Month: January 2018

Over the holiday season, I read A LOT of books. So many. I tore through them because I could and because I was on a small break of my own. Today’s books (that’s right, plural) are just some of the ones that I read. These are the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott.

Stage Dive is the rock-star-studded series about commitment phobic rock-gods, the women they fall in love with, and the major groveling these rock-stars do to keep these ladies in their life. These are cute books, heavy on the romance, a bit lighter on the music, but still fun to see these characters fall in love. If you pick these books up, I hope you liked them as much as I did.

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What would you do if you woke up hung over in a Vegas hotel room married to a world famous rock star? Freak out sounds about right. Which is what Evelyn Thomas does. After parting ways with lead guitarist of Stage Dive, David Ferris, Evelyn discovers her life is never going to be the same. She and David need to navigate what the future holds and if they this is a marriage they want to fight for. Whisking Evelyn away to his private home on the coast of California, Evelyn and David spend the time getting to know each other…while slowly falling in love.

What I liked:

• Evelyn demanding she stand on her own even though David offers to pay for rent/school/life.
• David being protective and generally super sweet whenever Evelyn is concerned.
• Evelyn’s best friend and brother being amazing side characters.
• David not pushing Evelyn in the second half of the book after THINGS happen.

What I didn’t like:

• Evelyn is a saint among women for taking David back. Not gonna lie, if my guy did anything like David did, it would take a HELL of a lot more than David’s groveling to get me back. And even then, might be iffy.
• It took me a while to like Jimmy. He’s kind of a douche-nozzle.
• Evelyn’s parents were disappointing.

Quote “You make me tremble in fear, rest assured.” The smile he gave me made me tremble, and fear had nothing to do with it. “BUt I married you, Evelyn, because you made sense to me. We make sense. We’re a whole lot better together than apart. You notice that?”

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Book: Play. Stage Dive 2 The Lovers: Anne Rollins & Mal Ericson Tropes: Fake dating, roommates, family drama, apology puppy, dealing with illness Hotness: Not Safe For Mom Rating: 3

Anne’s roommate just bailed on her. Took all the furniture and left without paying her portion of the rent. Anne needs to find another source of income. STAT. Mal Ericson needs a fake girlfriend…he’s just not going to say why. After meeting Anne through their mutual pal, Evelyn, he’s decided she’ll be the perfect fake girl for him. In the span of one evening, Evelyn goes from roommateless to rooming with the drummer from Stage Dive. How on earth did that happen? What starts out as a simple agreement, turns into friendship, which turns into something more.

What I liked:

• The fun and joy Mal brings to Anne’s life.
• Anne’s relationship with her little sister, Lizzy.
• The surrogate family Anne gains.
• The ever persistent family that is Stage Dive

What I didn’t like:

• Mal’s overexhuberance was a bit too much for me at times.
• Mal suddenly being monogamous felt a bit forced to me.
• The reason and fact Mal kept THE THING ™ a secret.
• The odd love triangle with Anne’s bff/boss.

Quote We could deal with things alone. Of course we could. But it was so much better together.

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Book: Lead. Stage Dive 3 The Lovers: Lena Morrissey & Jimmy Ferris Tropes: Boss/Employee relationship, just fuck it out of my system, man doesn’t know what Love is, former drug addiction Hotness: Not Safe For Mom Rating: 2

After getting out of rehab, lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy Ferris hires a live in assistant to help him stay out of trouble. Enter Lena. She’s vibrant and won’t back down, taking no crap from her boss. They don’t always see eye to eye, but there is a growing respect between them. And for Lena, that growing respect turns into something more. As they spend more time together, both Lena and Jimmy struggle to keep their relationship professional despite their sizzling chemistry. Yet when Jimmy pushes Lena too far, he realizes he might lose her for good and needs to convince her to take a chance on him again.

What I liked:

• Lena’s sass is legendary. I loved that she didn’t back down even when dealing with all the unruly band members.
• The small hints here and there to the next book.
• Jimmy’s attempts to “help” Lena get back into the dating world.
• Jimmy encouraging Lena to pursue photography as a profession

What I didn’t:

• Truth be told, this was my least favorite book. Jimmy was not my favorite band member. His mistakes were many and his groveling was a bit self-centered.
• The fact Jimmy didn’t know/recognize what love is and the fact he didn’t come to the conclusion himself.
• Jimmy was fairly manipulative and overbearing when it came to Lena. It made for an unhealthy balance in the relationship.

Quote “I need you to come back with me, please.” His breath warmed my ear. The heat of his body beckoned against my back. “I can’t stand not having you there, not knowing what you’re thinking, what you’re doing, not being able to tell you things and share them with you. It’s just…nothing’s the same. i hate waking up without you and I worry constantly that you’re okay, that you’ve got everything you need. Look, the truth is, I’m all about you, Lena. You’re my best friend. You’re my girl.”

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Book: Deep. Stage Dive 3 The Lovers: Lizzy Rollins & Ben Nicholson Tropes: Oops! We made a baby, One night stand mistake, forbidden relationship, best friend’s sister-in-law Hotness: Not Safe For Mom Rating: 3

Ever since her sister, Anne, started dating Mal, Lizzy’s girl-hood crush on Ben Nicholson, Stage Dive’s bass player, has only increased. They flirt. They text. And in between their flirting, they both come to cherish the friendship they’ve built. As much as Lizzy knows Ben isn’t looking for anything permanent, he makes her feel safe and cherished and desired. Ben knows Lizzy’s off limits. He’s Mal’s little sister, someone he shouldn’t touch no matter the chemistry between them. Yet one night in Vegas is about to change everything between them. A few months later and two positive pink lines, Lizzy finds herself pregnant and permanently connected to Ben. Now Ben and Lizzy need to learn what this new changes means for them and their budding relationship.

What I liked:

• Ben’s care for Lizzy while she’s pregnant is super cute.
• Ben being a super caring and sweet individual (for the most part).
• Lizzy and another wonderful character being pregnant together and commiserating about that.

What I didn’t like:

• Same as in Lead, Ben groveling didn’t seem as sincere as I wanted it.
• Ben’s sister Martha playing the evil sister (which she also does in Lick).
• Ben’s first reaction to hearing about Lizzy’s pregnancy.

Quote “Sweetheart, you’ve been important since day one. Only girl I kept coming back to. Didn’t matter how far I ran, I couldn’t get you off my mind. Never been this way about another woman.”

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Synopsis

When betrayed by his Alpha, Cade Hodgins takes the role in leading the Arkin City pack and begins his search for those responsible for his father’s death. Information is hard to come by however—until a stray lupine wanders into his territory.

But Ashley Passmore is no ordinary stray. She’s a newborn wolf, turned from being a human with no prior knowledge that lupines existed. Due to her blackouts, she can’t recall who turned her or why, but Cade suspects her attackers may be the same as those who entrapped his father.

In the meantime, Cade takes Ashley in to help her regain control of her new life, and finds more than just a lead—she’s his mate. But Ashley is adjusting to the new world she’s been thrust into, making it uncertain she’ll accept the growing bond between them, while those who turned her want to make sure she’s silenced for good.

I decided to put in a warning prior to my post today. This book, and subsequent post, deals with both consent and life after a traumatic event. This isn’t about rape, though some of the events in the book might as well be a thin veil for talking about it. As I’ll repeat in the post, considering the climate, the #metoo movement, and the stories women share, I want to make sure you as a reader are prepared for this. There is nothing graphic shared in this post, however, knowing that the hint of this conversation can be upsetting to some, I wanted to put this warning out there.

You know those assholes who like to shit on the romance genre as a whole? The people who say that romance is nothing more than trash, is all about sex, isn’t smart, isn’t edifying, isn’t up to their perfect pseudo-intellectual standards? You know those assholes. Those asshole are wrong! And have probably never picked up a romance book in their life (Mini rant never over).

And the reason I know they’re wrong is because of the numerous, edifying, issue-raising books I have read in this genre. Take exhibit A and the book I’ll be reviewing today: Blue Moon by Angela Colsin.

I reviewed another of Colsin’s books, Strange Brew, back in September and I loved it. Blue Moon is equally fantastic. All her books have held up pretty damn well. While I loved the 5th one, The Final Calling, the best, I’m reviewing the first on for two reasons: 1. I was given a copy of this book by the author to review, but 2. And maybe more importantly, this book deals with consent and life after trauma. In this climate, with the #metoo movement and the unending stories of women experiencing sexual assault, I felt it was important to review this book. There was a moment I thought about reaching out to Colsin to see if she’d be alright with me reviewing The Final Calling instead. However, this blog isn’t just to highlight books I love, but to highlight books that have important things to say. I think Blue Moon has some important things to say.

Here’s a little book-backstory for you. Cade Hodgins is a Lupin. This is different than a werewolf, which I won’t get into because it’s irrelevant to this review and Colsin tells you all about it at the start of the book. He’s the Alpha (leader) of his pack and is hunting for the bastard Lupins who killed his father. Dad Hodgins discover these jackasses were running an illegal and highly dangerous gambling ring based on pitting newly turned Lupins against each other. Which, in this world is a HUGE NO! Not only are they running these fights, it also turns out they’re turning people without their express permission. Again, a HUGE NO in this world. Which brings us to Ashley.

Ashley becomes the unwitting victim of these Lupins. Her world is turned upside-down, she’s scared, she doesn’t know what’s happening, and has no idea that the supernatural world exists. She’s halfway convinced she’s going insane. When she meets Cade, she’s vulnerable and, more than anything, wants someone to explain what the hell is going on.

So the fact that she is taken in and cared for by Cade and his pack is so important to Ashley’s arc. Everyone in Cade’s pack who heard about Ashely being turned against her will were angry…downright murderous, even. Ashely is believed. She isn’t told she’s wrong or her being turned was her fault. In fact, she’s told this:

“Don’t go on a guilt trip, Ash. You’re not a bad person, you were victimized. Nothing that happened was your fault.”

Do you know how many women need to hear this? Need to hear that it wasn’t their fault. That what happened to them wasn’t because of something they did? Probably every single woman. I love this. And this is the part of the book I think is so important. The people who surround Ashley are caring and nurturing. She quickly finds a family within this pack and who will fight for her and teach her how to fight as well. Colsin does an amazing job of balancing Ashley’s recovery and giving her a lodestone to turn to when things are starting to overwhelm her. I wish more people had this! Everyone needs a pack.

I just…I have a lot of feels about this.

Romance

I could repeat a lot of what I wrote in my review of Strange Brew. All of Colsin’s books are about supernaturals finding their fated mates. Yet I never find Colsin’s version of this trope creepy (which is how I feel about other books with of the same idea). In the Crucible series, the couples never ignore each other’s wants, needs, and fears. They talk with each other about what it means to be mates and bonded. What that means for their lives and futures and what changes that might entail. I love Colsin’s version of the mates trop for this reason. They talk it through with each other, rather than just assume that, because they’re mates, they’re automatically going to fall in love and have their happily ever after.

Cade treats Ashley no differently. And this is why I love Cade Hodgins.

Cade doesn’t want to overwhelm Ashley more than she already has been. He helps gently ease her into the Lupin life-style, respecting her needs and boundaries. He’s a gentleman. And Cade is ever the conscientious man in love. He recognizes that he’s bonding with Ashley pretty quickly, however because he’s very aware of what she went through, the trauma she’s faced, and the repercussions of that, he’s hesitant to start anything romantic with her. He more or less waits until she is ready before starting anything. Which is both infuriating and adorable. He’s a swoon-worthy guy who puts his woman first before his pants feels.

His first instinct is to protect her while, on the other hand, he wants to know if she is bonding with him as well. There are these wonderful moment between the two of them, longing glances, gentle touches, and extreme frustration that nothing more is happening. It’s fantastic! Cade knows what’s happening, yet he’s trying to put distance between himself and Ashley. Ashley doesn’t know what’s happening, thinks Cade is frustrated, and starts ignoring him. All the while, they’re both jealous as hell of anyone else talking to the other. It’s a very amusing circle of, “I want to. But I can’t. But I want to!”

While Cade is a wonderful character, Ashley is a spitfire in her own right. Even though she experienced something traumatic, she never gives up. She finds a life for herself in this new world. And where she describes herself as timid before, she shows no compunction for standing up for herself and speaking her mind now. She’s still the compassionate person she was, but she’s also not going to let anyone walk over her. She’s going to fight for what she wants and the people she loves. And more importantly, she’s going to fight for herself. She’s amazing and I love her and I want to be her friend.

I love the romance between these two. It’s respectful, adorable, and gives me the warm-fuzzies.

Fin

I love that Blue Moon is not only blatant about the necessity of consent, but also that Ashley has a group of people surrounding and supporting her as she starts her new life. This is why romance is important. Because issues like consent need to be talked about. It should be talked about. I am so glad this book exists for that reason.

If you want to start a new series, grab the Crucible and start with Blue Moon. The characters are wonderful and all the stories intertwine (though can be read as stand-alone books if you want). This is a great paranormal romance series with so much heart!

Swoon Worthy Quotes

“You need to be kissed more often.”

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”

“I’ll never stop loving you, Ashley.”

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A Promise of Fire is the first book in Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles. It’s fantasy! It’s romance! It’s Greek Mythology! It’s a bad-ass, disaster heroine! It’s amazing and you need to read this book!

The third book in this series, Heart on Fire, just released on January 2 so I though it was a great time to sit down and write about all my feels for this book. Because I have a lot of them! Promise of Fire is just a great mix of amazing. Now, this book leans more toward romance than fantasy but Bouchet shifts that balance in the second book, Breath of Fire. There is certainly more world building and exploration of the mythos surrounding the world in book two than there was in book one. But I’m not talking about book two. I’m talking about book one.

Synopsis

Catalia “Cat” Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods-and her homicidal mother-have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.

Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm-until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin’s fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.

This is one of those books that I devoured as fast as I could and then immediately started rereading once I finished. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to stay in the world wanted and pick up on new nuances and discover more of about…everything! This book was so deliciously well done I wanted to stay with it and the characters long after I finished!

There is a lot about this Promise of Fire that I like. From the character to world building, Bouchet has created a believable world full of complex characters, political systems, and magic all while steeped in the meddling of the gods. There is so much that I could unpack from this book but I don’t want to provide you with a five page essay. Instead I’m going to give you the quick notes version.

• The characters are amazing! All of them! I want to be friends with all of them…minus the bad guys.
• BETA TEAM! Okay, I know I said the characters are amazing already, but Beta team is fantastic! They’re fierce, loyal, and the best guys. No, really, the best! They make Cat feel safe, befriend her, consider her family! If any girl needed a group like this, it was Cat.
• Selena! Protective mama bear, healer, lover of Hades!
• The adoptive family Cat collects throughout the book. Heartwarming AF.
• Cat’s ability to speak sarcasm like a boss.
• Griffin who is actually a teddy bear in human form.
• The fact the gods are minor characters themselves. They show up, they’re not just invisible entities.
• Bouchet has integrated this world with to include both magic and gods seamlessly.
• Cerberus

The Romance

Now it isn’t just the fantasy element that I love. The romance is a thing of beauty itself.

Cat and Griffin, at the start, are a little like oil and water. Not only does Cat trust Griffin as than she can throw him (she can’t. She can’t throw him.) but they have two different goals at the start of the book. Cat wants to stay safe and hidden. Griffin wants her help establishing his family’s new rule in Sinta. So he takes matter into his own hands and brings cat with him kicking and screaming and throwing punches.

And somewhere between the verbal barbs, Griffin starts falling for her.

And he tries so hard to win her over! So hard!! Now, I’m not talking bring her flowers or anything, that’s not this story. But he wants her trust and to protect her. She doesn’t know what to do with that. With her upbringing and what she’s running from, letting people get close to her isn’t an easy thing for her to do. Affection is a foreign concept. It’s kind of nice to have this role reversal. Most times, it’s the guy who is walking around emotionally constipated, but that is Cat in this story.

There are wonderful moments where it is blatantly obvious to everyone except Cat that Griffin has feelings for her and she’s more or less baffled by his actions. And yet as the story progresses Cat also has the sinking realization that she’s starting to feel things for Griffin as well. And she freaks out. She doesn’t feel safe forming any romantic attachments, that’s been used against her in her past. Plus, she doesn’t like Beta Sinta, he’s big and smelly!

The tension between desire and confusion is palpable throughout the story. It might as well be another character in and of itself.

And this is part of where I swoon a little a lot for Griffin. He recognizes Cats fear, he doesn’t understand it fully, but he realizes this tension, fear, and confusion are all things Cat needs assurance about before anything is going to happen. He works to reassure her and help find ways to alleviate those concerns for her! Now, granted, he might do it in his own stubborn way, but he wants to find a solution to make her feel secure in their relationship. *Gasp. Swoon*. I love heroes who do this! Those who put his lovers concerns first before the sex! Just all the swoony feels, Batman!

Once they do get together, it’s all passion and fire.

Fin

I cannot reiterate enough how much you need to read this book! The second one is equally full of feels and Bouchet doesn’t pull her punches. I’m so anxious to dive into the third book and see how she continues this story. Go buy them! Go get them from you library. Borrow them from a friend. Just read these books!!

Also, if you don’t have time to read this, the audible narration is superb!

Quotes

He’s [Cerberus] Hade’s pet, so I doubt the heat bothers him. I toss him a wave, and two of his three upper lips curl in a snarl of acknowledgment. One of these days, I’ll get all three, although in eight years I never have. I think his middle head just doesn’t like me.

His gray eyes are stormy, and a tremor runs through me. It isn’t fear, and it make me want to squirm. “ Conquered a kingdom and found a treasure.” His voice turns gravelly, low. “I won’t let you go. Not now. Not ever.”

“You were made for me. I know it.”

“You don’t get it.” He sets me back enough to look me in the eyes. “You’re mine. Not Cat the Soothsayer. Not Cat the Kingmaker. Just Cat.”

“I love you, Cat. I would do anything to keep you safe. That is my binding vow.”

No one has ever been careful with me before. I don’t need careful, but something inside me still cracks, a fissure created by this earthquake of a man.

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