Kara the Book'aholic

This was such a fun, fast-paced, entertaining read. There was constant drama and I loved every second of it.

Once the beautiful Anna crashed into the spoiled, womanizing Gabriel Sanchez’s life, it was NEVER the same. Their romance was turbulent and filled with love, betrayal, remorse, guilt, hatred, hope, despair—you name it, these two felt it—but it was so intensely passionate that neither one could stay away from the other. Young Love Murder is a page-turner that you will not want to put down.

I have mixed emotions about True. I wish we weren’t left with so many loose ends because the story had so much potential. While this was the same old NA—while away at college a virgin good-girl meets and falls in love with a tattooed bad-boy—it did offer a glimpse at addiction and the toll that it takes, not only on the addict, but on the family as well. Tyler Mann was a tattooed bad-boy with a heart of gold that grew up under some horrible circumstances. We got an inside look at his dysfunctional family and just as I did, you will fall in love with the Mann brothers. They are what made TRUE, truly worth reading.

Tyler, of course, was an extremely hot, bad-boy with tattoos that smoked and drank A LOT. Despite all of that, he truly cared for his family, in every sense of the word, and that quality was what made him irresistible. Tyler had three brothers; Riley, U (a.k.a. Jayden), and Easton. Together their names spelled TRUE and these brothers were a “TRUE Family.” I loved them all! Tyler was kind, caring, and fiercely protective. Riley was similar to Tyler; however, he had a hard time expressing his feelings. Jayden was incredibly sweet, honest, determined, and at times, downright funny. Easton was a bit of a mystery because he was extremely introverted, but he was kind just like all of the Mann brothers.

Another aspect that I liked about this book was that Tyler and Rory were honest with one another regarding their feelings, and therefore, there really wasn’t any long drawn out angst. There were no games. That in itself was refreshing. Even though their romance progressed quickly, it was still believable since it wasn’t your typical insta-love. Tyler and Rory were simply two people from vastly different backgrounds who found a special connection with one another—someone who truly understood and appreciated them for them—that wasn’t based purely on physical attraction.

“You know why we get along, Rory?” “Why?”

“Because we both see beyond what other people

see about us. We both know that sometimes the

best things are below the surface.”

While I liked the premise of this story, I don’t feel that it was executed properly. There were WAY TOO MANY loose ends and the ending was abrupt. I realize there will be a sequel, which focuses on Riley and Jessica (Rory’s roommate), but there was just too much left unresolved.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

The Cartel began in 1969 and followed the lives of the Espinoza and Rodriguez families over 30-years. Antonio Espinoza “was the head of one of the wealthiest and largest coffee plantation families in Columbia. He’d taken over the empire at a young age, following the deaths of his mother and father in a boating accident. Antonio had expanded that empire by also dabbling in illegal businesses, in which Javier” Rodriguez was his partner.

By day, Javier was the governor of Jalisco—a state in central Mexico on the Pacific coast—whose political affiliations and wealth, compounded by widespread corruption enabled Javier and Antonio to run an extremely lucrative organization. Not only were these two men business partners, but they’d been close friends since childhood. Throughout the years, they continually sought to expand—their territories, profits and power—subsequentially gaining themselves many enemies.

The story built slowly and was filled with sorrow, pain, jealousy, greed, lies, betrayal, grudges, and vendettas, as well as love, family, friendship, loyalty, forgiveness, and ultimately second chances. In this world of organized crime, drugs, and corruption, loyalties were constantly tested and no one came out unscathed.

After reading the synopsis, I thought this story held so much promise. However, I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. My main issue was that I wasn’t emotionally invested in the story because I didn’t have any strong emotional connections to the characters and unfortunately, that is a big must for me.

*I was provided with a free copy courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

”What does it profit a man

if he gain the whole world

and lose his whole soul?”

~Oscar Wilde

Avoiding Intimacy took the reader on a journey into Chyna’s world where they witnessed firsthand exactly how vulnerable and misunderstood she truly was. It’s a story of self-discovery, acceptance, friendship, love, and most importantly the realization of ones self-worth.

”Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”

This was a very emotional read that if executed differently would have offered a mind-blowing twist. Unfortunately, I saw it coming from a mile away. Going Under was about sexual assault and the many ways it affects victims. Definitely not recommended for everyone...

***I apologize in advance for the frequent use of the f-bomb amongst others in this review. They were kind of unavoidable given their frequent use throughout the book.***

I was hesitant to read this book for the longest time, but I’m so glad that I finally did. Undeniable was a fast-pace, tragic love story. Every character in this book was f*cking crazy. The only question was, just how crazy. It made for a highly entertaining read with lots of drama. This was one of those books where I found myself laughing, then crying, and in the next second, I was laughing through my tears. I love any book that can evoke that much emotion from me.

One issue I had was the age difference. 18-freaking years! This didn’t bother me so much once they were older, but things started heating up when Eva was only 16, which made Deuce 34—he was over double her age.

“’It’s not like that,’ Deuce muttered, feeling strangely embarrassed. ‘Got nothin’ to do with her age. Never has. Been likin’ her since she was just a kid, and now her bein’ a woman, my cock likes her, too. But it’s never been ‘bout her age. Straight up, it’s always been just ‘bout her.’”

Eva Fox “wasn’t just another biker brat; she was the biker brat. ...the princess of the Silver Demon MC.” She was smart, beautiful, sexy, sweet, yet still tough; and she was born and raised in the life. She was absolutely friggin perfect for Deuce.

Deuce West was the lethal President of the Hell’s Horsemen MC—a sexy, dominant, bad tempered, possessive, womanizer; who had a soft-heart and only loved one woman, no matter how hard he tried not to. Yep, Eva F*ckin’ Fox.

“Please let me go.”

“His nostril flared. ‘Let you go?’ He hissed. ‘Let you f*ckin’ go?’”

“’…Been tryin’ to let you go, been tryin’ for f*ckin’ years,’ he said roughly.

‘Haven’t figured out how yet.’”

Sigh, these two had so many close calls. Just when you thought they’d finally gotten it together, something else happened—usually Deuce’s dick landed in the wrong …hands. Yet, I somehow still loved him. He could be a mean bastard, but this was all he knew. He had never been in love before Eva, and he didn’t know how to deal with these kinds of emotions, how to make compromises—give her a piece of the club—and still keep his MC in order. “Christ. He would not rearrange his whole f*cking life for some bitch just because he had some f*cked-up obsession with her.” So, he self-sabotaged…

“The last time I saw you, you were getting your dick sucked by a club whore and trying to make out with me at the same time! The time before that I found you in the kitchen with a half-naked whore on your lap only a few hours after you f*cked me!”

On An Edge of Glass, by Autumn Doughton is a sweet college romance. It shows that despite how we may plan or even picture our lives, in the end, fate and our hearts have the final say. It is a story about letting go, living in the moment, and following ones heart. Because…

“Happiness isn’t something that you can plan

for. It comes knocking unexpectedly, just like opportunity.

And it’s up to you to answer the door and invite it inside.”

Messed Up, by Molly Owens is a great book with twists, excellent writing, and crazy ass characters. Sounds like my cup of tea, right? I thought so.

Yet, there were a few things that annoyed the hell out of me; namely, Chelsea’s obsession with Levi. Then again, I just had to remind myself that we’re talking about a 16-year old girl and unfortunately, they’ve been known for this type of foolish behavior. But that ending? I was flabbergasted, and not necessarily in a good way! It was 3am and I was staring at my Kindle screaming repeatedly--in my head--'Hell, No!’ I mean, common! Seriously? I don’t even know what to say. My only explanation is that there has to be a sequel and even if that is the case, Owens is either going to amaze me beyond belief or completely crash and burn. I guess, we shall see. Even though this was the first book that I've read by Molly Owens, I am optimistic. I think she can actually pull it off. I'll definitely be looking out for more releases by this author.

This highly entertaining read, sucked me right in and held my attention until the very end. 

HDU by India Lee, won me over as soon as I read, “This douchelord makes hating easy! And borderline fun. Okay, just plain fun.” Did I mention that was at 0% read according to my Kindle? Yeah, I’d say it was pretty much insta-love.

So, we start off with a miserable Amanda Nathan who just lost her boyfriend, best friend, job, home, and I’d say basically all her self-worth by the time she retreated back to her parents’ home in small town Missouri. She found her only solace, while holed-up in her childhood bedroom, working as a moderator for HDU—a celebrity ‘news’ site. One of her favorite parts of being a moderator? …wielding insults at “the misogynistic evil that is Liam Brody,” (a.k.a. the ‘douchelord’).

Approximately 3-months after her return home, Amanda received an email from the douchelord himself, which contained an interesting proposal that he ended by telling her to name her price. Her price? In short, Amanda was moving to NYC as the faux girlfriend of the infamous actor Liam Brody.

The dynamic between the two was amazing. The banter was just downright entertaining. Then, Amanda meets her celebrity crush who she had lusted after since her adolescence. After a few encounters it was obvious that there’s a mutual attraction. I’ll admit the author had me sweating it out there for a bit. I won’t say how it ends, but thank you India Lee you had me worried.

If you like a light, entertaining book that has its fair share of drama, manipulation, and deceit, but also humor, wit, and loyalty—this is a definite must read!

I can’t wait for HDU 2! I want to see what Lee has in store for all of the characters, but especially Amanda, Liam, Ian, Casey, and Megan.

“To the tortured souls whose blood is the heartbeat of the earth.

May you find your happily Never after.”

This is a story that makes you believe that anything is possible despite your past, mistakes, secrets, just about anything… Ty and Never are kindred spirits. Together, they open ’Pandora’s Box’ because they are done living in the dark—hostages to their pasts. We witness their struggles. “Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few, careful steps back.” It’s a beautiful story of redemption, love, friendship and ultimately moving into the ‘light.’ I’m off to read Finding Never. Enjoy!

"In our modern age, some are concerned

about the practice of keeping animals caged.

Although this is a valid concern,

unfortunately once an animal has lived

in captivity for so long, it's more cruel

to release them back into the wild."

Well, ummmm...okay. That was interesting. I don't even know how I feel about this book and I'm completely torn on how to rate it. Simply it was fucked and it kind of messed with my head, but not necessarily in a good way. Because honestly, I usually enjoy a good mind-fuck, so...

"...I know I need him. And I hope he needs me. What we have is fucked up

and twisted, but it serves a need. I know that I've always

been wired differently. He only brought to the

surface what was already there."

"But it wasn't love either. What we shared was deeper than love.

It was mad and unyielding obsession, and it was mutual."

BLOCK 24, by Evan Tyler was an amazing read that was so exceptional I’m having a hard time thinking of words that could possibly do it justice. It was unique, but at the same time, so raw and realistic that NO ONE could read this book and walk away without feeling a multitude of emotions. I felt a whole freaking gamut from sadness, to sympathy, hatred, disgust, remorse, annoyance, happiness, outrage, amazement – God, I could go on and on… Any book that can evoke that much emotion from its reader, proves that the author did their job; and I’d say that Ms. Tyler definitely went above and beyond with this book.

There were so many wonderful characters, but my absolute favorite was Adina—a.k.a. Adi or Bubbe. She was so strong, courageous, and most importantly - a survivor; I could only aspire to be half the woman that she was. We were introduced to Adi while she and her family were living in the Lodz ghetto in Poland. Soon after, the Nazis came and took Adi and her sister Avigail—a.k.a. Avi or Tante—to the infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz. There the two met another truly wonderful character Hans who was an SS. He looked after and protected the sisters even to his own detriment. He truly was a magnificent man disguised in devil’s clothes.

There were parallel stories. That of Bubbe’s misguided granddaughter, Natalie, and of Bubbe herself, who was reliving her past on film to her granddaughter Julia. Their contrasting stories effectively demonstrated the differences between the two women and illustrated the old adage “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

BLOCK 24, was heart wrenching, yet at the same time heartwarming and through Bubbe, it left me feeling grateful and inspired. Evan’s writing style was just as unique as her storyline. It was descriptive, but not over the top. In short, it was simply beautiful. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Just a quick warning though, there were some non-con scenes that were disturbing, yet not overly graphic. I did feel they were necessary to the storyline and were handled respectfully.

I FREAKING LOVED everything about Documentary. I want to meet and be taken into the inner-circle of these amazing friends. I fell in love - hard. Not just with Kai…but yeah, he was scrumptious. But with all of them. Sadly, I can’t get into all of the characters because this would turn into the longest review ever. However, Kai—holy smokes—I actually crushed on him *blushing* Well, Kai... was sort of an enigma. He was nothing like the public perceived him—‘Kamikaze Kai’—a hotheaded, bad boy, womanizing whore who was on self-destruct mode. In actuality though, he was loyal, sweet, and fiercely protective. Did I mention that he was an incredibly sexy musician and a surfer too? Yep—I crushed REALLY hard.

The chemistry between Kai and Dylan was amazing and just a pleasure to read. The two actually enjoyed each other’s company even OUT OF BED—imagine? “I’ve missed holding you and kissing you, but I’ve just missed talking to you.”

The banter throughout this book was pure genius. The incredible friendships—well, imagine a group of friends that were so close and supportive that they were more like a self-made family—that is the best way to describe the dynamic as a whole. This book has it all: a great story line, amusing dialogue, amazingly rounded characters, drama, steam, humor, angst, a mystery…I could go on and on, but I won’t. Seriously, just buy it already. I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

The Lonely had the potential to be absolutely freaking amazing. However, with that said, I feel that the author dropped the ball. This may be because I have been into darker reads lately, which this book had the potential to be. I also believe that if Brown delved more into those darker aspects of the book it would have felt more complete or well-rounded instead of leaving me feeling as if I'd read two different books – to the point where I stopped and was like ‘wtf, what did I miss?’ I cannot stress enough, that the first half or so of this book was so strong and had SO MUCH POTENTIAL that I actually started preparing myself for a complete and utter mind-fuck, but instead I felt completely let down. It was still an interesting read; I just had such high hopes…

“The universe formed when stars exploded, and Evan and I are formed from the same star.”

Blue Rose in Chelsea by Adriana Devoy took me by complete surprise. It is a profound story of self-discovery, true-unyielding love, obligations, self-sacrifice, as well as the importance of true friendships and devotion to ones family. It demonstrates how fate can be cruel, but in the end… well, you will just have to read it and see for yourself ;)  Seriously though, this is an amazing read, full of literary references, wonderfully well-rounded characters, and brilliant dialogue. Highly recommended.