January Wrap-Up

What a month January was! I read 13 books this month. Between work and family, I’m surprised I got through that many but when you love reading, you make time to read!

Here is the list of my January reads.

Click on the picture to take you to the Amazon link for that book.

---

1. Notice – K. Webster 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

I didn’t notice her before…but now I do.
The shiny strands of gold in her silky brown hair.
Tiny crinkles between her eyebrows when she frowns.
Her passion for neatness.
Once I focus on her, I can’t take my eyes from my newest obsession. Ever.
I need to know everything about her.
Her past. Her present.
The way she takes her coffee.
Exactly how she smells after a spritz of perfume in the mornings.
She’s perfect in every way and I was blind.
But, God, now do I see.
I notice the organized way she arranges her clothes in her closet.
How she visits the same market each Saturday.
The sounds of her breathing as I lie beneath her bed in silence.
Violet is mine.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
***WARNING***
Notice is a dark and unusual romance. Extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. If you are sensitive to dark themes, then this story is not for you. If you aren’t into super obsessive stalkers, then this story is not for you.

My Review: 

Stalker? Check
Crazy fast love connection? Check
Hidden secrets? Check
What a crazy, sexy, creepy story.
Gray and Violet have a story that goes quickly but so much happens so fast that you can see why thing are the way they are.
This was a really good read and I’m glad I started my 2018 with a K. Webster book.

 

---

2. Ex-rated Attraction – K. Webster 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

I liked Caleb.
I like his dad more.
Miles Reynolds sent shocks through me the very first time I met him. With his full beard and sculpted ass, he’s every inch a heroic, powerful Greek god.
He saved me from a bad situation and now he’s all I can think of. Every minute of every hour of every day, I want that man.
He’s warned me away, says I can’t handle what he has to give.
But I know better.
Miles is exactly what I need—now, then and forever.
This book is approximately 28,000 words
Editor’s note: All characters in this story are over eighteen and all sexual interactions are fully consensual.

My Review: 

Miles and Olivia have a bit of a taboo relationship. I’m not going to spoil the plot, it be prepared for a hot, fast, sexy read!!

 

 

 

 

 

---

3. The Sergeant’s Promise – K. Langston 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

protection: a person or thing that prevents someone or something from suffering harm or injury
Sergeant Justin Cunningham just completed one of the most dangerous missions of his life, facing off with a notorious drug cartel. Blood was shed and sacrifices were made, but the risk had been worth it because there he found Selena Del Marco, the drug lord’s daughter, who possessed an endearing innocence that could not be tainted.
Not even by the corruptive world she lived in.
Trapped beneath her father’s iron fist for most of her life, Selena often dreamed of escape but would never attempt it for fear of his deadly wrath. After all, watching how her mother died would forever haunt her.
However, her prayers were answered one fateful night and with it came freedom and protection.
Now she can finally start building a life of her own, and as the days pass she longs for Justin to be a part of it. But right when things begin looking up, a new danger lurks, exposing a secret that will turn her newfound life upside down.

My Review: 

Selena and Justin have a story about the hero falling for the girl he rescued.
But what happened when the life he rescued her from comes back to get her?
Justin is the sweetest. He only wants what is best for Selena and will do anything in his power to see that she is happy and safe.
Selena is trying to pull her life together after living a terrible life for the past 9 years.
Such a sweet story!

---

4. My Torin – K. Webster 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

I’m a freak, a misfit, an odd end.
Abandoned and unloved.
But my happiness is so close I can taste it.
Until he shows up.
Gorgeous, expensive, and all man.
Sad brown eyes and a brilliant smile.
And he wants me to go with him.
His intentions are hidden.
His motives are unclear.
Yet, I leave with him because there’s no happiness here.
What he promises feels too good to be true…
A castle. A fortune. And horses too.
It’s too easy.
Nothing in my life has ever been easy.
What’s the catch?
There’s always a catch.

My Review: 

Thank you for my first book cry of 2018!
This book is a bit different than a lot of books most people read. Why? This book has 3 points of view. If you have read K. Webster before, you know what she has written this was before in the Pretty Dolls Series.
You have Casey, Tyler, and Torin.
Each person is unique
Each person has their own set of problems.
But nothing is ever as it seems.
When Casey is offered a way out of foster care, she takes it. But it seems to good to be true. Move in with these two strangers who say they want nothing in return. Well actually only one tells her that, because the other doesn’t really talk.
Can it be that simple? Do they only want the company?
As the story goes on, things in the house start to change. Feeling start to grow but everything is very complicated.
Secrets are being kept. More secrets than anyone realizes.
What happens when everything falls apart? What happens when promises are made? Can they be kept? Will those promises end up being too much?
WOW!! What a powerful book!
K. Webster touches on so many different issues in this book and she approaches them with such care and consideration.
That is one thing I have found with K. Webster, she seems to always put her heart into all books and you can tell it in her writing.
This book had my heart hurting for each person in different ways.
My heart ached for Tyler.
Broke from Casey.
Hurt for Torin.
This book was so much more than I thought it would be.
But this isn’t the first time K. Webster has shocked me with her work. She always seems to keep me wanting more.

---

5. Hey, Whiskey – Kaylee Ryan 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

I’m over this year, and I’m over relationships. I’ve learned that the only person you can count on in life is yourself. Moving forward, I’m living for me. Working toward standing on my own two feet, that’s my goal. Funny how meeting him changed my path.
It’s been years since I’ve been back in this small town of West Virginia for more than a day or two. Spending time here brings back a lot of fond memories. When I stopped by an old friend’s bar, I was expecting to grab a drink and catch up. What I didn’t expect was her.
We share an undeniable attraction, but we continue to fight it.
Until one night in Vegas changes everything.

My Review: 

In this book, you have Saylor and you have Rhett and when you put them together….you get one heck of a combination.
Saylor is a wreck. Nothing ever goes her way. But that is what makes her so strong. She doesn’t want to accept handouts and she works her butt off her everything she has.
Rhett is a sweetheart. He’s possessive, an alpha male, but he also wants what is best for Saylor.
When Rhett and Baylor first meet, it’s like mixing oil and water, but as time goes on, he starts to grow on her.
Can one night in Vegas change everything??
This book is sweet and sassy and such fun.
If you are looking for a light hearted, fun read, this is the book for you.

---

6. Sparrow – L.J. Shen 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

Troy Brennan
Every southie in Boston knows that name. The son of a dead mobster. The heart throb with steel blue eyes. “The Fixer” who can make or break you in this city.
Oh, and my new husband.
Sparrow Raynes
That’s me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life.
But then he caged me.
Kidnapped me.
And killed every chance I had to runaway from the place where we grew up.
Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings.
I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he’d ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he’d decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.
Sparrow is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

My Review: 

Can a caged bird ever really be free?
Sparrow and Troy are definitely not your typical love story.
Sparrow is forced to marry Troy and doesn’t know why. All she knows is that he is a very powerful, dangerous man and she doesn’t want to cross him. But she also isn’t going to let him get everything he wants.
The two go back and forth throughout the entire book. Hating each other but also starting to actually like each other.
What happened when everything falls apart? What happens when the bird is taken from her cage? Will she be able to survive?
This was a good read. I love anything that involves the mob or mobster like active. If you like that, you’ll like this book.

---

7. The Hail You Say – Lani Lynn Vale 4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

Get out!
He yelled those words at the love of his life twelve years ago, and to this day, Reed Hail regrets them. He’s always been the type of person to speak before he thinks, and apologies have never come easy.
It’s been over a decade since she was his, and he stubbornly thinks that he can keep on living without her.
He couldn’t be more wrong.
The last thing he needs is her vagina anywhere near his exam table. But nobody ever asks him what he wants.
Maybe he should’ve gone into the auto-recovery business after all.
I hate you.
Krisney Shaw would take those words back in a heartbeat if she could. In fact, she would take back everything.
Never meeting him would be the perfect place to start. The memory of Reed Hail haunts her—morning, noon, and night. Then, to add insult to injury, she has to see him being happy while she’s breaking a little more inside every single day.
Reed Hail is her worst nightmare because she’s constantly reminded of exactly what she’s missing—the other half of her soul.
Just when she thinks things can’t get worse, she sees his sexy, bearded face over the top of her paper gown, and she’s lost all over again.
Don’t ever let me go.
Both Reed and Krisney are determined to avoid each other. They do a great job of it, too…not.
One ill-timed gynecological exam changes everything. One single second in time shows Reed what he’s missing—literally and figuratively—and suddenly he’s back at square one.
The only problem with being back at square one? He won’t be able to leave her a second time.
Especially since the first time around he didn’t have a child with her to consider.

My Review: 

Krisney and Reed have such a traumatic past, that no-one would ever think that they could come back together or even talk to each other again.
You meet Krisney in a previous book but you don’t learn anything about her.
Once you start to learn about Krinsey and her past, your heart breaks for her. She has been through so much but she never gives up.
Krisney and Reed were high school sweethearts but broke up when some terrible happened. (I can’t give away what happened now, that would give to much of the story away)
Krisney joins the military to get away. What she didn’t realize was that when she needed her yearly check up, that her military doctor would be Reed. Like how crazy is that!!!
One thing leads to another and a bit later, Krisney ends up pregnant. What is even better? Reed ends up being her doctor again. (She just has terrible, or amazing, luck)
But it is not all sunshine and roses for Krisney and Reed now. They have a lot of history between them and it’s not all good.
Krisney is worried about how Reed’s family would feel seeing her again.
How can they make it work when both families want nothing to do with each other?
What happens when their relationship literally comes down to life or death?
You have to read to find out!!
Lani, you always know how to keep my attention. There were times in this book that I wanted to throw the book across the room but I didn’t because I had to know what was going to happen next. I cried, I laughed, and I cried some more.
Amazing story! Amazing scenes (especially the dirty ones)!! Just overall an amazing read!!
Plus I LOVED that I got to see Big Papa in this book. Just a small vision into his upcoming book.

---

8. Hot Shot – Karina Halle 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

If love is friendship set on fire, then theirs is about to go up in flames
Delilah Gordon has a secret.
She’s been in love with her best friend and the boy next door, Fox Nelson, since she was six years old.
And while most of her friends and family know about her unrequited crush, the one person who remains oblivious is Fox himself. To Delilah, it’s better this way. She’d rather pretend that they’re just friends, even though her feelings for the moody, rugged mountain man are anything but tame.
Fox Nelson has a secret too. As a wildland firefighter or “hot shot,” Fox parachutes into danger every day he’s on the job, risking all to fight wildfires that threaten ranches, forests and thousands of lives. But while Fox’s job is only for the brave, inside he feels anything but. The more he grapples with his raging demons, the more he realizes Delilah is the only one who can put out the flames.
As the two friends grow closer – and more intimate – than ever before, the more complicated their relationship becomes.
And Delilah has one more secret to reveal.
A secret that will change both their lives…forever.

My Review: 

Talk about a book with major angst.
Fox and Delilah have a story that will pull at your heartstrings. They’ve known each other for years and Delilah has always deep down in her heart known that she loves him. Everyone else knows it too except Fox. Throughout the entire book there is a push and pull with them. One night will change everything. But is it enough to change Fox?
As you read the book you will come to learn that Fox has issues. And when he needs to man up and do what needs to be done, will he be able to do it?
This was a really good read. I’ve read the first two books in the series and I’ve always wanted to know what Fox’s story was. I promise you will not be disappointed in this book and if you need a anxiety, good cry, this is the book for you.

---

9. Tristan – Karla Sorensen 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

There’s one thing you should know about Tristan Whitfield: he’s been in love with Anna for years.
There are two problems with that: she has no idea, and she’s married. Or at least, she was.
Anna Callahan knows three things about her brother’s friend, Tristan: he’s quiet, incredibly handsome, and has a smolder that could set the room on fire.
For years, it wasn’t difficult for Anna to overlook all of that. But when Tristan is the solution to a work problem that could derail her career, he is anything but easy to ignore.
To Tristan, the fact that the object of his affection is suddenly single means he should tread lightly. Be the friend she needs until she’s ready for more and hope the risk pays off.
Because it’ll add up to the one thing he wants: her.

My Review: 

“I didn’t fall in love with Anna Calder the firs night I met her. I liked her. Was attracted to her. No, it wasn’t the first night. Or the second, though after that I had a hard time pushing her from my thoughts. It was the third night.”
Tristan has loved Anna since the third night he meet her. He didn’t know she was married at the time and even after six years, his feelings haven’t gone away. Everyone but Anna knows that he loves her.
But now everything has changed. Anna isn’t married anymore.
Tristan has to decided how to deal with his new information.
Does he move in and tell her how he feels or does he let her have time to process everything?
But what happens when she starts going on dates? Will he be able to handle it or will he crack and tell her how he really feels?
Anna has been in a loveless marriage for years now. Her family has wanted her to end her marriage for as long as she can remember but she just couldn’t do it.
But when one thing leads to another, she finds her marriage over.
Now she has to figure out what to do with this new life she has in front of her.
When a work emergency lands in her lap, the only person she knows that she can turn to is Tristan. But Tristan has always been a mystery to her.
“Too many tattoos. Too handsome. Too mysterious. Too everything.”
But as time goes on, Anna finds herself feeling something for Tristan. The problem is that he is so hot and cold. She can never decipher if he likes her or if he is just being a friend.
What happens when one night of alcohol changes everything? Will secrets be revealed? Will those secrets change everything?
This is the last book in the Bachelors of the Ridge series. Tristan and Anna have a story that has been developing over the past 4 books and I am so happy that their time has come. This book will show you what you will go through when you find that true love. This book will show you to never give up.
I have loved this series from the very beginning and I am sad to see it end. These 5 men have all has amazing stories that have touched my heart.
I am excited to see what Karla does next!!!

---

10. Hostage – Annika Martin and Skye Warren 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

I NEVER KNEW WHEN HE’D COME TO ME. ONLY THAT HE WOULD.
I’d never even kissed a boy the night I met Stone. The night I saw him kill. The night he spared my life. That was only the beginning.
He turns up in my car again and again, dangerous and full of raw power. “Drive,” he tells me, and I have no choice. He’s a criminal with burning green eyes, invading my life and my dreams.
The police say he’s dangerously obsessed with me, but I’m the one who can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe it’s wrong to let him touch me. Maybe it’s wrong to touch him back. Maybe these twisted dates need to stop. Except he feels like the only real thing in my world of designer labels and mansions.
So I drive us under threat, until it’s hard to remember I don’t want to be there.
Until it’s too late to turn back.

My Review: 

Don’t see my three stars and count this book out. It wasn’t a bad book, I just didn’t connect to this book like I connected to Prisoner.
Brooke is a 16 year old girl who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She tries to do the right thing in the situation she ends up in but it turns out to be a mistake.
Stone has had a hard life and is trying to get revenge on those who have wronged him and his brothers in the past.
Brooke and Stone end up meeting each other under not so great circumstances. But once their first encounter is over, that should be the end of things, right?
NOPE!!
Brooke is Stone’s “Hostage”. He can’t keep himself away from her. No matter how hard he tires .
Over the next few years, he randomly sees her. But his mission in life is to hunt down and kill those responsible for what happened to him when he was younger never changes.
What happens when his past and her present mix?
Can they both make it out alive?
This book wasn’t a bad read. I just did not connect to it like I did Prisoner. Will I continue to read books from these two authors….of course I will. Just because I don’t connect with one book doesn’t mean I give up on an author.

---

11. Signed – Marni Mann 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

Rule Number 1: Do Not Sleep with Clients
I was the best agent in the industry. More ruthless and cutthroat than any arrogant bastard you’d ever met.
The top actors in Hollywood came to me to get signed.
When I saw James Ryne, America’s Sweetheart, standing across the bar, I wanted her body like I’d never wanted anything before.
I broke rule number one.
But, after all, I was a man. No one had ever mistaken me for a saint.
Rule Number 1: Do Not Fall in Love Again
I didn’t know his name. I didn’t who he was. All I knew was that he was deliciously handsome and he had to be someone to get into the most elite bar in LA.
He was too old for me, too experienced—the kind of man everyone warned me about. It was only supposed to be a one-night stand. I could have walked away. I should have walked away.
And then I was forced to walk away when my scandal hit the tabloids.
I broke rule number one and now I had to make the biggest decision of my life.
Risk my heart or get signed.

My Review: 

This is a fast paced, fun, sexy read.
You have James and Brett (James is a girl for those wondering.)
James is a Hollywood actress who has the perfect life until she doesn’t. When things sprial out of control, she unknowngly asking Brett for help, the man she has been talking to for the past month. She doesn’t know much about Brett but when she finds out who he really is and what he does, she doesn’t know if he is the best person to help her.
Brett is a entertainment agent. When he crosses paths with James, he can’t resist her. But when her life falls apart, he drops her without an explanation. When she shows up out of the blue, he has to decided if she is worth the risk.
They are both caught out of the blue but can they work together to fix James’ life or is it too late? Can they put their feelings aside or will those feelings tear them apart even more?
This was pretty good read. It was fast paced but I think he story flowed very well. Brett and James have a give and take kind of relationship.
This book is sexy and is definitely a read for someone over 18.

---

12. Scoundrels and Scotch – Alta Hensley 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

I’ll stop at nothing to own her.
I’m a collector of dolls.
All kinds of dolls.
So beautiful and sexy, they become my art.
So perfect and flawless, my art galleries are flooded by the wealthy to gaze upon my possessions with envy.
So fragile and delicate, I keep them tucked away for safety.
The dark and torrid tales of Drayton’s Dolls run rampant through the rich and famous, and all but a few are true.
Normally I share my dolls for others to play with or watch on display.
But not my special doll.
No, not her.
Ivy is the most precious doll of all.
She’s mine. All mine.

My Review: 

When I first went into this book, I was a bit nervous. I really enjoyed the first two books, but this book seemed like it could be a bit more taboo. Don’t get me wrong, I love my dark, taboo reads. I just wasn’t sure what I was going to be getting with this read.
When Ivy needs a new job, Victor Drayton steps in to save the day. He offers her a spot as one of his Drayton’s Dolls. Ivy knows that the Dolls are super sexy and also kind of taboo. She knows that the pay is good and she needs the money. When she takes Victor up on his offer, she never could have expected what she was walking into.
Victor Drayton is known for his world famous Drayton Dolls. When Ivy needs a job, he can’t resist giving her the opportunity. What he is not sure of is if she can handle it. He thinks she would be an amazing doll, but for some reason, he feels different about her than any of his other dolls.
As time goes on, feelings start to develop. But those feelings could end up messing everything up.
When tragedy strikes, will Ivy be able to survive? Will Drayton be strong enough to do what is needed to keep everyone safe?
Like I said earlier, I was a bit nervous going into this book. But once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I loved Drayton and his dolls. I loved this relationship with Ivy, even though there were times when I was like “Stop being an ass”.
This is a series you don’t want to miss if you like dark, taboo reads.

---

13. Living Out Loud – Staci Hart 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb: 

When Annie Daschle arrives in New York City, the only thing she can control is her list.
Not her father’s death or the loss of her home. Not the hole in her heart or the defective valve that’s dictated so much of her life. But she can put pen to paper to make a list of all the ways she can live out loud, just like her dad would have wanted.
See the city from the top of the Empire State Building: Check.
Eat hot dogs on the steps of The Met: Check.
Get a job at Wasted Words: Check.
What wasn’t on her list: Greg Brandon. And just when she thinks she’s figured out where to put him, everything changes. In the span of a few staggering heartbeats, she finds herself caught in the middle of something she can’t find her way out of, with no clear answers and no rules.
List or no list, she realizes she can’t control anything at all, not even her heart.
Not the decisions it makes, and not the moment it stops.

My Review: 

Annie is a young girl from a small town in Texas. When tragedy strikes, she moves with her mom and sisters to New York to live with her uncle.
Annie has a list of things she wants experience in this new life of hers.
1. Get a Job
2. See falling snow
3. Make a snowman
She knows some things are going to be harder to do than other because of her heart condition, but she is determined to make this new life of hers amazing.
One thing Annie didn’t expect to experience was being caught between two men who did not like each other.
Greg knows that there is something special about Annie the first time he sees her. She is much younger than him and he knows he needs to tread lightly with her.
What he didn’t realize was that a person from his past, Will, could swoop in an take Annie right out from under him.
Annie is caught between two men. Her heart is pulling her in two different directions.
When everything comes to a head, which person will Annie choose?
Will a bad choice end up costing her more than she could have ever imagined?
This was a sweet love story. If you are looking for a heart touching story, this is the right book for you. Staci knows how to touch your heart and soul.
Wasted Words and Bad Penny also make appearances in this book and I loved it!!!!