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17
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| 9780983972686
| B006DI6NI6
| 4.00
| 111
| Nov 01, 2011
| Nov 03, 2011
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really liked it
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I just LOVE when a book surprises me and blows all my expectations out of the water! This is a heart-warming story that stirs up a whole range of emot
I just LOVE when a book surprises me and blows all my expectations out of the water! This is a heart-warming story that stirs up a whole range of emotions in the reader, taking us on a immaculately planned journey of self-discovery and triumph over a painful past. It is an extremely sensual read which will undoubtedly please any romance addict. Rachel is a young woman whose one traumatic event from her past has prevented her from achieving any level of true intimacy with men. While she wishes nothing more than a family of her own - a loving husband and lots of babies - she is convinced that her apprehensiveness and fear of physical intimacy are something she would never overcome. Until Mac, her best friend’s newly-divorced brother, comes to town. Their attraction is instantaneous but fought at both ends. Mac’s failed marriage has left him with a bag full of bitterness and disappointment, and a whole lot of cheesy pickup lines that he relentlessly but unsuccessfully tries on women. “Hey, Sexy! Wanna get naked with me?” Their relationship starts as a friendly arrangement that helps both but gradually blossoms into much more. They end up in an unconventional friends-with-benefits-style situation, with growing feelings from both sides and a sexual attraction that is so scorchingly hot that I was afraid my e-reader was going to internally combust. But Rachel’s aversion to being touched intimately is one hurdle they do not seem to be able to overcome, regardless of the numerous hot lovin’ sessions they engage in. Mac is a patient and caring lover, he genuinely wants to help her fight her demons and give her the opportunity to have the future she dreams of, but he also realises that once she does, she won’t need him anymore. And yet, he never not once chooses his own gratification or manipulates her into staying with him, selflessly doing all he can to make her dreams become a reality. “The bag in his hands seemed far too light to hold the key to all Rachel's dreams. And what did it hold for him? The answer came quickly: the ability to give her everything she wanted. But it tasted like ashes in his mouth.” Rachel is stuck in a rut. Her painful past might have caused the damage but she consciously gave up on surmounting it. She convinced herself that she didn’t need love in her life in order to be happy, even though every cell of her body knew she was missing something. There are scenes in the book where she watches other couples and envies their happiness, or gets lost in the smell of a baby’s skin that so beautifully depict the vulnerability of this character, making us deeply invested in her fate. Mac is her catalyst - he is the first man in her life that makes her want to change, to unlock not only her body but also her heart. He represents everything she dreams of having and he never lets her stop fighting for it. His relentless attempts to find love again, his willingness to risk his emotions and his ego show the kind of courage that inspires Rachel to keep wanting to find her own happy ending. ‘If you don't do something soon, baby, life is going to pass you by. If you don't want me, that's fine, but dammit, want something! Find some guy who makes you feel alive. Whose kisses make you sizzle. Someone whose kids will run screaming through your life.” But Rachel’s inadequacies in the bedroom have not only deeply damaged her self-confidence with the opposite sex, they have also affected her self-esteem when dealing with her family. She is a woman torn between what she believes her family expects her to be, what she desperately wishes to be and what she believes she will always be - lacking. Her greatest fear is of her mother discovering how little Rachel measures up to her standards, or what she believes those standards are. Her fear of disappointing her mother forces her to detach herself from them physically, living far away from them, alone but safely distant from their scrutiny. “As Ruth reached inside, Rachel suddenly saw her mother's hands. They were roughened with the life she'd led, the vanities and luxuries she'd eschewed, the baking and child rearing she'd done for so many years. Before her sons had been old enough to take over those chores, she'd worked in the fields and the barn as need had demanded. Aged beyond her fifty-some years, her hands brought home the knowledge that, one day, those hands would be folded in death, with a force Rachel had never felt before. Her heart pinched as she wondered how she could waste the intervening years in Galveston when she could be there with her mother.” Where I expected a predictable plot and nothing more than a pleasant romance, I found a storyline so beautifully layered that I never knew what else I was in for. Where I hoped for a likeable heroine and a hot hero, I found flawlessly developed characters whose emotions took me on an unexpectedly bumpy but truly enjoyable ride. The writing style is almost too refined for this genre. Ms Quint’s attention to detail is refreshing - she thoroughly immerses the reader in her scenes, we can taste the food, hear the music, our skin tingles from the sexual chemistry between her characters. She leaves nothing to chance, making us very willing participants. Rachel is the damaged woman in all of us, the victim of her own fears and insecurities, bound by the chains of her own mind. This is a story that took me by surprise and stayed with me days after I finished it. [4.5 STARS] ~ N ♥ See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! Merged review: I just LOVE when a book surprises me and blows all my expectations out of the water! This is a heart-warming story that stirs up a whole range of emotions in the reader, taking us on a immaculately planned journey of self-discovery and triumph over a painful past. It is an extremely sensual read which will undoubtedly please any romance addict. Rachel is a young woman whose one traumatic event from her past has prevented her from achieving any level of true intimacy with men. While she wishes nothing more than a family of her own - a loving husband and lots of babies - she is convinced that her apprehensiveness and fear of physical intimacy are something she would never overcome. Until Mac, her best friend’s newly-divorced brother, comes to town. Their attraction is instantaneous but fought at both ends. Mac’s failed marriage has left him with a bag full of bitterness and disappointment, and a whole lot of cheesy pickup lines that he relentlessly but unsuccessfully tries on women. “Hey, Sexy! Wanna get naked with me?” Their relationship starts as a friendly arrangement that helps both but gradually blossoms into much more. They end up in an unconventional friends-with-benefits-style situation, with growing feelings from both sides and a sexual attraction that is so scorchingly hot that I was afraid my e-reader was going to internally combust. But Rachel’s aversion to being touched intimately is one hurdle they do not seem to be able to overcome, regardless of the numerous hot lovin’ sessions they engage in. Mac is a patient and caring lover, he genuinely wants to help her fight her demons and give her the opportunity to have the future she dreams of, but he also realises that once she does, she won’t need him anymore. And yet, he never not once chooses his own gratification or manipulates her into staying with him, selflessly doing all he can to make her dreams become a reality. “The bag in his hands seemed far too light to hold the key to all Rachel's dreams. And what did it hold for him? The answer came quickly: the ability to give her everything she wanted. But it tasted like ashes in his mouth.” Rachel is stuck in a rut. Her painful past might have caused the damage but she consciously gave up on surmounting it. She convinced herself that she didn’t need love in her life in order to be happy, even though every cell of her body knew she was missing something. There are scenes in the book where she watches other couples and envies their happiness, or gets lost in the smell of a baby’s skin that so beautifully depict the vulnerability of this character, making us deeply invested in her fate. Mac is her catalyst - he is the first man in her life that makes her want to change, to unlock not only her body but also her heart. He represents everything she dreams of having and he never lets her stop fighting for it. His relentless attempts to find love again, his willingness to risk his emotions and his ego show the kind of courage that inspires Rachel to keep wanting to find her own happy ending. ‘If you don't do something soon, baby, life is going to pass you by. If you don't want me, that's fine, but dammit, want something! Find some guy who makes you feel alive. Whose kisses make you sizzle. Someone whose kids will run screaming through your life.” But Rachel’s inadequacies in the bedroom have not only deeply damaged her self-confidence with the opposite sex, they have also affected her self-esteem when dealing with her family. She is a woman torn between what she believes her family expects her to be, what she desperately wishes to be and what she believes she will always be - lacking. Her greatest fear is of her mother discovering how little Rachel measures up to her standards, or what she believes those standards are. Her fear of disappointing her mother forces her to detach herself from them physically, living far away from them, alone but safely distant from their scrutiny. “As Ruth reached inside, Rachel suddenly saw her mother's hands. They were roughened with the life she'd led, the vanities and luxuries she'd eschewed, the baking and child rearing she'd done for so many years. Before her sons had been old enough to take over those chores, she'd worked in the fields and the barn as need had demanded. Aged beyond her fifty-some years, her hands brought home the knowledge that, one day, those hands would be folded in death, with a force Rachel had never felt before. Her heart pinched as she wondered how she could waste the intervening years in Galveston when she could be there with her mother.” Where I expected a predictable plot and nothing more than a pleasant romance, I found a storyline so beautifully layered that I never knew what else I was in for. Where I hoped for a likeable heroine and a hot hero, I found flawlessly developed characters whose emotions took me on an unexpectedly bumpy but truly enjoyable ride. The writing style is almost too refined for this genre. Ms Quint’s attention to detail is refreshing - she thoroughly immerses the reader in her scenes, we can taste the food, hear the music, our skin tingles from the sexual chemistry between her characters. She leaves nothing to chance, making us very willing participants. Rachel is the damaged woman in all of us, the victim of her own fears and insecurities, bound by the chains of her own mind. This is a story that took me by surprise and stayed with me days after I finished it. [4.5 STARS] ~ N ♥ See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Sep 29, 2012
not set
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Oct 06, 2012
not set
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Sep 13, 2024
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Paperback
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205
| 
| 1942356323
| B0142YLRUQ
| 4.05
| 7,419
| Oct 06, 2015
| Oct 06, 2015
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None
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Notes are private!
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0
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not set
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not set
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Sep 07, 2015
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Kindle Edition
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204
| 
| 1940941709
| 9781940941707
| B014UA70U8
| 4.07
| 31,025
| Sep 07, 2015
| Sep 07, 2015
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it was amazing
|
FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
He shuddered out my name, pressed himself fully inside, and waited for one long breath.FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED: He shuddered out my name, pressed himself fully inside, and waited for one long breath. With each new Alessandra Torre novel, I seem to fall more and more in love with this author’s extraordinary gift, and this book is no exception. A light-hearted, somewhat less intricate love story than her other works, this is a book that shows us that even when she sets to write “light and funny”, she does it with impeccable attention to detail, and the kind of flawless character development that could carry any storyline forward. This is a heart-warming tale of opposites attracting, of two people fighting their attraction to one another, only to fail at every turn, and of life proving true the old adage that when one door closes, another opens in its stead, just as long as we have the courage to walk through it. The story takes place in the sleepy little town of Quincy, Georgia, home to sixty-seven original Coca-Cola investors-turned-millionaires who have continued leading quiet, unpretentious lives, regardless of their heftier bank accounts. Life remains simple and predictable in Quincy, until a Hollywood superstar decides to shoot his next movie there, bringing attention to a town that has always valued peace and anonymity over the limelight. Summer Jenkins grew up in Quincy, but never in her twenty-nine years of life has she felt truly accepted by the small town she’s called home ever since she was a child. Shunned for a moment in time when she allowed her emotions to get the best of her, she now lives a quiet, humble life with her mother, with no ambitions or grand plans for the future, except leaving Quincy one day and starting a new life somewhere else, somewhere far away from the resentment, the whispers and the sideways looks that follow her everywhere she goes. “I wanted something different. I wanted to be someone different, someone without scorn, someone without a past. Someone with a future.” From the moment Summer hears about the upcoming movie production in Quincy, she becomes determined to turn it into her ticket out of town. She is willing to work any job, big or small, as long as it makes her enough money to put her on the road, never expecting that her feisty Southern belle charm is all that is needed. Especially when directed at a certain Hollywood superstar whose arrogance and uncouthness bring out the worst in her. “Kiss me like that again and I’ll rip your eyes from their sockets.” Cole Masten’s whirlwind acting career has made him a household name all around the globe, adored by fans wherever he goes and continually pestered by the paparazzi, his high profile marriage to a fellow actress only bringing his personal life even more into the public eye. But when his seemingly perfect life comes to a standstill as he suddenly finds himself facing a messy divorce, his salvation comes in the form of his next movie project, one he is passionate to see succeed. “It was natural for the girl to look at him, for her attention to divert from Cole, especially when he had asked her a question. But still. Three Oscars in his storage unit. Her gaze could have at least lingered.” His arrival in Quincy is marked by nothing more than some passing chatter, the townsfolk entirely indifferent to his celebrity status, and while at first she might have not shared the town’s lack of interest in finally meeting Cole Masden the actor, it only takes a few minutes spent in his presence for Summer to dislike him at first sight. And the more she gets to know him, the more her antipathy towards him grows. Their every encounter turns into a quarrel, Cole’s every word rubbing Summer the wrong way, unbeknownst to her that he continues to provoke her on purpose, her fiery, no-nonsense personality drawing him to her like a moth to a flame. “I thought then, my hand resting on the doorknob, looking out on the front porch that held two of the sexiest men I had ever seen, that there was something there, in him, something whole and raw and beautiful. Now, I know what I saw. I know what that something was. It was asshole, pure and simple. It was spoiled rotten—I get what I want because I deserve it, you are beneath me—asshole.” As their lives suddenly become temporarily intertwined, we get first row seats to one of the sexiest, most entertaining enemies-to-lovers scenarios I’ve ever come across, where the leading characters don’t know whether to kill one another or rip each other’s clothes off. Ms Torre keeps building the sexual tension between Cole and Summer scene after scene, to the point where our hands start shaking as we impatiently turn the pages in search of a climax. This tension never declines, never fizzles, never loses momentum, every fleeting touch between the characters buzzing with promise and only sweetening the anticipation. “There should be laws against men who could kiss like that. With a mouth that dominated yet begged. Tongue that teased yet delivered. Tastes that dipped into an addiction stream and hooked a woman after just the first hit.” It’s a story that focuses on setting the foundations for the emotional connection between the two main characters, not on instant gratification, to such a degree that once we reach the apex of the storyline, there is no doubt in our minds that these characters belong together. Overall, this story might lack that edgy, spicy tang that we have come to expect from Ms Torre, but her character development is no less thorough, no less compelling or seductive, and her prose is as polished as ever. The celebrity-falling-for-the-girl-next-door scenario is nothing we haven’t seen before, but this author’s take on it has her signature stamp all over it. She has given us a fearless, outspoken heroine who is in no way intimidated by the hero’s fame or riches, and a strong, dominant leading man whose self-awareness compels us to like him from the get-go, which coupled with Ms Torre’s vibrant writing style—and her ability to ‘reinvent’ it with each new project—has made this book an addictive delight start to finish. “I was raised to believe that ‘real men’ had manners, and weren’t picky, and didn’t wear aftershave that attracted mosquitoes.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1KKtH0H Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FkAsQt Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1KKtKtm iBooks: http://natbkj.me/1M8enL6 ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 03, 2015
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Sep 04, 2015
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Sep 03, 2015
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Kindle Edition
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202
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| 1514276968
| 9781514276969
| 1514276968
| 4.02
| 5,885
| Aug 01, 2015
| Aug 01, 2015
|
it was amazing
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FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
Who could I become beneath him? Whoa! This was quite possibly one of the kinkiest, filthiest, my most titillatin FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED: Who could I become beneath him? Whoa! This was quite possibly one of the kinkiest, filthiest, my most titillating reads of the year, and my skin is still burning from every single mind-blowing sex scene in it. A red-hot delight that occasionally even pushed me to the limits of my own comfort zone, this is a story intended to make our hearts race and our bodies ignite, and the very light BDSM tang to it only added to the overall allure of it all. If you're in the mood for a book that takes charge and never lets go…of your undivided attention, or you're simply looking for a kinky ‘bed warmer’, this book will make your toes curl cover to cover…and possibly even give you a few ideas. “I could be charming. My eyes were kind and my smile warm, or so I'd been told, and I played up the old southern accent I used to have when needed. I disarmed. No one suspected the wolf beneath my surface, and only a handful of people knew about him.” We met Joseph Monsato in the first two books in the series, as the owner of the ‘blindfold club’, a man who reeks of power and authority, and never lets his guard down. Even with an impressive portfolio of very successful establishments around the city, his favourite and his most profitable club remains his only illegal one—the high class brothel where men pay escorts to fulfil their dirtiest sexual fantasies. And while known for occasionally ‘sampling his own product’ by having casual, consensual sex with the women who work for him, those ‘scenes’ rarely do more than satisfy a physical need in him, never leaving him craving for more or unleashing a possessive streak in him. Until a bright-eyed, self-assured young woman walks into one of his clubs and catches his eye. And then hooks him deep by simply evading every single question he throws her way—so deep that he finds himself constantly thinking of her and hoping he’d see her again. “I watched men worship the naked bodies of beautiful women every Friday and Saturday night at my blindfold club, using their mouths, their hands, their cocks . . . but I'd become desensitized. The scenes on the security footage did little to arouse anymore. But this girl with the shocked expression? She started a burn inside me and brought me to life. Dangerous and thrilling.” At twenty-three, Noemi has always followed her family’s carefully laid plans for her future, and while she was raised to be sensible, cautious, poised, she craves the freedom to be herself—to speak out, instead of always biting her tongue, to become an assertive woman who is in control of her own fate, instead of allowing others to keep a tight rein on her, to accept the sexual woman inside her who confidently acknowledges her sexual desires, instead of being ashamed and even a little afraid of them. Her attraction to Joseph, a man fifteen years her senior, baffles her, scares her, makes her want to run the other way every time she is near him, and yet his dirty mouth and his brazen propositions are as irresistible to her as the air she breathes, to the point where they become all she thinks about, day and night. “Do you want to be bad?” I did, but twenty-three years of doing the right thing were hard to shrug off. Before they know it, they are deep under each other’s skin, nothing left of the ‘casual’ arrangement they’ve entered into, and each sexual encounter bringing them closer and closer to ridding themselves of the binds of their own minds and pasts. Joseph’s dominance and need for absolute control trigger a sexual awakening in Noemi, and under him, she becomes wild and uninhibited, and eventually more confident and outspoken in other aspects of her life. He makes her feel alive, free, powerful, while her devotion to him compels Joseph to question his own mantra of ‘nothing lasting forever’…until one last secret between them puts all they’ve worked hard to build between them to the test. “You’d be my submissive.” Even though I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of this very sexy read, I found myself wishing that one particular secondary storyline had been explored in greater depth, capitalising on the angsty emotions it could have stirred in readers, rather than being wrapped up quickly, and too easily, even though it represented the nail-biting climax we had been waiting for from the start. It did not affect my enjoyment of the story, however, just left me hungry for more in that regard. I've known for quite some time now that this author can write scorching sex like nobody’s business, and this book just proved that once more. But regardless of that very appealing fact, if you're looking for a tantalising read, a story of finding your perfect match in life who empowers you to be the person you were meant to be, and make you feel safe to believe in a ‘forever’, a story that stirs up the romantic in you and satisfies a need for kink, look no further. And you might even walk away from it like me, thinking that perhaps three is never a crowd…or four for that matter. I’d asked if she wanted me to ruin her, and she’d done it to me. [4.5 STARS} [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CRvG1d Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1TLCemd Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1MjO2uV ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jul 29, 2015
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Jul 30, 2015
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Paperback
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206
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| 1310744866
| 9781310744860
| 4.18
| 3,474
| Nov 19, 2015
| Nov 19, 2015
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it was amazing
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FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
“Sometimes the innocent ones are guilty only because the world didn’t give them a chance to stay innocent. Maybe I’FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED: “Sometimes the innocent ones are guilty only because the world didn’t give them a chance to stay innocent. Maybe I’m the one you should think about saving.” I rarely fall in love with an author’s writing after only reading one of their books, but some writers are that outstanding, some books are that unforgettable, and L.H. Cosway is most definitely that kind of author. We met them in passing in King of Hearts, but their story finally unfolds in this book—Karla and Lee are two people belonging to two very different worlds, but their attraction is immediate, absolute, and greater than the sum of all the reasons they should stay away from one another. A story of opposites attracting, of two hearts colliding and being incapable of letting go, against a backdrop of two worlds that could never co-exist, and of two realities that will forever stand at opposite sides of the abyss called life. From its compelling characters, to the competent prose that holds us rapt cover to cover, this is a book I could not put down, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a splendidly written tale of a love fighting to triumph against all odds. “I may not have been the strongest woman in the world, but I’d always prided myself on living my life by a firm set of principles. Then Lee came along and threw a bomb on my rules, reducing them to a pile of meaningless rubble.” Karla Sheehan is a young police constable trying to leave her mark in a male-dominated profession where her gender will always be her greatest weakness. Criticised and discouraged all her life for all she ever wanted to be, she is obstinate in her desire to prove her worth to herself and to all those who do not believe in her, but her greatest determination stems from a deep-seated need to help and protect those who cannot do it for themselves. Her clear-cut existence is thrown into a spin, however, when a cocky thug enters her life, set on seducing her. “If you come, I’ll make you come with my tongue, and I won’t expect anything in return.” Lee Cross has never had an easy life, forced to protect and put food on the table for his three brothers ever since he was a kid himself, and that life has taught him that in order to survive, he’d have to live by his own set of rules. Finding himself in a pickle with the law is something that Lee is all too familiar with, but finding himself having feelings for the very law enforcer whose duty is to dismantle his operations is nothing he could have ever prepared himself for. “You, me…us, it would never work, you know that, right?” As Karla and Lee fight their attraction as much as they keep succumbing to it, and as their worlds keep pulling them apart more and more each day, they are forced to question everything they stand for and everything they hold dearest in life. A romance between a policewoman and a criminal has disaster written all over it and for Karla and Lee, loving each other means finding themselves caught between a rock and a hard place time and time again. “…being with him made everything else in my life a lie, and yet, the idea of being without him made everything seem empty and grey.” Ms Cosway has made these characters’ inner struggle so real, so very palpable and poignant, that you cannot help but wish for them to find a common ground to build their happily-ever-after upon. The sexual tension between them literally sets the pages on fire—the perfect blend of scorching passion and heart-warming tenderness—but their journey to the finish line is never rushed, never forced, and never veers away from the very essence of these characters. The more they get to know one another, the clearer it becomes that their lives might have led them down two very different paths, but what is in their hearts makes them more alike than they ever expected. “…when I look at you, I see a little piece of myself, but braver. That’s why I like you.” I wished at times to have more insight into the hero’s character as well, to see some crucial scenes through his eyes and hear his thoughts too, finding myself inexplicably drawn to the many facets of his complex personality and curious to find out even more. It would have made this story even more compelling, made him less of a ‘bystander’ in some situations, in my opinion, and added even more angst to certain scenes. This did not affect my overall enjoyment of this wonderful tale, however, Karla and Lee being two characters you cannot help but love and cheer for from the very first page, and their every interaction made my skin tingle. This is such a wonderful addition to a truly exceptional series, exquisitely written and with storylines that are as varied as they are unique, and while this book can easily be read on its own, I would advise reading King of Hearts beforehand as these stories happen somewhat simultaneously and they complement greatly one another. “Give me a chance, and I’ll prove to you that everything you think you see is blurred by perception.” [4.5 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | iBooks ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Nov 15, 2015
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Jul 26, 2015
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ebook
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203
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| 4.13
| 15,785
| Aug 04, 2015
| Aug 04, 2015
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it was amazing
|
FULL 6-STAR REVIEW NOW POSTED:
“We are a question that hasn’t been answered yet, a hiding place that hasn’t been found yet, a battle that hFULL 6-STAR REVIEW NOW POSTED: “We are a question that hasn’t been answered yet, a hiding place that hasn’t been found yet, a battle that hasn’t been fought yet.” Holy cow! What a spectacular book this was! Gripping and unexpected, this story literally took my breath away, and I not only found myself reading until dawn, but also incapable of moving on and picking up another book for days to come. Within an exhilarating scenario that is as unique as it is astounding, I never expected to find so many surprises, so many twists and turns at every corner, and I felt like I was on a joyride of a lifetime. But fear not because I will not spoil any of it for you, as each small discovery, each staggering revelation, each ‘sucker punch’ in the story has made this one of the most riveting, compelling, and truly unforgettable reads of my life. Not to mention, one of the most divinely written ones too. “This was a murder-turned-into-abduction. This was a screwed-up moment of weakness. This was a personal, targeted attack against my father.” There is no slow introduction into the storyline, no gradual easing into it for the reader—the story takes off ‘mid race’, as we find the heroine with a gun pointed at her head, abducted and facing death at the hands of a man she doesn’t know. Skye Sedgewick has lived a privileged life since birth, her only living parent showering her with love and attention, and never making her want for anything. And yet, at the mercy of her captor, powerless and facing imminent death, her mind draws comfort from recalling a time when she was just a child, when the sound of her nanny’s lullaby could erase all hurts, when her childhood best friend’s intrepid heart made her feel safe and protected, and when all it took to put a smile on her face was a pink-frosted cake and a paper giraffe. But even those happy memories do little to dissolve the utter gloom of her reality—held hostage on a boat by a man who shows her no compassion or empathy, whose mind games and bouts of cruelty slowly strip her of all hope and dignity, while they sail towards an unknown destination and an uncertain fate for Skye. “I felt like all the bits that held me together were slowly coming unglued, falling off, piece by piece. I was disappearing, disintegrating like the rocks that get eaten by the sea.” But as their journey continues, an unexpected attachment forms between captor and captive, and the more Skye’s childhood memories keep returning and offsetting her harsh reality, the more of the truth behind her abduction is revealed. Until the past and the present suddenly collide and our heroine and her captor, Damian, find themselves torn between what has been and all that their hearts tell them should be. “There are no good guys or bad guys. Everyone has a reason.” And that is when this story takes off on an unforeseen adventure of soul-searching, friendship, redemption and survival, an adventure where love is the ultimate prize and the past is the bitterest foe. As Skye and Damian succumb to their feelings, recognising a love that was written in the stars for them, they soon realise that that very love is the only thing holding vengeance back by a thread, a thread that can snap at any moment, and take it all away from them in one sweep. “… there is no space too dark or too vast or too irredeemable that can’t be filled with love.” There is so much more I could tell you about this story as I find myself here bursting to talk about it, but I have to remain vague so that you can discover and truly appreciate every facet of this beautiful tale the same way as I did—slowly and without warning. I will tell you, though, that no amount of imagination could have prepared me for any jaw-dropping moment of this passionate, thrilling, at times even gritty story of two people who have come full circle in life, only to find themselves torn between all they have gained and all they have lost. “You can either choose love or you can choose hate, because where one lives, the other will die.” I feel no amount of praise will ever do a book of this calibre justice. With its exquisite prose, almost poetic at times, the phenomenally framed characters, vulnerable and strong at the same time, the passionate, turbulent love story that pulls on every one of our heartstrings like a fine concerto, the richness of a storyline that is never predictable and consistently enthralling, this is a book I wish I could make everyone read. Because books like these are few and far between, and are nothing less than life-changing. “It’s not over, you know, it never has been … you will always be my forever.” [6 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1U1xglr Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1SJevko Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1KsL3x7 ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Aug 2015
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Jun 26, 2015
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Kindle Edition
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198
| 
| B00WHGBTHI
| 3.59
| 163,526
| Jun 18, 2015
| Jun 29, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
“I was supposed to be a shepherd of the flock, not the wolf.” Taboo . . . the word alone gives me tingles. Put FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED: “I was supposed to be a shepherd of the flock, not the wolf.” Taboo . . . the word alone gives me tingles. Put it in a romance novel and you’ve got my attention. But give me a forbidden love story involving a priest sworn to celibacy, add some kink, throw some phenomenal writing into the mix, and I will push everything else aside in order to let my mind flutter like a hummingbird in the delicious illicitness of such a tale. And yet, this is not just a taboo romance. Every sentence in this story has been carefully and expertly crafted to give us not just a love story, but also the story of a man searching for his purpose in life, for his true life, for the life that fulfils both his faith as well as the carnal man he was born to be, and the end result is simply spectacular. If nothing in this scenario alarms you, offends you, scandalises you, I cannot urge you strongly enough to lay yourself at the altar of Father Bell and expect to be titillated. “One woman, no matter how hot, was not going to unravel everything I held sacred about the priesthood. She was not going to destroy everything I'd worked so hard to create.” In charge of a small town parish for the past three years, Father Bell is endlessly devoted to his parishioners and his faith, but the twenty-nine-year-old Tyler Anselm Bell has not always seen the Church as his calling, spending his youth recklessly and wantonly, until a family tragedy changed the course of his life and the clerical collar then offered his life purpose and solace. He spends his days helping his parishioners, supporting them, trying to improve their lives and leading them by example, but his quiet life comes to a standstill the moment a beguiling young woman enters his confessional and seduces his senses with her husky voice and her unexpected honesty. “Messy and passionate and raw and creative—a cyclone forced into an eggshell.” Poppy Danforth had her entire life paved before her, but she left it all behind in order to find true happiness. Even though she was raised to put riches and social standing before love and emotional fulfilment, Poppy always knew she could never be that kind of woman, her heart aching to be loved and to be owned unequivocally by another. She enters Father Bell’s confessional in hopes of finding absolution for the life she has lived, but she walks away with her mind consumed with a man she is not allowed to have, her body burning for him and her mind craving his. “When it comes to you, I'm rootless and helpless and at your mercy for sunshine and water. And I'm not even supposed to be yours.” As Poppy confesses her carnal sins to Father Bell, candidly and boldly, the young woman’s intelligence, vulnerability and alluring sexuality draw him to her like a moth to a flame. The attraction between them grows at a rate that neither of them can control or deny, each moment spent in each other’s company turning into an addiction that they both struggle with but are unable to give up. And then one confession changes it all, making them lose all semblance of self-restraint and give in to their dirtiest fantasies and desires. They begin a very physical affair that quickly obliterates all chances of them staying away from each other, their bodies connecting at an almost primal level, with abandon and unrestrained passion, and their hearts following suit. “This was something raw and real and undeniable and it was not going to go away.” But as we remain in the hero’s head all throughout the book, we become intimately acquainted with the inner turmoil raging inside him, with the very real spiritual struggle and the unrelenting guilt resulting from their affair. His faith, however, remains a constant in his life, giving him comfort when he finds himself in the throes of self-flagellation and regret, his trust in God and His plan for him appeasing his guilt and making him question his true calling. “Why would God bring Poppy here if I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her?” I find it absolutely remarkable how this author succeeded in making us perceive these characters’ every touch, their every word, their every forbidden act of ‘debauchery’—as dirty and as risqué as it gets—as something utterly sexy and irresistible to watch. Whenever Poppy and Father Bell share a scene, the air between them just about crackles with chemistry and sheer raw emotion. We are overcome by the intensity of the emotional ‘communion’ between them during their most intimate moments, blinding us to the severity that such careless abandon would carry in a real life setting, and making us cheer for a relationship that would most likely be reprehensible to us in reality. “My little lamb, you are so very, very wet right now.” I am almost ashamed to admit how much I actually enjoyed and truly liked this book…because I loved it. I loved the message it carries, I loved the characters and how perfectly imperfect they are, I loved the confident writing style that oscillates seamlessly between elegant, philosophical prose and explicit, steamy erotica, but I loved the unconventional nature of the love story the most, in all its illicit beauty. This is a story that will have you directing a fan towards you and keeping it there, but it is also a story that celebrates the courage it takes to follow one’s true path in life. This is taboo at its dirtiest and its absolute best and...did I tell you how much I liked this book…? “Whatever happens after this, I just want you to know that this was worth it. You were worth it. You were worth everything.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1endL7H Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1LflRwE Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1endP7D ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jun 22, 2015
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Jun 22, 2015
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Kindle Edition
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200
| 
| 1942444079
| 9781942444077
| 4.23
| 74,000
| Jul 28, 2015
| Jul 28, 2015
|
it was amazing
| “Jamie Canning was my first crush and my first love. But he was never mine to have.” Be still, my beating heart… It doesn’t happen every da “Jamie Canning was my first crush and my first love. But he was never mine to have.” Be still, my beating heart… It doesn’t happen every day that two authors you love decide to write a book together, so this collaboration had me bouncing off the walls from the moment I got word of it, but this story, this sexy, fun, enchanting story was all I hoped it would be, and so much more. A wonderful testament of both these authors’ extraordinary talents, this is a story that pulled me in from the very first page, the flawless prose as captivating as the charismatic characters in it, but it was its heart-warming quality and the sheer emotion driving this love story forward, not to mention the blazing chemistry between the two leading men, that owned me cover to cover. “I have the same damn weakness I’ve always had… My weakness is him.” Former best friends, fellow hockey prodigies, Wes and Jamie used to spend every summer together at hockey camp, until a naughty little bet blurred the lines of their friendship, resulting in four years of silence between them. Now in their early twenties, both of them hockey stars in their own right, they unexpectedly find themselves in the same place at the same time, and memories of some of the happiest moments in their young lives start flooding back, every single one of them tied to those summer camps spent as best friends. But only one of them really knows why their friendship ended so suddenly. “How do you apologize to someone for cutting them out of your life without so much as an explanation?” As the star player of his college team and with an NHL contract already in the bag, Ryan “Wes” Wesley’s future could not be any brighter, his only regret in life being the loss of his best friend, the only man he’s ever loved, the very reason he was eventually forced to face the truth about his sexuality. His love life now being nothing more than a string of commitment-free hook-ups, Wes enjoys his freedom and ability to focus solely on his hockey career, but seeing his former best friend again stirs up in him feelings he thought were long gone, feelings he’s always known would forever remain unrequited. And memories of a time when those weeks spent together each summer were all he would look forward to all year long. “My life has been chaotic for as long as I can remember, and I always dealt with it alone. My parents’ criticism, my confusion over my sexuality. But for six weeks every summer, I didn’t have to be alone. I had Jamie, my best friend, my rock.” Jamie Canning never understood why he had lost his best friend from one day to another, always suspecting that their last wager might have affected them differently, but never accepting in his heart that one night of drunken stupidity could have ended a six-year friendship. So when Wes unexpectedly makes contact with him again, Jamie’s heart offers no resistance, eager to have his friend back and desperate for answers. “Life is just a little brighter, a little louder wherever Wes is.” One last summer before their professional careers take off, one last summer camp as roommates, six weeks to relive old memories and make new ones together—Wes and Jamie might be hoping to rekindle an old friendship, but they end up uncovering much deeper feelings for one another, feelings that would change the course of their futures forever. As they explore each other’s bodies and their own hearts in the process, we watch two young men come to terms with a reality that neither of them ever thought possible, their desire for each other only eclipsed by their unwavering determination to put their friendship first. We watch a young man being finally able to express all he’s ever felt for his best friend after a decade of secretly longing for him, and another young man facing a side of himself he never knew was there, a side that equally confuses and excites him, but also a side of himself he refuses to deny—both their journeys being equally compelling and believable. “Was I hiding something from myself? Or was there nothing to suppress?” A love story that hooks you in with its simplicity and honesty, I fell in love with every moment of it. It’s a story of two friends becoming lovers, of two men falling for one another and being willing to change their lives in order to put each other first. It is not a story about the struggles of being gay, about coming out to the world or one’s battle with their own sexuality—the focus of the story remains on the irrevocable bond and the sexual attraction between these two men, and the courage it takes to put love first. The perfect blend of sweet and sexy, this tender romance was such a delightful read! “Loved you every summer since I was thirteen years old. Love you even more now.” [4.5 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1HuTfLX Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Gm8dQy Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1HuTk2c ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 11, 2015
|
Jul 18, 2015
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Jun 09, 2015
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
199
| 
| 0990490440
| 9780990490449
| B0105CVJWU
| 4.00
| 18,702
| Jun 28, 2015
| Jun 29, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
“He was sharp lines, hard edges, subtle lips, and inviting eyes. Every detail blended into an alluring combinationFULL REVIEW NOW POSTED: “He was sharp lines, hard edges, subtle lips, and inviting eyes. Every detail blended into an alluring combination, one that called to me like a bad habit.” There are some authors who never fail to make me feel happy while reading their books and R.S. Grey is one of those authors, as I’ve come to rely on her distinctive sense of humour and ability to pen sexy, light-hearted romances that make me swoon though fits of giggles time and time again, not to mention that she writes sexual tension like a boss. This story was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. Once I started reading it, I pretty much gobbled it down in a single sitting, glued to the pages and the feel-good vibe of the story, and I still catch myself smiling every time I think of these characters. A delightful, fun read start to finish that I recommend wholeheartedly. “First, I needed a joke to break the tension between us. Why’d the chicken cross the hard body of Julian Lefray? Josephine Keller is twenty-three and broke. She left her small home town in Texas and moved to New York City to pursue her dream of working in the fashion industry, but her hopes and dreams slowly start withering as she struggles to find a job, thus facing the very real possibility of having to give up her ambitions and return home defeated, proving all those who did not believe in her right. A chance encounter at a Fashion Gala, however, proves to be the very opportunity she’s been hoping for, resulting in a job she desperately wanted, if only her new boss weren’t also one of the best looking men she’s ever laid eyes on. “He didn’t even know the effect those dimples had on my girly parts. One word: Ijustgotpregnant. Yeah, that’s one word.” Julian Lefray might come from money, heir to his family’s old-money fortune, but he’s worked hard to build his own wealth, loving the independence it gave him from his family’s tight strings. He loves power and responsibility, but finds no personal fulfilment in the monotony of the corporate world, craving for a challenge. And that very challenge comes in the form of a curvaceous brunette begging him for a job, a job she would be perfect for, if only he could keep his hands off her. “Josephine was quickly becoming my favorite fantasy.” As they commence their working relationship, their mutual attraction is at the forefront of both their minds, but the more they get to know one another, the more that attraction grows into something they cannot ignore. They fight it, pretend it is not there, but their every thought is consumed by that attraction and the feelings they fail to hide at every turn. “The continuous tease of having to be around him the last few weeks had built up the desire in my veins. Each day the passion had built with no outlet for escape.” Now, you might think this is just another repeat of the well-knows scenario of girl-falling-for-her-wealthy-boss, but everything about this story feels fresh and unique. We are given a modern Cinderella-style setup where the “Prince” could very well ride in on his white horse, sweep the heroine off her feet and thus save the day, but this heroine is no helpless damsel in distress. She is proud and independent, and most importantly, determined to pave her own way in life, at the cost of her own heart if needed. Even at her lowest point, she never loses her drive, bravely forging ahead, and eventually “saving” herself. “A weaker woman would have thrown herself at him a long time ago. Me? I had goals. Goals that didn’t include seducing Julian Lefray, my one and only friend in New York City.” A charming love story, heart-warming and engaging—there is truly nothing I did not love about it. I loved the quirky characters and the sexual tension between them, I loved the humour with which this author never fails to paint even the bluest of situations, I loved the depth of emotion driving this story forward, but I loved its positive outlook on life the most, never showing life as anything less than a glass half full. “Do you always carry a t-ball in your pants?” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1H93Uil Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1dZqPiR Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1SD9Ge3 ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jun 25, 2015
|
May 18, 2015
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ebook
| |||||||||||||
195
| 
| unknown
| 3.98
| 1,491
| May 05, 2015
| May 07, 2015
|
it was amazing
| “Spencer Ryan is not a man you fall in love with. He’s a man who can rock your world for as long as you can resist the urge to stab him. And w “Spencer Ryan is not a man you fall in love with. He’s a man who can rock your world for as long as you can resist the urge to stab him. And when the urge finally gets too much, you walk away before you get yourself a criminal record.” When half of our lives seem to be spent interacting with others online, it comes as no surprise that there would eventually come a book about a modern-day romance stemming from social media. But do not be mistaken, this is not your mother’s kind of romance novel—there is no knight in shining armour in this story who professes his undying love to a helpless heroine minutes before they ride off into the sunset. This hero is no gentleman—he flirts, teases and peacocks around, his gigantic ego only overshadowed by the mouth-watering ‘selfies’ of his flawless body that he shares unashamedly with his horde of female followers worshipping his every move. And his heroine is no damsel in distress, her only weakness being her attraction to this exasperating but utterly persuasive ‘anti-hero’, their chemistry setting the pages on fire, and their sexy banter making us feel like voyeurs in this playful, engaging, funny but sexy-as-hell ‘enemies-to-lovers’ romance with a twist—because these characters remain ‘enemies’ until the very end, and their romance never really becomes very romantic…ish. “Marriage is a fate worse than death as far as I can see. No woman is getting her claws in me anytime soon. But if she’s wearing those heels on the wedding night, I could think of worse ways to go.” Spencer Ryan is a self-made social media personality, his self-absorbed and flirtatious posts gaining him thousands of female followers to feed his ego and fill his free time. But no one really manages to grab his undivided attention until a mysterious girl with a pair of killer heels as her profile picture starts toying with him online, the cut and thrust of their daily banter being the very thing Spencer loves the most in a woman. Her sexy shoes coming in a close second. “It’s just a shame you’re not the full package, isn’t it?” His ‘Shoegirl’, however, just so happens not to be a random follower at all. Jasmine ‘Jazz’ Parker is a young woman stuck in the rut of her own fear of change. But when forced to quit a job she always hated anyway, she is presented with the perfect opportunity to finally take a leap and give her dream of owning her own business a chance. With her entire life at a crossroad, she escapes into the harmless fantasy of a man who shows no signs of self-doubt, a man who makes her feel sexy and desired, a man who distracts her from her own reality with his light-hearted teasing and blatant flirting…until fantasy and reality unexpectedly overlap, crushing her fantasy into smithereens. “I’ve never pretended to be anything I’m not.” With only one of them aware of their online friendship too, they begin a very sexy game of cat and mouse, where their undeniable attraction ends their every encounter with them against a wall… or a mirror…or a kitchen counter…or in a shower together…but their animosity towards each other only seems to worsen as their attraction grows, feeding the spiteful hashtags exchanged between them online as much as the passion that makes them unable to keep their hands off one another. “This girl is amazing though; curvy, beautiful and she hates me. The deadliest of combinations… If she wasn’t such a bitch, she’d be in big trouble.” They play, they fight, they screw each other’s brains out every chance they get leaving no surface safe to their sexy romps, but there is a fine line between love and hate, and eventually there is nothing left of it apart from a whole lot of unspoken feelings and old demons making them fearful of opening their hearts to one another. “I thought you were better than this, Spencer.” I so loved this racy ‘enemies-with-benefits’ story, and once I started reading it, there was no way I could put it down. Spencer and Jazz’s unconventional brand of romance pulls you in with its witty, mischievous charm, irresistible from the get-go, and refreshing in all its flaws until the very end. “@TheSpencerRyan: I took a hot shower this morning. It’s like a regular shower, but it had me in it.” [4.5 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1P1q75y Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Eakl7b Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1P1q61H ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Apr 16, 2015
|
Apr 18, 2015
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Apr 08, 2015
| ||||||||||||||||
196
| 
| 0698403878
| 9780698403871
| 0698403878
| 4.18
| 36,873
| Apr 21, 2015
| Apr 21, 2015
|
it was amazing
| “Would it have been better if I had never left? Would you still love me if I kept living a lie?” Ah, the sweet sorrow of seeing one of your “Would it have been better if I had never left? Would you still love me if I kept living a lie?” Ah, the sweet sorrow of seeing one of your most beloved series come to an end! I have to admit, I was a late comer to the Fall Away ‘party’, having discovered this phenomenal group of characters only very recently, but from the moment I dove into their world, I have been utterly bewitched. It all began with Jared and Tate’s tumultuous teenage romance, and in this stunning conclusion to the series, we revisit these characters and watch them fight once again for their happily-ever-after. It’s the kind of scenario no fan of this series really wanted to ever see happening, but every aspect of this story was just as it should be, true to the characters and their personal journeys, thus cementing my love for this author’s consistently perfecting writing style and her uplifting brand of storytelling. “I love you. I love you so goddamn much. I just…I just need time, some space, to figure out who I am and what I want.” At twenty years of age, Tate and Jared have their whole lives ahead of them. They have grown up together, overcome their worse fears while finding their ways to one another, and ultimately discovered the kind of love that defines them, shapes their every decision in life. But somewhere along the way, Jared lost himself. Torn between what he believes is expected of him and what his free-spirited nature calls him to do, he makes the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the woman he loves more than life itself, hoping that by making the right changes in his future and thus finding himself in the process, he’d give Tate the man she deserves to have at her side. “I hate feeling like I’m a lost puzzle piece. Where the hell did I fit?” Two years go by, two years of heartbreak on both sides and endless longing, and when they meet again, they are no longer the kids they once were. They are stronger, more confident in themselves, finally certain of what they want out of life, but their love has not changed at all, regardless of all the resentment obstructing their path towards each other. Having channelled all her anger and pain into her passion for racing cars, Tate is no longer the hesitant little girl who once allowed a bully to make her life miserable—she now thrives in situations that used to intimidate her, drive her to tears, and having to now face each day the man who broke her heart and left her behind only draws out even more the tenacious fighter in her. “The players might be the same, Jared, but the game has changed.” But this is not a story of heartbreak, as heartbreaking as Jared and Tate’s separation is to witness. This is the story of two halves of a whole finding their way to one another, of having enough self-awareness to see where their life was inevitably heading and enough courage to make the necessary changes. There is no pointless angst or superfluous drama aimed at putting these characters through the wringer and back. Every aspect of this story is character-driven, their inner battles just as crucial to the development of the story as their occasional confrontations, and we feel their pain, their uncertainty, their desire, their anger, their hope, and their determination. We feel it all and our hearts rejoice in every little dagger that is aimed their way, every heart-clench, every moment of skin-tingling emotion that makes this story so addictive and impossible to put down. “I left so I could be a man for you. So I could come back to you.” This story, quite simply, makes sense. It adds a wonderful new layer to a tale that, in hindsight, would have felt incomplete without it, showing us that sometimes one needs to lose their beacon in order to learn to navigate through life as a complete person, without crutches or lifelines, and that no amount of time or distance can erase true love. While in their first book we heard only Tate’s voice, and in the second one only Jared’s, in this book, we hear both, never losing our connection to both these characters and the insight into the emotions driving their every action. Everything about them is different this time around—their maturity levels, their levelheadedness, their willingness to fight for one another—making this chapter in their beautiful story only even more compelling and appreciated. “I’m a better man, but there’s never been a better woman for me. There’s never been anyone like you.” But this is not only Tate and Jared’s grand finale—we get to see again all the other couples as well, as their fates remain forever closely intertwined, leaving us with the goofiest grins on our faces. A spectacular ending, a much needed closure, a series that only kept getting better and better, becoming one of the finest examples of the New Adult genre. “Everything else may change, but never the way I love you.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! mazon US: http://amzn.to/1yv8Rxd Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1JZLuyr Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1xIiSWn ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Apr 17, 2015
|
Apr 19, 2015
|
Jan 07, 2015
|
ebook
| |||||||||||||
201
| 
| B00OQSF90S
| 3.88
| 22,551
| Jul 28, 2015
| Jul 28, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
FULL 6-STAR REVIEW NOW POSTED:
“You’re the love of my life, whether you’re with me or not.” I have the biggest book hangover ever. I am FULL 6-STAR REVIEW NOW POSTED: “You’re the love of my life, whether you’re with me or not.” I have the biggest book hangover ever. I am literally struggling to find things to occupy my mind with just so I wouldn’t go back to re-read this fabulous, oh-so addictive, sinfully moreish book, because at the end of the day, no matter how many times I flip those last few pages, no new ones are going to appear. The first instalment in The Bourbon Kings saga, this is the devastatingly compelling story of a very prestigious Southern family from Kentucky—the Bradfords—and it follows the four Bradford siblings and all the scandals and heartbreak entailed upon them by being born into such wealth and privilege. The best way I can describe the feeling of reading a book such as this would be to say that if Dynasty and Downton Abbey had a baby, this would be it! I am telling you, this book will ruin you, break you, steal your breath away so many times, you'll be breathing into a paper bag by the end of it, and once you recover, you’ll be begging for more more more!! “I was almost over you, Lane. I was getting my breath back, my life back.” While the story as a whole is comprised of a number of intertwined subplots as we get to hear several distinct voices belonging to each Bradford son or daughter, as well as their romantic interests, this book in a way belongs to the youngest Bradford child—Jonathan “Lane” Tulane Baldwine—and the woman he lost two years before but never got over—Lizzie King. Lane has been wasting his life away for two long years, hiding from the world in New York City and spending his days either drinking or playing poker, but the ill health of the only quasi-parent he’s ever loved suddenly brings the prodigal son back home, to a house he never wanted to see again, forcing him to face the woman he cannot stop thinking about. “The one man she never wanted to see again . . . was going to come home.” Lizzie has been working at the Bradford Family Estate for ten years, working her way up to become one of their most valuable employees. Independent, diligent, proud of her hard work and determined to make it on her own in life—nothing prepares her for the return of the youngest Bradford son, her body betraying her from the moment they lay eyes on each other again, but two years of separation have not even dimmed her heartbreak or the sting of his betrayal. Lane, however, is a changed man, unwilling to let the love of his life slip through his fingers once again, and prepared to do whatever it takes to convince her to trust him again. “I’m prepared to be a very patient man when it comes to you. I will seduce you for however long it takes—give you space if you need it or follow you tight as sunshine on your shoulder if you’ll let me. I lost my chance with you once, Lizzie King—that is not going to happen again.” Lane is not the only Bradford we get to fall in love with in this book, his sister Gin’s and older brother Edward’s storylines being even more captivating and intense at times. Virginia “Gin” Baldwine, is a woman who lost her self-respect a long time ago, a woman who feels deeply and hates herself for all her downfalls, and yet for all those around her she maintains an air of pride, perfection, superiority, and complete emotional detachment. Spoiled by a lifetime of depraved luxury and blessed with good genes, Gin is used to getting her way in everything, especially the men she sleeps with, but ever since she was a teenager, she has loved one man and one man alone—the only man she can never have. For almost two decades, she has played a torturous and unhealthy cat-and-mouse game with Samuel Theodore Lodge III—Samuel T. to his friends—a successful attorney and old family friend, always one-upping each other with their sexual conquests while maintaining a very casual friends-with-benefits arrangement between them. But when two very headstrong people play a cruel game with each other for too long, they eventually end up forgetting why they started playing it in the first place, possibly losing the only chance they get at finding their happily-ever-after. “To sacrifice her body at the altar of money? Fine. She would do what she had to.” And then there is Edward Baldwine, the eldest son and heir apparent to the Bradford ‘throne’, a man whose broken body coupled with a lifetime of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father have forced him to leave his old life behind, and become a recluse who spends his days training horses and his nights drowning himself in self-pity and alcohol. But even as a shadow of his old self, his heart continues to ache for Sutton Smythe, the daughter of the Bradfords’ biggest competitor and Edward’s best friend since childhood, a woman he never claimed when he had a chance to but secretly loved all his life. “You must know that I fell in love with you a long time ago. You must know it. How could you not? I’ve been following you around for years— is that why you hate me?” While he fall head over heels with each Bradford sibling and the people they are destined to love forever, we also see them facing one common problem, a monumental setback that would change all their lives collectively and would require them to either join forces...or watch reality as they know it disappear in a puff of smoke. A sinfully addictive telenovela-esque collection of jaw-dropping twists and turns, secrets and lies, set against a very enthralling backdrop of Southern wealth and privilege, I never wanted this book to end. Ever. I loved all the main characters, felt heartbroken over all their storylines, and cannot wait to see where the series takes us. In the meantime, I’ll be the one rocking in a corner, begging the universe to make the wait for the next book as short as possible. “This is . . . your time, Lane. God has provided you with a sacred duty to keep this family together. You are the only one who can do it. This is all falling into place because it is your destiny to bind the blood once again. It happens every couple of generations. It’s happening now. This is your time.” [6 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1wFXeke Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1wd1Yhc Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/13co6xq ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 26, 2015
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Jul 27, 2015
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Oct 31, 2014
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Kindle Edition
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192
| 
| 4.04
| 12,886
| Oct 25, 2014
| Nov 07, 2014
|
really liked it
| “He must be a kicker when he slept…or maybe he slept spread eagle. In the nude. With whipped cream.” There is nothing quite like a book tha “He must be a kicker when he slept…or maybe he slept spread eagle. In the nude. With whipped cream.” There is nothing quite like a book that makes you smile so many times your jaw literally starts hurting! I went into this story somewhat blindly, drawn to the ‘opposites attracting’ type of scenario, but I never expected to become so easily captivated by the characters, or that the mere thought of them even a week after finishing this book would still be putting a smile on my face. An upbeat, utterly delightful read, the perfect balance of light-hearted comedy and sizzling romance, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a delicious escape from the mundanity of everyday life. “Oh good, apparently when you have sex with Brooklyn Heart, you leave with a fruit basket. What a lovely experience.” To millions of her fans worldwide, pop princess Brooklyn Heart appears to have it all—money, fame, a successful music career—but apart from a sister she adores and would do anything for, and a whole team of people in charge of every aspect of her professional life, Brooklyn is alone in the world. Orphaned at a young age and left in charge of raising her younger sister on her own, she has never had the time or inclination to pursue long-term relationships with the opposite sex, a string of meaningless hook-ups being all she can account for in her personal life. Good looking and self-assured, Brooklyn has never had a shortage of interested parties, but she secretly keeps hoping for more than just a one night stand. With an occasional earth-shattering orgasm on the side. “Have you ever had sex with a Brazilian underwear model and thought, ‘Seriously, I thought this would be better’?” When forced by her record label to co-write and perform a duet with one of the most reclusive musicians of the day, the sexy and very talented folk singer Jason Monroe, the last thing Brooklyn expects is to find herself a few days later on a ranch in Montana, far away from the glitz and glamour of the big city, at the mercy of the very man who does not hide his very obvious disdain of her. Or the stereotype he believes she represents. “Wow. You are probably the assholiest person I’ve ever met.” So, what starts as a daily battle of wills, with snarky exchanges between a man who sees himself exclusively as a solo act, and a woman determined to change his opinion of her, very slowly moves into the warmer waters of friendship and ultimately romance, the gradual progression of their relationship setting the pace of the very song they are trying to write together. The more time they spend in each other’s company, the more their opinion of one another changes, their mutual attraction only adding spice to the mix. But while their hearts might be aching for more, sex with no strings attached could be all their bodies are willing to offer to one another, especially when old skeletons come out to stir the pot and manage to rattle an already shaky relationship. “We were over from the start… You never said you’d give your heart…” A truly heart-warming and satisfying read, even though I did not connect with some of the comedy at times and would have loved an even deeper insight into the characters themselves, this is a book that I loved reading and this author’s engaging prose will definitely make me come back for more. “Jason Monroe was getting buried where I kept all my other cravings: deep, deep, deep down below. Right next to mint chocolate chip ice cream.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/116H3B1 Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ErOnFp Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1ykehXr ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Nov 03, 2014
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Oct 20, 2014
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ebook
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191
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| B00OM34YE4
| 4.11
| 8,056
| Oct 13, 2014
| Nov 03, 2014
|
it was amazing
| “Do you know what it’s like to not be able to change something?” How do you even beginning reviewing a book that left you utterly speechles “Do you know what it’s like to not be able to change something?” How do you even beginning reviewing a book that left you utterly speechless? This fascinating, astonishing, gripping story completely mesmerised me, stealing my mind away from the very first sentence and bewitching it with a reality that kept me questioning everything in it. Including my own mind. Unlike anything I have ever read before—from its atmospheric setting and the level of detail in every single scene, to the meticulous pace and unexpected points of view—this phenomenal book quite literally consumed me cover to cover. I felt mentally ‘stranded’ at the end of it, unable to return to normal life and stop thinking about all that unfolded, and you know what? I absolutely adored every mind-wrecking moment of it. “…it should’ve been me in the first place. Finn is a better person than I am… Finn really is better. He’s funny and witty and smart, and his soul is as gentle as they come. He’s the one who deserved to be healthy. Not me. I’m the snarky, sarcastic one.” Calla Price is an eighteen-year-old girl from a small coastal town, whose unusual childhood of being raised in a funeral home has made her the target of constant mockery and ostracism by other kids of her age. But nothing in her young life has touched her as deeply and as permanently as growing up with a twin brother whose mental disorder has forced her to act as his protector ever since he first started hearing violent voices in his head as a small child. She has often felt unworthy of her own mental stability, wishing it had been her born ill rather than her kind, beloved brother—the brother who has always run to her to quiet the demons in his head and seek comfort from her—but she has embraced her role as his guardian with no regrets, putting his wellbeing before anything and anyone else. “I’m the one he comes to when he’s afraid.” But it is her mother’s sudden death that changes Calla’s life forever, leaving the family under a heavy cloud of grief, disconnected and adrift, and leaving Calla drowning in her own heartache and guilt for the hand she believes she played in that tragedy. Facing her last summer at home before she goes to college, Calla’s life sees its first ray of hope when she meets Dair, a handsome but mysterious young traveller, whose mere presence in her life starts awakening something in Calla that she’s never felt before—optimism. However, the more time she spends with Dair and the more happiness she feels while in his company, the more her guilt grows. And that guilt is only exacerbated by the evident deterioration of Finn’s mental state. By hearing her brother’s voice as well, we see the true extent of his illness, we get to witness it firsthand, and it is a frightening sight. But we also see his unconditional love for his sister and his inner struggle to stay as sane as he can be for her sake. And we see the way her growing closeness to Dair affects him, how much he needs things to stay the same, and how guilty he feels for feeling that way. Dare, however, is not just a handsome Englishman who gallops in and steals Calla from the reality of her own life—his own secrets weigh heavily upon him, affecting his every interaction with her, and setting the pace for the way their relationship develops. “You’re going to be the death of me.” A slow building, carefully plotted scenario, a psychological thriller of sorts, which then culminates in a jaw-dropping finale which sends our minds racing in a million different directions. I am not sure a review could ever truly capture the mood of this book, the unique way it plays with our minds, because every single word in it serves a multitude of purposes, manipulating our thoughts being just one of them. I was so totally immersed in it all that I felt every icy raindrop, every chilly breeze, every lazy sea wave. I absolutely adored this story and even though it leaves us in a happy-for-now place, I am already hungry for more. But also very happy to wait a little while I put my poor heart back together stitch by stitch… “You make me feel guilty… Because you make me forget that I’m sad.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1t0zQOh Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/11Kdpl0 Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1pnD5Jo ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 19, 2014
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Oct 23, 2014
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Oct 19, 2014
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Kindle Edition
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197
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| 145553322X
| 9781455533220
| 145553322X
| 4.43
| 26,692
| Jun 30, 2015
| Jun 30, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED:
“Jesus, you do it for me.” I always say it—there’s nothing like a Kristen Ashle FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED: “Jesus, you do it for me.” I always say it—there’s nothing like a Kristen Ashley book, my heart skipping a beat at the mere act of turning that very first page, but a love story set within the realm of the Chaos Motorcycle Club is a reading experience like no other, a thrill ride that leaves our hearts blazing in its wake from the sheer emotion present in every single word. A story of second chances in life, of two people who find all they’ve ever dreamed of having in each other, but also a story of families, of people who might not share the same blood but who would do anything for one another—this is in many ways the ‘quintessential’ Kristen Ashley novel, her unmistakable style and tone of storytelling present in every word, letter, and comma, and yet there was something quite unique about this story, and its powerful message of never losing hope, and the true meaning of family. I’ve loved every book in this series, but I lost my heart to Joker and Carissa’s story, and no amount of re-reading would give it back. “It’s you. It’s always been you. It’ll always be you. F*ckin’ always.” Carson “Joker” Steele’s childhood was not an easy one, raised in an abusive home by a drunken single father, but he eventually found his path in life by becoming a patched member of the Chaos Motorcycle Club, a brotherhood of men whose unbreakable bond and loyalty make them family. And even though he worked hard at leaving his painful past behind and only forging forward, he never forgot those who showed him kindness when his life had been a living nightmare, cherishing in particular the memory of a beautiful cheerleader who was never his but whose smile could light up even the darkest of his days. “One day, Carson Steele, you’re going to be a magnificent man… And one day, you’ll see past what you’ve been taught and you’ll believe it too.” All Carissa Teodoro ever wanted in life was a family of her own, to be a good wife and a great mother, and while she once believed she could have it all, her life steadily moving in that direction since her high school days, she finds herself divorced in her twenties, with a baby, no friends, no family, no money, a dead-end job, and her self-confidence in smithereens. The only bright light in her otherwise glum life is her little baby boy, a child she would do anything for, and whose happiness and wellbeing remain her only objectives in life. “I hadn’t been about me. Not for a long time. Maybe never. I had been coasting in life for so long. I actually didn’t know who me was.” When Carissa finds herself stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is a man from her past who never knew all that she had felt for him before he up and left. And although Joker’s feelings for her have not changed in the eight years since he last saw her, he is now convinced more than ever that a woman like Carissa deserves a better man than him, so he fights her pull at every turn, prepared to protect her and her child, but unwilling to claim her as his own. “She doesn’t need dark. She never shoulda had it and she’s had a lifetime of it. What I got in me gets loose, it’ll engulf her.” As Carissa’s troubles only intensify, Carson finds himself falling even more in love with the young mother whose selflessness and determination never waver, never lose focus, and eventually giving himself permission to do so too. Her honesty and compassion start melting his frosty disposition, revealing a man who has waited all his life to love unconditionally, and to become someone important to a woman like Carissa. They fill each other’s lives with the kind of happiness they both dreamed of finding in life, supporting one another and feeling something they had long forgotten how to feel—hope. “It was always you. Only you. I was into you back then, Carissa, in a big fuckin’ way. And that hasn’t changed.” But as their past and present start colliding, Joker and Carissa’s bond is put to the test, showing us how unfaltering true love can be and how much the support of those we love the most can empower a person to cope with any curveball life throws our way. Against her trademark backdrop of charismatic secondary characters we already know and love, Kristen Ashley has given us another ‘badass’ alpha male who wastes little time to claim his leading lady, and a ‘kickass’ heroine who might have always dreamt of a knight in shining armour riding in to save the day, but whose strength and resilience make her pick herself up and then fight never to be brought down again. This was the kind of story that I had a hard time letting go of, certain scenes replaying in my mind over and over again, and filling me with an overwhelming sense of hope and positivity. It’s a story that tells us never to throw in the towel in life, to keep fighting for happiness, and when we find it, to never let go of it. A true Kristen Ashley classic, perfect beginning to end. “I’ve loved her since high school, man. She means everything to me. You gotta drag her down, that’ll suck, but I’ll pick her back up. You gotta rip her apart, I’ll f*ckin’ hate watchin’ it, but I’ll put her back together. Do what you gotta do to make you feel like you got the bigger dick. But know this, in the end, it’s gonna be her and me.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CHIQtK Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1FVj34K Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/15hgBWA ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Jun 11, 2024
Nov 12, 2022
Jun 2015
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Jun 12, 2024
Nov 12, 2022
Jun 04, 2015
|
Oct 08, 2014
|
Mass Market Paperback
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193
| 
| B00PKSZ78M
| 4.34
| 36,995
| Nov 18, 2014
| Nov 27, 2014
|
it was amazing
| “If I were to paint you, I would use every color.” You know you’re going to experience a myriad of emotions just by opening an Amy Harmon b “If I were to paint you, I would use every color.” You know you’re going to experience a myriad of emotions just by opening an Amy Harmon book, having personally welcomed many a sunrise curled up in bed sobbing like a baby while not getting a wink of sleep, simply unable to put her beautiful words down. But nothing could have prepared me for the sheer exquisiteness of this story, and for the marvellous characters Ms Harmon has once again gifted us with. Every part of this book surprised me, thrilled me, made my heart burst at the seams, and the biggest gift I’m going to give you, my fellow readers, is by not telling you what this story is really all about. “This is the story of love with no end . . . though it took me a while to get there.” We meet Georgia Shepherd at the tender age of seventeen—a simple girl from a small country town, a tomboy, a loving daughter. Georgia’s love of horses and her unique talent at taming them have always meant that her future would never be uncertain, but Georgia’s rather sheltered small town upbringing has also made her hungry to leave home for a while, seek the unknown and experience freedom for the first time in her life. Yet everything changes when a young man with an unusual life story moves into the house next door. “… when Moses came to Levan, he was like water—cold, deep, unpredictable, and, like the pond up the canyon, dangerous, because you could never see what was beneath the surface.” Moses Wright was born a ‘crack baby’, and found abandoned in a laundry basket when he was only a few hours old. Moses has always been different from other little boys of his age, his unusual looks only overshadowed by his peculiar behaviour, his unpredictable temperament and his determination not to let anyone get close to him. Constantly tossed from one relative to another, never wanted by any, repeatedly dismissed as a ‘messed up kid’ who could not be fixed, his life never became easy. However, everything changes for Moses the day his great-grandmother decides to take him in on a permanent basis, despite being advised against it by her entire family, her love for him making her confident she could pull him out of his self-imposed solitude. But Moses is not an ordinary young man. He holds a secret that has shaped his entire existence, every human contact, everything he sees around him, and that very secret has made him afraid of loving anyone in his life. His incredible but highly unusual art is a visual representation of everything he keeps to himself, his only escape from the images he cannot hide from. “If you don’t love, then nobody gets hurt. It’s easy to leave. It’s easy to lose. It’s easy to let go.” The last thing Moses expects to find in life is someone like Georgia Shepherd. She is open, unpretentious and her every failed attempt at making Moses warm up to her and let her be his friend only seem to make her even more determined to sneak through the cracks of Moses’ brooding disposition. Georgia is the kind of girl who loves freely, generously, and her pride never gets in the way of her honesty, regardless of how many times he rejects her or mistreats her with harsh words. She speaks without thinking, says everything and anything that is on her mind, gives her heart unreservedly, and eventually, a bit of Georgia’s light manages to shine through the dark cracks that Moses so desperately tries to hide. “She was a small town girl with a simple way of speaking and thinking, a frank way of being that turned me on and turned me off at the same time. I wanted to run from her. But at the same time, I spent all my time thinking about her.” As their budding romance progresses very slowly, and Georgia grows more and more attached to Moses, heart-shattering loss strikes this young man’s life again, and his future suddenly changes forever. When faced with returning to a place that only holds sorrow for him or taking off to never return to that place again, Moses decides to flee, leaving behind a heartbroken girl whose only sin was loving him without restraint. “I’m a very ordinary girl, Moses. I know that I am. And I always will be. I can’t paint. I don’t know who Vermeer is, or Manet for that matter. But if you think ordinary can be beautiful, that gives me hope. And maybe sometime you’ll think about me when you need an escape from the hurt in your head.” Seven years later, their paths suddenly cross again, but neither of them are the same as they once were. Life has changed them both deeply, taken away their innocence and altered their perception of what they once shared. However, some loves never fade, some loves survive all hurt, and some loves never stop reminding you of everything you should be grateful for. “Georgia’s eyes, Georgia’s hair, Georgia’s mouth, Georgia’s love, Georgia’s long, long legs.” As always, there is a subtle but very powerful message woven into every word, every single heart-warming scene. By letting us hear both the main characters’ voices, we are given the opportunity to bond with them equally, to understand them, empathise with them, share their hopes. Moses’ ‘secret’ is a crucial part of the story itself, an angle I never expected to find or adore so much, and because of the way it astonished me, I wish for you to uncover it on your own too. This is a book about gratitude, about never forgetting that there is always something to be thankful for in life, even in the grimmest of moments, and that it is never too late to seize happiness and never let go of it again. It’s a story that does not shield us in any way from soul-crushing heartbreak, a few scenes being so intensely distressing that I could not breathe from the sheer heaviness of them, but the beauty of the moments of joy we are given throughout this book is what we walk away with, smiling through our tears and babbling our own ‘five greats’ to ourselves. There are no words that would ever do justice to a story like this one. Ms Harmon has once again given us an inspiring tale to cherish forever, a story written so elegantly, at times even poetically, that breathes itself into our hearts and, hopefully, even leaves a small part of itself behind. An absolute delight to read, as always. “If you would just let me in, if you would just love me back, we could have a beautiful life.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1qHfyDY Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1xDrjRP Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1yEfI3c ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Nov 17, 2014
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Nov 23, 2014
|
Sep 29, 2014
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Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
188
| 
| 1426899149
| 9781426899140
| B00KV5ZEZA
| 3.52
| 99
| Oct 20, 2014
| Oct 20, 2014
|
liked it
|
None
|
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
|
Sep 24, 2014
|
Sep 24, 2014
|
Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||
187
| 
| 4.30
| 18,085
| Oct 04, 2014
| Oct 05, 2014
|
it was amazing
| “I’ll be waiting for you, by a spring. Come find me, I’ll be there.” I rarely ache for a book. I might be curious about a story to the poin “I’ll be waiting for you, by a spring. Come find me, I’ll be there.” I rarely ache for a book. I might be curious about a story to the point of completely pausing reality and forgetting everything around me, but it doesn’t happen very often that my heart needs it, craves it, wants it so much that I cannot enjoy another in its stead. Becoming Calder pushed me out of my comfort zone by immersing me into a world that I like to pretend it doesn’t exist, and it made me fall in love with two of the most amiable, kind hearted characters I have ever come across. It made me see the world through different eyes, aware of how much of my own life I tend to take for granted, but it also left me utterly desperate for the sequel, willing to beg, steal and bribe for a mere peek at it. In this heart-stopping conclusion to a most extraordinary tale, after unthinkable loss and sorrow, we finally see life balancing itself out to make up for all that it has taken. While the first part of this story celebrated human resilience and our innate capacity to find love even under the direst of circumstances, in the second part, we get to see what happens to the human spirit once it is set free—free to grow at last, free to flourish, free to spread its wings, and free to love without restraint. “Anything you want. If it exists in this world, it’s yours.” The tragedy that our young heroine survived has changed her, made her afraid of the world around her, but all it takes is one random act of kindness from a complete stranger to give her hope and a reason to go on. Eden might have walked out of Acadia physically unscathed, but her heart is shattered. Her love for Calder is the only thing she knows, the only thing she has ever known, and it is still the only thing she clings onto. Now truly alone in the world, Eden has to find the strength to be her own person, to decide for herself what she wants to believe in, who she wants to be. But even when life finally offers her what she has always craved to have, the constant void inside her never stops reminding her of all that she has lost. “I was still loved. I belonged to someone again.” And yet, this is not a story about loss. This is a story about new beginnings, about the type of love that conquers all, about the endurance of the human spirit and its ability to heal itself even when weighed down by memories of a harrowing past. In a feat of sheer brilliance, we are also given the kind of story that tells us that there are two sides to every coin, showing us that the human spirit can sometimes break from mere powerlessness and despair. This is a story that challenges the assumptions we make about people, about their lives and their motivations, and it shows us that every demon has its own demons keeping it awake at night. “I swear to you, my beautiful, sweet love, everyone deserves a love story that doesn’t hurt.” There are so many moments in these two books that ripped my heart right out of my chest, made me forget how to breathe, but there is an unwavering current of hope and positivity driving this story forward, and it is that very message that we take away from it in the end—life can change a person, steer them off course, make them lose their way, but it is one’s heart that is the true measure of a person, each one of us deciding what defines us in the end. These characters are perfect examples of the kind of beauty that can come out of darkness, their strength and determination showing us that no matter how many times you strike down a wildflower, try to exterminate it or hinder its growth, it somehow always finds a way to live and bloom. Every facet of this inspiring tale left me breathless, astonished, overwhelmed and overflowing with emotions, and I believe a tiny part of it will forever live inside me, reminding me to appreciate even the smallest moments of beauty in life. And one day when I grow old and wrinkly, the mere thought of a morning glory will still make my heart smile. “As pretty as a flower . . . as strong as a weed.” [6 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/ZI5Ydn Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1s1uNM2 Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1uojX3o ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 20, 2014
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Sep 22, 2014
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Sep 18, 2014
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184
| 
| 3.94
| 59,511
| Sep 07, 2014
| Sep 07, 2014
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it was amazing
| “I’ve just experienced the hottest, most erotic, life-changing sex of my life, and I don’t think I’m going to get a repeat. Tonight was obviou “I’ve just experienced the hottest, most erotic, life-changing sex of my life, and I don’t think I’m going to get a repeat. Tonight was obviously an ill-advised hook up for her. And I’m so screwed because it was the best thing that has ever happened to me.” I think I’m too old for college-themed stories. Or at least I like to tell myself that I am. The truth is that they rarely have the emotional complexity and substance that I now, as someone who is no longer of college age, seek in my reads. I do love some trademark elements present in this genre of books—the hesitation of the characters when faced with the inevitable transition from early adulthood to full-grown maturity, their struggle to accept the future before them, and the people they are becoming—but stories like these often do not have the multilayered character development that I, personally, need in order to connect with those characters and to immerse myself fully into their journey. However, once in a while, a book comes along that proves me wrong by showing me that, when flawlessly written, any story, regardless of its main themes or the age of its characters, can pull you in and blow your socks off. This is one of those books. Nothing about this story is predictable, everything is just perfect, and apart from being phenomenally written, it is one of the most refreshing and surprisingly touching tales I have come across. Do yourself a favour and allow this book to rock your world, because mine is still shaking from the aftershocks of reading something truly awesome. “I loved being one of thousands, not one of a hundred. Because I could start fresh, be myself without being told that being myself wasn’t good enough.” Anna Jones is the girl no one sees. After years of social isolation in high school where she was made to feel inadequate, ugly, unworthy of attention, she might have blossomed into an attractive, seemingly confident young woman, but the scars from having survived such a childhood still run deep and make her apprehensive of people’s eyes on her. She also grew up watching her unlucky-at-love mother getting her heart broken time after time by men who came and went, vowing never to allow herself to become that vulnerable or let a man become her all. Her new college life has given her a fresh start in life, far away from the misguided reputation she painfully carried all throughout her younger years, and apart from her two best friends, she fiercely guards her anonymity. “No one knew the old me. I was no longer that weird loner who everyone assumed was smoking up before class.” Drew Baylor is the popular jock, the football superstar that everyone wants to know or be, but under his perfect exterior hides a lonely young man, the untimely death of his parents having left him alone in the world and craving a true connection with someone. When the voluptuous redhead sitting next to him in class catches his eye, one look at her leaves him utterly breathless. She leaves him tongue-tied and uncertain of himself, but with every word they exchange, he knows he wants to know her more. “I want her. The whole prickly-mouthed, sweetly curved, irresistible package.” What starts as an irresistible boy-pursues-girl scenario, quickly turns into a sizzling friends-with-benefits arrangement between them, initially simply a casual ‘hook up’ of sorts to appease their bodies, but before they know it, those moments spent in each other’s arms, selflessly giving their bodies to one another and sharing secrets, are their happiest moments on any given day. Unfortunately, their willingness to embrace that happiness differs from the very beginning—while Drew sees what his life would be with someone like Anna in it and wishes to capture it forever, Anna remains emotionally distant, her growing need and feelings for him overwhelming her and making her want to run in the other direction. “I’m not worth it. I want to shout it to him. I’m not worth his pain. He has the world in his palm. He doesn’t need the burden of me.” Anna’s reluctance to let Drew in, to give herself permission to love him and entertain the idea of them as a couple, stands in stark contrast to Drew’s ever-growing fondness for the woman who refuses to be seen in public with him. He gives her space, time, bends backwards to make her as comfortable as possible with their little arrangement, but he secretly craves for more. He craves to claim her and let everyone know that she is his. “Life has more color, more flavor, and heat in the few hours I’m with Anna, than I’ve experienced in all the years I’ve partied… With Anna, I feel like I’ve landed right where I want to be.” This story might appear predictable at this point, cliché in a way from this deceivingly simple storyline, but it is the unique character development, the precious opportunity we are given as readers to hear both our characters’ inner voices, their innermost fears and doubts, that make this story so different. Our heroine is a young woman who is so terrified of being judged by others by living in the limelight with Drew, that she would rather break her own heart than come out of the shadows in which she hides. She cannot help but feel the disapproving eyes of everyone around them, watching them, wondering what Drew sees in someone like her, and that awareness cripples her. “It’s happening already. The disbelief. The questioning. Why would Baylor pick me?” This might have started as a captivating little college romance, but it became quite clear to me from very early on that this book did not follow any given formula. This story is incredibly multi-layered, so flawlessly written that I found myself re-reading passages just so that I would fully absorb the beauty of the prose, and it moved me deeply. The inherent vulnerability of both these characters, the powerful connection they share, the way they express with their bodies what they won’t or can’t in words, their humbling self-awareness—this story had everything that makes a true must-read for me, and then some. Ms Callihan has also given us a rare type of hero in a young man like Drew Baylor—he is unafraid to express his feelings, to become emotionally exposed before the woman he loves, and his kind of love is awe-inspiring. As much as I loved and understood the heroine, Drew was definitely the highlight of the book for me. I never expected to like a story like this, but some books are written so well, you cannot help but break away from your own preconceptions. A superb read. “Don’t you understand? I felt like an impostor. I kept waiting for you to realize that you’d got it wrong. That I was the girl you were never supposed to see.” [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1rvaxO9 Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1lRbUul Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1oYXT8F ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 06, 2014
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Sep 08, 2014
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Sep 06, 2014
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ebook
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186
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| 1502446936
| 9781502446930
| 1502446936
| 4.03
| 71,214
| Sep 23, 2014
| Sep 23, 2014
|
it was amazing
| “You were the best thing that ever happened to me. I hope someday I can say you were one of the best, but for now, it’s only you.” You know “You were the best thing that ever happened to me. I hope someday I can say you were one of the best, but for now, it’s only you.” You know those books that pull you in like a riptide, taking over all your senses and making you completely oblivious to the fact that there is a real life outside those pages waiting for you to live it? Well, this is one of those books. From the moment I read the title, something inside me started screaming, I want, the mere idea of a forbidden romance of this type making my skin tingle. However, nothing about this story is what I expected to find, and everything about it has been a wonderful surprise—from the confident prose, to the dynamic characters, this is a love story that I immersed myself into fully and wholeheartedly, and loved every single minute of it. “Physically, he was my dream and in every other way, my nightmare.” We meet Greta and Elec as teenagers on the very day they first meet, when Elec comes to live temporarily with his estranged dad and his new family. Even though they have technically been stepsiblings for a few years at that stage, they are complete strangers to one another, and while we see Greta looking forward to getting to know her new stepbrother, from the first moment Elec enters his new home, he does so with an air of disapproval and rebellion. And his main target seems to be the very person who is most enthusiastic about his arrival—Greta. The more young Greta tries to make him feel welcome in his new home, the more scorn and rejection she suffers at the hands of her new stepbrother. And yet, she never gives up, her innate kind-heartedness successfully bringing down Elec’s defensive walls, one brick at a time. “The meaner he was to me, the more I wanted to make him like me.” Elec is a contradiction at first. Smug, defiant, even apathetic at times, he is the kind of teenager you want to dislike. And yet his every cantankerous and hurtful action indicates a deeper, more serious cause at the root of it all. We see snippets of his problematic relationship with his father, leaving us suspecting that everything about Elec’s negative attitude is a protective shield, and nothing about him is as he wishes the world around him to think. He is complicated, difficult to warm up to, but his faults make him a truly three-dimensional character in our eyes. “… nothing felt worse than when you stopped looking at me, Greta.” Greta is his antithesis—innocent and somewhat naïve, she is the kind of girl who feels freely, openly, unreservedly because that is the way she has been loved all her life, and she is also the kind of heroine we cannot help but love from the start. As much as she fights it, her body’s reaction to Elec and his bad-boy appearance is something she is unable to hide, leaving her open to his mockery and fickle behaviour. He irks her, winds her up, embarrasses her, but she remains incapable of controlling his effect on her. “Holy hell… his tip was pierced. What a way to be introduced to my first live one.” As Greta’s quiet persistence eventually pays off and they start building a shaky friendship, her growing protectiveness and unwavering kindness towards him become the foundations of his first true human connection. But the closer they get, the harder it becomes to fight their mutual attraction, and they keep slipping, failing at every turn, their bodies desperately craving one another, while their hearts ache to connect on a deeper level. One night in each other’s arms, however, is all they get, one night of uninhibited passion, indulging their every secret fantasy and heart’s desire, and then it all suddenly ends. They part ways. And they don’t see each other again for seven long years during which Greta’s heartbreak never subsides. “I’d rather have one night with you than nothing at all.” When life finally forces their paths to cross again, they are no longer the same people they once were. Greta has grown into a confident, strong young woman whose heart might have never recovered from losing the only man she has ever truly loved, but she has moved on from her heartbreak, adjusted, learned to live with it. Seeing Elec after all those years, and given the tragic circumstances of their unexpected meeting, brings a lot of her childhood insecurities to the surface, one look at him alone reminding her of what they once shared and everything she has desperately tried to forget over the years. But she remains strong, bottling up her feelings the best she can. “He was hers. I was his. It. Was. F*cked. Up.” And this is where this story turns from heartbreakingly angsty to outright agonising. Greta’s silent pain from seeing that Elec has moved on with his life and perhaps never shared the same feelings as hers is as acute as it is compelling. Hearing her every thought, seeing her every vulnerability being tested, watching her heart break before our eyes all over again is something that made every protective bone in my body come to life. I was enraged, inconsolable, almost hysterical in my reactions to Greta’s inner turmoil, her every emotion becoming my own. “The “one that got away” was supposed to stay away, not come back and leave you all over again.” But, as it happens so often in life, there is another side to every story. And this story is no exception. Ms Ward stuns us into silence with a unique twist, a rare chance to hear what we were only left speculating about, and what we get to discover went beyond my wildest dreams. I adored that aspect of the story, even when I felt it was given in too much detail and could have been offered to the reader in broader strokes with fewer repetitions. It added so much colour to the story, so many extra layers for us to ponder upon, making Greta and Elec two well-rounded, almost real characters popping out from these pages. This is a story that made me feel beginning to end—from heartbroken to hot and bothered, from angry to utterly elated—and it was one of those reading experiences that only got better the more time I spent analysing the characters. I most certainly did not expect to find this many layers in a story of this type, but every last one of them has left me gobsmacked. This was an addictive ‘angst-fest’ cover to cover, sexy and emotional all at the same time, and one I highly recommend. “We just have tonight. Please…don’t hold back.” [4.5 STARS] [image] See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook! | Follow me on Twitter! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1ywkzYz Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1BtXEtg Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1uwu1Zp ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 21, 2014
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Sep 22, 2014
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Aug 06, 2014
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Paperback
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Natasha is a Book Junkie
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| 4.00
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really liked it
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Oct 06, 2012
not set
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Sep 13, 2024
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205
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| 4.05
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not set
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Sep 07, 2015
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204
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| 4.07
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it was amazing
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Sep 04, 2015
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Sep 03, 2015
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202
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| 4.02
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it was amazing
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Jul 29, 2015
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Jul 30, 2015
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206
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| 4.18
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it was amazing
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Nov 15, 2015
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Jul 26, 2015
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203
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| 4.13
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it was amazing
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Aug 2015
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Jun 26, 2015
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198
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| 3.59
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it was amazing
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Jun 22, 2015
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Jun 22, 2015
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200
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| 4.23
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it was amazing
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Jul 18, 2015
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Jun 09, 2015
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199
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| 4.00
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it was amazing
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Jun 25, 2015
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May 18, 2015
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195
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| 3.98
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it was amazing
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Apr 18, 2015
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Apr 08, 2015
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196
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| 4.18
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it was amazing
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Apr 19, 2015
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Jan 07, 2015
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201
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| 3.88
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it was amazing
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Jul 27, 2015
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Oct 31, 2014
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192
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| 4.04
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really liked it
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Nov 03, 2014
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Oct 20, 2014
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191
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| 4.11
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it was amazing
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Oct 23, 2014
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Oct 19, 2014
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197
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| 4.43
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it was amazing
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Jun 12, 2024
Nov 12, 2022
Jun 04, 2015
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Oct 08, 2014
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193
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| 4.34
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it was amazing
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Nov 23, 2014
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Sep 29, 2014
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188
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| 3.52
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liked it
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Sep 24, 2014
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Sep 24, 2014
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187
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| 4.30
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it was amazing
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Sep 22, 2014
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Sep 18, 2014
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184
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| 3.94
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it was amazing
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Sep 08, 2014
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Sep 06, 2014
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186
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| 4.03
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it was amazing
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Sep 22, 2014
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Aug 06, 2014
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