Amity Book Blog: Release Blitz & Review - Buckled

TRAILS OF SIN Series by Pam Godwin

Genre → Contemporary Romance

Theme → Dark, brooding, kinky, lawless cowboys

Series → Each book is an HEA with no cliffhanger. Must be read in order.

Goodreads → https://www.goodreads.com/series/224949-trails-of-sin

Release Dates →

Knotted #1: Available Now

Buckled #2: July 10, 2018

Booted #3: Sep 18, 2018

Buy links →

Knotted #1:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079W7WQHQ
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/knotted

Buckled #2:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHYHK77
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/buckled

Booted #3:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F1V61YL
Other retailers: https://books2read.com/booted

Download full-res covers here →

Knotted #1: http://bit.ly/2EazMnu

Buckled #2: http://bit.ly/2BiAzE4

Booted #3: http://bit.ly/2GZeBqg

BUCKLED Blurb →

I protect what’s mine.

The ranch, my family, our buried secrets.

Nothing will stop me from reassembling the life that went terribly wrong.

Not the law.

Not our enemies.

Not even Maybe Quinn.

The gorgeous, quarrelsome journalist shouldn’t have meddled.

I shouldn’t have let her stay.

But she’s hiding something in those deceptive blue eyes.

Something deeper than her thirst for a news story.

I make a deal with her to buy time.

To unravel her lies. To play with her. To satisfy my darker appetites.

When she buckles beneath my belt, I’ll send her away.

Unless I buckle first.

Buckled:

Erin's Review:

I just finished this book with a grin on my face, but dread in my heart. There's a happy ending, but tendrils of unfinished business for that I'm sure we'll see in Book Three. This book had some very dark and bereft themes in this book, but the overwhelming theme of righting wrongs and love for family is the main theme. This book can be read as a stand alone, but it would be a serious disservice to the series, and a loss to the reader. Go back, read Knotted, then come back. Together, these books will take you on a dark, yet loving roller coaster ride of emotions.

We were introduced to Maybe Quinn in Knotted. She and Jarrett had sparks in that book... Through this book we get to see both their skeletons, and how far they'd go for love and truth. I enjoyed the plot; it had some interesting twists and turns that kept it fast paced and entertaining.

I liked these characters. They were a little tougher to fully envision right away, a departure from Knotted; but they had an enduring depth and charismatic drives that made me stick with them. For both, there was a solid strength and desire for truth and sense of right and wrong. Maybe has secrets she's hiding and we know Jarrett has things he'd be hiding from her. But how those secrets and hidden agendas and ulterior motives have the most unique intersections and implications for our characters.

“Good Gold Almighty. Cowboys do nothing for me, but the two men who just strolled in redefine my preconceived notions of rugged ranchers....There's an air about them, a confidence, an authoritative intensity that grabs a woman by the ovaries and reduces her to the most primitive core.”

These two characters have a darker vibe than the sweet Conor and Jake. But their connection is strong and their love blooms, despite the darkness.

I was excited to read this book after loving Knotted. This did not disappoint. It was a great second book, with it's own plot and separate characters. This author weaves an impressive tale to unearth truth and love and help these characters grow and move forward. There are amazing lines that give the story such vivid power,

“We're a combustible vortex of acid and corrosion, gunpowder and sparks. One lit match and we'll go up in flames.”

I felt all the feels in this book. It was great to see more about Jake and Conor, but see Jarrett come into his own and get to know him. This book does a great job of giving the Maybe and Jarrett a happy ending, while setting up book three for Lorne.

“A man cannot be good unless he possesses the capacity to be evil. Decency is a choice. It's being tempted to hatred and following a different path no matter how difficult. It's looking inward a with a magnifying glass and acknowledging the flaws and weaknesses in one's character.”

Star Ratings:

Plot = 5/5

Characters = 5/5

Heat = 5/5

Writing Style = 5/5

Overall Rating = 5/5

BOOK 1 - KNOTTED

KNOTTED Blurb

I try to forget her.

It’s impossible

First love, first kiss, first…

Not all our firsts.

We were sixteen the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched.

I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering.

Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma.

Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact.

Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets.

She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her.

I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains.

She’s mine.

Knotted Review:

I did the adult equivalent of hiding my face in my hands and holing up in corner...and that was just by chapter 4. Emotional rollercoaster doesn't even begin to convey the utter devastation and range of humanity this book covers. At several points I had to put the book down to quell my own emotions. This is the first book in the Trails of Sin series, and my first time reading a Pam Godwin book. The cover makes you think it's a standard cowboy romance, but don't let the sexy rancher fool you, there is nothing standard about this book.

“For the first time in my life, I don't know how to proceed with her.” Our main characters are high school sweethearts and best friends. But on Conor's sixteenth birthday and her boyfriend Jake, along with Jake's twin Jarret and her brother Lorne suffer an act of atrocity. Though years separate Jake and Conor, they still have to deal with the aftermath. This book is a seamless blend of love conquers all, high school lovers, alpha cowboy romance and that good will prevail. I don't even have the words to properly convey how well the author stitched the plot together and gave us such heart rending insight into her characters world.

Our main characters are Conor, a vivacious sixteen year old girl...in love with her childhood friend Jake. Seventeen year old Jake has a twin brother Jarret and Conor has an eighteen year old brother Lorne. Together they make a foursome with a lot of history and fun. I was all smiles and happy remembrances of high school times and wishing I could be a bystander to their pasture fun; then the tides turn and these four youngsters have to deal with the fallout of a vicious rape of Conor and their own actions against the perpetrators. Not only do you get to meet some great people in this book, but you see how they deal with their grief, anger, and love. Each character's actions were so well crafted and detailed that you were drawn into their story and understood their passion and desire; their anger and wrath; their joy and sorrow. I can't even begin to pinpoint all the great details that went into their creation.

Jake and Conor are teenage sweethearts, and we're all enjoying them making out on a ranch with all their teenage hormones. But when they reconnect, despite the tale of despair and distance the hormones are still out in full force. Jake works his sexy rancher magic on Conor to help her deal with her PTSD and fire up her dormant hormones. Twenty year old Jake “has a devastating effect on the ovaries.” One of my other favorite quotes about our alpha rancher is “those jeans fit so low and provocatively around his hips I can see his religion.” Whew...is it too hot in here, or just me?

“The terrain of childhood shapes the soul, and the soul never forgets.” This book starts off sweet, but so quickly you get the details about the blurb and are drawn into this fast paced and amazing book. Ms. Godwin wrote one of the most glorious and emotionally draining books I have read in a long time. I honestly can't even find the words to explain how well this book was written.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series. While this book is does provide a happy ending, there are still lots tendrils of plot to tie up and I want to see more of Jarret and Lorne. The book forces you to think how you would react if someone you love has to deal with a tragic situation. “This is the fulcrum on which our past and future come together in a dance of spinning, fighting and forgiving.”

Star Ratings:

Plot = 5/5

Characters = 5/5

Heat = 5/5

Writing Style = 5/5

Overall Rating = 5/5

Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.

Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.

Author links

Email → pamgodwinauthor@gmail.com

Website → www.pamgodwin.com

Amazon → http://amzn.to/2hvqSpj

Goodreads → http://bit.ly/ZKdcgo

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Bookbub → http://bit.ly/2G5VKvY

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