BOOK REVIEW: Inked by Sarah Darlington

~Synopsis~

AMANDA

Men like Nick should come with a warning label... don’t touch. He walked into the shop, smelling like heaven, wanting his first tattoo, and I should have refused his business. Because I knew the moment I set eyes on him, I didn’t stand a chance. Still, I fell down the rabbit-hole with him.

Now, he’s gone, moved on, and the result of our one-night stand is left growing inside me. I’ll probably never see this man again.

NICK

It was only supposed to be a little ink. A parting gift to myself from myself. Because when your girlfriend dumps you for a famous rockstar, you leave. You move on. You get the hell out of town and forget all about her. But I never counted on meeting Amanda before I left. Or the night we shared. Or the mark she left when she put her ink on my skin.

I have to go back. For her.

*INKED is a full-length standalone with a HEA.

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~Review~

3 Stars

Marine biologist Nick Jasmine, 23, is still reeling after his girlfriend left him for a rockstar (see Never Trust a Rockstar). Amanda, 25, is the tattoo artist who leaves a reminder of Kill Devil Hills on his skin before he kisses the beach town good-bye. Except he inadvertently leaves Amanda with a little memento as well.

I liked both Nick and Amanda in the opening chapters.  The turtle thing was cute. It was off to a good start.  But when Nick returns from Maine, both characters went downhill.

For Amanda, it was her lie about him not being the father.  I don’t really get why she did that. I’m not sure Amanda even got why she did that. 

“I knew that I should have been honest with him from the start. I should have told him the baby was his.”

It not only was a lousy and immature thing to do, but it was just the beginning of crappy communication and wishy-washy behavior on both of their parts.

Then there’s Nick. His character, like often times their romantic connection, seemed to suffer from tell vs. show.  Amanda describes him as cool, confident, and gorgeous, which I suppose was how he was supposed to come off to others, but then in his POV the reader gets the real Nick, the insecure one who suffers from a panic disorder. Or was this just another facet of Nick’s personality?  It was hard to tell, and I struggled to envision a clear picture of him. It didn’t help that he too flip-flopped so much on what he wanted.

 “…I don’t want kids of my own.”

Okay, he might have even had a valid reason, but then why not be super diligent about protection!?

Their lack of safe sex practices and lack of safe sex discussions made them seem immature and irresponsible.  So did the fact that he ditched a good job he loved in his career and fled town to avoid his previous girlfriend. His acceptance of raising someone else’s baby with a stranger he barely knew just made him seem desperate. Nick was all over the place. Which brings me to the dinner scene...

The fake “social” story that Nick tells just made him seem….well fake. And the lack of condemnation over it was bothering.  That scene didn’t help make Nick more likable, and it was a big miss in terms of interweaving John and Dani (whose voice was noticeably absent) from the previous books/sister series (see Never Kiss a Rockstar).

All in all, the story just fell a little flat (as did their love scenes). It had tons of potential, but the execution left their chemistry hard to feel alongside so many issues that could have been resolved with basic communication and simple conversation. And given that they were going to be parents together, I really needed them to display the foundations of a solid, lasting relationship.

Told via Amanda and Nick’s alternating first person POV, the safety angle is good which I always appreciate, but the characters just left me feeling kinda meh. I didn’t love it; I didn’t hate it. My recommendation—if the items mentioned above don’t bother you, give it a whirl. If communication is key, you might want to sit this one out or check out other titles in the Kill Devil Hills universe.

Safety Recap: 

No cheating. No sex scenes w/OP. Celibate during brief separation. H is not a manwhore/h is not a virgin.  No OW drama/minor OM drama (not real drama more like minor perceived drama as h pretends someone else is her boyfriend and baby daddy briefly.) No rape or sexual abuse. HEA

*I volunteered to review this ARC. All reviews written by Book-Bosomed Book Blog are honest opinions. In the interest of providing unbiased book reviews and to avoid misleading other readers, it is the blog’s policy not to withhold or delay any reviews no matter the star rating. To the best of my knowledge, this title was presented to the blog without any conditions or stipulations.

Get your copy now!
Available on Amazon or *FREE* to read in Kindle Unlimited.

Sarah Darlington was born in Colorado and grew up all over the United States. These days, she calls Virginia home, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and large dog. The best word to describe Sarah is 'creative.' She's passionate about designing, crafting, and photography. But most of all... she loves creating stories through her writing. Her romance books are sexy and heart-gripping at their core, guaranteed to make you swoon. Any of them can be read as a stand-alone, but all are connected within the same world. 

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~Giveaway~

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COVER REVEAL: Inked by Sarah Darlington

~BLURB~

It all starts with a one-night stand...

AMANDA

Men like Nick should come with a warning label... don’t touch. He walked into the shop, smelling like heaven, wanting his first tattoo, and I should have refused his business. Because I knew the moment I set eyes on him, I didn’t stand a chance. Still, I fell down the rabbit-hole with him.

Now, he’s gone, moved on, and the result of our one-night stand is left growing inside me. I’ll probably never see this man again.

NICK

It was only supposed to be a little ink. A parting gift to myself from myself. Because when your girlfriend dumps you for a famous rockstar, you leave. You move on. You get the hell out of town and forget all about her. But I never counted on meeting Amanda before I left. Or the night we shared. Or the mark she left when she put her ink on my skin.

I have to go back. For her.

*INKED is a full-length standalone with a HEA.

GOODREADS

PREORDER

Sarah Darlington was born in Colorado and grew up all over the United States. These days, she calls Virginia home, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and large dog. The best word to describe Sarah is 'creative.' She's passionate about designing, crafting, and photography. But most of all... she loves creating stories through her writing. Her romance books are sexy and heart-gripping at their core, guaranteed to make you swoon. Any of them can be read as a stand-alone, but all are connected within the same world.

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~GIVEAWAY~

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BLOG TOUR/BOOK REVIEW: Never Kiss a Rockstar by Sarah Darlington

Series: The NEVER TRUST Series, Book 2

Themes: Rockstar, No-Rules, Steamy Contemporary Romance

ONE NIGHT WITH THE DRUMMER OF SUNSET REVIVAL?

Yes, I'm game.

Dani Mills, drummer of the world-famous band, Sunset Revival, doesn’t have time for romance. Touring with her bandmates across the country, she’s content with meaningless sex: one-night-stands, no kissing, no personal details. These are her rules…and there are never exceptions.

John Michaels lives a life of seclusion in Corolla, North Carolina. He works, eats, and sleeps—and is perfectly content with his lifestyle. He doesn’t have the time, or energy, to deal with people. Or relationships. Especially women relationships.

When Sunset Revival gets stranded on the beach, it’s John who is asked for shelter. With his sexy-as-sin good looks—covered in ink with blue eyes so deep they shine—Dani finds herself desperate for one night in his bed. That’s all either of them wants, really…one night, no-strings, no promise of tomorrow.

Yet, when one night turns into two, both find themselves breaking their own rules. Thrust into a whirlwind of passion and desire, the pair struggle to maintain the upper hand, with John learning the hardest lesson of all…never kiss a Rockstar.

**NEVER KISS A ROCKSTAR can be read as a standalone, or as the second book in Sarah Darlington's NEVER TRUST Series.

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~BOOK REVIEW~

4.5 Stars

Dani Mills, 27, is the drummer in a famous band. When her cousin and bandmate fell for a girl in Kill Devil Hills, the group took a hiatus from touring and, while on the coast, ended up crashing at John Michaels’s beach mansion one night. Readers of the original Kill Devil Hills series will remember John, 33, as Sydney’s older brother, who it turns out is a bit of a recluse.

I really liked the premise from the time I read the original blurb so I was anxious to read this one. There are just too many player/manwhore heroes and sheltered virgin heroines in romancelandia, and this is SO not that set-up.

As a girl rockstar and non virgin, Dani was super refreshing! I do gotta say though, Dani’s lack of safe sex practice did skeeve me out a bit. For John it was a first time thing, but Dani gave me the impression it was a habit with her. I tried to get past it though because for some archaic reason readers overlook it all the time when it comes to the “hero” and that double standard just isn’t okay.  And I was pleased that despite issues from her past that led Dani to her ONS lifestyle, she was still a strong female character who spoke her mind while holding everyone together. 

John was also a welcome addition to the current romance market. In fact, he’s a romance safety lover’s wet dream. He wasn’t just a non-manwhore, he’d been celibate four freaking years! There was no OW drama this time around. Zero. Zip.

It was pleasingly low-angst and sexy. I just adore romances like this one where the story stays focused on the hero and heroine working through their feelings and making their relationship work.

 "I hoped like hell she'd still be in my life in six weeks. I couldn't imagine a future where she wasn't. Fuck—the alternative would cripple me."

Told via their dual alternating first person POV, John and Dani were both great characters and were just what each other needed.

“‘I’ll make a trade…I see you watching my lips. I know what you want. I’ll give you what you want if you give me what I want.’”

Kudos when a romance captures what is so important in any relationship—bringing out the best in each other.

Like the previous title, I was up to 1am again…okay more like 2am. (There were bonus chapters.) But the pacing and elements are much different this time. Plus there’s a bit of suspense. A reveal I did not begin to even guess. But I love a good twist that pulls things together better than you expected. In fact, I really need another bonus scene. Hell I might even need a spin-off book.

Also fans of PulledUnder from the original Kill Devil Hills series will want to be sure to read this one as Sydney and Rhett make several cute appearances and continue their HEA. They were a great addition to the story, especially their interactions with John.

Luke and Rebecca’s story is up next and I might just have to take chance on them as I’m starting to get sucked in.

*I volunteered to review this ARC. All reviews written by Book-Bosomed Book Blog are honest opinions. In the interest of providing unbiased book reviews and to avoid misleading other readers, it is the blog’s policy not to withhold or delay any reviews no matter the star rating. To the best of my knowledge, this title was presented to the blog without any conditions or stipulations.

Get Your Copy Now!

Or read for *free* in Kindle Unlimited here

Find the other books in the NEVER TRUST Series here...

Each can be read as a standalone.

NEVER TRUST A ROCKSTAR

NEVER KISS A ROCKSTAR

NEVER LOVE A ROCKSTAR (Feb. 5)

NEVER LEAVE A ROCKSTAR (Mar. 5)

Sarah Darlington was born in Colorado and grew up all over the United States. These days, she calls Virginia home, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and large dog. The best word to describe Sarah is 'creative.' She's passionate about designing, crafting, and photography. But most of all... she loves creating stories through her writing. Her romance books are sexy and heart-gripping at their core, guaranteed to make you swoon. Any of them can be read as a stand-alone, but all are connected within the same world.

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COVER REVEALS: The Never Trust Multi-Author Series

Books in the Series:

NEVER TRUST A ROCKSTAR by Sarah Darlington

NEVER TRUST A PORN STAR by Brea Alepoú
NEVER TRUST A BAD BOY by Kira Adams
NEVER TRUST A PLAYER  by Breigh Stout
NEVER TRUST A FRAT BOY by Alora Kate

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BOOK REVIEWS: The Novel Approach by Heather Guimond

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy

Release Date: January 8, 2019

~Synopsis~

She’s the Sweetheart of Sweet Romance. He’s romance’s reigning sex god. When the two accidentally collide at a book conference, sparks—and their luggage—fly. 

Stacy: 

When Gage Blackstone crashed into me, I had no idea who he was. If I’d known he was the man everyone called the king of one-handed reads, I would’ve run in the other direction as fast as I could. Every woman who has ever read a romance novel has at least one erotic book penned by him hidden in her underwear drawer. Never in a million years—not in my wildest dreams—would I ever have imagined waking up next to him. I'm hardly the one-night-stand type of girl he probably goes for but when he finds out what I write he'll be the one running in the other direction.

Gage: 

I was dead on my feet when I nearly toppled over the stranger standing in front of me, until I saw her wide green eyes and innocent beauty. She looked like the perfect angel, and from that point on all I could think about was messing up her perfect hair and kissing her senseless. When I found out she wrote sweet romance novels, I was even more intrigued. Could I unleash her wild side, while proving I was just an average guy with a talent for writing fantasies women dream about? 

Who would have ever thought

the most novel approach to love would be sweet, spicy and steaming hot?

GOODREADS

~Book Review~

DNF

I struggled to connect with this book and the characters. The almost thirty year old heroine is naïve and sheltered, though thankfully she wasn’t a virgin. Most distracting was her narration:

“My inner slut whimpered in desire.”

“My inner ‘ho cheered…”

“…my inner harlot…”

And that was just in one of the chapters.

“that tramp in my head…”

“my inner slut-muffin”

This was starting to feel like a drinking game. 

“mental hussy”

“Sluterella whispered in my ear…”

“My sassy inner slut…”

It continued, and I’ll admit I was tempted to keep playing the game. But as entertaining as tracking the heroine’s Anastasia Grey impressions were, nothing else was really gripping me. 

I never really had a handle on the hero’s character as depicted here as his POV isn’t provided. However, it is the sole focus of the prequel (A Novel Experience) to this so I decided to check that out to try and get a better connection. I found out it actually worked to the contrary. 

So when in the first sex scene with the heroine in this story he rolls off with:

“‘Please tell me you’re on the pill because I don’t think I have the strength to tear myself away to get a condom.’”

I was left wondering if he doesn’t use protection for all the women he’s with before???

Nothing skeevier than a “hero” who’s too lazy or too horny or flat out too irresponsible to suit up for casual sex. 

The story’s lofty theme of not judging a book by its cover might have had merit if it didn’t contradict itself. Perhaps it would have been better to focus on a message of safe sex. 

This didn't work for me.

*I volunteered to review this ARC. All reviews written by Book-Bosomed Book Blog are honest opinions. This title was presented to the blog with the request from the tour host that they be notified of unfavorable reviews. Upon notifying EJ that it was a DNF title, I was then told to hold off posting. This is a clear review condition imposed upon the review and a title that is already available to the general public. In the interest of transparency and providing unbiased book reviews and to avoid misleading other readers, it is the blog’s policy not to withhold or delay any reviews no matter the star rating.

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~Also Available~

~Book Review~

1.5 Stars

This is the prequel/prologue to The Novel Approach. I checked it out to help get a better impression of the “hero’s” character. Quite an impression it made.

The "hero" goes to a strip club with his buddies where they pick up multiple women. He has sex with one of them, lamenting that another passed out before they could make it a threesome.

“Not that I indulged in much group sex in my day, but it was a pity that she’d crashed before the festivities began.”

He then proceeds to spout off douche-bag proclamations like:

“…in my experience female readers tended to prefer the male-female-male ménages. I shrugged to myself. That wasn’t likely to happen with me. I wasn’t a sharing kind of guy.”

Oh but he is! He’s perfectly happy to have two women share him.

Did he use protection?  It doesn’t say and knowing that he does have unprotected sex with the forthcoming heroine (see review of that book), I think this story is enough TMI.

But he asserts, “I’ve never considered myself a womanizer, just a huge fan of beautiful women with a taste for enjoying themselves like I did.”

None of this endeared me to this jerk who kept “potential repeats” on his phone, nor did it make me warm and fuzzy about his romance with the heroine in the following book, who he meets at the very end of this.

While there are no major grammatical or writing issues here, there also isn’t much of a point to the story.  And the purpose of a prequel is to add something to the main work. I can guess what it was trying to do—introduce the erotic writing hero as a stud. But the problem is that this is a romance series and connecting with the hero and heroine is essential. The hero’s very recent (as in just a few weeks before) manwhore past works against that goal.

*I one-clicked this title from Amazon as a freebie. All reviews written by Book-Bosomed Book Blog are honest opinions. In the interest of transparency and providing unbiased book reviews and to avoid misleading other readers, it is the blog’s policy not to withhold or delay any reviews no matter the star rating.  

GOODREADS     AMAZON

~Playlist~

Heather Guimond is a Los Angeles native, a fact she's abnormally proud of. When she's not trying to write something that will make people laugh or rip their hearts out (or both!) she's either reading or doing her best to crack the whip on her three home-schooled teenagers. She loves all things witty and wise-cracking, as well most varieties of smart-assery. Other favorites include French roast coffee in copious amounts and the dirtiest Dirty Martinis she can find. More than anything, she hopes she writes books that stick with the reader long after the pages have been read.

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REVIEW/RELEASE BLITZ: Deal Makers by Laura Lee

Series: Dealing With Love #3

Genre: Romantic Comedy

~Blurb~

I’VE OFFICIALLY SCREWED THE POOCH.

I mean, not literally, because that would be disgusting. But I did break one of the cardinal rules of Bro Code, which is equally appalling. You see, I fell in love with my best friend’s sister after he explicitly forbid me to go near her. As if that weren’t bad enough, I went ahead and married her while sh*tfaced in Vegas.

I know that I should get an annulment and forget the whole thing ever happened, despite the fact that our wedding night was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.

The last thing I should do is go back for seconds.

Or thirds.

Or...you get the point.

And what I definitely shouldn’t do, is say f*ck the consequences and give this marriage a real shot.

But here’s the problem with that: I’m pretty sure that Charlotte Harris is the one. And if that’s the case, nothing is going to keep me away from her. Not even her brother.

*Deal Makers is filled with lots of laughs, drunken shenanigans, and a sexy romance. It is the third installment in the Dealing With Love series but each one can be read as a standalone.

GOODREADS

~Book Review~

2.5 Stars

Andrew Summer, 32, is fighting a strong attraction to his best friend’s sister. But Drew lives by the “Bro Code” so resisting Charlotte Harris, 31, is what he’s determined to do. Until alcohol and a night alone in Vegas takes away his inhibitions.

I give points to Charlee for not buying into this whole Bro Code that included her younger brother’s silly insistence that she’s off limits. I couldn’t agree more that he had no say in her love life so why she later let him manipulate things is part of the downfall of this romance.  Initially, Charlee appeared forward and confident, and it was refreshing that she wasn’t buying into the sexist bs. But Charlee started to wear thin with me after a while. I found her bitching and bossiness during intimate or tender moments a turn-off, and I didn’t understand why she wanted to annul the union since she genuinely liked Drew and went after what she wanted.

The side characters (couples from previous books which I have not read and after this have no desire to) wore thin quickly too.  But my patience with this story was lost with Charlee’s crude brother Brody, a grown man with the finesse of an unruly toddler.  He was a hypocrite; he was a bully. He made everything about him and yet shifted responsibility for his behavior to the people he claimed were important to him. He got his way by being loud and obnoxious.

But what made me lose respect for Drew and Charlee and the rest of their friends was the way they all let him control things. No one needs a toxic and controlling misogynist like Brody in their life, whether he’s a best friend or a brother.

There was a serious lack of maturity with these people. (They were all in the 28-32 age range for the record.) From the group’s constant talk about T&A and dicks to Drew and Charlee’s inability to own their impromptu nuptials/relationship, this couple lacked back bones and good sense.

 “‘If this thing between us has to end…then…I want to be with you without any barriers between us before I can’t be with you at all.’”

Nothing screams irresponsible adult like ditching the condoms before you plan to break up! But then Drew upped the ick scale by confiding that he went bare once before and got his college girlfriend pregnant! And that little backstory is apparently such a turn on to them that they follow through with going bareback themselves immediately after!

Only Mrs. Pistorio and Charlee’s mother had any sense or good advice. Well and their father had their number too.

“‘I could’ve sworn we’re all adults here, but you two are acting like bratty teenagers.’”

All in all, the story is built on immature characters who can’t communicate properly and a contrived conflict.

Lastly, and this seems like a minor issues now in comparison to all the issues I had with the characters, but this story incorporates the trope where said couple can’t initially remember the details of the events leading up to their drunk nuptials and yet despite being so black-out drunk, are able to play tourist up and down the Vegas strip for hours and have more orgasms than you can count on your fingers.

Told via Drew and Charlee’s alternating first person POV, bring your suspension of disbelief and an endless supply of patience if you’re going to tackle this read.  The blurb sounded cute but it didn’t live up.

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

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Laura Lee's passion has always been storytelling. She spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. She won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again!

Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury's chocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she's not writing or watching HGTV, she's reading anything she can get her hands on. She's a sucker for spicy romances, especially those involving vampires, bad boys, or cowboys!

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