REVIEW - Devil In The Detail by Max Henry

Title - Devil In The Details

Author - Max Henry

Synopsis

Loves comes in all shapes and forms, and sometimes it can be hard to distinguish which one you’re given.

I run from my pain—that’s just what I do. It’s how I’ve managed to keep a handle on the shame and remorse at what I did the day my life changed. Has it changed me for the good, or for the worse—I can never be sure? Some days it’s one and most it’s the other.

Now, each day is getting darker, ever since I met the woman who has the power to ease my ache and got a taste for what could be. 

Selfish? Maybe. Foolish? Definitely. But nothing can stop me until I prove to her she needs me just as much as it kills me to wake up one more day without her.

I’ll do whatever it takes—even if I risk my life and my health fighting her psychotic and possessive old man to get her in my bed

What I Thought

Ramona and her son Mack have been screwed over by Sawyer (Ramona's ex and Mack's father) too many times. He is a bad man and has all but abandoned them. He has placed them in danger. So Callum our favour Motorcycle clubs VP has put them in a "safehouse" while Sawyer is dealt with by his own father (also a bad man). 

Ty is a guy who has his own reasons for hating Sawyer, he has his own issues and mountains to climb (metaphorically). These two meet. Eye contact. And something starts. Theyre both confused, because, yano, what the heck? But Ty is a good guy and when Ramona needs someone to breakdown on (although she is awesomely stubborn about it) Ty steps up to the plate and takes her much needed vent like a man.

He's a good guy, she's a good woman, on paper thats great, but with so many issues surrounding them, what good could possibly come their way?

"I've missed you too. It makes no sense, we talked, it was one night." "To me, it was the only night that mattered"

When I was about 40% I felt kinda "Meh" about the whole thing but being with the blog I knew I had to crack on regardless and I'm SO GLAD I did! I no longer feel meh about the first bit, I feel angry at myself for feeling that. Max Henry has delivered again!!!

Sawyer, well this isnt a book about Sawyer, but he deserves a mention here, for people that have followed the series (And yeah, do read the series on order) we all just know Sawyer as a massive divvy (That is the most polite way i can put it). He still is, he's not had some magic change, but we learn more about why he is the way he is.

Devil in the detail has a lot going on, it was busy  but worth it. Meeting new people, catching up on some much loved characters from the previous books and emotional journey that hits all the spots.

"Any more excuses why you don't need my company?" Her face lights a little at my cheeky smile, but she hides her joy quickly. "Not Yet."

Star Ratings

Plot = 4/5

Characters = 4/5

Heat = 4/5

Writing Style = 4/5

Overall Rating = 4/5

**A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review **

REVIEW - The Secret Sister - Brenda Novak

TITLE: The Secret Sister
AUTHOR: Brenda Novak

Synopsis:

Did she once have a sister? Has her mother lied all these years? Why? 

After a painful divorce, Maisey Lazarow returns to Fairham, the small island off the South Carolina coast where she grew up. She goes there to heal—and to help her brother, Keith, a deeply troubled man who's asked her to come home. But she refuses to stay in the family house. The last person she wants to see is the wealthy, controlling mother she escaped years ago. 

Instead, she finds herself living next door to someone else she'd prefer to avoid—Rafe Romero, the wild, reckless boy to whom she lost her virginity at sixteen. He's back on the island, and to her surprise, he's raising a young daughter alone. Maisey's still attracted to him, but her heart's too broken to risk… 

Then something even more disturbing happens. She discovers a box of photographs that evoke distant memories of a little girl, a child Keith remembers, too. Maisey believes the girl must've been their sister, but their mother claims there was no sister. 

Maisey's convinced that child existed. So where is she now? 

What I thought?

Holy Cow!!  I loved this book!   Brenda sure knows how to write a well-written detailed interesting story filled with mystery, romance, and a dysfunctional family. I liked the setting, characters, and the plot!

Maisy Lazarow returns to her hometown of Fairham after her divorce to help her heal. She also returns to help her brother, Keith.  Maisy’s mother, Josephine lives in Coldiron House which Maisy doesn’t want to stay there. So she ends of staying in Smuggler’s Cove and the guy next door, Rafe, she knows from when she was 16.   Rafe fixes the bungalows for Josephine.   He ends up finding a box and giving it to Maisy. Inside the box are pictures of a child who is older than Keith.  Maisy think it’s her sister.  She can’t let it go and seeks to find answers. So the story embarks on the journey that you’re going to have to read to find out what happens. 

My favorite character in the book is Rafe. He is taking care of his blind daughter, Laney. He is doing what he can to take care of his daughter and himself.  There is a physical attraction between Rafe and Maisy.    

The ending of The Secret Sister surprised me! 

Pick up this book today and read it to find out what happens as I don’t like to give spoilers! I’d recommend this book to others.

Some quotes/part of the story I liked:

“The future doesn’t have to be a reflection of the past.”

“Because I care about you, and I’m hoping that having a companion will make attending those meetings more…tolerable.”

“I don’t want to discover the truth. That’s why you think I should let this go. You’re afraid of what we’ll find. You should be,too! We need to destroy these pictures right away. No one puts a child’s photographs in a wall and then plasters over them without good reason.”

“I like the way you are with Laney, how you treat her with such inherent kindness. I like the soul of the person who wrote Molly Brimble Conquers the World. I enjoyed seeing the world through the author’s eyes. I like how brave you are, how determined to handle your own problems, even though I wish you’d confide in me. I like that you’re willing to stand up to your mother, when so many people aren’t. You could’ve gone home to her, but you didn’t. I like how, when we’re in bed together, you look at me as if I’m all that matters.”

Star Ratings: 

Plot- 5/5

Heat- 4.5/5

Writing style- 5/5

Overall Rating- 5/5

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REVIEW - Trace & Olivia Box Set - Micalea Smeltzer

TITLE - Trace & Olivia Box Set
AUTHOR - Micalea Smeltzer

Synopsis:

Finding Olivia: How far would you go to find yourself? That’s the question that’s been haunting Olivia Owens for years. (Approx. 124,000 words) 

Chasing Olivia: How far would you go to reignite the spark you once had? Two years later, Trace and Olivia are as much in love as they’ve always been. But the spark they once had for life is waning and Trace is determined that they find it again. His solution? A road trip. But he doesn’t tell Olivia the real reason they’re heading north. (Approx. 106,000 words) 

Tempting Rowan: I’m drowning in the numbness. It’s pulling me under and I can’t see the surface. It’s easier to pretend I can’t feel. And the longer you pretend, the easier it is to believe. But he wants to save me. Only he can’t. I have to save myself…and I don’t know if I want to. (Approx. 103,000 words) 

Saving Tatum: Even tough girls need saving. Jude Brooks is bad news. He’s the kind of guy that leaves behind a string of broken hearts and Tatum O’Connor is not about to be one of those girls, despite all of Jude’s advances. They have a past, and Tatum’s determined to make sure they don’t have a future. (Approx. 127,000 words)

My Thoughts:

The Trace + Olivia box set series is a great read. First, you get four books in one.

Second, each book is better than the last. Micaela did a great job writing these stories.

Each story follows a couple. The first two follow the same couple while the last two are different couples. What I loved most about this boxed set was that even though they were romantic novels, they also each had a more serious topic that was explored. It reminded me of reality. It wasn't all flowers and chocolates, or miscommunication leading to break up. It was more like something you would see in real life. Each story dived into the serious element and showed us how each couple with able to deal and overcome.

I also liked how each story related to each other. We were able to see past characters show up and see where they are at. The characters themselves could be so funny at times. I caught myself laughing out loud, then reading the quote to my boyfriend and laughing all over again. It is rare to find books that make me laugh that hard. 

At the same time, these books could be serious and insightful. There were a few different quotes that made me pause and think "wow this is so true" or "I never thought of it that way." with the serious topics, I found myself tearing up and physically cringing at times. I can recall one book that made me wish the situation would hurry up and be over because my heart couldn't handle it.

Usually this is the part where I go and do things I didn't like about the story, but there really wasn't anything in the box set that I didn't like. I didn't notice any type of grammar or spelling errors. I also really enjoy the way the books were written. With that being said I would 100 percent recommend this box set to others.

Quotes:

"Oh my God! Are you crying? What did he do to you? Do I need to chase his ass down and cut his *penis* off, then force feed it to him?”


“The world is big, we’re the ones that pretend it’s small.”

STAR RATINGS:

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Heat: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

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Pre-Order Price 99c!!
(Released 30th July)

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REVIEW - Royal Blood Series by Amity Cross

Title - Royal Blood Series

Author - Amity Cross

Royal Blood  (#1)

Synopsis

A hit gone wrong, an impossible contract, revenge and the ultimate kicker... falling in love.

Mercy Reid is a runner.
She found the perfect place to hide, until it wasn't.
Xavier "X" Blood always gets what he wants.
He had the perfect arrangement, until it wasn't.

X is the mysterious tough guy from Royal Blood MC who gets shit done. Cross the Club and you get a visit from X. Only one person walks away at the end of it...and it isn't you.
Mercy is hiding something. Something big. Looking to get lost, she runs from one hopeless situation right into the clutches of a monster.
When X and Mercy meet, something more electrifying than sparks fly. Something dangerous, passionate and forbidden.

When you deal in death, there's only one way things can end...
Or is there?

What I thought

Xavier is a man that doesn't feel. He's a cold hard killing machine thanks to the life he has led with the Royal Blood MC. Until he meets Mercy, Mercy makes him feel, like he's never felt before. Bad stuff has happened to Mercy and she is running from it. Head first into a monster. Can the monster humanise himself and help Mercy. Can Mercy see past the evil and see the man?

"There was no black and white in my world. It was black and blacker. And I was the blackest of them all."

There is so much going on in this book, yeah it's dark and in some places it's downright vulgar. If you can handle deep dark and nasty, this might just be the book for you. Yeah it's an MC, but not as you know it. 

I thought I swore a lot, but Jeez, Amity loves to swear in here. There are SOOO many "fucks" I found myself wanting to light some incense and calm myself down.

Star Ratings:

Plot = 5/5

Characters = 4/5

Heat = 3.5/5

Writing Style = 4/5

Overall Rating = 4/5

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Bad Blood (#2)   

                                        Synopsis

A killer without a master.
A monster without a leash.

Xavier “X” Blood is a contract killer. Cold, calculating, devoid of feeling.
He knows the best way to drive the life from another human beings eyes, but what he doesn't bargain on is wanting to save a life he’s meant to take.

Mercy Reid was good at running from her demons. That was until she met X and her life was thrown into chaos.
Mercy finally has him on her side…and in her bed, but it’s at a cost far greater than she could've anticipated.

On the run, they must learn to trust one another beyond their burgeoning love if they want to get through the coming chaos. Revenge, truth, lies...heartache...insanity. All of it threatening to drive them apart.
Mercy will do whatever it takes to avenge the horror that Sykes put her through. Anything. Even if she has to drown the last of her soul in the bad blood that threatens to destroy the last thing she holds dearest in her heart.

What I thought

Picking up where Royal Blood left off, Bad Blood continues on Mercy and Xaviers road to revenge and man is it a bumpy road! 

For a woman who has spent her life hiding and running from problems, she show's herself to be fiercely strong, and Xavier is developing a personality beyond the robotic self he has portrayed for so long. They're in this together now and so are fighting for more than themselves.

Bad Blood is just as Brutal as Royal Blood, but it has a new level of depth. The sex is more than heat it's passion and their journey is more than revenge, it's survival. 

Filthy, dirty and dangerous!

' "To move forward, we need information."  "What kind of information?"  "Everything" '

Star Ratings:

Plot = 4/5

Characters = 4/5

Heat = 4/5

Writing Style = 4/5

Overall Rating = 4/5

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Blood Rites (#2.5)

Synopsis

A beautiful star, a dark prince with a price and an affair that pushes the limits of sanity...

Sebastian Vaughn has a secret.
Lorelei Lansford is the epitome of perfection.

Vaughn has darkness inside of him. Recruited by a criminal organization at a young age, he leads a double life. He deals in women, arms and intelligence, but to the outside world he's just another rich playboy living the lifestyle. That is until he crosses paths with a shining star, a beauty he can’t keep his hands off.
Lorelei was born into a wealthy family and has certain responsibilities she is expected to obey without question. One of those is not falling in love with high society bad boy, Sebastian Vaughn. Money, sex, danger... Vaughn exudes it and like a moth to a flame, she can’t stay away. When Vaughn steps into something out of his control there’s only one way he can escape with his life. He has to make a deal that will betray everything he holds dear.
The price?
Lorelei

What I thought

Vaughn. Ahh Vaughn. We met him in Bad Blood and now we hear his story. And jeez his story is a corker. This is the story of how he is, who and what he is.

The Hangman

He is a bad man, a very bad man and he met a good woman. Lorelei. She is high society and he is a successful businessman, by day. By night he's dangerous. They have incredible chemistry. However Vaughn is part of big bad Sykes' world and Lorelei is just a piece in Sykes's game.

Honestly, this was the dark and dirty I've come to love and expect from Amity Cross, but it was also so much more. I felt emotion here I hadn't felt in her other books.

Its deep, it's distressing, It's dirty, it's dark and it's devastating.

"Just let it out, Open up the wound and let me stitch it back up!

Star Ratings:

Plot = 4/5

Characters = 5/5

Heat = 4.5/5

Writing Style = 4/5

Overall Rating = 4.5/5

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Devils Blood (#3)

Synopsis

We would embrace the darkness together…
Or not at all.

Xavier Blood is a man adrift. And a dangerous man without purpose is a lethal cocktail for disaster.
Mercy Reid has her revenge, but it’s not what her heart desires most.

After everything he’s been through, X doesn’t want to know where he came from, let alone who he was. Mercy has become his life, his anchor, his everything, so why should it matter?
Mercy thinks X is delaying the inevitable and pushes him to understand the thing he struggles with the most—his identity—but it might be one push too far in the wrong direction.
Who is Xavier Blood? Only one man has the answer and it’s the man Mercy wants to meet the least. The more X withdraws into his broken mind, the more desperate she becomes to save him, even if it means coming face to face with the man who tortured and conditioned her love to be a cold hearted killer.
The Watchman has the answers, but are they the ones she wants to hear?

What I thought

In Devil's Blood, we're back with Xavier and Mercy where they are truly finding the price of their revenge. What happens when you get what? What's left?

Xavier and Mercy are in love but they are being torn apart, but themselves and in order to fix themselves they need the full truth. Xavier learns who he really is, and who is, is a bit of a shocker! Like seriously, I was not expecting that!

This one is depraved it the best possible ways. In order to be free Xavier must first truly be the monster. It's hit & miss whether he can come back from the monster though after everything, can he really just be the man.

Questions are answered, pasts revisited and secrets revealed and oh yeah, it's still sexy!

"We were alone with the Devil that lived inside of me. Who the fuck knew what would happen when he surfaced again"

Star Ratings:

Plot = 4/5

Characters = 4/5

Heat = 4/5

Writing Style = 4/5

Overall Rating = 4/5

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** Copies were kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review **

REVIEW - How To Save A Life - Lauren K. McKellar

TITLE: How To Save A Life
AUTHOR: Lauren K. McKellar

Synopsis:

I learnt the hard way that labels stick. Laura took “lovely”, and the teacher branded me “ladylike”. 
It stuck with me, even through my high school years. It felt like that was all I’d ever be.

Until everything changed.

Lonely Lia. 
Little Lia.
Lia the liar. 
Lia the lost …

Now the choices are endless. But I don’t want to be any of those either. 
My name is Lia Stanton. And this is my story.

My Thoughts:

Wow, just wow!
This book seriously blew me away, no scrap that, it blew my head off. Too weird? Okay.

So, How To Save A Life, is my first read of Lauren K. McKellar's and wow what an impression it has left me with.
I knew that this author's last series was pretty epic, and tear your heart out kind of reads, so I did psych myself up for this book, thinking it may just be the same.

Lia Stanton is 17 (nearly 18, yep that is important) and she has to have been through more in the last 2 years, than anyone triple her age.
She is far more mature than most 17 year olds, and handles so much, that I constantly just wanted to hug her, in a non freaky, too much, kinda way.

I'm going to have to be incredibly careful how I write this review, as there is just so much packed in to the pages, and if I was to let just one thing slip, it could ruin the whole story for someone. So I'm not going to summarise this story, and I feel a little lost, when I don't summarise first, but I can't say anything at all, it's non stop, full on action from the very first page, everything is interlinked to a bigger picture, and anything I could say will have a knock on effect for the rest of the book.

But, what I can say is, this book will seriously tear out your heart, wring it a few times, then put it back in all shrivelled up. Too gross?
I felt like I was constantly battling some weird nasal & eye leakage thing, throughout the WHOLE BOOK. The writing is so beautiful, and honest, and didn't feel like someone had written a book, it really felt like someone trying to tell the story of a friend or relative. The sad and brutal reality of Lia's life, and the events that take place over approximately 2 years, were just heartbreaking. You wouldn't think it could all just keep coming at her, but it does. And sometimes, I could foresee what was coming before it did, and knew it was going to be heartbreaking.

I'm still left thinking about it now, after finishing last night. How one beautiful, talented girl could have so many crappy people in her life, and those people could do so many bad things, that she has to deal with. Yet still come out if it, such an incredibly strong, kind, and awe inspiring woman. Kinda makes you feel a bit crummy about yourself. lol

Anyway, so even though I can't tell you what you are going to get with this book. I can't even talk about the characters without spoiling it. It's on of those books that has to be experienced with no knowledge whatsoever of what you are going in to. I can't see that anyone wouldn't get anything out of this story, it's such a hauntingly beautiful story, and it will stick with me for quite some time. Epic style.

STAR RATINGS:

Plot = 5/5

Characters = 5/5

Heat = 1/5

Writing Style = 10/5

Overall Rating = 5/5

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REVIEW - Rubble and The Wreckage (A Gabriel Church Tale #1) by Rodd Clark

Title - Rubble and The Wreckage (A Gabriel Church Tale #1)

Author - Rodd Clark

Synopsis

Gabriel Church knows you can’t take a life without first understanding just how feeble life is, how tentative and weak it stands alone. If you desire murder, you hold a life in your hand. Whether you release it to grant life or grip tighter to end it, it is at your command and discretion.

Gabriel is a serial killer with a story he wants told.

Christian Maxwell studied abnormal psychology in college but chose instead to focus on a career in writing. His background comes in handy when he thinks of writing about a serial killer. He can’t think of anyone more qualified to write the story of Gabriel Lee Church, and do so in the murderer’s own words. It’s been done before, but never with a killer who has yet to be captured or convicted.

There was never anything more than a gentleman’s understanding between the two men that Christian would record Gabriel’s life story. The killer did not ask for his complicity in any crimes, nor did he ever ask for his silence. Christian’s interest in the man, though, is fast becoming something more than academic. When the writer and his subject become unexpected friends and then lovers, the question remains: What is Gabriel’s endgame . . . and why does he want his story told?

What It's About

A serial killer, A writer, an agreement and a journey.

"No one has ever asked you your side of it, usually a serial murderer doesnt get a chance to explain why he kills"

What I thought

I'm underwhelmed. I don't know how else to put it.
It has all the makings of being a book I would LOVE. Outside of this romance world im a true crime buff and wannabe criminologist, so THIS book should have been PERFECT for me. It wasn't, it just fell short in all departments and i'm gutted about that.

"I remember everything about it, namely because it was a woman. She was pretty and petite, and like all the others, she didn't see it coming until it was too late."

So as the blurb says, Gabriel is a serial killer, he's on the run but he wants everyone to know his story. Enter Christian, writer and psychological fanboy. They team up to create the tale of the man who can only guess the number of people he has killed. 
As a psych student, Christian should have seen the big glaring red flags in his plan from day dot, but he didnt. He's all beguiled  and oh how annoying that is. Part of me wants to tell psych students to read this book as a sort of how to guide on what not to do after they get their degree, but I suppose that's being mean.

I have a few issues with the sex, main one being the use of a woman. Kinda killed the whole "M/M" vibe, but each to their own. and hey, she was swiftly "dealt with" My main issue with this book though was the language. It felt old, it felt outdated and that in turn made it uncomfortable to read for me.

There are a few twists that boosted it and upped the intrigue, but all the major plot points I found kind of predictable and the ending obviously being set that way to open up the next book, didn't give enough for me to want to read the second book.

"I don't know where you disappeared to, but wherever it was I would've liked to have been invited along"

 I will say if you have not read M/M before and can handle the unusual subject matter, I would give this book a go. It is interesting. I'll give it that.

Star Ratings:

Plot = 3/5

Characters = 2/5

Heat = 2/5

Writing Style = 1.5/5

Overall Rating = 2/5

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** A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review **