Reed Prescott’s life is complicated enough before a silly little girl in outrageous high heels bites it in front of his moving vehicle. With no other choice, he forces her out of the pouring rain and inside his car. His concern isn’t necessarily with her safety, but to ward off any potential lawsuit.
Lara Hunter’s life is headed in the right direction. With a good education, a great new job, and her dear best friend, Kade, by her side, nothing can get in her way until a freak rain storm leaves her sprawled across the road in the middle of a busy intersection during rush hour traffic. When the gorgeous man in the business suit and too expensive car takes her back to his office, she’s not entirely sure she appreciates his high-handed helpfulness.
When Reed's assistant finishes with Lara, he finds his entire world rocked by the captivating beauty underneath that soggy exterior. From day one, Reed's success in business has always been fueled by a deep, unbreakable hate for his grandfather. So when the potential for love stands in front of him, can this hardened man find a way to chase his own happiness?
Rylie Roberts is an award winning author and native Texan who loves to write and read romance. Look for her debut novel, Chasing Happy, releasing Tuesday, September 15, 2015, with more Texas Desires Novels coming soon.
Please follow the newsletter by emailing rylie@rylieroberts.com or following us on social media. Stay tuned, there’s more on the way.
Sounds like the perfect day to Aidan Callahan. As second-born son to Chicago’s most influential business owner, Aidan’s life has always been about responsibility. Tradition. Toeing the goddamn line. Just do as you’re told, Aidan. Don’t make waves. Well, screw that. Riding waves is way more fun than making them. Hawaii is paradise on earth. Smoking hot women. Tiny bikinis. As far as Aidan’s concerned, wild horses couldn’t drag him kicking and screaming back to the windy city. Or at least that’s what he thought. When his brother crashes his Mercedes, killing himself on impact, Aidan finds himself next in line to the Callahan fortune and all the ties that come with it. And this time there’s no getting out of it.
Essie
A warm bed.
A steady job.
A brother who loves her.
For Essie Gray, life’s been one hard kick in the teeth after another. With her parents both dead, her brother is her only living relative. That is until Vaughn’s truck is written off, his life snatched away by the careless actions of a rich playboy in a flashy sports car. Now, the only thing that will bring Essie peace is revenge. She must take what was taken from her. Only when the name Callahan has been wiped from the face of the earth forever will she be able to start living again.
Of course, the new head of the Callahan Corporation isn’t what she expected. Aidan’s sexy and sad, and just as damaged as she is. Will she be able to distance herself enough to accomplish her goal? After all, ruining a man’s really hard when you find yourself falling for him…
Aidan Callahan and Essie
Gray both have their lives turned upside down.
“Everything I’ve tried to free myself from is mine.”
An ironic twist of
fate seems to be messing with Aidan’s plans; meanwhile, Essie is no stranger to
hardships. She’s the type of person who’s been dealt so many bad times that
it’s hard to believe in the permanence of good times, her happiness always
short-lived.
The blurb on this one
does a spot on job describing the plot so I won’t linger on a general
description. I will say that the
opening chapters that establish the premise of the book aptly capture tragedy
better than I think I’ve ever read. All the aspects are there—the heartache,
the agony, the disbelief, and the guilt. As a result it felt like so much more than
a simple (and in this case necessary) plot device. Instead, a well done,
realistic, gripping depiction of untimely demise.
“‛I’d like it if you’d f*ck off and die and never
call me again, Alex.’”
Ah, famous last words.
The tale is told via
Aidan and Essie’s alternating first person POV. Aidan’s is the most engaging,
his commentary and approach to life easily pulls the reader in. He doesn’t take any crap and he’s a little
intense.
“When I woke up this morning, my sheets were full of
semen and my head was pounding from lack of oxygen. Even in my sleep, I hold my
breath when I’m coming. How f*cking messed up is that?”
So far he’s an
intriguing book boyfriend with a lot of promise.
“‛I’ve always
been sexually charged, Ess. I like to f*ck.
I’d go as far as to say it’s my favorite pastime.’”
Essie, I’m still on
the fence about. She certainly a bit naïve, definitely broken, and while I
could feel for her anguish, I wasn’t entirely sold on her revenge, the blame
clearly misplaced with Aidan her scapegoat.
This is only part one
of the story and it takes awhile till they are really in each other’s presence,
though their paths have crossed.
“I’m all too aware of how fucked up it is that I’m
thinking about fingering her ass the first time we meet in person.”
But the pull feels a
little one sided with Essie playing a different game. I craved a little more equal
build-up to develop their chemistry that I’m not entirely sure is there or not
yet. That’s not to say that their hook-up isn’t steamy—it is!!! Aidan is quite talented in the bedroom,
particularly with his oral skills. Holy cow does this man know what he’s doing! He’s a total scene stealer—the highlight of
the show.
“‛F*ck, Aidan. Oh f*ck, that’s going to make me
come. You’re gonna make me come all over you.”
Overall, it’s an easy
one sitting read, intriguing enough to keep you wondering where it’s going
next. I suspect there are more twists to
come. A few hints seemed to have been dropped. With that in mind I hope there
are pitfalls it avoids. I’m also hoping
to see more sexy times between Essie and Aidan as well as some romance as we
haven’t really been shown that yet. But
the writing is captivating and it flows well, making it a promising debut.
Cole Saint Jaimes caught the travel bug young. He spent years honing his skills as a writer while he island-hopped and caught some of the most incredible waves in the world, fuelling his addiction for surfing. Along with his adorable French wife, Cole now calls Los Angeles home. You can usually find him procrastinating on Facebook, or watching Game of Thrones for the seventeenth time on HBO.
Heartbreaker is his first contemporary romance series. You can catch more from Cole by checking out his website at www.colesaintjaimes.com
When ex-Olympic gymnast, Adaley Knight wakes on her eighteenth birthday she only has one wish, to leave the only town she’s ever known and start fresh.
Finding herself enrolled at a college across the globe, the once modest Adaley is almost unrecognizable. Her new persona dances on the wild side by sinking her teeth into the first bad boy she sees. The only problem is he’s not the least bit interested.
Ryle Benson, baseball extraordinaire and brooding campus bad-boy keeps everyone at an arms length. Things have never come easy for him and the last thing he needs is getting involved with any female.
The tables are reversed as she tries to be bad, tempting fate, and he tries to fight his. The push and pull is half the fun. But what happens when one pushes a little too hard?
Adaley Knight is a preacher’s daughter with a somewhat sheltered upbringing and broken dreams after a gymnastic injury ends her Olympic future. In search of a new life, she sets her destination south for college, away from home, where she meets her new roommate Zoe; Tank, Zoe’s brother; and Ryle, Tank’s friend.
Ryle Benson is broken and brooding. Yet Adaley feels an intense attraction towards him. I’m not going to spend a lot of time getting into the characterization because frankly in the end none of that seems to matter. This started out as an engaging story that had a lot of potential; I was intrigued by Adaley and Ryle’s opening story and was pulled in right from the start. But unfortunately as the chapters progressed my star rating continued to go down. Issue after issue crept up.
From the synopsis, the story sounds like your typical NA college romance (which I frequently enjoy). It [the blurb] reads like a story of two possibly opposite personalities who learn from each other and fall in love in the process. After all, it's categorized as romance. The line "the push and pull is half the fun" gave me the impression that this would be light-hearted. None of that is true. In fact, there's no indication of the dark themes this book contains, and there really should be because this book does NOT have an HEA.
I avoid non-HEA stories like the plague. I know I’m not alone in saying that I like my stories to be an escape. If I want to read about a depressing ending I will pick up the newspaper, not my kindle. Time is precious and real life dishes out enough tragic events without needing it infused in a romance novel. Which begs the question—how much romance is really in the story? Taking the book as a whole, I’d have to say not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. It’s entirely possible this book suffers from an identity crisis in more ways than one.
For one, the narration seems to suffer an identity crisis, switching back and forth from first person POV (Adaley) to third person to describe Ryle. Why Ryle’s “sections” aren’t in first person from his perspective, I could never figure out. The third person narration in those parts made me feel disconnected to Ryle, were sometimes just creepy the way it described things—like a stalker observing the action; and had numerous grammatical errors with tense. One sentence was present, the next past.
Two, I could never quite identify if this story was meant to be young adult or new adult. While it frequently addressed mature themes and the characters were over 18, any romantic encounters were either watered down or “fade away” scenes. It probably would have been better to have embraced the “new adult” audience who have more life experience as I personally wouldn’t want any “young adults” coming away with some of the messages in this story.
Three, as far as genre goes, this is probably more of a coming-of-age story with some romance mixed in than it is a full-fledged romance.
Other problems that plagued the reading were as follows:
There were shadows of continuity errors in various places, and I could never get a feel for the age/year of some of the characters. Adaley talks of how she “transferred” but it’s established as Fall and the start of her freshman year. Adaley arrives as the “new girl” with everyone else seemingly already knowing each other and their way around campus as if they’ve been there already so it felt like everyone else had to be at least sophomores, though I’m not sure they were supposed to be.
Both Adaley and Ryle come off preachy at times. Their combined attitudes (somewhat narrow minded views) of sexuality and substance abuse didn’t endear me to their characters. The word “butch” is thrown around far too much, mostly at places that seemed out of context on top of everything else.
Multiple times in the story a girl’s virginity is referred to as a “gift” to give a man. That didn’t exactly sit well with my feminist side.
Also disturbing is the depressing themes in a story that seems also geared to teens. At the end I felt like the message was that there’s no triumph in the face of adversity but dreams are still supposed to be obtainable. WTF?
I strongly felt this story needed a warning label. ***Spoilers to follow for explanation because while some readers are more flexible with content and endings, other readers prefer "safer" reads (myself included); thus, the following content issues can be critical to making an informed decision when selecting a book.***
*SPOILERS*
Content issue #1
Adaley leaves behind her long-time boyfriend to go to college. She’s still a virgin. Ryle’s had plenty of women, mostly one-night stands as well as a sexual relationship with his adoptive sister, also a student there. They embark on a committed relationship but abstain from sexual intercourse since Adaley is a virgin (although they do other things). In a ridiculous misunderstanding starting with prescription drugs and ending with the trite plot device of finding another girl at the Ryle’s apartment, Adaley runs home and has drunk sex with her ex, losing her virginity to him instead of Ryle. Normally this would have made the story a DNF for me at this point but honestly Ryle’s behavior prior to this was just so immature and judgmental that I wasn’t exactly turned off by the h’s actions as I wasn’t sure I was rooting for the H & h anymore (which is kinda sad, really, in a romance). Plus, Ryle’s ex, Mark, is never fully developed enough for the reader to decide if he’s a decent guy or not exactly. For Mark's pivotal role in the book, he really need to be fleshed out as a character, which he was not.
Content issue #2
Ryle, the supposed H of the story, is killed in a car accident at the end after he and Adaley reconcile, she tells him she slept with Mark, begs for his forgiveness (which I'm not sure was necessary after he basically said he never wanted to see her again), and they have sex. The sex (what little is described) is kinda ick because Ryle keeps bragging how he’s doing it better than Mark. While the author includes a note somewhat explaining her choice for the ending it still felt like nothing more than a plot device rather than a realistic story. In real life when young people lose their peers, that’s not the end of the story. (I know. I’ve been there.) There’s a whole grieving process and it changes everyone that person knows. To accurately depict that, so much more would have been needed.
I rarely ever give one stars because I'm pretty careful about what I select to read. But unfortunatelythe blurb did not accurately depict the story nor did it give any indication of the dark nature of the content. Then taking into account the various issues as detailed above, I simply couldn't give it a higher rating, and I believe strongly in the importance of honest, unbiased reviews. Enjoyment of this book will depend a lot on what you are looking for as well as your definitions of a romance.
Nacole Stayton is twenty-something years young and currently resides in the Bluegrass State where she spends her nights writing vigorously. She has a passion for helping others and wears her University of Kentucky gear proudly. While her husband loves all things outdoors, Nacole enjoys the finer things in life, like getting pedicures while reading on her Kindle. She is passionate about her faith, family, and The Vampire Diaries.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Grey is basically the retelling of the first book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series from Christian Grey’s 1st person POV narration. It includes the samples chapters from his POV
in the epilogue of Freed and
continues on from there. I remember
reading those sections of Freed at the end and eating them up, craving more
from the mind of the enigmatic, kinky CEO.
I suspect I would have enjoyed this book a tad bit more had it been
released a lot sooner.
For one, it would pack more punch reading it on the heels
of the original books, told by Ana, rather than several years later. Back then the
characters were still in my head, and I hadn’t read oodles of other books in the
meanwhile. I also suspect that Ms. James might have done a slightly better job
with Christian in this version as I wondered how fresh in her head he was many
years later too. Don’t get me wrong, I
enjoyed another tango with Christian Grey, I just didn’t find him as sharp as I
would have expected.
Two, released sooner, the movie wouldn’t have interfered.
That was certainly one hurdle I struggled with at parts throughout the book—getting
the movie version out of my head, or more specifically the actors. I found the
movie a huge disappointment (see my movie review) and I loathed Jamie Dornon’s acting
and portrayal. Having watched the movie more recently than I’ve read the original
trilogy, it did have an effect on my enjoyment of this book.
Beyond that, reading Grey reminded me how intriguing Christian was and there were ample
places that I certainly found him amusing. The family dinner was a thoroughly entertaining
scene with a fresh perspective.
“‛Let’s not frighten her away or spoil her with too
much affection.’”
Ah, the irony, Christian ;-) It was interesting to get
Christian's take on events, explanations for what he was thinking at places that
confused Ana, as well as his thoughts on his family and Mrs. Robinson. I generally enjoyed his inner monologue and
found it true to the type of character that was presented in Ana’s POV. He was
far truer to the character fans fell in love with in the book than the debacle Jamie Dornon’s
portrayed on screen. But I digress because I so loathed the movie. Back to
the book...
Yes Christian talks about his favorite appendage a lot and
thinks about sex every time he sees Ana. But, come on—he’s a guy and kinky sex
is his favorite past time. We knew this folks—don’t go too hard on him. Pun
intended only if you want to take it -;-)
On another positive note, this
edition might just do a better job of depicting Grey's struggles and dilemmas
with the delectable Miss Steele. The BSDM lifestyle has been his
lifeline, an outlet to harness his issues, but Christian has become reliant on
it and (perhaps through the influence of Mrs. Lincoln) is unable to grasp the
notion of a relationship beyond it. Till Ana. What started out as a means to focus has become a diversion that keeps him from deeper life enrichment until Ana sparks something of an awakening. As
the book unfolds, it’s clear that Grey is
capable of finding enjoyment in vanilla sex and hearts-n-flowers romance. His
inner wrestling with foreign feelings make his month with Ana one that’s a
journey, a journey of relinquishing control and revaluing his self worth.
Aside from the above, there isn’t a whole lot else new here.
Most scenes are ones already depicted in the trilogy. I settled on a rating of 4 stars because I
really like the 50 Shades story and the character of Christian. The repetition from the original story and the
fact that once again (like the movie) the second and third installments are not
yet available made me consider a 3.5 rating. While this time around I knew
where the story goes so there isn't really a cliffhanger (plus this one takes things just a smidgen further in their saga), it still felt like an incomplete story, and I fail to see the benefit of staggering the releases. I purchased this one during the .99cents sale, otherwise I would have waited till they were all out. Overall assessment: Fans of the series will want to read it, whether sooner or later, but the retail/regular price seems overpriced for a companion book with little new material.
A maid at the exclusive Romance Island Resort, Audra knows how to handle rock stars, billionaires and celebrities. She keeps their secrets, cleans up their mess and makes sure their holiday is a memorable one. There's just one rule: no relationships with guests. And Audra never breaks the rules.
Jay Felix is rock royalty and he knows it. When one of his bandmates threatens to break up the band, he goes into hiding at the Romance Island Resort. Looking for a distraction, he sets his sights on the unattainable Audra. But what's a rock star to do when the girl he wants is the one woman he can't have?
Welcome to paradise, where the romance is as hot as the weather and the tides aren't the only thing surging under the surface.
*Full disclose: This was technically a DNF for me so I can't comment on the ending; however, having read over 70% and having received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I can provide this assessment. *This review also contains spoilers. Milder ones are discussed; specific ones are tagged.*
Audra is a college graduate hoping to become a meteorologist but working as a maid on an island resort to make ends meet. Jay is a cocky, arrogant, manwhore rock star lamenting the demise of his band as they prepare for their farewell tour and contemplating his future profession.
Jay rolls off with some real flamboyant jerk lines. Right off the bat you know he’s a spoiled bad boy that needs redeemed. Initially Audra seemed likeable, holding on to her integrity and not giving in to Jay’s blatant sexual banter. The story had a ton of potential, and I even brushed past the 3rd person narration that I always find a struggle since it doesn’t allow the reader to get inside the main character’s heads to truly understand where they are coming from. It really could have been a solid 4 star read but the plot & "content" took a major turn for the worse.
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to reading romance. One of mine is that that the H & h are exclusive. Like many rock star romance heroes, Jay is established as a rocker who gets around. So when Jay passed up the chance to hook up with a group of fans, instead wanting Audra, I thought the story was headed in the right direction. It looked like Jay was on the road to leaving behind his manwhore ways, and I felt like the story would probably be a “safe” read. Nope, instead it spirals downhill shortly after that, just when the potential for romance between Jay and Audra was so perfectly set up. I expected them to really connect and a relationship to grow while Audra cared for him and instead Audra turned into a bratty, self-involved heroine who seriously over-reacted, leading to ridiculous drama and Jay to embrace his manwhore ways.
This is where I prepared to bail on this story and it honestly deserves 1 star for this part: *Spoiler Warning Again*
Audra lies to his face about her feelings and keeps making accusations of him threatening sexual assault, which I frankly never got. Sure he throws around a lot of sexual innuendo but he made clear to her he wasn’t into forcing girls. So sexual harassment—yes; attempted rape—hell no! Anyways, she rejects him/pushes him away, and literally throws the hotel’s whore-maid into his suite, claiming they deserve each other, even though up to this point he hasn’t been with anyone since arriving on the island and he’s made clear he wanted her. Audra sees Jay get a blow job from said catty nemesis whore-maid (who she could have long ago gotten fired before this debacle and who Jay knows is a tramp.) This sets off an outlandish physical fight in the gym between employees and then later Jay admits he screwed the whore-maid because…Audra wanted him to! I don’t even know. I was just so done at that point!
74% when I bailed and Jay and Audra still haven’t shared a hint of romance nor have they hooked up. I suspect they did soon after which was just plain gross since he’d been with the other maid. If you're not bothered by the H having relations with OW or heroines that act wishy-washy, then you probably won't have a problem with this one. But if you prefer your book boyfriends to keep it in their pants and the women they love to be more honest and not turn into drama queens, then this one isn't for you.
Enjoyment of this story will depend a lot on what you can and can't tolerate in an otherwise light-hearted romance. *If you are looking for recommendations on other rockstar romance reads, check out the blog's index page of favorite fictional bands: On Tour with the Band.*
A soft chime sounded, echoing in the villa. "Housekeeping at the door," a recorded but mellifluous English voice announced. "Maid service required?"
"Hell yes!" Audra heard Plum-Bum's excited shout.
His sister hushed him. The front door flew open and Audra found herself face to face with a young woman about her own age. Audra lowered her gaze to the woman's expensive shoes. "We don't need anything. We just arrived today and haven't made enough mess to need a clean-up yet."
But I did, Audra thought but didn't say. The bath tub was still full of frog-tainted towels. "Towels," she said, pointing.
"Ask her!" Plum-Bum insisted, his bare feet appearing on the tiles behind the woman. "You'd fuck me, right?"
Wow. He might have decent equipment, but that's all that defined this dickhead. Probably a porn star for sure. "No, thank you," Audra said faintly.
"What'd she say?" Plum-Bum demanded.
The woman shook her head and guided Audra to the bathroom, then blocked the doorway to keep her brother out. "She doesn't understand English. Most hotel maids are foreign migrants, waiting for their qualifications to come through as they improve their English so they can get higher-paying jobs. Besides, she could lose her job for sleeping with a guest. Don't you remember what the hotel manager said about fraternisation policies during our tour? Leave her alone, Jason."
Audra snorted. In Perth, maybe, hotel staff were recent migrants, but not here in Broome. Even the casual staff were Aussie. But if the woman's words kept her oversexed brother's hands off her, all the better. She set the stack of fresh towels on the edge of the spa and stuffed the froggy ones into the laundry bag.
Glass clinked on metal. An empty beer bottle going into the bin, most likely. The crunch and crackle of plastic followed it. Definitely the bin. She'd empty that on the way through and then she could escape the Pearls for the day.
Fixing her eyes firmly on the tiled floor, Audra marched to the kitchen to the approaching beat of helicopter rotors. Third flight today.
"Right, there's my ride returning. Don't get into too much trouble, don't make too much trouble for the staff, and enjoy your holiday. If you're not fit and ready for the band's farewell tour, you know it'll be your balls on the chopping block."
Band? Did she say he was in a band? Audra raised her gaze to scrutinise Plum-Bum's face. Even with the sexy stubble along his usually clean-shaven jaw, she recognised the face from the poster that had adorned her bedroom wall for the better part of the last five years. The one Sam kissed every morning. One she'd fantasised about since high school. Maybe she'd even kissed that poster once or twice herself. She glanced away before he could catch her staring. Oh shit. She'd already seen his –
"Promise me that if you get lonely, you'll call me. Don't do anything stupid." The sister sniffed. "I do love and care about you, you know."
"HA!" he shouted. "I knew it. Told you that you wanted me. It's not incest if I'm your stepbrother. Everyone wants me."
Audra snorted. Arrogant prick. Even she could tell the girl didn't.
"You're delusional, Jason. I love you because you're my brother, blood or no blood. I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on Earth." She pulled out her phone and tapped it meaningfully. "Promise me you'll call me."
He nodded sulkily.
Her eyes met Audra's. "Don't take any shit from him. There's a place in town that neuters tomcats for half-price. You can put it on his hotel bill." She winked.
Audra stifled a snort of laughter. Mess with this man's glorious equipment? The world would weep. Especially if castration robbed him of his signature, underwear-igniting singing voice. Even she'd shed a tear for the loss.
She waited for the sister to leave before she pulled out the rubbish bin to change the bag inside.
Bare feet appeared beside the bin. "You understood every word, I bet," he said. "And I know you recognised me. If you know who I am, we both already know the answer to my question. So answer me. Would you fuck me?"
Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish. She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below. Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all. Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world. The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
: a grown man who is very immature, therefor considered a man-child
manwhore. noun.
: a promiscuous man who has no regard for his sexual partners or the emotional value of his relationships
Rhett Morgan couldn't have been more wrong for me. The guy drank beer in the shower, for crying out loud. He had no prospects for the future, had slept with half the women in our beach town of Kill Devil Hills, and had no desire to change his manwhore ways.
And when Ben Turner, the guy I had loved from afar for the past four years, died and I couldn't get over his death, I desperately needed a distraction. A distraction like Rhett. So I used him for a one-night stand. Because, after all, that's the only thing a guy like Rhett is good for...right?
***New Adult Romance. This novel is the third book in the Kill Devil Hills series, however it can be read as a standalone. Recommended for 18+
Noah is determined to
escape his past and keep his life under control. Then he saves the life of his
best friend’s little sister, Georgina Turner — who is battling her own demons.
He can't get her out of his head, even if Georgina tears down the emotional
walls he so carefully built.
Ellie Turner is a
lesbian. She knows who she is, loves who she is, and couldn’t care less what
the rest of the world thinks of her. Then television star Nate West comes
along. All thick muscle and alpha-male testosterone. When Ellie meets him on an
airplane, he ignites something inside her she never knew existed.
Sarah Darlington lives in the DC metro area, is married to her high school sweetheart, and currently spends her time chasing around a very active toddler. As a former flight attendant, she misses the days of pantyhose, galley gossip with good friends, and traveling to new places. In the future she’d like to return to that career, but, just as flying gets into your bones, so does writing. Whenever she gets a free moment these days, she writes.
