BOOK REVIEW...[ARC] A Taste of You by Sorcha Grace

She didn’t know how hungry she was…Beautiful and talented Catherine Kelly is intent on starting over as a food photographer in Chicago. With her painful past buried over 2000 miles away, she’s focused on her career and is hungry for little else. Until she meets William Lambourne, a wealthy bachelor with arresting blue-grey eyes filled with enough tragedy to match her own. William urges Catherine to step out from behind her camera and fully taste all that life has to offer, stirring an appetite in her she never knew she possessed - and it’s one only he can satisfy. 

He couldn’t wait to feed her…A gourmand who takes great pleasure in food and in women, William Lambourne is rich, powerful, and gorgeous -- and as talented in the kitchen as he is in the bedroom. Longing for a woman to truly savor, William finds his match in Catherine. From the moment he meets her, he is determined to discover the perfect recipe to unlock Cat’s resolve, awaken her senses, and make her his own.

Theirs is a meal worth savoring…William is as mysterious as he is passionate, but as Catherine begins to fall for the stormy-eyed billionaire, she knows she must reveal her own dark secrets. But first, William must win Cat’s heart to ensure their pasts don’t undo them.

Book 1 in The Epicurean series, A Taste of You will leave you ravenous for more of Cat and William’s story!
Expected publication: June 2013 by Premier Digital Publishing

This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn't really know what to expect after hearing it being compared to along the lines of Sylvia Day's books. BUT NEVERTHELESS , "A Taste of You" held it's own and was quite unique and refreshing. 

Both main male and female characters have experienced some sort of loss or trauma that has shaped the way they are and make them weary of their budding romance. I was literally quite taken with Cat and William's characters and was rooting for them the whole time!!

This book had everything I wanted in it. Appealing characters, sensual romance, and delicious food/champagne!! YUM. Hehe!! 

Be warned though, that the ending will leave u with a little cliffhanger making you want MORE.

I'm so glad I took a chance on this book.

--ARC was kindly provided by NetGallery for an honest review. :)


My Rating:

-Overall : 9
-Plot : 7
-Writing : 7
-Characters : 7
-Cover : 8

BOOK REVIEW...Sapphire A Werewolf Love Story by Devyn Dawson

Sapphire didn't want to go out, but after some coaxing from her sister, she agreed to go. It was that night, and the days to come that would awaken her sexual desire and her heart.

Parker had never had a girl hold his gaze... most everyone wouldn't dare challenge him that way. She wasn't one of his kind though, she was human and against the rules. He knew her spirit was calling out to his wolf. His wolf was more than ready to answer that call. She was the one... he would kill for her, he would die for her, but would he disobey his alpha for her?

This book is about two adult characters in The Legacy of Kilkenny YA series. 

17+ Due to Sexual Situations and Explicit language this book is recommended for adults 17 and over. Adult Contemporary - New Adult Fiction
Published March 25th 2013

This book turned out to be such a disappointment and waste of time.  The story line was weak and the characters were unrealistic.

Normally, I would be over the moon reading a YA/PR story involving werewolves but this one was painful to read.  The grammar and tense of the story was horrendous and sometimes I wanted to strangle the characters.

What made this book "appealing" IF ANYTHING was the cover. Ugh.  I want my hour and a half back and somebody to have warned me to stay clear of this meaningless read. :(


My Rating:

-Overall : 3
-Plot : 3
-Writing : 1
-Characters : 3
-Cover : 9

BOOK REVIEW...Faith (My Misery Muse #2) by Brei Betzold

Set two years after we left Devi and Seth in My Misery Muse, comes Faith where Drake Porter and Mags Sands’ story unfolds.

Mags is a single mother, running her own business trying to make ends meet. Drake is an A&R guy for a local indie record company who has been working nonstop for a year. When both finally take a vacation with family and friends, they are forced to finally admit, at least to themselves, that they have feelings for each other.

When they go home, they find it even more difficult to put the past in the past and maintain a relationship strong enough to face the challenges ahead. Follow along as they try to make a relationship work while fighting demons of their own, through circumstances not of their making, and with family and friends trying to help.
Published March 27th 2013

I was honestly disappointed in this book.  It had more potential and the ending was totally rushed. :(

This story leads off where the first one ended.  Mags is now a single mother with some major baggage and trust issues.  Drake on the other hand, is a persistent control freak who keeps pursuing Mags into a relationship no matter how much she denies him...BUT, SINCE THIS IS A STORY OF COURSE, it takes Drake to get into a serious accident for Mags to fess up to her feelings and admit that she loves him....Pft whatever..

In the meantime....
-Mags and Drake still argue and banter as usual.
-There's still Mags' crazy a$%wipe baby daddy [who's identity is later revealed in the book] who keeps throwing a wrench in things.
-Devi, from the 1st book in the series, has a new baby.
-Drake becomes MMM's new manager.


My Rating:

-Overall : 7
-Plot : 7
-Writing : 7
-Characters : 7
-Cover : 3



The First Book in the Series: 

My Misery Muse (My Misery Muse #1)

First young love gets sidetracked by dreams that take them on two different journeys, but an unknown bond brings them back together again. Devi Porter an up-and-coming tattoo artist in Dallas is trying to live her life as best as possible, but never able to forget the love she had with Seth. Seth a bassist for the popular band My Misery Muse is struggling with his fellow band members with the lifestyle that he now lives. The band decides to go home to Dallas to work on their latest album as well as to work out their problems out from under the glare of the media. Seth and Devi meet up again and both realize they have a lot to work out between themselves as well. As they get reacquainted life and obstacles are thrown at them at every turn, are they able to overcome them to become the family neither really had?

Published December 8th 2012 by Brei Betzold (first published December 7th 2012)

BOOK REVIEW...Inked Ever After (Bowen, #2.5) by Elle Aycart

Tattooed bad boy James Bowen is about to marry the love of his life. Everything would be perfect if it wasn't for the tiny detail that his bride-to-be is freaking out big time. And trying to hide it from him.

Tate Cooper is losing it. She loves James with all her heart and wants to be married to him; it's the getting married that's killing her. Still grieving the loss of her father and brother,and totally overwhelmed by the wedding arrangements, she's in full emotional meltdown. But James deserves a happy bride, not a high-maintenance, sorrow-filled, guilt-stricken one, and, by God, she's going to give him that, even if she has to paste on a smile and fake it till she makes it.

James doesn't know whether to be amused or pissed. He understands she's running scared, but there is no way in hell he's going to allow this to continue; he's going to push her to confront her fears until she happily embraces their ever after.
Published March 26th 2013 by Loose Id LLC

OMG!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

Tate + James = Most perfect couple EVER. Period.

I really appreciated how James always put Tate first.  He understood her pains and insecurities and did whatever it took to make things work.  I also appreciated when he called her out on her sh&* and told her when something's up.  Only a true person who loves and cares for you would do that.

In this book, Tate is still struggling with the loss of her father and brother.  She also goes through times where she feels inadequate for James and that he could do so much better than her BUT that's not enough to discourage or deter the ever persistent James from claiming his woman at the alter!

---------------------
What I also liked:
Elle and Jack's banter. Too funny! Lol
Also hoping that maybe a Max and Emma [Jonah, Tate's deceased brother's gf] can possibly get together.

----------------
The one con this book had:
The ending was totally rushed!!  The wedding and the pacing was pretty abrupt that I was quite disappointed. Bummer.

----------------------
If Ms. Aycart does continue this series I'm SO ON BOARD toward reading the other characters' love stories!  At least I'm really hoping she will!  :D



My Rating:

-Overall : 10
-Plot : 8
-Writing : 8.5
-Characters : 8
-Cover : 9

BOOK REVIEW...[ARC] Fish Out of Water by Ros Baxter

Dirtwater's straight‐talking Deputy Sheriff Rania Aqualina has a lot on her plate: a nicotineaddiction that's a serious liability for a mermaid, a soldier‐of‐fortune ex who's hooked onher Mum's brownies, a gorgeous, naked stranger in her shower, and a mysterious deadblonde with a fish tattoo on Main Street.
Heading home to Aegira for a family wedding, Rania has a sinking feeling that's got nothingto do with hydroporting seven miles under the sea and everything to do with the crazysituation. Now, if she can just steal a corpse, get a crazy Aegiran priest off her case, work outwho the hell's trying to kill her, and stop sleeping with the fishes, she might be able tounravel the mysteries. And maybe even save her own ass while she's at it.
Publishing Date: April 1st, 2013

A couple of days ago I was granted this ARC courtesy from NetGallery [Harlequin Enterprises Australia;; Escape Publishing].  What initially caught my eye was the interesting title and the pretty book cover.  Plus too, I'm a sucker for anything that mentions the word "mermaid" in it. ;)

--------------------------

The first in a trilogy, "Fish Out of Water" revolves around a legend  centered around an underwater kingdom called Aegira which of course involves our main heroine.

The main character, Rania, is a crime fighting Deputy Sheriff  who's literally a "fish out of water."  Part deep sea mermaid, Rania lives not in the ocean BUT in the middle of a desert.  Go figure huh? 

When called back to Aegira [where "normal mermaid people" live], Rania finds herself now fighting crime and sorting order there as well.  Only problem is, someone wants her dead. Oh gee.

Rania is straighforward, snarky, and tends to dish out sexy-smart ass banters. Haha. :D

What annoyed me though was the writing and pace of the story.  The prologue definitely could use some work and the story itself could have been a little more faster paced BUT.....OVER ALL, the plot is very interesting and intriguing with a lot of potential for its future predecessors in its series.  I am very curious and excited as to the direction Ms. Baxter takes the next book in its series and highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an urban fantasy story involving mermaids like me. :)

My Rating:

-Overall : 8.5

-Plot : 8

-Writing : 8

-Characters :  8

-Cover :  9

COMING UP FOR ROS BAXTER: "Grounded"

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick and adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What happens when a mermaid princess hits the big smoke? 

Rania and her long lost BFF Princess Lecanora have one chance to save Aegira.

But it means the Princess has to leave the only home she's ever known to go to The Land.

Will she solve the millenia-old mystery and save her home?

Will she learn that even cold-blooded swimmers can find true passion?

Will she find out what's 

 really in a fillet o' fish?

-Taken from Ros Baxter's Website: http://www.rosbaxterink.com/hip-fantasy-stories.php

BOOK REVIEW...Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths #1) by K.A. Tucker

Title:  Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths #1)

Author:  K.A. Tucker
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Goodreads URL: HERE
Plot:  Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and he perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.

MY REVIEW:

"Hatred is good.Forgiveness is bad."

 

 One day while browsing NetGallery I came across this book and decided to take a look because the title and cover pic looked interesting. When I read the synopsis I still wasn't sure but BOY AM I GLAD I took a chance to request this book from Atria Books and read it for a review!!

This book is definitely a brilliant read! I am not familiar with K.A. Tucker's work but this book definitely came out of left field and took me by surprise. 

The character of Kacey Cleary is so tragic yet heartening. Being the only survivor from a car crash that took the lives of her parents, best friend, and boyfriend, Kacey takes her little sister under her wing and runs away to Miami after catching her uncle trying to molest her sister, Livie.

Kacey's an emotional mess and so I was quite concerned with how she was going to take care and provide for herself and Livie. HOWEVER, along the way of course, she meets Storm and her five year old daughter Mia AND her totally hot neighbor Trent and they make a new life for themselves.

This story to me brought up themes of healing, forgiveness, and ultimately for Kacey to let go of everything [her anger, her bitterness] and just LIVE.

"Ten Ten Breaths" was such an emotional read for me. I lost my brother in a tragic event [not car crash] so relating to that pain that Kacey hit home for me. I cried so much because of the similar thoughts and feelings of what she initially went through and how she deals with things.

TRUST ME when I say THIS IS A MUST READ!


My Rating:

-Overall : 10
-Plot : 8
-Writing : 8
-Characters : 8
-Cover : 9


Where to get your copy!:
Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: ARC Own the Wind (Chaos #1) by Kristen Ashley

Tabitha Allen has a not-so-secret crush on Parker "Shy" Cage. Shy thinks he knows the path Tabby's on and it isn't a good one. So he decides to teach her a lesson to lead her to the right path. 

Unfortunately, he was wrong and his actions wound Tabby, breaking her heart. It's Tabby who then teaches Shy a lesson about casting judgment and Shy Cage learns what it feels like to be invisible. But when tragedy strikes and Tabby's heart is broken again, Shy does what he can in the background to help. Trying to forget her heartbreak, Tabby finds herself in danger. To keep it secret from her biker family, the Chaos Motorcycle Club, she calls Shy to rescue her. But when she lets him back in, she gets much more than she bargained for.
Expected publication: April 2nd 2013 by Grand Central Publishing

This book is just what I have been waiting for to keep my mind temporarily off of the Walking Disaster book release countdown. :D

AND I WON'T LIE, before receiving the ARC of this book I had only read ONE of Kristen Ashley's books ever. So as for "Own the Wind," well, if I wasn't already a big Kristen Ashley fan well.... this book just won me over. I LOVED IT.


"As for why it’s you, I don’t know, I don’t care. It just is. It could be ’cause you’re gorgeous. It could be ’cause you’re funny. It could be ’cause I like the way you handled Pete when he lost his daughter. It could be ’cause you and me got Chaos in common, it’s us, it’s in our blood and this was meant to be. It could be ’cause I like the way you are with your family. It could be ’cause you get off on bein’ on the back of my bike almost as much as I get off straddling it. I figure it’s all that and more. I am not gonna analyze it. I’m gonna feel it ’cause I like it and that’s all there is to it.” Pg. 96

My Rating:

-Overall : 9
-Plot : 9
-Writing : 9
-Characters : 8
-Cover : 8

BOOK REVIEW...Naked (The Blackstone Affair, #1) && All In (The Blackstone Affair, #2) by Raine Miller

Title:  Naked (The Blackstone Affair #1)
Author:  Raine Miller
Publication Date: August 25th 2012 by Raine Miller Romance
Goodreads URL: HERE
Plot: Brynne Bennett is living the good life. An American art student at the University of London and part-time photographic model, she’s putting her life back on track with school and lots of hard work. When ultra successful London businessman, Ethan Blackstone, buys her nude portrait, he isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. He wants Brynne in his bed and makes plans to keep her there no matter what. His dominant nature captivates and ensnares despite the demons she carries inside her. But there are secrets in this relationship. Huge ones. Can Ethan free Brynne from the past that has marked her? Will Brynne let him or will the specters tormenting her resurface to destroy them both…

Title:  All In (The Blackstone Affair #2)
Author:  Raine Miller
Publication Date: November 9th 2012 by Raine Miller Romance
Goodreads URL: HERE
Plot: The second part in The Blackstone Affair series! Looming danger. A love worth fighting for. A man who’ll go all in.

Ethan Blackstone has a problem on his hands. He’s broken Brynne’s trust and she’s left him. He’s unwilling to live without her and isn’t giving up—he’s dead-set on getting his beautiful American girl back. The passion between them was explosive, but the secrets they hid from each other are dark and chilling and are powerful enough to destroy their shot at a life together. With political threats now directed at Brynne, Ethan is running out of time and he’ll need to gather all his strength and agility to protect her from the dangers that could take her away from him forever. Will Ethan be able to save Brynne from a past that keeps her locked in fear? Will he ever feel the warmth of her touch, the solidity of her trust again? This is a love-struck man who is willing to do whatever it takes to possess the heart of the woman he loves. He’ll go to any lengths to protect her. He’ll go all in.

Here is the fiery story of what happens when two people surrender to a love so great it can heal the scars of the past and give way to a life of pure, rapturous ecstasy.

MY REVIEW:

PROS:

Decent story line, okay pace, and likable characters.  Lots of steamy smutt sex and Ethan is a total babe/ sex god.

CONS:

Honestly speaking, I don't get why Ethan who was such a huge playboy pre-Brynne days, gets so hooked on her after just looking at a picture of her.  I mean, I've heard of a thing called "love at first sight" but COME ON. Seriously?! Ethan is so dominant and possessive of Brynne that sometimes I feel as if he's just flat obsessed and would be perfect as a part time stalker since that's how I feel he is to Brynne.  He suffocates her and doesn't let her have space for the most part.

Both characters have tragic pasts and it's interesting toward how it works out in the stories.  Especially when Brynne's past is revealed in book 2.

My Verdict:

I highly recommend if you like books like R.K. Lilley's Up in the Air Series, Jodi Ellen Malpas' This Man Series, and or even Arianne Richmonde's Pearl Trilogy!

I hope in book 3 I hope will reveal Ethan's past as we are only given glimpses of it in book 2. Should be an interesting read and I can't wait!

My Rating:

-Overall : 8
-Plot : 5
-Writing : 7
-Characters : 7
-Cover : 8



Where to get your copy!
Naked: Amazon
            Barnes and Noble

All In:  Amazon
           Barnes and Noble

COVER REVEAL FOR....Eyes Wide Open (The Blackstone Affair #3) by Raine Miller

The third part in The Blackstone Affair series: A love on the brink of being destroyed. The fight of a lifetime to keep it alive.

Big surprises are on the horizon for Ethan and Brynne as they struggle to adjust to what life has thrown at them. Demons from the past are threatening to destroy the passionate bond they’ve forged despite their vow that nothing will ever keep them apart. A truly devastating loss coupled with the promise of a new hope opens their eyes to what is most important, but is it possible for the lovers to move on from the painful histories that continue to haunt them? A stalker is still lurking in the shadows, plotting evil amidst the distraction of the 2012 Olympic games in London. Brynne and Ethan are on the cusp of losing everything as the stakes rise. Will they yield to circumstances beyond their control or will they give every ounce of fight they have left to save each other and win the ultimate prize of a life together?

Eyes Wide Open is a passion-wrought story that shows us what pure love can achieve when tested and what the heart can accomplish despite danger and adversity.

Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by Atria Books


SQUEE, I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS. :)

BOOK REVIEW: Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire

Title:  Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)
Author:  Jamie McGuire
Publication Date: May 26th 2011 by Jamie McGuire
Goodreads URL: HERE
Plot:  INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Normally I would weigh between the pros and the cons of this book but overall it's like the catchphrase says, "INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE." 

Abby and Travis' relationship is no walk in the park. Travis grows up in a single-parent household with four older brothers. He grows up to be a cocky and tumultuous playboy with tattoos to boot.

   

Abby, on the other hand, is the all around "good girl" running away from her trouble-reeking gambling father. Although reluctant to admit it, sparks fly when she meets Travis in an underground fight. 

I won't lie and say that I always agreed with the characters' motives and actions. Sometimes I found Travis extremely scary and obsessive. If he were my boyfriend in life I would run for the hills. 

 I also found Abby infuriating at times. I can understand why she's reluctant towards pursuing a relationship with Travis due to trust issues stemmed from her father. However, at the end of the day I wish she would have given him more credit. I mean, he fricken CHANGED HIS WAYS FOR HER that I didn't know whether to strangle or hug him at times. He treated her like she was his world, protecting her in anyway possible. 

When they FINALLY got together I squealed so loud that my dad looked at me as if I had 3 heads. lol. Travis and his "Pigeon" together is such a BeautifulDisaster. Literally. 

 It's like how Shepley pointed out to them:

   

 -Yep. I couldn't agree more. Travis + Abby is so dysfunctional at times but they make it functional. Do you get what I'm saying?

 OVERALL, I LOVELOVELOVED this book!! I'm desperate to read Walking Disaster but I'll be in Japan from March 27th to May 14th. Bummers to me.

  “I knew the second I met you that there was something about you I needed. Turns out it wasn’t something about you at all. It was just you.”

My rating:

 -Overall : 9
-Plot : 9
-Writing : 9
-Characters : 9
-Cover : 7


Where to get your copy!:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

What's Coming Up....Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

Expected publication: April 2nd 2013 by Atria Books

What's Coming Up... Fever (Breathless #2) by Maya Banks

Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.


Expected publication: April 2nd 2013 by Berkley

BOOK REVIEW: Rush (Breathless, #1) by Maya Banks

Gabe, Jace, and Ash: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Gabe, it’s making one particular fantasy come true with a woman who was forbidden fruit. Now she’s ripe for the picking...

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s fourteen years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires.

As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

RELEASED: February 5th 2013 by Berkley

My casting for Gabe Hamilton: 

My casting for Mia Crestwell: 

So basically the first book in the Breathless series tells the tale of hotel mogul Gabe Hamilton and his best friend's sister, Mia Crestwell.  

Gabe, along with his two best friends Jace and Ash, build and run a hotel empire that extends from the  US to overseas.  When Mia was a teenager, her and Jace lost their parents in a car accident, so Jace stepped up to the plate and played big bro and parent to her.  He and his two friends, Gabe and Ash, who he had met in college, and help take care of Mia like any 10+ older men would BUT there is an exception....Gabe.

Gabe has always had a secret fascination with Mia but never acted on his feelings because of the huge age difference between them [14 years to be exact].  The feeling is likewise as Mia, like Gabe, has also harbored feelings for the other but kept this to herself because she felt as if he was way out of her league. 

Anyways, your probably wondering what sparked the change in their relationship right?

Well, one magical evening, Mia shows up at a hotel opening night and Gabe immediately spots her.  Mia is now 24yrs old and ripe for the picking in Gabe's eyes so he finally decides to act on his feelings towards her BUT AT A PRICE.  Due to his past of being burned by women, Gabe wants Mia but on HIS TERMS. What ensues as a very intense and sexual relationship between the two turns out to become complicated when real feelings are forged while all done secretly under the noses of big bro Jace and friend Ash.  Can you say disaster waiting to happen?!

THE PROS:  Lots and lots of kinky sex!! Hehe. :D

THE CONS:  Reading this, I felt as if some of the parts were redundant and stale.  I mean how many times can you take a guy telling you "bend over" and not get bored or annoyed?!? Gabe was always dishing out orders, well sexual ones, and Mia always conceded each and every time!! She never once argued or rebuked him! :(

There was also no real plot or storyline other than 14 years her senior, industry mogul Gabe Hamilton, engages into a "forbidden fruit" relationship with his best friend's sister, Mia Crestwell.  Gabe, who has been sparred personally and in the media from the fall out of his marriage and her accusations of abuse, is literally a cold robot.  Though I do feel his inner turmoil, I still didn't get him at times.

My Rating:

-Overall : 8
-Plot : 7
-Writing : 8
-Characters : 8
-Cover : 3

BOOK REVIEW: Thrown by a Curve (Play by Play, #5) by Jaci Burton

Alicia and Garrett what can I say??!
Hmmm....Well, I LOVED THEM TOGETHER. They're chemistry is sizzling and their conversations are so real and funny [well, to me that is].

My Casting for Garrett:

My Casting for Alicia [but with darker hair]:

THE PRO'S:
-Out of all the Play by Play series, BOTH CHARACTERS were the most consistent and "in character" throughout the entire story.
-I personally loved Alicia's character because she's not weak and tells Garrett like it is. In essence, I guess it could be perceived as a Riley family trait since her cousin Jenna is the same way, -BUT I feel as if Alicia's storyline was the easiest to relate to and understand her motives.
She is after all, one of of the newbie sports medicine specialists, and is working to gain her worth since people tend to insinuate automatically that she got "shooed in" thanks to her baseball pro cousin Gavin and her sports affiliated family members.

THE CONS:
-At times, I didnt know if I wanted to straddle Garrett's neck or straddle him in general since he was such a pain the butt to Alicia when he resisted his treatment. But then again, it was kind of funny her always giving "you're not gonna get rid of me buddy whether you like me or not since im the key to helping YOU out" attitude. Very sassay and suave that Alicia Riley that one. ;)

-AND LASTLY, IT TOOK FOREVER FOR THEM TO HAVE SEX!! GRRR. NAH, lol. It's understandable though why it took that long since it would jeopardize both Alicia and Garrett's jobs/careers as there is a no fraternizing policy.


WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO:
-During the course of the story you will meet some of Garrett's friends from college. One of them is Gray which will have his own titled up as "One Sweet Ride" due in May 2013.
-It's funny cause all of Garrett's friends normally don't care for women coming to their "get togethers" but Garrett brings Alicia along and their instantly smitten with her. Especially Gray. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS NEXT BOOK. I soo want to beg for an ARC from the author but i know that would look bad. lol. Until then guys!! :)

My Rating:

-Overall : 9
-Plot : 9
-Writing : 9
-Characters : 9
-Cover : 9