him every time he exhaled.’

I was happy that the writing style pretty much stayed the same from MiC to MiR…the tone changed, obviously, with the characters but it’s still has the same feel. It’s dual POV, which I continued to enjoy…no scenes were repeated so it wasn’t redundant. And of course there was still that magical blend of emotional, funny and steamy…perfectly balanced between two insanely loveable and endearing characters. I really do enjoy Megan’s writing…she’s got a great flow and I feel like I’m consistently pulled in by what is happening. The plot was once again very unique and original and I really enjoyed it. It played both to Max and Lea’s strengths and weaknesses, which I appreciated. The balance and flow of this story was darn near perfect for me…just enough angst and pull to keep me on my toes…dear-sweet-lord-in-heaven was it sexy as hell…just the right amount of emotions, I didn’t cry like I did with MiR but I was feelin’ lots of feels!

“We’re talking about me, not you.”
“Right.” He nodded. “But that’s your logic. That I’m weak because I trust. You’re strong because you don’t trust.”
Well then her logic was flawed. Because nothing was stronger than the sight of Max grabbing the headboard, closing his eyes, and trusting her with his naked body and naked heart. “I don’t think you’re weak.”
His exhaled with relief and stepped closer, brushing his fingers over her bangs, eyes watching the hair fall back into place. Then he met her gaze. “I don’t think you’re weak either. I know you have it in you to trust. Is it me? You can’t trust me?”
Everything in her heart screamed she could but her head didn’t want to admit it. “It’s not you,” she whispered. “I don’t see myself as broken or hurt or weak. And I’ve never trust another person, other than my family, to feel the same way about me. To see me as an equal and not a fragile doll.”
He laughed softly, cupping the back of her head, thumb rubbing the shell of her ear. “I call you doll because you look like one. But you sure as hell aren’t broken.”

I’m über excited about Cam’s story…he’s a man whore and I love my man whores, plus I can’t wait to hear his back story. He was set up perfectly over the past two books and if he’s any where close to the amazingness that Max and Alec are, then we’re in for an awesome story! Can’t wait to get my hands on Make It Last!

View all my reviews

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Megan worked as a journalist covering real-life dramas before she decided she liked writing her own endings better and switched to fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. When she’s not tapping away on her laptop, she’s probably listening to the characters in her head who won’t stop talking.  You can get more info about Megan on her website.