KissinBlueKaren

Despite my distaste for (read: ignorance of) sports I found Yield to Me was easy to get into. The sparing scenes played out without much technical jargon. The relationship in this book didn’t play out in a typical way and the sex was really hot.

I didn’t know this but this story was actually published before in the anthology Unraveled. This book has 50% more content, so we get more details than that short story would have contained. I can totally understand why the author would consider revisiting the story. At only 106 pages, this could have included even more details about Marcy and Jax. It would have kept my interest, I am sure of it.

Marcy is an MMA fighter who wants to win the state championship. She was destined for a life on Wall Street until she changed her path, broke from her family, and became a fighter. The only problem is that she can’t submit in the ring. She freezes and refuses to tap out. This leads to a dangerous training style. She is a bit broken from a romance gone bad, and it has carried over into her fighting. Her coach calls in Jax, a professional counselor who is a former MMA fighter, to help her battle her demons. They have instant chemistry which causes so much turmoil inside and outside the ring.

Jax is all alpha male in the bedroom and as a coach to Marcy. She struggles to keep her dominance, but it is a loosing battle. I swooned over the sex I this book. My favorite scene was called ‘Countdown to crazy hot sex‘ I don’t know what page it is on, but on my kindle it is at 84%. This author really knows how to lay out a scene, building tension for a few pages. and then releases it. There was a little flip in the last part and I didn’t think we would get a happy ending. Sarah Castille managed to clean up all the loose ends without being unrealistic. In this book is a heroine any girl could get behind. A heroine following her dreams and making them come true.

This is a great book of horror. Creepy in all the right ways. Fans of King and Kootz will really enjoy this read. I like them both and I found this to be every bit of scary. The characters in Night Chill have depth and the story is delivered in layers that enfold the reader. I was left wondering how we got here. How could I possibly break this down in a review? Somehow the author pieces all the events, and the many characters together brilliantly.

This book starts off with scary, describing a girl bound and gagged in a trunk, just hours from her death. We meet Jack and Lauren who just moved the family to the small town of Prescott after an accident happened in California. Jack is driving his two girls home one night, and torrential downpour forces him to pull over into a rest stop to wait it out. There he has a confrontation with the kidnapper, and everything gets really frightening. The man approaches the car when Jack goes to call his wife from the payphone, (no signal in the storm of course). The man is trying to get to Sarah, Jack’s youngest daughter. He has it in his head that she is going to be his next victim. Jack and the guy have a confrontation. Jack then chases the guy out into the highway, only to find that he is the pursued. They end up in a bad car accident. In the collision, the body of the girl in the trunk lands right on Jacks windshield. Just like what happened to the ten year old girl in California. Her face is the last thing he sees before he wakes up in the hospital.

Jack tries to defend his story, telling it over and over to officials in the town. Jack soon discovers that there is something really sinister going on in this town. It involves a girl lying in the hospital dying of some unknown disease, Jack’s youngest daughter Sarah, and a crazy madman. The crazy madman ends up being a town pillar, a regular guy no one believes is capable of harm. Jack is starting to see things that aren’t there, his daughter is acting strange, and he is sleepwalking. All of these creepy things happen to Jack. No one believes his account of the story, even his wife is skeptical. I was left wondering if this guy Jack was just loosing his mind and trying to take me with him. Jack manages to find a few people trying to help him along the way. The evil he faces is terrifying and he needs their help to sort this all out.

This book was such a great thriller. I couldn’t put it down. All Jack wants to do is save his daughter, keep his family safe. He gets all these warnings that something is coming, coming for his daughter. The lengths he goes to to keep her safe are extreme but who wouldn’t go outer limits for their child. Loosing a child is like every parent’s nightmare, this book touches a raw nerve for me. This book kept me up into the wee hours of the night.

An art student who ends up a stripper to make ends meet. It is all going so well until one of her reluctant customers ends up being an instructor to one of her courses in college. These two worlds colliding are something I can totally relate to. I was never a stripper but I have walked on the wild side enough. This book’s premise touched a familiar nerve and I had to read it.

I can tell you that if you like French culture, or Canadian culture for that matter, you will find some delights in this book. The author uses the landscape to add to this story. It felt at times like seeing something new, a vacation for me. I got to host a guest post for this author and she shows off some of the sights she mentions in the story. I loved looking at these after reading about them in the book. It gave me a better perspective of what the author was trying to show us in the city.

Although Hannah is a stripper, she is still a smart girl. She keeps her nose clean but not in an unrealistic kind of way. She is good. The love interest, Emmanuel, teaches a photography class. The author does a great job of describing the scene and then expounding on the picture.

The characters go back and forth about whether this love is worth the risk. He could loose his job, she could loose what little reputation she has forged in her college. Neither of the characters are devious enough to ruin the other. There are some shady players in the outfield though. Jealousy is a bitch. Things start happening to Hannah. Someone is out to ruin her. It almost breaks her and it was sad. I was on the fence about this book until I read this part.

My lip has un-swelled, almost normal except for a red mark of dried blood in the corner of my mouth. My bare face looks back from the mirror; I take in my whole reflection, my concave stomach, my collarbone, my nipples, my naked truth.

When I come out, the first thing I notice is the camera sitting on the counter in its leather case. I pick it up, my weak arms trembling with its weight. Sliding to the floor, I lean my forehead on the case and breathe in its metal-and-leather scent.

It’s the only proof I have that it all really happened, that I didn’t dream it or imagine it. Emmanuel, Quebec City, the moments of beauty and bitterness. It was mine, even if I lost it forever. And no one can take that away from me. I will always have it, always, etched on my mind like light and shadow on a photo film.

And that’s when I just know. It clicks in my head. I won’t let the world tell me who I am.

I will tell it first.

I shower, wash my hair, shave my legs. And I dive headfirst into my work.

My term project for the Traditional Photography class.

I just love a phoenix out of the ashes type of heroine. Life is rough, and I like someone who can pull though the bullshit and make the best out of a situation. I enjoyed this story. I didn’t like all the back and forth, I found it a bit frustrating. There was a lot on the line in this affair so I guess a bit of indecision was necessary. The actually story gave me warm feeling, but I had to get to the point of the girl being almost ruined for it to happen for me. There wasn’t anything bad about the story, it just didn’t have a big wow factor for me until then. I think this was a good story, it had enough to keep my attention and I really enjoyed the ending.

Awwe! This book was so endearing. I loved the innocence of the romance in this book. It is not all sunshine though. This story covers some really tough issues. Just like real life, this book gets down and dirty with what being a teenager can look like. It is not always pretty. This book takes the reader into the mind of a girl called Ellen. A girl with a lack of self-esteem and self-worth. She can’t seem to say what she means, and her silence hides a terrible secret.

Ellen, is a 16 year old with whole lot of issues. Her Mom is out of the picture due to a drug habit ever since her father died. She lives with her brother and he gave up his life to make sure she gets a good start. While volunteering at a youth camp over the summer she meets Rex, a boy from out of town. Their friendship may be the only thing holding Ellen together as she deals with inappropriate adults and bullies that think they know the whole truth. Ellen has to do some growing up in order to face her demons and learn to find her voice.

I wasn’t sure about this book at first. I mean there are a lot of details about the daily life of this girl. We follow her on her walk to camp and through all the stresses of volunteering with kids. It is a bit slow to start, but the author is laying the foundations for a girl that is selfless. The author is setting up the framework and exposing her silence in things she should be communicating but doesn’t. By the time school starts, we understand that Ellen can’t just say what she wants to say. When the secret of an adult preying on children is exposed for the reader, I felt just as stuck as Ellen. I guess the lesson in this book is that it is never too late to do the right thing.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book. My radar is way off when it comes to YA. I have to admit that I enlisted my teenage daughter to help me pick something out. I didn’t read the synopsis, I didn’t look at the reviews. She said this book looked really great. As it turns out, the heroine reminds me of her. I am so pleased with this book, my girl gets gold stars for making a good choice. I can’t wait for her to read it too so we can talk about it. I have to give the author major props for writing a book that girls like her can relate to.

this is book #3 in the series. This is Alison’s almost memoir. “As much as I am able to tell.” The man she loves, the lengths she goes to for him, the things he teaches her about herself. In the first two books, the story didn’t follow day by day. In fact, in Dark Secret Love (the first book in the series), Alison skips through time catching us up to where the character Samantha (a version of Alison) first meets Jack. She gives us the back-story and then she shows us the ropes of her introduction to BDSM 24/7. In book two, The Delicious Torment, we meet Alex who is Jack’s assistant. Alex is also Jack’s sub and Jack uses Alex to further expand Samantha’s limits. I loved the first two books, this book is my favorite, though.

In this story, Jack has a special surprise for Samantha. He lavishes her with a special treat, but she has to wait. Since waiting is not really her style, she gets anxious and in doing so she gets 7 days of spankings. These 7 days are the heart and soul of this tale. The things that Jack plans out and does to Samantha during these 7 days give us a glimpse into what it really means to be Jack’s sub. I don’t want to give it all away. This book was such a delight to read. In Wrapped Around Your Finger we get a daily account of what Samantha’s life is like with Jack. The ways that he engages and tops her are simply…, well not simple. I don’t have the adequate vocabulary to put into words what I feel for this story. It was perfect, and horrifying. It was sexy and a bit of a mind fuck.

Alison invites us to interpret her devotion for Jack, and their devotion for each other. This book (this series really) should be called a great romance. Yes, it was really sexy. I loved the way Alison writes about the pain, the humiliation, the lust, but she also works in her uncertainty. This is for real. This is not for faint hearted players or someone that wants to read a flippant summer romance. This is a couple (threesome really) that expounds on what it means to go all out for someone. Stepping out of her comfort zone repeatedly for growth, Jack opens up Samantha’s world and with that her trust is multiplied. We can see how Jack is Dom always, and also a great teacher.

Each book in this series could be read as a stand-alone. There are no annoying cliffhangers or questions left unanswered, there is just more of Samantha’s journey. I am so excited to hear that there are more from this series. It is not a trilogy as I was first lead to believe, there are a few more books coming. I am anxiously awaiting the next one. Only because I am so greedy for this story. Since this story is so real, I know it will appeal to lovers of BDSM old and new. This is just a great example of how it can really work, and is the only way to nirvana for some. Get this and get a clear view of Dominance and submission.

Let me start by telling you what I liked about this book. I liked that the author was really honest. She is not cool, or sexy, or skinny, or domesticated, or organized. She doesn’t gloss over her imperfections, she points them out and then we can laugh right along with her about how sad it is. She and her husband sound bitter and asshole-ish, but that is exactly how some people are. I loved that she came up with cute names for her kids, Gomer and Aldolpha. She is really witty. This book was really easy to read. The chapters are somewhat chronological. Each chapter tells a complete story and the bottom line is humor. The author covers so many things that I think some people will relate and appreciate what she is trying to say with the stories.

Personally, I hated so much about this book. First, the author has the audacity to complain about her life. She has it so bad, maybe you can relate, (I can not). In her first year of marriage she and her husband are forced to hire a lawn service and a housekeeper despite the fact that they both work from home. This is perhaps the worst case of lazy I have ever read. She pokes fun at stay at Mom’s that pride themselves on just being parent’s. Then she wants to play with them, all the while wondering how they get it all done (duh, they don’t work). She has a whole chapter on parents doing their kids homework, and another on room moms. It is unfair but there are assholes everywhere. I am not sure how they found their way into her neighborhood.

It is meant to be funny, but… I am just not on the same page as this chic. I don’t want to ever be so caught up in playgroups that trying to get into the Red group will cause me angst. I am not this book’s target audience despite the fact that I have 4 kids. I don’t care about how bad she wants a minivan or how she met her husband. I found most of this book annoying, right down to the garage sale details. (Why not just donate the shit?) I think the author is witty and there is is humor in this book of stories about her life, but it is not something I can or want to relate to.

This was a great read! It starts off at a party with hot sex. When one part of her threesome ends up dead, Lana is left to try and sort out if she is falling for the killer or deep in something much more violent. We don’t get all the details right away, we just have an account of what happened from Lana’s point of view. I found myself swooning as the lusty affair unfolded in Lana’s diary. Lana lays it all out there for us to enjoy, writing as if to an old friend. I was falling for it hook, line, and sinker. Her love interest, Sol, is so deliciously written. I loved that Lana was not some expert lover, just one dabbling in BDSM. Sol has all the right moves and it is so hot to hear how Lana falls so deep. Lana finds herself almost a victim in this affair, which borders on manic infatuation. We see the whole scene as Lana does, flaws and all. Kristina envelops us into this story full of lies and betrayal. I could scarcely believe how it all went down.

Kristina describes the life of a bar owner, making it sound like a viable career. I want the life of Lana. The loves of her as well, please. This girl really goes outer limits for her own happiness in this relationship. Since there is such a nasty twist in this book, I can’t give you too many details. I can tell you that you won’t really miss Misah, the guy who dies at the beginning. He served his purpose and made this intro one of the best I have read this year.

he Replacement is the story of Elise, a 23 year old that has a reputation. Her reputation is well earned and she admits to being exactly what people say about her. She sleeps around, the whole town knows it. She doesn’t just sleep around, she sleeps with men who are with other women. This makes her bad. She isn’t sorry about it, except that she is. She seemed very conflicted.

“I’m Elise Duchamp, and I destroy relationships. I destroy people. Wives, girlfriends, good people. People like you. I fuck their husbands, their boyfriends, eat their food, sleep in their beds. Is that clear enough for you?”

This is a strong headed girl with no idea what love is. Her childhood views of love were very twisted. In order to protect herself from harm, she never gets attached. If a guy becomes too available, it is time for her to bail. No man has ever seen her home, and she will never settle down with just one guy. The idea of some guy getting too close is too much for her. The only man she cares about is Tim, her boss. Tim took her in when she had nowhere else to go. He is the only one who ignored the rumors and gave her a job. A job that gives her freedom to live her life exactly how she wants to. He is the only person she doesn’t want to hurt. This girl has big dreams of learning French and one day going all the way to France. This is her end goal and she won’t let anyone get in her way. No friends, no real love, just this passion to speak the language of love in the country of its origin.

Ryder is a drifter. He is so close to being a homeless vagrant I almost cringed that I fell for him, but then he has all these redeeming qualities. He lives in a tent six months of the year. A tent full of books where he lives free under the stars (sounds so romantic doesn’t it?). He is a free spirit with no ties to bind him. He does seem to have a lot of friends. Even friends that trust him enough to let him house sit for six months. He meets Elise when he goes to fix something in her apartment. He is the maintenance guy. A very sexy Mr.Fix it. So this guys is not totally without skills. The attraction is immediate. He accidentally broke her first rule by seeing her apartment. It is not her style to see a single guy but: hot guy, sexy female, they both have issues, why not?

“That’s all you are, you slut —a replacement. Sloppy seconds and an in-between quickie for every guy in this town who’s looking to fill a hole.”

Well , there is that. I think Ryder’s lifestyle had so much to do with him falling for Elise. He seemingly has nothing to lose loving the town tramp, except maybe his heart. Like she is so much better than him with her reputation. So they start off even, both with major baggage. I didn’t see him as this pure character, he has his own issues. Even when everything comes out about Elise, he still advances and tries to win her heart. Elise tries to block him at every turn. She goes back to her old ways even after he confronts her about this being the real thing. We see Elise at her lowest. She betrays a friend, breaks a lover’s heart, and turns away from the only guy that might really accept her for what she is, and sees so much more. She is like this force that destroys everything good around her.

“I’m a whore. I’m rotten to the fucking core, and if you shake this crazy fantasy you have – of me and you frolicking in the woods together, star gazing and listening to Fleetwood Mac- you’d fucking see that! You’d run in the other direction if you had any shred of sense!”

It is frustrating to read, and I couldn’t put it down. Just when I think I know what happens next, the author flips the script and adds in more drama. I didn’t even mention the sex in this book, but man oh man, it is HOT! Elise is like this sex goddess, super cool and confident. She knows all her best assets and she has no problem wielding them. Ryder is a sexy confident man, but he is not the only one with starring roles in erotica in this book. I give this read 5/5 stars. You may never get a chance to see a heroine with so much sexual confidence. Elise is like no one I have ever met.

The Prisoner’s story actually takes place at the same time as the Replacement, but it is from a totally different angle. The Prisoner is meant to be read after The Replacement. This novella tells the story of Christian. He is a man who starts sleeping with Elise before she meets Ryder. He is one of many men that Elise has sex with while they are married. They have this lusty affair and it eventually consumes Christian, to the point that he leaves his wife to pursue it. Christian is this lusty alpha male dominant. He has the perfect life and plenty of money to make her every dream come true. He can’t convince her to stay, and we know that from reading The Replacement. It was so nice to see what drove him to end his marriage. He becomes obsessed with Elise to the point of near madness.

The main reason to read this novella, other than the lusty male lead, is the smoking hot sex that takes place. Rachael Wade knows how to write a sex scene. It is like you are right there, sweating it out with them, exploring their flesh. After reading The Replacement we know this book doesn’t carry us safely to a happy ending. It does give us a glimpse into the mind of Christian. We find out exactly what drove him to pursue to the town tramp waitress when he had a happy life at home. Reading this book as a stand alone won’t make much sense unless you have read The Replacement. 5/5 stars for packing that much hotness into approx 25,000 words. Christian really needed his story to be told. Thanks Rachael, that was quite a sexy tale.

The Sexy Librarian’s Big Book if Erotica is a naughty book full of erotic delights. I was so pleased to find that this book encompasses so many types of kink. So many of my favorite authors are encompassed here. It is so wonderful to have such a complete collection so well organized for my reading pleasure. This book displays so many different turn-ons, I think the title suits it really well.

I have to mention the card catalog introduction to each story. This looks awesome and was a stroke of pure genius.



The stories here vary from author to author. One story could be about a “secret” Dominatrix superhero, the next about blood-lust and demons. It is quite a ride of sensual pleasures. I read this book slowly, devouring one story a a time. The authors give plenty of details about the scene and characters then dive in to the kinky scene. I enjoyed getting to know these stories. I know you will, too.

I urge you to get this book. Almost every story was something I could love and lust for. It was a sex filled book with well written stories. Smart smut. This editor has collected 22 amazing tales from authors that rock me. The variety in this collection makes it completely worth it. For me, this collection is a complete win. It is sure to quicken your pulse. I have rated this erotic collection 5/5 stars, my highest recommendation.

So Kat Walsh is a girl with gifts. She has the gift of telekinesis. Being born of an angel mother and a gifted father, that is not so surprising. When she is invited to Midland Pines, School for the Gifted, she thinks she has finally found a place where she actually can be herself. Gifts and all. Right away she has friends, and has caught the interest of a very handsome boy any girl could fall for, Levi. Levi goes to great lengths to get and keep Kat’s attention. Everything is going so well, until…Kat notices something in the woods beyond her school. She is drawn to it, and what she finds puts all her dreams of normal at risk.

I was sucked into this story right away. We ride right along with Kat in this paranormal tale. The heroine is really just trying to fit in. She was discovered at her old school as having telekinetic powers in one stupid incident. After that, normal school was out of the question. The offer from Midland Pines showed up at just the right time for her. This new school holds the promise of the high school experience for Kat. I so wanted this to just be about the school and discovering what her school mates could do. That would have been plenty for me to enjoy this tale. The author had something more adventurous for us to discover, however. Kat starts feeling drawn to the woods beyond her school, the boy she thinks she glimpsed one day. Her dreams hint that this boy in the woods might be “the one.” She gets more than she could of ever expected when she decides to seek him out.

I don’t want to spoil the tale for you. I just want to say that Kat continues to be very different even in this setting. Finding others like herself becomes her primary goal and it almost costs her everything. Kat ends up in a twisted love triangle. There was absolute romance in this tale and it isn’t all about sex. It is a bit more immature, but still so swoon worthy. I was completely torn on which she should choose. I am completely hooked and can’t wait to read the sequel to Captivate Me, Iris.

Seaside Maine in the winter is scary enough. Add in a boy who can draw things to life and you have a horror that is hard to put down. The Boy Who Drew Monsters is eerie and haunting. It kept me awake at night. Ten year old Jack has Aspergers and never goes outside anymore. His Dad, Tim, is a stay at home Father. His best and only friend Nick is his parents best friends kid. They have been friends since birth. When strange things start happening we follow Tim and Holly(Jack’s Mom) as they try to deal with their son’s withdrawal from the world outside. When Nick comes to stay over winter break things get out of control. Nick knows Jack’s secret. His drawings won’t be contained anymore.

The book starts off with his mother trying to rouse him from sleep and she ends up with a black eye. From there we are introduced to Nick, Jack’s only friend as he visits and plays with Jack. Their relationship is estranged since an incident where they both nearly drown. The story follows Nick and Jack through their prior obsessions with games and army men to Jack’s current obsession, drawing. Jacks drawings come to life and it is all bad for those around him. Strange things start happening to Molly, Tim and Nick and they don’t see that Jack is the reason. Until it is almost too late.

This book has really well developed characters. There are no gaps in this tale from the birth of Jack all the way to the present. He is a strange boy, not easy to love. Even his own Mother reaches out to a priest for help with him. Seeing the priest brings up more questions than answers. Molly is drawn to an old painting depicting a ship that sank near her home in the early 1900’s. His Dad, Tim, stays with Jack almost all the time and sees much more hope for the boy. No doctor or church leader could make him give up on him. Jack will be reach-able, he will get back to normal if possible with his dad’s help. Tim starts to see things that may or may not be there. When a skeleton is found on the beach Molly’s fears of the long dead come to fruition.

The writing is mature and the story is easy to follow. I loved the quiet build up of scary that this author lured me into. There are a few adult type themes, skeletons in his parent’s closet, that make this story unsuitable for children. This story is eerie right up to the ending sentence, when Holly is forced to see the truth about her son. I finished this book about an hour ago and I know the story will haunt me for the next few weeks.

This book was slow to start but then it picked up. I loved the depth of the characters. Neither of these ladies is in a typical marriage and their stories are interesting, although a bit slow at times. The relationships between these two woman separated by decades have some things in common, they are both lost in their roles as mother and wives. I found The Barter an enjoyable read by about chapter 4. The ghost in this book was not very believable, but I guess everyone’s ghost story is unique.

These woman are both willing to give up something for their children. Bridget is our modern day mom. Bridget has the pressure of money woos and play groups. She has a lot going on as a stay at home mom. I believe a lot of new moms could relate to her story. She struggles to reconnect with her husband after a baby and fit in with the top moms of the neighborhood. Bridget gave up her job as an attorney to raise her daughter. Her husband is absent throughout most of the story, working double time to support his new family. The only thing different for this mom is that she has a ghost living her home. A ghost that her husband can’t see. She is alone in dealing with this thing invading her home.

Rebecca is a woman living in the early 1900′s. Her child rearing looks much different than Bridget’s. She is the daughter to a German immigrant doctor. Rebecca’s mother died shortly after childbirth, so Frau, Rebecca’s father’s cousin, helped raise her. Of the many stories Frau told her, the one of her mother’s bartering an hour of life for her daughter’s happiness troubles Rebecca the most. She contemplates what she would give up for her son’s happiness. Rebecca marries a man she doesn’t especially love and the whole relationship is strained right from the start. Her story was really interesting since her struggles are so different from the modern woman. Daily life is harder and child rearing in this time proves to be much more difficult. Her horrors about the Barter are passed on from her mother.

I was sure by about chapter 2 that the title had nothing to do with the story, and was all about the ghost. I was wrong as this book is all about a Barter. The Barter is with their love for their children. This story about a ghost haunting a new mother is scary. I got a bit sucked into Rebecca’s story as well. The last two chapters left me baffled. After all that these mothers though, went through, and wondered, the story ends abruptly. All the loose ends are tied up by a magician for Rebecca, and a night at a party for Bridget. What happens in these last two chapters is confusing and left me really disappointing by this book. If the ghost story was unbelievable, the ending is even more so. The Barter had some bright spots but I would not recommend this read. I am left wondering what the Barter in this story actually means and what the author was trying to do with this story.

I read the reviews on this one and didn’t think it would be that great. I am glad I went with my gut and requested it anyways. This story was well written and through me for a wicked curve-ball at the end. This book tells an original story in a very unconventional way. The Good Girl had me hooked right from the go. I got myself invested in the characters and the telling of their story.

So, The Good Girl starts off with Eve discovering her daughter Mia is missing. Eve is heartbroken, most of all at the reaction of her husband, who is a Judge, to their daughters disappearance. Also, she brings up bittersweet memories of Mia to make us love her throughout this book. A detective named Gabe gets involved and is hunting down clues to find Mia. He really leaves no stone unturned and his hard detective work pays off. Gabe and Eve have a strange introduction and their interactions have purpose. Colin is the man who took Mia. The reason why Colin took Mia out of her life and displace her we learn much later. He doesn’t come across as evil or a villain. He is not a knight in shining armor saving Mia from something either.

All of these characters we get to know in first person writing. What really struck me was how much depth each of these characters had. The author took her time and allowed us to really know these people. I got genuinely attached. The author labels some chapters as before, and some as after. Something happened, but have no idea what that is. Mia shows up safe at home in the after chapters with amnesia. She is a shell of the girl she once was. We slowly discover what happened that caused her to be so traumatized. This book was very suspenseful in the writing. I really enjoyed the author’s style. Deliberately not writing in the main character’s first person we are left to wonder like those whose lives she touches, what is she thinking?

I was so affected by this book. I sat on pins and needles wondering why Mia is taken, what is Colin’s motivation, what will Eve do to bring Mia back from the daze she is living in upon her return? I honestly did not see the finish the way the author laid it out. I enjoyed all 352 pages of this book. I was completely swept away with the last chapter, the climax where all the questions get answered.

I don’t really know what I was expecting from this book. Whatever it was, Evie Harper has blown it out of the water. You Loved Me at My Darkest was so suspenseful I chewed off all my fingernails…really. I could not leave this book alone until I knew how it ended. This book really should serve as a warning, and perhaps a bit of a wake up for those of us untouched by the horrors of the underground sex slave trade. This story is a bit scary.

This book is about Lily who runs a ranch in Australia with her sister. They head off on an American vacation, first stop New York. These sisters are so cute together, you can tell they really love and depend on one another. Things get really dark when they are both kidnapped and find themselves as slaves for a sicko “collector.” He collects girls and auctions them off to the highest bidder for one night a month. The ones he doesn’t keep for his collection go to auction as slaves, for god knows what. Lily and her sister end up separated. Their fight for survival had me up into the wee hours flipping tough my kindle until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.

Jake is the man tasked with guarding Lily. He is to make sure she eats, sleeps, doesn’t escape, and doesn’t hurt herself. Jake has been working for four years to accomplish his goal. He can’t let this one “collection piece” get in his way. But, the attraction is undeniable for either of them. Even in the most unlikely place, love can bloom. They both risk so much for a little bit of joy together. There are lives at stake in this and neither one of them can let go of their end goal. It was really interesting that the author kept me guessing if Jake was a good guy who had a change of heart or a bad guy indulging in the goods for a while. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, dear reader, so let me stop right there. I will just say, this book was a suspenseful page turner and an endearing love story.

The best part for me about this book, beside the hot sex that happens, was the awesome testament to the human spirit that it delivered. Even when all seems lost, this girl Lily still had moxie to keep fighting. Jake starts off being the reluctant hero for Lily. He gives her company but little else at first. Her situation seems so desperate and she has no one that can help her. She was pretty powerless throughout most of the story, but she kept focusing on her sister and on getting out. She is the heroine I want to root for. Don’t lay down and accept your fate, keep fighting till the bitter end. I think readers will find Lily and unexpected heroine, and that is exactly what she is.

This book is about a girl named Stevie. We meet her first at the deathbed of her sister, her twin, who dies too young. After several years of loneliness, Stevie decides to take her own life and join her sister. On the night she has set for her suicide, she meets a man who changes everything for her. Ford and Stevie meet and enjoy an incredible two week affair. The love in this book burns fast and bright. They both start off telling each other lies. The lies end up being exposed and they both have to own up to who they really are. It takes some people a lot longer to own up though.

Stevie is such a dark female character. She is the me I wish I had the nerve for. She keeps her heart closely guarded and she speaks her mind, no matter what the cost. She is the black sheep, clamoring for attention from her father. Her siblings enjoy the limelight and she is cast aside. She agrees to infiltrate a company that Ford, the love interest, just happens to be CEO of in the hopes of winning her father’s approval. Predictable to a point, but then there is the jealous ex-lover who is cast to train Stevie in her internship. The plot thickens as she busts Ford in his identity lie and Stevie uses this to (stupidly) set him to prove his love for her. I was so frustrated and desperate for the characters to set things right. The misunderstandings and lack of communication between these two was frustrating. I so wanted them to just fess up to each other, but it made me keep reading to find out just how far each would go to save face.

This book is written beautifully with poetic words that stir the soul. There is real pain in this book. The main character has wounds that are laid bare, open and picked at. I felt bad for her, but I also felt like this was her path. It all happened for a reason. It is rare to see a character so messed up. I mean Stevie was just in such a pit of dung, I really couldn’t see how this would end up being a happy ending. Ford, the male lead, was a saint in this story. His one little act of deception is blown out of proportions by a girl that has some real trust issues. The author was so kind, she went on for a while in the epilogue tidying up loose ends. I felt relief and joy at the ending of this book. There were a few “no frickin way” corney coincidences in this story, but this book was also so unlike anything I have ever read. It kept my attention and I felt myself smiling through the last 30 pages. This was quite an enjoyable read.
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