eARC BOOK REVIEW...Ricardo (The Santini Brothers) by Marita A. Hansen

Title:  Ricardo (The Santini Brothers)  
Author:  Marita A. Hansen
Publication Date:  August 14th 2014

Plot:  On a Mediterranean Island run by mafia, the Santini brothers are fighting a war against the Landi family, who are targeting their loved ones. After his fiancée is murdered, Ricardo, the eldest of the brothers, starts spiraling out of control, his violent nature leading him down a path that could rip his family apart. But, when two women walk into his life...

His first love—Bianca D’Angelo

And an assassin from the Viper Sisterhood

...he finds himself pulled into a world of espionage, intrigue, and seduction, where he'll win his family's safety and the woman of his dreams—or lose everything.


*Ricardo is Alessandro Santini's oldest brother. Alessandro from My Masters' Nightmare will also get a book.

Book Genre: Dark Romance.
Each book in this series can be read as a standalone.

*There are NO love triangles in this book. This is Ricardo and Bianca's story.

☆✮ My Review ✮☆

☆ I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you SO MUCH hun!! ☆

#A stunning, intricate, action packed masterpiece filled with a wide array of entanglements from: secrets, lies, betrayal, revenge, deception, old and new foes and enemies; as well as love, power plays, seduction, and heart pounding decision making where one mistake could result in blood, loss, ruin, and even... an all out war!

My thoughts: As an entirety, the plot, story line, and characters were well crafted and thought out. There are some issues with cohesiveness and execution in certain significant turning points and character points, but overall, I thought everything to be fresh and to be out of the box compared to a lot of reads I’ve come across in a long time.

++But on a side note: And this is just PURELY a suggestion, but maybe it would have been better to have moved the characters and glossary to the back of the book? I don’t know. For me, it would have relieved the initial tension and anxiety I had when starting Ricardo because opening the beginning pages was extremely frightening and overwhelming. I mean, as a person who knows about 10 words of Italian and to get a crash course of it and 30+ people (from five different mafia families and their backgrounds) was a bit stupefying and mind boggling to say the least. ++

SO, WITH THAT SAID...

All in all, I do recommend this read to those who are looking for a dark mafia romance! But then again, since when are mafia reads ever light? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of being in a mafia or reading one of that particular genre in the first place? The build up angst and uncertainty of the situation is what sells it for me. I'm sure it does for you readers as well!

Be prepared for the first in a series guys!! Ricardo's coming to your e-readers August 14th, 2014!

My Rating:

-Overall : 8.75

-Plot : 8.75

-Writing : 8.5

-Characters : 8.75

-Cover : 8.75

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

SOME FACTS ABOUT ME:

NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: I'm a true blue Aucklander, born and bred in New Zealand. I tend to write about cultures I have connections to, such as Croatian and Maori. I would love to visit Croatia again as I have family there.

SPORTS: As a teen my favourite sports were karate, badmington, and running. I also did unarmed combat and played in a touch rugby team (my gym teacher made me do the last one!) Now, I stick to coaching soccer and running. I have completed two marathons, numerous half-marathons and one 30K run.

CAREER PATH: I started off as a Graphic Designer, then went to Auckland University, where I got a BA degree in Art History and Italian Studies and a post-graduate Honours degree in Art History. I worked in the Art History field, then became a full-time artist, doing commissions. I eventually lost all of my senses and gave it up to be a poor, starving writer, smh.

FAVOURITE FOODS: I'm vegetarian. I love pasta based foods, tofu, chocolate mousse and golden queen peaches.

BAD HABITS: I'm a major procrastinator that can't seem to earn money to save myself!

STATUS: Married to my high school sweetheart (which he hates me calling him). We have two kids.

Author's Links:

Website  | Goodreads | Facebook  | Twitter 

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Amazon US | Amazon UK  | Kobo | B & N

Blog Tour Stop (PROMO)!- Without Hesitation (Without, #3) by C.J. Azevedo

Title:  Without Hesitation (Without, #3)  
Author:  C.J. Azevedo
Publication Date:  

Plot:  At eleven years old, Macie James was certain she saw her prince standing in her kitchen with his rosy cheeks and cute smile. She was going to marry that boy, she had no doubt about it. As she became a teenager, it was that boy who taught her how to become a confident and sure woman. As the years went by and they grew up, he taught her how to love and to be loved.
Greyden Michaels was surprised when he fell for his best friend’s little sister. He wasn’t opposed to it and, even more surprising, neither was his best friend. When he was in college and her just in high school, he realized they were too young to be committed, he opted for friendship with her and together they decided their love was for the future.
When you hesitate, life happens. When life happens, your plans change. Macie wanted her fairy tale and Greyden was prepared to give it to her when unfortunate events changed his whole life, including his future with the UFC and, most devastatingly, with her. Macie made the decision to live her life, to move on without Greyden, especially once she met the man who wanted to marry her and give her the life he couldn’t. 
The problem with that was that Greyden had always seen her as his. Could he give her up completely for her supposed happiness or could he somehow manage to get his life in order to try and win her back, heart and soul?

☆✮ Excerpt ✮☆

“I can’t make you mine right now, Macie.” He sounded dejected.

“I know,” she whispered across his lips, this time pressing her mouth against his.

“I don’t trust anybody else with you,” he said as she deepened the kiss a little more, but he wasn’t letting her fully in.

She licked his top lip and a small groan came out against his wishes. “I know, Sugar Plum.” She kissed just his bottom lip; being the only participant in the kiss was becoming challenging.

Greyden laughed. “Noooo.” He gripped her face, stopping her ministrations. She scrunched up her nose at him. “Macie, remember our plans?”

She nodded. How could she forget? They had a future together, just not a present.

He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. “I promise to keep my mouth shut if you want to date, if you promise to date guys your own age and to be smart.”

Macie’s shoulders sagged in disappointment. That’s not where she was hoping he was going to go with that. “Grey, I don’t—”

“Butterfly,” he slides a finger to her lips effectively shushing her, “I wish I could be that guy for you right now, but I can’t. I know that others can’t either, but apparently you’re going to have to figure that one out on your own. That’s why I ask that you wait ‘til you’re eighteen for the major stuff. Because, Butterfly…God. Macie James, you’re not the girl guys screw around with. You’re the girl guys marry. You’re the girl I’m going to marry.”

Macie gasped in complete shock at his words. Stunned speechless. What does one say to that anyway?

Thankfully, she didn’t have to think too long. Greyden slid off the truck, coming in close contact along her body, not letting her back up. He leaned down, his lips hovering over hers momentarily, just barely brushing them before pressing the sweetest kiss to her hyper aware lips. His lips were soft and warm and Macie wanted to pull him even closer than he already was and open up to him, but that’s not the kind of kiss he was giving her. No, he was giving her a kiss of a promise, a promise of a future, of a friendship and of a love that will only bloom with time, that’s what this kiss was. It was kind of heartbreaking on her end. It may be what he wanted and needed right now, but he just told her he was going to marry her, yet she couldn’t really kiss him, or have him.

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B & N

 

Bailey Hayes has a past that is currently affecting her present. Ten years ago she made a decision that suited her at the time. Now because of that decision she finds herself extremely successful in her chosen career but extremely unhappy in a relationship she thought was her forever.

Bailey met, fell in love with and moved in with Hollister Harrison six short months after meeting him. Hollister's true colors shine through epically when he no longer has his personal space to contain them.

Talon McAllister loves his family, his family's marketing firm that he runs along side his sister and the game of hockey. He plays hard and works even harder but leaves no room for any one woman exclusively. That is until he meets the lovely and ultimately sexy Bailey.

Can Talon convince Bailey that her twisted sense of loyalty and commitment to her boyfriend is absolutely unnecessary and dangerous?

Will Bailey miss out on the greatest love she will ever know due to fear of repeating her past of quick decision making?Or will Talon show Bailey that she can live and love without boundaries?

               

 

Ava Sterling is tough and the most straight laced girl you will ever meet. Her family and her past have managed to alter her future permanently and she has no desire to allow anyone else into her life or her heart for fear of rejection or further altering. Ava is alone in the world with the exception of the grandest responsibility she did not create on her own but on her own she will carry for the rest of her life.

Declan James is a MMA fighter, party all night kind of guy. Responsibility is nowhere to be found in his life or so he allows everyone around him to believe. Coming from wealth and a carefree lifestyle, Declan gets what he wants, always. And what he wants is Ava. In his pursuit of getting what he wants, Ava in his bed, his plan changes quickly without his consent. Against his plans of being the next hot bachelor to cross the tabloids as he makes his way to being the Ultimate Light Heavyweight Champion, Declan falls in love. He falls in love without hesitation and without doubt.

Neither Declan nor Ava are aware that fate has inconveniently intertwined their lives forever. Will they be able to survive the aftermath of the truth?

               

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

A little about me... well, I'm a wife and mother and I have a ton of hobbies! Lots of things catch my interest, which drives my husband nuts! I love, LOVE! Romance is my thing, in any shape or form I can get it! I write contemporary Adult romance and will probably always stick to that genre. I hate angst, even putting my characters through it is a hard concept for me to grasp, I just want them to be happy!! Couple more things... I am about as claustrophobic as they come, I am terrified of mice, Football is like a foreign language to me, my favorite parts of the day are when my 4 yr old son wakes me up with a kiss every morning without fail and reading them their stories just before prayer time at bedtime! I have been with my husband for a million years and wouldn't trade him for the world! I have BIG plans for 2014 and cant wait to get it started!!

Author's Links:

Goodreads | Facebook  | Twitter

 

                       

Release Blitz + Review#!- Point of Redemption (Nordic Lords MC #2) by Stacey Lynn

Title:  Point of Redemption (Nordic Lords MC #2)  
Author:  Stacey Lynn
Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: July 30th 2014
Plot:   Lies. Heartbreak. Betrayal. 

No one knew the devastation of those three words more than Faith Winston and five years ago, she endured every one of them. All she wanted was to feel safe and marry the very man who promised to love her and protect her, Ryker Knight.

But growing up in the Nordic Lords Motorcycle Club, she should have known she couldn’t have a happy ending. Instead, her world became a nightmare. The bikers—her family—abandoned her, leaving her to crash without their safety net.

Ryker Knight has spent the last five years consumed with guilt, running from the ghosts that haunt him. That is until his past catches up with him the moment his brother needs his help. Returning home to Jasper Bay, he’s forced to face the same ghosts he was running from. Only to find that the woman he loved is trapped in a hell of her own, entrenched behind enemy lines —and it’s all his fault.

And even though Ryker’s life comes with priorities that he can’t – and won’t - turn his back on, he refuses to leave Jasper Bay until he’s found Faith. 
But will she want to return to the life she’s always wanted even if Ryker is no longer capable of giving her what he once promised?

☆✮ My Review ✮☆

☆I received an ARC from LBTS PR in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!☆

A guilt-ridden man running from his past.

 "I had fucked up. I had frozen and stood there while my dad bled out in front of me due to a bullet I had given him.”

And a woman who has never had a choice in her life.

"What I am, is a body that is bought and used for a man’s pleasure.  That’s all I’ll ever be.”

What happens when an old bond that once held them, reignites and they find themselves in the midst of the fight of their lives with secrets and lies surfacing, and devious betrayals and vows for blood now lie in their way to their happily ever after? How will they succumb? Will Ryker be able to save Faith and himself? And will they survive?

 "There’s nothing left to save, Ryker.”
  
"If you come back here again and if you believe Black Death will give you 
what they claim, people will end up dead…Do you really want more death – more 
blood – on your hands?”

My thoughts: As much as I wanted to love this read, I just couldn’t. It fell into the “meh” zone as a lot of the story either staggered or seemed redundant.

I literally felt like this most of the time waiting for the book to get a move on:

It just dragged for my taste and made me feel very disconnected and lethargic.

But, on the bright side though.... it did have a decent enough of plot line which answered all of the questions I wanted to know about Ryker and Faith so it did great in that aspect.

So all in all, an okay read that needed to speed up the ante and story line at times.

My Rating:

-Overall : 8

-Plot : 8

-Writing : 8

-Characters : 8

-Cover : 8

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

Amazon Bestselling Author of Just One Song and Just One Week, Don't Lie to Me, and Remembering Us. I am a wife, a mom, and a writer. I can often be found curled up on the couch with a good book, or obsessively eating Skittles in a very complicated and organized manner. No joke.

Author's Links:

Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Blog

 

☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆

(3) Signed Paperbacks – Point of Return & Point of Redemption US ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Point of Return (Nordic Lords MC, #1)




Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Goodreads

Blog Tour Stop (PROMO)!- Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Title:  Magnolia 
Author:  Kristi Cook
Publication Date:  August 5th 2014 by Simon & Schuster

Plot:  In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

☆✮ Favorite Quote ✮☆

“Love, hate. Such a fine line between the two, isn’t there?” 

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

As a child, Kristi Cook took her nose out of a book only long enough to take a ballet class (or five) each week. Not much has changed since then, except she’s added motherhood to the mix and enjoys penning her own novels as much as reading everybody else’s. A transplanted southern gal, Kristi lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

That’s the official version–here are some other fun facts:

~ As an undergrad, I majored in History and minored in English at the University of Southern Mississippi. While at Southern Miss, I was a member of Phi Mu sorority, and I was a Dixie Darling. And yep, Brett Favre was our quarterback at the time!

~ I studied American History in grad school at Columbia University. I *love* history, especially the Civil War era (U.S.) and Regency- and Edwardian-era British history.

~ My all-time favorite book *and* movie is GONE WITH THE WIND. My favorite literary characters are Rhett Butler, Atticus Finch, and Mr. Darcy. I kind of want to add Peeta Mellark to that list!

~Weirdly enough (or maybe not so weirdly?) I’m also a big fan of STAR TREK (the original series). I never can remember if I’m supposed to call myself a “Trekkie” or a “Trekker,” though!

Author's Links:

Website  | Goodreads | Facebook  | Twitter

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B & N

☆✮ Follow the Tour ✮☆

Follow the FFBC Magnolia Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆

a Rafflecopter giveaway