My Top 10 Books of 2018

2018 was a year of some really amazing books.

Here are my top 10 books (1 is the prequel and the book) of 2018. They are in no particular order.

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My Review:

Wow! That’s all I can say about this book.

This book made me tense in my seat. It made me cry. I had to put it down a few times and then come back to it a few minutes later. The ride this book takes you on is totally worth it!

This book was more than I could have asked for.

Alec is one of the owning members of the Spiked Rose. When an old friend send his daughter to work there, Alec is asked to watch over her.

Makayla is excited for this new opportunity she has been given. After living a very sheltered life for the first 20 years of her life, Makayla is ready to spread her wings and fly. But life won’t be that easy.

After receiving a letter from Makayla’s dad, Alec is asked to do more than just watch over her, he is asked to protect her and keep her safe. Why? Her dad’s past has caught up to him. A past that Alec knows all too well, The Iron Colt Brotherhood. A secret society of rich southern men.

Makayla is stunned when Alec says they have to leave. She doesn’t understand why. All she knows is that Alec was asked to keep her safe and that’s what he plans on doing.

Alec and Makayla have an instant connection. Alec has known Makayla since she was a little girl and knows her dad would not approve of his feeling towards her, but he can’t help it, he wants what he wants.

What happens when Alec’s plan to keep Makayla safe doesn’t work the way he wants it too? What happens when Alec has to turn into a person he always told himself he would never be?

THIS BOOK!!!! The feels this book gave me were crazy. There were times I wanted to yell and scream at Alta because her writing was driving me crazy. A good kind of crazy. The kind of crazy where you say “NO WAY” or “WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING” but you can’t stop reading because you have to know what happens next.

This book has a quick time line and an insta-love, but it works. I don’t feel like it was rushed. I think the story ran very smooth and everything clicked.

This book is dark. This book talks about subjects and has scenes that could be hard for some to read. If you even doubt that you could read this book, this book might not be for you.

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My Review:

What in the world did I just read? 

**MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING***
This book is a very dark read. If you need a trigger warning of any kind, this book is not for you.

Now….what I’m the world did I just read!?!
Like holy moly.
Nina is a young woman who goes through a dramatic event. She doesn’t understand why it happened and just wants to restart her life.
Then she meets Devon. Devon changes her. Devon makes her come out of her shell. But Devon holds secrets.
You think you have this book figured out and then BAM….total plot twist.

This book was soooo good. I’m definitely going to have a book hangover.

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My Review:

POWERFUL MOMENTS

Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster!!

We first meet Jackson when he is 10 years old. His mother is leaving his father and he is trying to figure out why.  When his mother left, she asked him one thing “Take care of your father”. And that is what Jackson did. For years, he took care of this father, through the bad times and the worst times. Living in a small town, Jackson was seen as the “troubled” kid. The kid from the wrong side of the track. But no one got to see the real Jackson. That is until Grace shows back up in town.

“They called me Satan’s spawn and it had bothered me when I was younger, but the older I got, the more I liked the ring of it. People had harbored an unnecessary fear of my father and me for fifteen or so years. They called us monsters, and after some time, we took on the role.”

Grace is from the same town as Jackson but has been gone for years. Grace has been married to Finn for the last 15 years. She has been though a lot in those year, a lot more than most women could handle. But after 15 years of marriage, Finn has decided he wants someone else. (and who he choses will make you mad!)

“My husband wasn’t a cheater except when it came to her. Her. I hated her, even though I didn’t know who she was. I hated her in a way I hadn’t known I could hate a stranger.”

When Grace crashes back into town for the summer, Jackson is there to catch her, even if he doesn’t want to in the beginning. Jackson isn’t nice. He’s rude and mean to Grace. Why? Because of her last name. Because of who her parents are.

Your heart will break for Grace when you learn her story. Your heart will break for Jackson when you see what he has lived with for almost his entire life. Your heart will break for both of them when the town starts talking. You know small towns, everyone talks.

We were just two broken people, uninterested in being fixed.

Jackson and Grace are opposites but they work. They balance each other out. Grace brings Jackson peace and Jackson makes Grace find herself for the first time.

Towards the end of this books, connections will start being made. You will start to understand different things that happened during the book and why those things happened. But those connections will also test Jackson and Grace. It will make them rethink what they have together. Is it just a summer fling or is it something real? If it is real love, can it survive the test it is about to be given?

This book will make you cry, laugh, cry some more, and then it will make you think about your life and re-evaluate how you are living your life.

Brittainy C. Cherry wrote an amazing novel. This book will give you the feels. It will touch your core and it will make you a better person.

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My Review:

Holy Mother of God….What did I just read?
I was sucked into this book from page one.

Brock Pearson has always been a mystery. But I knew where was something different about him. Something that made him different than his other brothers.
And that something was Ethan Kingston.
Ethan’s life is great. Living on the ocean with his best-friend while going to college. Being able to do whatever he wants. Problems is there is something that he wants, but he isn’t sure if it wants him too.

“I care about him, perhaps more than I should or care to admit.”

Then we add Camila to the mix. Camila is a hard working, shy college student. When she meets Brock and Ethan, everything changes.

Brock and Ethan are used to sharing women, but this is different for more than one reason. Brock and Ethan have a connection that is more than just friends. But both are scared to make the first move. Both are attracted to Camila and she is attracted to both of them.

You know the old saying, “Three is a crowd”, but will it be from them?

WOW!!! The writing in this book was amazing. I couldn’t get enough.
I have to say this is my first M/M book. I went into it a bit nervous, but I have to say that the way Dani wrote it was wonderful.

This book is told from 3 different POV’s. It isn’t difficult at all to keep up with the story. I think the 3 POV’s make the book even better. You get to see how all three characters see things and how they think.

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My Review:

What a powerful read! L.M. Halloran continues to amaze me with her writing.

Amelia is lost. Not physically but mentally. She has lost herself in a world that isn’t completely real. She takes risks she shouldn’t and pushes everything and everyone to the breaking point.

When an accident happens, Amelia’s twin brother Jameson gets her into a private treatment center.

Amelia meets doctor Leo Chastain at the treatment center and instantly wants to dislike him. Problem is….she can’t. She is attracted to him both physically and mentally.

Leo seems to open this side of Amelia she didn’t know was there. Through her therapy sessions, Leo opens up Amelia’s mind. But what she finds when this happens will change everything she thinks she knows.

What secret is Amelia hiding away in her brain? What happens when Amelia leaves treatment? How will Leo play into her new life?

This book was so good. It makes you think about your life and if you are living your best life you can. This book is told from Amelia’s POV. Even though I really like dual POV, the way L.M. Halloran writes this story, I could are less about the dual POV.

I can’t wait to see what L.M. Halloran writes next.

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My Review:

*This is an extremely dark story with numerous triggers, please be warned. Due to scenes of an adult nature, this book is for 18+ ONLY.*

Please take note to the warning. This book is a prequel to Severed and it is a DARK read! If you think for one minute you can’t handle this book, then you probably can’t. But if you can….HOLY COW!!!

Drake has grown up in hell. He has seen things that no one should ever see. He has done things no one should ever do. But he does them for a reason, the two people who mean the most to him, his brother and his best friend. To keep them safe.

“And he made sure I’m as cold as he is, but what he doesn’t know is I still have my heart” 

Caia has no idea what she has gotten herself into. Taken and drugged, she wakes up in a place she doesn’t know. When she meets Drake she knows he’s not there to save her, but there is something about him that gives her comfort.

What happens when Drake has to do things to Caia he doesn’t want to do? Will he protect her or will he do what his father wants?

This book does end with a cliffhanger and I am DYING to see where the story goes!!

This book was dark and bloody and WONDERFUL!! Dani has a way of writing that makes your brain go places you never thought it could go.

Awesome job!

My Review:

This is a book that will push you out of your comfort zone. I will test your limits and will make you wonder if you can handle any more. But if you can handle it…….HOLY COW!!

I absolutely loved this book. It was dark and gritty but it also had a love story, a love story that touched your heart.

Drake has grown up with the devil. He has seen terrible things and has done terrible things. He tries to block out all the memories he can, but one thing he can’t forget was her. The way she looked. The way she made him feel. But she is gone now and the only people he can rely on are his brother Dante and his best friend River. (these is also a story there)

Caia has given up. She is done trying to fight the life she has now. Four years is a long time to spend with a monster. When her world starts to crumble more than it already has, she wonders how much more she can take.

Drake and Caia’s story is just beginning. Add in River, Harper, Raven, and Dante….and the story deepens even more.

This story is not sunshine and roses. The knight in the story isn’t always a prince, sometimes he’s an outcast, a bad man. But sometimes we need those bad men to take care of other bad men.

You never know what is going to happen next in this book and just when you think you do, everything changes.

I was able to connect with these characters. I was able to feel their pain and to also feel their happiness. You could tell that Dani wrote this story with her heart.

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My Review:

This story!!!! Like words cannot describe this book.
Dante’s story is one that I have been waiting for for what seems like FOREVER!!!
After having his whole world turned upside down, Dante finds out he has a daughter and her mother has informed him that she can’t take care of her anymore.
Dante is at a loss for words. He isn’t in the right mind to take care of a kid right now, but what other option does he have? After learning more about his daughter, he realizes that he will do whatever he can to keep her safe.
What he doesn’t realize is that she will be the one to save him.

Cobie is stuck between a rock and a hard place. After having her best friend die from cancer and learning her cancer is back, she doesn’t know what to do with her life.
When a stranger enters the scene and she realizes the connection she has to him, all she can do is let him protect her.

But what happens when things get to complicated?
What happened when words are said that aren’t meant and they destroy everything?
Is there time to fix the mistakes made or will it be too late?

This is a story that will melt your heart and touch your soul.
Dante has been though so much in his life.
Cobie has been though just as much in her own way.
When these two collide, their worlds will change for the better and you will love every minute of it!!

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My Review:

This book was so much. Love. Tears. Heart. Laughs. Anguish.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!
I loved Kayla. I think she was the perfect match for Parker. She balanced Parker and made him see the person he was today, not the person he used to be.
Parker also showed Kayla that she was worth something. Kayla didn’t have the best childhood and she always felt second-best.
There were multiple times in this book that I hate Lani and once you read this book, you will understand why.
If you have read Lani’s other books, you will find a huge connection in this book and it will be a big part of the story.
I don’t know how she does it. This book touched my soul. My heart ached for the characters when they were sad. My heart was happy for them when they were happy. I think I felt every emotion possible in this book.
It is so hard to say a lot about this book without giving away huge plots but I think this may be my second favorite Lani book, after Ghost’s book.
And when you get to the end of the book, just have your tissues ready!!

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My Review:

WARNING!!! This is not a trigger warning….this is a hotness warning!!! This book is a scorcher!!! If sex scenes bother you, or if you can’t handle sexy talk….this is not the book for you. (Plus there is a sexy surprise in the book, one that I was not prepared for, but it was AMAZING and you will know what I am talking about when you read the book)

Max and Eve have a story that has been told before. Two people with a friends-with-benefits kind of relationship. No feelings. Just sex and good times. But we know how that works out…it doesn’t. But Marni tells the story in a different way.

Max is a workaholic. Being part or a huge company makes him a busy man. Eve is equally as busy being a stylist to the stars. But the main difference in the two of them is Eve makes time for Max. She makes sure she sees him when she can. Max on the other hand doesn’t.

But what happens when Eve’s feeling start to catch up with her? What happens when Eve starts to want MORE?
Will Max do the right thing? Will he lose what he never realized he had? Or will he realize what he had but too late?

Marni write this book perfectly. She has just the right about of sexiness mixed with emotions and feelings. Marni continues to surprise me with her work.

I am not impatiently waiting for Scarlett’s story. I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one!!

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My Review:

I went into this book blind and I am so glad I did!!

This is my first book by L.M. Halloran and sometimes I get nervous reading new authors because I have no idea what to expect.

This book is about a woman named London Limerick. A young woman restarting her life after the death of her husband.

This book is written in 1st person POV. Most of the book I read have dual POV, but the first person POV was written extremely well and from the first chapter, I was sucked into the story.

During the book you have chapters labeled “Then” and “Now”. Most of the book is set in the “Then” and it makes you understand that is going on in the “Now”.

London has lived a hard life for the past few years. She is running and hiding from her past. When she goes for an interview at a new bar that is opening, she had no idea that it was a BDSM bar. Although she was shocked, she needed the money and after growing up with hippie parents, nudity was no issue with her.

What she didn’t expect was Dominic Cross…who just happens to also be a Dom. A man with piercing eyes and an amazing body, but a terrible attitude. Dominic makes it known that workers don’t have sexual relations with each other, he’s one of the owners of the bar. But it doesn’t take long for London to get under his skin and for him to get under hers.

Will Dominic break the rules he set for his club? If he does, can London handle him as a Dom? What happens when London’s past catches up with her?

This story will suck you in from page one. I read the entire book in less than a day.

This is my first book by L.M. Halloran but it will not be my last.

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