Lukas by Carian Cole - "If soul mates are real, I want you to be mine."

Book Blurb:

A thirty-six year old mother of two finds out life isn't over after divorce when a sexy as hell twenty-four year old tattoo artist kisses her senseless under a shooting star.

Ivy thought she had it all--married to her high school sweetheart, two great kids, and a beautiful house. But her world comes crashing down when she catches her husband with another woman.

When her best friend gives her a gift certificate to a local tattoo parlor to cheer her up, Ivy gets a helluva lot more when inked-up Lukas Valentine--renowned tattoo artist, violin player extraordinaire, and extreme hopeless romantic--captures her heart.

Lukas is an old soul with a heart of gold. When Ivy walks into his shop, he's instantly drawn to her shy smile and down to earth personality. Tired of the dating scene, Lukas is ready to settle down, and he's hell-bent on making Ivy believe they can have the happily ever after they both dream about - with each other.

Despite their age difference, the chemistry and love they share is undeniable. Lukas is everything Ivy never knew she wanted in a man, but can she trust her heart with a much younger man, and can they overcome the hurdles that life keeps throwing in their way?

** Lukas can be read as a single book, has no cliffhanger, and a happily ever after

Lukas is book 3 in the Ashes & Embers series. Lukas Valentine is the younger brother of Vandal Valentine. This book actually begins before Vandal's story and the storylines eventually crossover. Ivy and Lukas's budding relationship is mentioned in Vandal, but a lot of the details are glossed over to allow their story to be told separately. It was nice to jump back and see where Ivy and Lukas began.

Truly by Carmel Rhodes - "I have always noticed you. You just noticed him first."

Book Blurb:

The summer after senior year was supposed to be the best summer of my life.⁣⁣⁣
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It was supposed to be full of adventure and self-discovery and making love under the stars.⁣⁣⁣
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It was supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way.⁣⁣⁣
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Only, it wasn’t supposed to start like this.⁣⁣⁣
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I wasn’t supposed to go to that party.⁣⁣⁣
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He wasn’t supposed to notice me.⁣⁣⁣
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The hot jock with the trust fund and chip on his shoulder.⁣⁣⁣
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My ex-boyfriend’s half-brother.⁣⁣⁣
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Noah Tedesco is so far out of my league he might as well be playing a different game.⁣⁣⁣
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Noah wasn’t supposed to look twice at a girl like me, but he did.⁣⁣⁣
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Now that I’m on his radar, my life will never be the same.⁣⁣⁣
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Truly is a dark, coming of age romance that explores themes like NON-CON DUB-CON, and happily ever after.

As the disclaimer states, this book is definitely not for everyone as there are some scenes that deal with non-consensual/dubious consent sexual acts. I consider myself open-minded and don't get offended by much in books, so this was not a deal breaker for me. My sister has been super excited about this book for weeks and when she managed to win not one, but two eBook copies from Facebook giveaways, I happily accepted the extra one. I'm a huge fan of darker stories so I dove right in.

Vandal by Carian Cole - "Don't apologize. Even the sky cries.""

Book Blurb:

She takes my breath away.

She’s so beautifully damaged.
A mirror of my own tortured soul.

I was powerless to stay away from her.

I was responsible for all the pain and grief that brought her to her knees in front of me.

Broken. Hopeless. Reckless in her agony.

 

But what I took away I can give back…in ways she cannot even begin to imagine.
Ways that I can’t stop thinking about.

Together we spun a tangled web of lust and need. Power and submission. And dare I say... trust and love. 

We’re everything right in all our wrongs.

We found redemption. We found happiness. A chance for a new beginning.

but... she has no idea I’m the one who destroyed her life.

So I have enthusiastically begun my journey through the Ashes & Embers series. I have yet to be disappointed by any of these books. They keep getting better. In Storm, book 1, we learn that each of the men in the Valentine family have experienced something truly awful or tragic at some point in their lives. Vandal is Asher's cousin and he's the subject of book 2.

Reign of Brayshaw by Meagan Brandy “And so, the raven led her wolves...”

Book Blurb:

“Trust only those who earn it.”

A sentiment I follow without direction but holds more consequence than ever before.

One decision, five lives, three futures.
This is what’s at stake.

One night, one choice, four broken Brayshaws.
That is where we’re headed.

Unless I stop it.
I have to stop it.

I have to remind him of what he’s chosen to forget.

My town. My choice. My ending.

As we've become used to, Trouble at Brayshaw High ended with a massive cliffhanger (though no where near as big of a cliffhanger as how Boys of Brayshaw ended, amiright??), but luckily for us, the finale of Raven and Maddoc's story has already been published. Yay! Book 2 ended with us finally discovering why Raven is so important to resolving the Brayshaw-Graven feud, and boy, is it a doozy!

Asher by Carian Cole - "I love you twice - now and forever."

Book Blurb:

I should have died.
I should have been forgotten.
But I didn't, and I wasn't.

Living the life most women only dream about, I was madly in love with my soulmate--Asher Valentine--amazing husband, loving father, and rock's favorite frontman. A man who loved me every day, in every way, since we first met as teens. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter who was the light of our life. My all-female rock band was tearing up the charts.

Then tragedy struck, and I lost it all.

Now, after waking from an eight-year coma, all I have is a stack of journals, an antique key, and a big black void where my memories should be.

Used to be.

And I have him--this man with wild hair, tattoos from head to toe, a soft voice, and an even softer touch that gives me butterflies. He's clearly hopelessly in love with his wife.

I'm told that's me.

But that wife is gone, and she took everything they once had, leaving me in her place.

A broken replacement. A new version that doesn't quite fit.

I'm slowly falling in love with him, but will he ever truly love me? Or will he forever be in love with her, the phantom woman who haunts us both?

Full disclosure: This blurb caught my eye months ago in a Facebook advertisement for Carian Cole. I had never heard of Carian Cole or read one of her books. I love discovering new authors so I was excited to discover I really wanted to read her book. I was distraught when I realized the book wasn't available to read right then and there. There was no release date to be found. I needed this story with every fiber of my book-loving soul. It touched my heartstrings on such a deep level.

Trouble at Brayshaw High by Meagan Brandy - "You're calculated, she's reckless."

Book Blurb:

“You don’t belong.”

No words whispered in anger have ever rung more true.

They’re the Kings of Brayshaw with the world at their feet, destined for greatness and in need of control.
I’m the girl from the ghetto with nothing to offer and as defiant as they come.

They say it doesn’t matter, that I’m one of them now, and nothing could ever change that. Not even me, should I dare try.

But they’re wrong.
They underestimate how far I’ll go to protect them.

Trouble is coming...and they have no idea.

This. Book. Holy cow! Be warned - this is not a standalone and MUST be read after reading book #1. In Trouble at Brayshaw High, we see the same characters we met and fell in love with in Boys of Brayshaw High and get to delve a bit deeper into the mystery of the Brayshaw-Graven power struggle.

The Hunter by LJ Shen - "I was the bow. He was the arrow. We hunted together. A team. We were also each other's prey."

Book Blurb:

Hunter
I didn’t mean to star in a sex tape, okay?
It was just one of those unexplainable things. Like Stonehenge, Police Academy 2, and morning glory clouds.
It just happened.
Now my ball-busting father is sentencing me to six months of celibacy, sobriety, and morbid boredom under the roof of Boston’s nerdiest girl alive, Sailor Brennan.
The virginal archer is supposed to babysit my ass while I learn to take my place in Royal Pipelines, my family’s oil company.
Little does she know, that’s not the only pipe I’ll be laying…

Sailor
I didn’t want this gig, okay?
But the deal was too sweet to walk away from.
I needed the public endorsement; Hunter needed a nanny.
Besides, what’s six months in the grand scheme of things?
It’s not like I’m in danger of falling in love with the appallingly gorgeous, charismatic gazillionaire who happens to be one of Boston’s most eligible bachelors.
No. I will remain immune to Hunter Fitzpatrick’s charm.
Even at the cost of losing everything I have.
Even at the cost of burning down his kingdom.

With The Hunter, LJ Shen introduces her die-hard fans to a new realm of characters. This is book one in the new series The Boston Belles. I cannot wait for this world to expand through the next installments in the series. My favorite aspect of the series is the ties to the All Saints High series, but also LJ's much-loved standalone novel, Sparrow. We get glimpses of characters we have grown to know and love throughout LJ's books. This soothes my soul. I hate when I finish a book and never "see" the characters again. I'm left wondering what those characters "are doing now." LJ has allowed me to catch little glimpses of oh-that's-where-they-are-now vibes. SWOON! My heart is happy.

Boys of Brayshaw High by Meagan Brandy - "Family runs deeper than blood."

Book Blurb:

"Girls like you aren't exactly welcomed at a place like this, so keep your head down and look the other way."

Those were the exact words of my social worker when she dropped me in my newest hellhole, a place for "troubled teens".

I didn't listen, and now I'm on their radar.

They expect me to play along in their games of hierarchy, to fall in line in the social order they've deemed me fit.

Too bad for them, I don't follow rules.
Too bad for me, they're determined to make sure I do.

Inconceivably attractive and treated like kings...these are the boys of Brayshaw High.
And I'm the girl who got in their way.

If you're a fan of new adult, enemies-to-lovers, bully romances then the Brayshaw High series is for you.

Broken Knight by LJ Shen - "The sun will rise again tomorrow."

Book Blurb:
Not all love stories are written the same way. Ours had torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending.

Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.

Sweet.
Caring.
Charitable.
Quiet.
Fake.
Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.
Who taught her how to laugh.
To live.
To love.
Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.
Gorgeous.
Athletic.
Rugged.
Popular.
Liar.

This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.

But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes.

Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy.

 
Oh. My. Heart. This book was so real and emotional. I have shed some tears over books in the past, but this one.. this one did me in. My goal is to provide you with a review that doesn't give out any spoilers. This book deserves to be experienced personally one-on-one.  Each chapter tugged at my heart strings.

An Introduction - Part II - Carissa

Hi! I'm Carissa, a 34 year old Accounts Payable Specialist with an obsession for all things books. Although my husband and I found each other later in life, I can truly say I found my other half. We've been married for 2 1/2 years and together for 5 1/2 years. Our happy family is completed by a whole zoo of animals - 5 dart frogs, a crested gecko, a fish, 2 cats (plus our angel kitty Jojo), a dog and a recused baby duck. Jewel, Fuzz and Archie keep us pretty busy, but we hope to have children of our own in the near future.

An Introduction - Part I - Jess

My name is Jessica. I’m a 32-year-old Medical Receptionist with an insane passion for reading and writing. I married my soulmate at the tender age of 19. This year we celebrate 13 years of marriage. Squee! We were blessed early on with two wonderful children and our family is completed by two fur babies. I have excelled in reading and classify myself as a bookworm. For many years I have yearned to write, but ignored the yearning as I have a tendency to doubt myself. I haven’t written since my daughter was born 13 years ago. I’m finally taking the leap with this blog. Well.. Hop is more accurate in this case. I plan to eventually try my hand at a novel or novella. We shall see.