Love Affair With An e-Reader: Brooding Hero

Showing posts with label Brooding Hero. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2015

ARC Review: WALK THROUGH FIRE by Kristen Ashley

Walk Through Fire
by Kristen Ashley
Book 4, Chaos series

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Millie Cross knows what it's like to burn for someone. She was young and wild and he was fierce and even wilder-a Chaos biker who made her heart pound. They fell in love at first sight and life was good, until she learned she couldn't be the woman he needed and made it so he had no choice but to walk away. Twenty years later, Millie's chance run-in with her old flame sparks a desire she just can't ignore. And this time, she won't let him ride off . . .

Bad boy Logan "High" Judd has seen his share of troubles with the law. Yet it was a beautiful woman who broke him. After ending a loveless marriage, High is shocked when his true love walks back into his life. Millie is still gorgeous, but she's just a ghost of her former self. High's intrigued at the change, but her betrayal cut him deep-and he doesn't want to get burned again. As High sinks into meting out vengeance for Millie's betrayal, he'll break all over again when he realizes just how Millie walked through fire for her man.

Kristen Ashley is the kind of author that invites you to take a deep dive into her story, to join her characters in experiencing the heartache and joy of finding and being in love. I jumped feet first into this story and enjoyed every minute of my immersion.

Logan “High” Judd hasn’t been the most popular guy in the Chaos series. He’s butted heads with Tack and going in I wasn’t quite sure how Ms. Ashley was going to redeem this character. Needless to say, she does so in a spectacular way.

Walking Through Fire is a quintessential second chance story. This book sets the standard for me for all future books in this sub-genre. High is the bad boy (one of the baddest among the many) in Chaos. Churlish and edgy, we learn that he wasn’t always this way. Millie is a successful event planner who lives a very structured, tightly wound life. She avoids all extremes and rarely takes chances. Back in the day, Millie and High were fully devoted to one another and in all-consuming love. Then they weren’t. Millie broke up with High and they were over. That breakup leaves bitterness in High from which he never recovers. She is left with a half-life.

My life had been interrupted and I’d never restarted it. Since Logan Judd, I had not had a boyfriend. I had not had a lover. Not in twenty years. He was it for me and those pictures showed why. I met my perfect man at age eighteen and I had him for three years. Then I sent him away. Could I right those wrongs? Should I? You obliterated him. I had.

Life starts over when Millie sees High at Chipotle twenty years later. She decides she needs closure and reaches out to High. Each interaction is explosive. The chemistry between them has not diminished, but the hurt is deep on both sides.

There is one thing that is guaranteed to make me cry and break my heart, and that is self-sacrifice that goes unknown to the recipient (think Les Miserable). Millie pays a tremendous cost for High's future happiness, a future that will not include her. This revelation and the circumstances in which it comes out, makes me gasp and tilts me off my axis. It is almost overwhelming. This is what Kristen Ashley does.

High and Millie’s reunion is about redemption and care. The way in which High releases his inhibition to care for Millie’s sacrifice, navigating around loss and regret, is swoon-worthy. He makes it right for her, ensuring that her sacrifice is valuable. The characters find their way back to each other with small, beautiful, tender moments. But, like in real life, their reunion is also complicated because families and children are involved. Kudos to Ms. Ashley for negotiating this prickly terrain and doing it with a realism that made me both cringe and applaud.

This book also amps up the story arc between Valenzuela and Chaos. Benito ups the ante in the turf war between the two factions and it is clear that something big is on the horizon. This feud fuels the tension in the club and gives us readers anticipation for future books.

IN A NUTSHELL: Walk Through Fire is an adult story about two people finding their way back to clarity, purity and happiness. Certainly my favorite in the Chaos series, this book ranks in my top five Kristen Ashley books.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own and I received no fees for this review.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

ARC Review: PRIMAL FORCE By D.D. Ayers

Primal Force
by D.D. Ayers

ABOUT THE BOOK
Passion is always worth fighting for…

Jori Garrison trains dogs for Warrior Wolf Pack, which provides service animals for disabled veterans. Four years ago, she was wrongly convicted of a crime—thanks to her no-good ex-fiancé. Now she just wants to live her life in peace with her beloved dogs. No men, no complications. But it’s hard to play it cool when a lethally hot male is on her tail—and the attraction is fierce, mutual, and dangerous…

PRIMAL FORCE

Lauray "Law" Batisse is a Military Police veteran who was wounded in Afghanistan. Haunted by the loss of his K-9 partner in combat, he’s reluctant to accept a service dog named Samantha into his life. But once he meets her trainer—the gorgeous Jori Garrison—he can’t fight his primal instincts. And neither can Jori. This sexy alpha male might be the only man strong enough to unleash her desires. And when unseen enemies start hunting them down, he and his new K-9 partner might be her only hope… to survive.

Darkest in the series so far, this Primal Force features the story of a wounded warrior dealing with PTSD. He gets assigned a service dog and an attractive trainer. The trainer also happens to be an ex-con. She was wrongly accused but it ended up in prison and is recently released. There is a mystery woven into this narrative, but the heart of the story is about a closed, tightly wound soldier and a woman who draws him out with light and energy.

Law is not always likable. He is described as “insensitive, untrustworthy, possessed of a quick temper, and selfish. He’d enjoy the company of any willing woman. But he never let it get personal, or stand in his way.” In other words, he is kind of a jerk. Law is not very nice to Jori through most of the book and I wonder why she keeps coming back for more abuse. Let's just say there is a lot of groveling that needs to happen in order for him to redeem himself. I can’t say for sure if he begged enough, but he did have a substantial change of heart that showed commitment to her. What saves Law is his recognition that she makes him want to be better. “…[H]e wanted the truth about himself – that he was insensitive, untrustworthy, possessed a quick temper, and selfish – to be a lie.” In the end, I like that he is a complicated guy.

Unlike her previous two books, Primal Force features a different kind of dog. Samantha is a service dog, not a law enforcement K-9. She is not trained to attack suspects or sniff out drugs, she is trained to provide service and assist her master. Samantha can detect when her owner is having a PTSD attack; she can provide solace and comfort; and she is trained to find help if her alpha is in trouble.

Curiously, the author decided to include the dog’s perspective. We get to go inside the dog’s mind. Admittedly, giving voice to what is going inside the dog’s head is a little strange. But I began to appreciate and enjoy this extra insight: “The sad man needed her to be his pack. She’d picked that up the first day. No Alpha, even the strongest, was healthy when he was without his pack.”

IN A NUTSHELL:
D.D. Ayers has another winner in the K-9 Rescue series. The author gives us a great balance of mystery and romance. We get a bonus perspective of a caring and heroic dog that will surely warm your heart. This is good stuff.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

ARC Review: HARD TO FIGHT by Bella Jewel

HARD TO FIGHT

by Bella Jewel

Alpha's Heart, Book 1

Grace is a bounty hunter who wants to be taken seriously, but her boss refuses to believe that a woman can bring down a dangerous criminal. She finally gets a chance to prove herself when she's given the case of a lifetime: capture Raide Knox and bring him to justice.

Raide is a dangerous fugitive on the run...and the sexiest man Grace has ever met. Catching Raide won't be easy. He's not the kind of man to go down without a fight. Raide is more intense and frustrating than any man she's ever had to deal with, and the instantaneous attraction that sparks between them is undeniable. One thing is for sure...it's going to be a case they will never forget.

Hard to Fight is an entertaining read with a sassy heroine and an alpha hero. It starts off like gangbusters and keeps up its fast pace. Grace is in the untraditional field of bounty hunting and struggles to establish her role in that profession. She gets an opportunity to bring in a prominent bail jumper and seeks to use untraditional means to bring him. Raide has skipped bail, but he is wrongly accused and seeks to find the real perpetrator of his sister’s murder. Along the way, he meets a super sassy “waitress” with a sarcastic tongue and kick ass moves.

I like Grace’s character. She is funny, ambitious and very focused. Some of the best lines in the book come from her character. Lines like, “Are you going to attack me with your sword. . . . Or better yet, keep your sword sheathed and be a decent human being” has me laughing out loud. At the start, the book reminds me of the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones without the paranormal elements. They have the same irreverent tone that I enjoy. As I continued reading I found other similarities:

1. Both work at the periphery of law enforcement. Grace is a bounty hunter. Charley is a private investigator.

2. Both are very close to their dads while estranged from their mother figures.

3. Both have strife with their sisters.

4. Both have men who are attracted to them but whose affections are unrequited. Grace has Vance. Charley has Garrett Swopes.

5. Both heroes are a little dark and edgy. Both Raide and Reyes have been accused of a crime they didn’t commit. (Reyes did get convicted but the judgment is later overturned.)

With so many similarities, it is easy to invite comparisons. Darynda Jones is an expert at balancing humor with heart and suspense. You can find a lot of those same elements in this book too. However, there are times when it feels like the author might trying too hard. Grace is a sympathetic character, but there are times when she is incredibly emotional and whiney.

There is also an odd voice change in Chapter 31. A third person, who has just recently been introduced, takes over the narrative. It is a jarring switch and I had to wonder if the author could’ve presented the same information through another character.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Entertaining and fun, this is like a good “B” movie.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Blog Tour and Giveaways: SEARCHING FOR ALWAYS by Jennifer Probst

Welcome to the blog tour for one of my favorite reads of the year. I hope you will enjoy the review. Help raise awareness for pet rescue shelters and enter for your chance at a prize pack in the Giveaway.

Searching for Always
by Jennifer Probst
Searching For, #4
(June 30, 2015, Gallery Books)

About the book:
She’s an expert in helping others de-stress, but Arilyn Meadows is running on fumes. Along with her job counseling singles seeking soul mates at the Kinnections agency in Verily, New York, she’s a yoga teacher, animal shelter volunteer, anger management therapist, and helping hand to her beloved grandfather. No time to find Mr. Right—but after discovering her yogi boyfriend in a compromising asana, Arilyn would rather dog-sit for her honeymooning friend Kate than risk her heart on another downward dog. And when police officer Stone Petty—radiating masculinity and bad-boy attitude—is sent to her for mandatory lessons in cooling off when the job gets too hot, Arilyn vows to ignore his seductive glances and sexy grin. But there’s no halting their sizzling flirtation—a red-hot, high-speed chase that’s breaking all the limits.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Jennifer Probst has brought her A-game with this latest installment in her Searching For series. Her witty dialogue and emotional depth is realized in her strong, but likeable, heroine and irresistible alpha male. I loved the opposites attract trope. It is done to perfection.

Stone Petty has officially past Nate Dunkle as my favorite hero in this series. Yes, I love an intelligent man, but I also love a strong, protective man who needs a strong-willed woman. Stone thinks he in control, but when confronted by someone authentic and genuine, he cannot respond in the same ordinary way. Instead, he is transformed. Admittedly, I also kind of like the bad-boy persona as well. He’s less refined and more edgy. When he is interested in something, he is all-in. Take his attitude toward quitting smoking: “He could beat this nasty habit, even though he loved it so hard, he’d pick smoking over anything else.” He’s dark and brooding. He’s crude and crass. He wears the perfect mask.

In contrast, Arilyn is sunshine and light. She is peaceful and calm. She works at making herself emotionally available: “She’d worked so hard in all aspects of her life to be a good person, to open herself to love, to become spiritually sound to engage in a relationship that would bring her joy.” She lives her life trying to transcend the darkness, not deny it. I really enjoy her journey in discovering her essential truth - she deserves to be respected and honored in a relationship. She begins by offering Stone stability and a safe place to be himself. He shakes her down to her foundations, connects with her physical spirit as well as her intellectual and emotional self. Once she realizes her love, she wants it all. The question is whether he is willing to risk with her:

She was whole and good and had a ton of love to give to someone. She wanted a man brave enough to leap with her and not blame his limitations on his inability to love, or commit.

Their relationship is like a chemical reaction. Two agents that when combined create something more. It is such a beautiful relationship personified by one of the best “I love you” speeches ever:

I love you, body and mind and soul, and I love this rat fink dog more than I can ever say in just words. So I’ll show you every damn day instead. I want to be in this with you. I know we’re gonna fight, and you’ll piss me off, and I’ll piss you off, but I think we were meant to be together the moment I first laid eyes on you and decided I didn’t like you.

IN A NUTSHELL:
This book is sigh inducing. With lines like, "'I always knew you’d be extraordinary,' he murmured. 'But still the reality has me weeping,'" how can you resist? I went out and bought another copy of the book. Now Stone sits next to Nate on my bookshelf, right where he needs to be.

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Contact Jennifer at:

Website | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter | Goodreads

Help pet rescue shelters by posting a picture of your rescued pet, or sharing your favorite shelter, and using the hashtag #SEARCHINGFORRESCUES. 4 shelters will get a $50 prize (winners choose) and 1 additional person will receive a prize pack from Jennifer Probst.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, June 26, 2015

BLOG TOUR: REVIEW, EXCERPT, & GIVEAWAY - "Hard to Let Go" by Laura Kaye

Thanks for joining us in celebrating the release of Hard to Let Go, Beckett's story in the Hard Ink series. This is the final book for the original Hard Ink gang. Enjoy the excerpt and review and don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

Beckett Murda hates to dwell on the past. But his investigation into the ambush that killed half his Special Forces team and ended his Army career gives him little choice. Just when his team learns how powerful their enemies are, hard-ass Beckett encounters his biggest complication yet—a seductive, feisty Katherine Rixey.

A tough, stubborn prosecutor, Kat visits her brothers’ Hard Ink Tattoo shop following a bad break-up—and finds herself staring down the barrel of a stranger’s gun. Beckett is hard-bodied and sexy as hell, but he’s also the most infuriating man ever. Worse, Kat’s brothers are at war with the criminals her office is investigating. When Kat joins the fight, she lands straight in Beckett’s sights . . . and in his arms. Not to mention their enemies’ crosshairs.

Now Beckett and Kat must set aside their differences to work together, because the only thing sweeter than justice is finding love and never letting go.

Buy at Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Hard to Let Go on Goodreads

Pre-order before or on June 29, fill out the form, and get awesome bonus content!

I went into this book with a bit of wistfulness. This is the last of the Hard Ink series for the original characters introduced in book one. It says a lot about Laura Kaye's writing that I have become so attached to these characters and this storyline. And I'll say this up front, I loved the ending. It is fitting and poignant.

This book features the stories of Becket Murda and Katherine Rixey. Becket is the stoic one of the Hard Ink crew. He's brooding with a level of dangerous energy just beneath the surface. Katherine is a prosecutor for the Justice Department. She's committed and loyal with a strong sense of right and wrong. I like my heroines to have great character with a sense of value and purpose. Kat is right up my alley. She is also smart and competent with both her mind and her shooting. She is a standout heroine in this series of big alpha male personalties. They are an unlikely pair, but that is what makes this story so appealing.

On the surface Beckett seems so hard. He hard muscled and hard headed. They say still waters run deep. Beckett is like the Grand Canyon. When Ms. Kaye opens him up, shows his vulnerability, I was hooked. Because of his difficult upbringing with his dad, Beckett goes through life numb. The only thing he really feels is anger, and that frightens him. Therefore, he tamps down most of this emotions. If there are no highs, there can be no lows. If you don't want for things, you won't be disappointed. Wanting something puts you at risk. Taking a chance with Kat opens up his world to new possibilities both good and bad.

The relationship between Beckett and Kat is explosive. After their first meeting in which Beckett held a gun on Kat, they are antagonistic toward one another. There are very explicit sexual encounters brimming with overwhelming tension. What starts as basically sex with a stranger morphs into something deeper as admiration, respect, and adoration settles in.

My one small critique of this story is that I would have liked to see more MacGyver-ness from Beckett. He is suppose to be the gadgets-guy with the ability to fix things. I would've been great to experience more of this.

IN A NUTSHELL:
I'm sorry to see it end. This book is prompting me to start over and read the series from the beginning. I see an episode of binge reading in my near future.

Angel. Beckett called her Angel.

Kat could barely breathe, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the 250-pound linebacker currently lying on top of her.

He’d called her Angel.

Why? All they did was fight and annoy the shit out of each other. Where had the term of endearment come from?

Maybe it was just the haze of lust and epically good sex talking. That could totally be it. She wondered if he even realized he’d said it.

But it was still confusing as hell. She’d been so mad at him last night that she hadn’t even wanted to be in the same room with him. And she’d promised herself that after all the bullshit he’d said, this wasn’t happening again. Not ever.

Now, here she lay. His cock still tucked inside her, his body covering her, his arms holding her. And a part of her didn’t want it to end. Because he’d also apologized. More than that, he’d made it clear that he’d flown off the handle because he was worried about her. Which was downright sweet, really. In a totally fucked-up Beckett Murda kinda way.

Honestly, he was, at once, the sexiest, most attractive man she’d ever known—and the most confusing and infuriating.

He’s rough around the edges, but he’s a good guy. Beckett just takes a while to let anybody get close …

That’s what Marz had said. Could it be that Beckett’s whole strong-silent-grouchy routine was just … some kind of defense mechanism? If so, a defense against what?

And did it really matter?

She laid there for a long moment, surrounded by Beckett’s heat, his soft breath playing over her ear.

Yeah, on some level it did matter. Because there was something between them. Clearly. Maybe it was just pure animal attraction. Except he’d given her glimpses that there was something more to him. Something deeper. Something that spoke to her heart. All of which played as much of a role in the fact that they kept ending up naked together—or partially naked, anyway—as the fact that he fucked her better than she’d ever been fucked in her life. At least, it explained why she kept giving in.

“Beckett?” she whispered, not possessing the energy to speak much louder.

No answer.

“Beckett?” she said again.

Holy shit. The big, hard-ass jerk had fallen asleep? Holding her.

Aw, crap. That was kinda sweet, too. Proving that her heart was such a sucker. Because she didn’t want to wake him up. She didn’t want him to get off of her. All she wanted was to listen to the call of her exhaustion and close her eyes.

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.