Red Garnier: Taken by Him

Title: Taken by Him
Author: Red Garnier
Series: The Billionaire's Club #2
Release Date: May 28, 2013

My Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis: Luke Preston is the ultimate playboy among his billionaire friends. Every bad girl in Chicago has surrendered in his bed. Some good girls, too. But when he ends up in the hospital after an assassination attempt, his friends suggest he take a long vacation to recoup, regroup and lay off the women until the man is caught. However, when Luke lays eyes on the stunning brunette across the beach, she inspires every dark, erotic thought his mind can conjure.
Peyton Lane has always been serious and responsible and she’s determined to have some fun for once in her life. And that means a deliciously, sexy affair with a stranger while she’s on vacation. So when a blond Adonis named Luke crosses her path at the Cancun resort, she’s determined that he will be the one. But Peyton gets more than she bargained for when Luke introduces her to a passion unlike any she has ever experienced and she discovers that behind that charming smile are secrets and a beautiful, damaged soul.


My Review:
First off, this is a very quick read, all told it is about 112 pages. Now, I have enjoyed my fair share of short books, and some can get a complete story told. However, Taken by Him did not quite do it for me. It has a good premise, and I enjoy the concept of the series overall, I just wish the author would expand and give the stories and characters more depth. Rather than give more background to the characters and their lives before meeting each other, the story is based on their purely physical attraction to one another. I found it hard to believe that the hero goes from self professed playboy to love at physical encounter in two point five seconds. One minute Peyton and Luke are agreeing to a vacation fling and then they are professing their love to one another after meeting up again. One of the bright sides to this book was Peyton, she was a strong willed heroine, and her character was refreshing next to Luke's typical playboy persona. I would like to believe that someone like Luke could change so quickly when they meet "the one", but since the story was so short it was a little far fetched. The author did create an interesting world and I will probably go back and read Chloe and Graves' story and will go forward and read Andrew and Daniel's stories. Overall, if you are looking for a quick hot read, this is a book for you.

Happy Reading!
*Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for a honest review*



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Gail McGhugh: Pulse

Title: Pulse
Author: Gail McHugh
Release Date: July 9, 2013

My Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis: How do you keep existing when your heart is so splintered, so completely torn to shreds, your pulse is fading?

You’re…broken. How do you move forward when every breath is nothing more than a constant ache? Living becomes an insidious reminder that you threw away the single largest part of yourself. Your…soul. No amount of distraction can pull you from the torture of losing your…life.

Now that Emily Cooper has walked away from her first love, she finds herself running toward her only love. Unraveling fast, but clinging to hope, Emily risks all she has left on the man that has consumed her every thought and dream since the day they met. Will Gavin take her back? And if so, will their reunion be a collision of two hearts destined to complete one another and rekindle a love that knew no boundaries? Or will scars from their past rip open, tearing slowly at what each of them was meant to be? Can fate, the ultimate game changer, mend the shattered road it laid out from the start?

Only time will tell…

Tick-Tock…

My Review:
This was the perfect conclusion to Gail McHugh's Collide series. I read this book in one sitting, I hardly ever do that, but I was not satisfied until Emily and Gavin got their true HEA. The beginning of this book just about broke my heart along with Emily's and Gavin's. Gail McHugh does a wonderful job closing out this series, she gives the closure everyone needs and of course throws in that one curve ball which almost made me walk away from the book :) I have not been so enthralled in a book in quite a while. I could not get enough of Gavin and Emily's story and felt that Ms. McHugh gave her readers the perfect HEA. The only downfall is that Ms. McHugh has decided to leave this world and will not continue with any of the secondary characters. Definitely one of the best New Adult books/series I have read this year.

Happy Reading!


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Lorelei Jones: Turn and Burn (ARC Review)

Title: Turn and Burn
Author: Lorelei James
Series: Blacktop Cowboys #5
Release Date: August 6, 2013

My Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:
Tanna Barker is a world champion barrel racer. But her personal life has been less of a success, and she’s feeling adrift. After her mother’s unexpected death, her father has remarried, and sold the Texas ranch she called home. Now a rodeo injury has left the restless spitfire holed up in Muddy Gap, unsure what her next move should be.

Until she meets her match in a wild, wild cowboy

Veterinarian August Fletcher has always put his job first. He’s never found a woman who could handle his on-the-road lifestyle. But when sassy, sexy Tanna blows into town, he finally finds the woman of his fantasies. And there’s something between them, but she claims she’s been burned by love ’em and leave ’em road dogs before. How can Fletch prove that he’s in it for the long haul, and that their sizzling relationship is better than winning any rodeo medal? It’ll take some sweet persuasion to convince Tanna that Muddy Gap is where she belongs.

My Review:*ARC received from Goodreads*

Such a wonderful addition to the Blacktop Cowboys series! Tanna and Fletch are a couple to take note from. They are able to be in love and completely smitten with each other, without losing their own identities. The best part of the story is Fletch's determination and commitment to Tanna. He won't let her run away from her fears or from him. It was also great to catch up with all of the other heroes and heroines from previous books and see how their families and love have grown. Lorelei James has a penchant for creating worlds and characters that suck you in and you cannot wait to revisit. Tanna is my favorite type of heroine, she has no qualms about speaking her mind, and she does not just assume the worst and create a twist in the plot without an explanation. As for Fletch, he is one of those heroes that loves with his whole heart, and is completely dedicated to his work and friends. Fletch definitely makes my list of top book boyfriends of 2013. Turn and Burn is a definite must buy!

Happy Reading!
*ARC provided by Goodreads/Publisher in exchange for a honest review*


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Lisa Renee Jones: Escaping Reality

My Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Infinite possibilities….
Infinite passion…..
Infinite danger….

His touch spirals through me, warm and sweet, wicked and hot. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t tell him my secrets. But how do I not when he is the reason I breathe? He is what I need.

At the young age of eighteen, tragedy and a dark secret force Lara to flee all she has known and loves to start a new life. Now years later, with a new identity as Amy, she’s finally dared to believe she is forgotten–even if she cannot forget. But just when she lets down her guard, the ghosts of her past are quick to punish her, forcing her back on the run.

On a plane, struggling to face the devastation of losing everything again and starting over, Amy meets Liam Stone, a darkly entrancing recluse billionaire, who is also a brilliant, and famous, prodigy architect. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it. And what he wants is Amy. Refusing to take “no” as an answer, he sweeps her into a passionate affair, pushing her to her erotic limits. He wants to possess her. He makes her want to be possessed. Liam demands everything from her, accepting nothing less. But what if she is too devastated by tragedy to know when he wants more than she should give? And what if there is more to Liam than meets the eyes

My Review:

I cannot recommend this book to too many people, or say too many great things about it. This book is in short, amazing. I never knew what was going to come next, and I could not get enough of the characters. Amy and Liam had chemistry burning off the pages, and the mystery hooked me in from the very beginning. Ms. Jones has been a long time favorite author of mine, and she definitely does not disappoint with her new series. I was thrilled to receive this copy from Net Galley, but the down side was I finished far too quickly, and I cannot wait for the second installment! Warning to readers: this does end on a semi-cliffhanger. Amy is aware who is after her, but not who is helping her. She must look over her should at every turn. Despite the danger, when she meets Liam she is inexplicably drawn to him and cannot seem to turn him away. One of the things that I love about this book is Liam and not for the obvious reasons. Liam is not your typical alpha male. To me, he was controlling but only in a helpful and loving way, not in a desperate need to dominate way. He did not try to strip Amy of her individuality, and only wanted to see her safe. Now, I like to think I'm good at guessing mysteries, but Escaping Reality has me completely stumped. I do not know, who Amy's handler is, or who is after her, or what roles all the characters play in her life at the moment, but I cannot wait to find out! I highly encourage everyone to go out and buy Escaping Reality, you will not regret it.

*ARC received from Net Galley*

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