Falling Stars (Falling Stars #1) by Sadie Grubor

'A falling, or shooting, star, is the common name for the visible path of a meteoroid if it survives impact with the Earth's surface.'

Christopher Mason, the infamous lead singer of The Forgotten, has a reputation for being 'difficult'. Harboring dark memories and the burden of a painful secret, he struggles with a past he desperately wants to destroy. Amidst this star's battle with the pull of his demons, he risks losing everything he’s built as a musician. 

Enter Mia Ryder, the head strong yet laid back, lead singer of Hushed Mentality. As the opening act for The Forgotten, Mia and her all girl rock band are sure to gain the publicity needed to sky rocket to the next level in their dream career. 

Mia's laidback personality is challenged by Chris’s plotting for their demise and removal of the 'girlie band' from 'his' tour. But even Chris's best laid plans aren't prepared for Mia. 

As the demons pull this shining star down, is the one person he wants to eliminate the only person who can save him from the collision course he is on?

3.5-3.75 Stars

It was also no secret the band had a reputation, especially the dark lead singer often labeled the hot, arrogant asshole. 

"Hot, arrogant asshole." Yup, I was sold. Shocker I know. I'm not ashamed either. I love these types of books. Honestly the premise of the book intrigued me. I love strong heroines who won't take crap from assholes like this. From the beginning, it was pretty apparent that Chris Mason is an asshole. Yes, he's hot. Yes, he's sexy, but his attitude was almost a deal breaker. Two things kept me going. One: I knew, or at least I wanted to believe, that Chris is only acting like he is because there's something more to his story. Two: Mia was amazingly strong and didn't take his crap. I loved that.

I scowled at him, wanting to slap the attractive little smirk off his face. Instead inspiration struck. Stopping, I grabbed his arm and pulled his face extremely close to mine. I heard gasps from behind us. Our noses were less than an inch away, and his eyes widened when I licked my lips. 

Using the sickliest sweet voice I could muster, I opened my mouth. 

"In your fucking dreams, Mason."

I shoved him back and walked out of the restaurant extremely proud of myself, listening to the roar of laughter behind me. ~Mia 

This is what I loved about Mia. No matter what an asshole Chris was, she never backed down. She knew his game. She knew he wanted her and her band off their tour, but to play this game with him, it frustrated Chris. What pissed him off more is that he was drawn to her, more than he cared to admit. Chris has issues, severe ones that no one really knows about. He constantly has nightmares regarding his past. He hasn't had a good night's sleep in ages. No wonder he's an ass, right? What he finds out is that Mia has a way to calm his nightmares. One night when his plan on pushing her away goes to shit, he ends up in bed with her (no hanky though) and finds out that Mia's presence when he sleeps keeps his demons away. Of course the one person he supposedly can't stand is the one person he can't function without. Go figure. It really made for an interesting story. 

"So how are things with the lunatic?" Laney giggled and took a drink of beer. 

I rolled my eyes and took a drink of mine. There was no way I was telling them about last night. No way in hell.

"Same ass, same hole," I laughed. 

Chris fought and fought his attraction to Mia. It was beginning to frustrate me at how he just wouldn't give in. Then again, Mia was just as stubborn. I think I would've enjoyed this story more if they would've gotten it sooner. Does that make sense? Plus when it seemed like they finally got it, one of them would pull the breaks and the cycle of frustration begins all over again. Ugh! lol. But it wasn't all that bad. I really did like this story and I did LOVE Chris' Alpha asshole tendencies, especially when Mia would knock him down a peg or two. I'm hoping the author considers writing additional books that involve the secondary characters. I will definitely keep an eye out for them :)

Forever My Girl (Beaumont #1) by Heidi McLaughlin

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after.

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. 

And now I’m going back. 

After ten years. 

I hope I can explain that after all this time. 

I still want her to be my forever girl.

Four Stars

"You don't get to come in here and demand answers, Liam. You've been off playing rock star. You're the famous Liam Page. You left this," I spread my around and point to myself. "You left me. There's no room for you here." 

I'm a sucker. You know that, I know that. I picked this book up purely because the Hero is a famous rock star. That right there drew me in. Oh come on! You know you would pick this up for the exact same reason. lol. However, there was a little more to his story. Don't get me wrong, this was very predictable, but I like knowing that it won't end in an annoying cliffhanger. It was just what I needed at the time. 

I miss the passion in her body when she's trying to show me hat's it's like to be loved by her. I'd give anything to feel that with her again, even if it's just for one fleeting, solitary moment. Just one quick taste of my girl again and I'd be complete. ~ Liam 

Liam is back. He's decided to attended the funeral of his best friend, Mason. That's what brought him back to this small town he left. He didn't want to face all those he left behind, especially Josie, his former girlfriend. She is still the love of his life. No matter how famous he is, no matter how many women he's been with, he'll always love her. It broke his heart to leave her, but how will she react when she sees him again? 

Watching his backside as he retreats should be second nature for me. This isn't the first time he's walked away from me and likely won't be the last. If I'm lucky he'll be gone for another ten years and I won't have to deal with him anymore. 

Josie is in denial. She still loves him, always has. Even though she's engaged to another man, when Liam comes back, she can't deny her feelings no matter how hard she tries. What makes it more complicated is their son Noah, the son Liam knew nothing about. Noah and Liam hit it off immediately. Liam wants nothing more than a chance to get to know his son and to win back a chance to become part of Josie's life again. 

"What was so important that you just left me?"

I sigh. "I told you, I needed something different."

"It wasn't me?"

"No." I shake my head to emphasize my point. "It wasn't you. It was never you. I hate myself for not taking you with me. I should've , but I didn't think you'd go and I didn't want you to tell me no." 

As much as I loved this story, a few things bugged me. One is the reasoning behind why Liam left without even giving her a chance to answer. How could he think she would say "no" to him? They were so in love, he shouldn't even had an doubt. Reason number two: He gets pissed at Josie for never telling him about Noah. In my opinion, he had no right to get pissed. He changed his phone number for crying out loud so he wouldn't have to face her. Pure cowardness on his part. Reason number three: Josie. There were times where her stubbornness annoyed me. Oh well. It can't be all perfect. For the most part, I did really like this story, but I did wish for some more steam…okay, now I'm just being picky. lol

What Price Paradise by Katherine Allred

All his life Tate McCullom has been taught to be responsible, and he is the very model of what a respectable man should be. Until the night he gets drunk and sleeps with a woman he barely knows.

Now, six weeks later, she's pregnant, alone, and broke. Once again, Tate must take responsibility for his actions, and makes plans to marry his child's mother. There's only one problem...he has to tell his fiancée.

Abby Grayson hasn't had an easy life. As the daughter of the town whore, people either avoid her or think she's like her mother. For Abby, it's a struggle just to fill her belly and keep a roof over her head.

Loneliness and a secret yearning for this man she thought she'd never have led her to spend the night with Tate. But the last thing she needs is a baby when she can barely take care of herself. Desperate, but too proud to ask for help, she finally agrees to accept a job from Tate - the job of being his wife. Now she has almost everything she's ever dreamed of.

Unfortunately, only one thing will gain her Tate's love - his realization that the night he spent with her was no drunken accident. It was a last-ditch attempt to win the woman he really wanted.

4.5 Stars

“Sometimes I want to forget about all the responsibility and do things just for me. Do it because I want it, not because it’s what I need to do.” ~ Tate 

When I was browsing last night for my next read, I came across this and said, “meh! Why not?” The blurb sounded good, and I loved Katherine Allred’s Sweet Gum Tree. This could be a very good read. Yea. It was a mistake to start this last night. Since I couldn’t sleep, I started this a little after midnight and kept on reading until 4AM. I could’ve kept going, but a girl’s gotta sleep sometime. What I didn’t expect is waking up at 8AM and finishing the whole darn thing. I couldn’t put this down. I don’t know what it was, but something about the story kept me going. 

“You don’t have to be scared anymore, Abby. We’ll figure something out, I promise. We’re in this together.” 

Tate and his on and off again fiancée, Diane, were “off” when he got drunk one night and slept with Abby. What he didn’t expect was for her to become pregnant. And yes, it’s his. Tate is the only man Abby’s ever slept with, despite the reputation that followed her. She’s undeservedly inherited her mother’s reputation as the town whore. Abby’s life isn’t what she expected. She a hard worker, but still remains poor and alone. The one night Tate needed someone, she didn’t hesitate to help him. It felt good to be needed, especially by someone whom she’s had hidden feelings for. Now to add to her multitude of problems, she’s pregnant. What is she to do? 

Tate, being a respectable and honorable man, offers her an alternative. He offers her his hand in marriage. She’ll help around the ranch, cooking and cleaning and in return she won’t have to worry about rent, food and medical expenses. But the biggest return is that she won’t have to go through this alone. He’ll be there for her and their baby. But what about Diane? His relationship with Diane is complicated. They’ve been together for a long time with multiple break ups and make ups. He knows she’s cheated on him, but he knows she always runs back to him. The last time they spoke, she called it off, again, but his responsibility to Abby and his child take precedence over his drama with Diane. He made is choice and he’s going to marry Abby. 

“You really want me?” Even now she sounded surprised. 

He took her hand and guided it to the front of his jeans. “Woman, I want you so badly it’s killing me.” 

Abby and Tate’s relationship was a little rocky at first. I mean, they’re practically strangers. But the more they spend time with each other; they develop deeper feelings towards each other. The pink elephant in their relationship was Diane. Will Tate ever want Abby for her, or is he still in love with Diane? Abby felt responsible for putting Tate in such a predicament and feels like this arrangement she has with him has an expiration date. Tate however intends to keep his vow to Abby and will try to convince her that he’s in it for the long haul, no matter what. 

“To hell with my responsibilities!” He spun from the window facing her fully. “I need you for myself, damn it, and I’m not giving up until you see that.” 

I really liked this story. Like, really liked it. There was a certain charm and just the right amount of drama to keep me hooked. This story was such a pleasant surprise. I love getting absorbed in the emotions flowing through the characters. I have to admit that Tate was a little clueless at times and did want to smack some sense into him. Thank goodness for his brother, Buddy, and his BFF, Joe, for showing him what he couldn’t see what was right in front of him. I laughed, cried and just outright enjoyed this story. Highly recommend! 

Beautifully Damaged by L.A. Fiore

Ember Walsh was always the quiet one, enjoying a book and a glass of wine over the noise and crowds of a club, but when her best friend asks her to come out and meet the boy she likes Ember's world is turned upside down. He appears like a mythical avenging angel, inked, gorgeous and completely out of her league but one look and Ember no longer wants the quiet, she wants him.

Trace Montgomery has buried his damaged past with women and fighting until one day he meets an angel and suddenly he wants more, he wants her. For her, he's determined to overcome his demons but will the dark secret that links their pasts bring them closer or will it tear them apart.

Four Stars

“I couldn’t imagine loving someone with that kind of intensity, and knowing that the one you’re with is the only one you’ll ever want.”

I realized that I was rambling so I stopped talking as Trace just looked at me. His expression was completely unreadable. He wrapped his hands around my face as he looked deeply into my eyes before he whispered, “I can…” 

This story was…surprising. I kept going back and forth on how I wanted to rate this because my emotions were all over the place. This book was actually divided into two parts. The first part left me frustrated, pissed off and just an emotional wreck. I wasn’t sure if I could’ve gone on, but the masochist in me wanted to see how the story will pan out. Boy, am I really happy I decided to continue on because the second part was a doozey. The revelations were both surprising and heartbreaking. There were so many twists and turns that took my mind a moment or two to gather exactly what was going on. But what really mattered to me the most was that all those revelations just made Trace & Ember’s relationship stronger. 

The real Trace Montgomery was far more complicated and I feared that underneath his seemingly put together and beautiful outer package existed a damaged soul. 

To say Trace Montgomery has issues is putting it mildly. The man has demons that he’s dealt with his whole life, alone. He’s never let anyone close, ever. All he has in his world is his sister, his best friend, Rafe, and the hordes of nameless women that frequent in and out of his bed. But no one, no one, knew the extent of his burdens. He feels like he’s too damaged to be worthy of love. That’s why when he meets and falls for Ember, he knows he’s living on borrowed time. There’s no way a woman like her would ever stay with someone like him, especially if and when she ever learnt the truth about his past. His eyes never left mine when he said, “I want you but I don’t want to want you.” 

He was gorgeous but more, he equally beautiful on the inside and all he saw was the damaged man he believed himself to be. 

I give Ember some credit. To deal with Trace’s Jekyll and Hyde moments takes A LOT of patience. I was proud of her. Don’t get me wrong, there were several times she acted like a doormat, but when she finally stuck up for herself; those moments are when she shined the most. It was pretty tiring in the beginning when she kept telling herself that Trace was out of her league. Trace’s horde of women consisted of exotic beauties, not shy, big brown eyed brunettes like her. But for some reason, her and Trace are constantly running into each other. The next thing you know, they become friends…sort of. Trace keeps hinting he wants more, but something is holding him back. Ember is determined to find out what makes Trace tick. Trace does everything he can to push her away, but like I said, Ember never gives up on him. She knows there’s something going on between her and Trace and that their relationship is worth fighting for. She’ll do anything to prove to Trace that he is indeed worthy of love. 

That’s what I wanted: Someone who knew me better than I knew myself, someone who knew all the worst of parts of me yet still loved me. 

This story is a rollercoaster of emotions. For me the first part of the book was extremely frustrating. Trace’s decisions and how he acts upon pushing Ember away pissed me off. I was angry at him. I understand his need to remain closed off and why he felt the need to push her away, but why he couldn’t unburden himself to Ember was perplexing. The second part of the book was both happy and sad. We finally got a chance to get to know Trace. Once he shared his past, things started to make sense. I knew it was going to be heartbreaking hearing what happened to him, but when he actually said the words…oh, my God. How a father could do what he did was beyond disgusting and disturbing. But there was more. We find out more about his past connections to Ember and her family. I couldn’t believe the amount of drama in the second half. Whew!! Okay, if you’re in the mood for an angsty drama with a touch of suspense and mystery, then pick this up. It’s one crazy ass ride. 

Oh Wait!! Two minor things I need to mention before I shut up:

One. Lucian is a secondary character in this story that desperately needs his own story. He’s just so sweet and wonderful (oh and extremely sexy). I would LOVE to read his own story. 

Two. This story is in desperate need of some editing. There are several of instances of run on sentences. (I know this because, trust me, I’m guilty of this, too). I wish the author took the time to insert some pauses or something to know the scene changes. It’s not bad or anything, but just an annoyance. 

Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He 

terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

FIVE BUTTERFLYINGLY BEAUTIFUL STARS!!! 

“I want to tell you exactly how I feel but there isn’t a single goddamned word in the entire dictionary that can describe this point between liking you and lovingyou, but I need that word. I need it because I need you to hear me say it.” …

“Live. If you mix the letters up in the words like and love, you get live. You can use that word.”

He laughs again, but this time it’s a laugh of relief. He wraps his arms around me and he kisses me with nothing but a hell of a lot of relief. “I live you, Sky,” he says against my lips. “I live you so much.” 

I have a huge freaking grin on my face. 

Like. 

HUGE.

Colleen Hoover is a writing genius. I don’t know how she does it. Time and time again, she has the ability to weave an unbelievable story. I was blown away with Slammed and Point of Return, but this newest creation she has written has left me just speechless. I’m in utter awe at her talent for writing a beautiful story. Oh. My. God. I just don’t know what to say. This story was just butterflyingly beautiful. I smiled, I cried and I just loved. This made my exclusive crack-book shelf and for that, I will be adding the paperback to my “real life” bookshelf when it becomes available. Just effing amazing!

“We won’t go any further than this, I promise. But please don’t ask me to stop where we already are. I need to watch you and I need to hear you because the fact that I know you’re actually feeling this right now is so fucking amazing. You feel incredible and this feels incredible and please. Just…please.” 

Sky’s life thus far is comprised of her BFF, Six, and her mother, Karen. She’ll be starting her Senior year in High School soon, but this time it’ll be different. She's been home schooled for all of her life and Karen prohibits anything electronic in the house: TVs, cell phones, internet, etc. When it comes to boys, she hasn’t really had any emotional connection to any of them. All the guys she’s been with, she feels absolutely nothing towards them, both physically and emotionally. Sky is damaged. She’s not the type to feel…anything. She doesn’t truly understand why, but the numbness she experiences time and time again isn’t anything new. She’s felt this way for a very long time, but there has to be a reason why she feels like this, right? It’s not until she runs into Dean Holder at the grocery store, she starts to feel butterflies.What is this foreign feeling? What makes this guy so different?

He reacts the way he does because there’s only one side to Dean Holder.

Passionate

There are parts of him I love, parts of him I hate, parts that terrify me and parts that amaze me. 

Holder didn’t plan on going back to school. He’s been gone for a year, dealing with his sister, Lesslie’s, suicide. He’s damaged, too. His Hopeless tattoo reminds him of those who he let down in his life. He doesn’t want to feel anything toward this girl he just met, but there’s just something oddly familiar about her. When he notices her at the store, he practically demands her name. Unfortunately she is not who he thinks she is, but it doesn’t stop him from finding out whatever he can about her. The more time the two spend with each other, the more intense things become. The little things they start to learn about each other begin to add up to an even bigger picture. These two are connected in a way that neither of them ever imagined. When their secrets are revealed, both their lives are changed forever. 

“When you become mine, it’ll be a forever thing. I’ve told you before that the only thing that matters to me with you are the forevers, and I mean that.” ~ Holder 

Holder is AMAZING. I just fell in love with him. He's sopassionate and intense. When he realizes his feelings for Sky, it blows my mind at how caring and supportive he is to her. He never gives up on her. Ever. I LOVE HIM! For me, he made the story what it is: Beautiful and highly emotional. You can’t help but be enamored by him and by the story. There were so many things I highlighted and re-read just because it made me feels all kinds of tingly goodness. Like I said, Colleen Hoover has such a knack for writing and storytelling. Just do me a favor and read this gorgeous story. Oh! Before I go, just one more quote for the road:

He could kiss me for the first time, or the twentieth time, or the millionth time and I wouldn’t care if it was a first or not, because I’m pretty sure we just broke the record for the best first kiss in the history of first kisses – without even kissing. 

SWOON. JUST. SWOON.

Wanted (Wanted #1) by Kelly Elliott

Verbally abused by her mother for years, 18 year old Ellie Johnson always believed she would never be loved or wanted by anyone. She focused all of her attention on her grades and getting into the University of Texas to start a new life away from her mother.
The last thing Ellie expected was to fall in love with Gunner Mathews, a starting linebacker for the University of Texas football team and not to mention, her brothers best friend. 
Gunner only had two passions in life, football and his grandfather’s ranch, until he falls for his best friends little sister. He will stop at nothing to show Ellie how much he wants her, even if it means he has to move faster than she would like. 
Gunner knows they are meant to be together forever, but Ellie keeps denying her feelings out of fear of being hurt again. Every time he gets close to winning her love, something pushes her away again. Will Ellie ever be able to let go of the past and let him into her heart and will Gunner be patient enough to wait for her?
What will it take for them to realize they are all each other have ever WANTED?

3.75-4 Stars

“I want to be the person who gives you all of your firsts. I want to experience them with you so I can see that beautiful smile of yours light up every time you do something new. I want to make all your dreams come true.” ~ Gunner 

OH. MY. GOD. **SWOON!!** I’m completely in love with Gunner. He totally made the story worth while. He’s one hot, sweet, sexy, tattooed Southern gentleman. Just fucking gorgeous! Oh yea, he definitely made it to my all time favorite book boyfriends. 

The story is fairly simple and highly predictable. In a nutshell, it’s a story about a young woman, who was raised by her beloved older brother and an alcoholic mother. Ellie has been on the receiving end of a lot of verbal abuse from her mother. She always kept telling Ellie that no one will ever want her. If it wasn’t for her hard working older brother, Jefferson, she would be lost. Her previous two relationships have ended in utter disaster. Both times, her two good for nothing boyfriends were cheating on her because she wasn’t ready to give up her elusive V-card, yet. When she caught her latest boyfriend in the midst with another woman in the school theatre, she broke down and called her big brother to come and get her. When her brother shows up to defend her and kick her latest boyfriend’s ass, he shows up with his best friend, Gunner. It was love at first sight for both Ellie and Gunner. Oh the joys of instant love. 

If you don’t like being treated like a doormat then get the fuck off the floor 

Drew “Gunner” Mathews has had his fair share of women. He and Jefferson are star football players for the University of Texas. He has never been in a long term relationship and really wasn't looking for one. But once he sets his eyes on Ellie, he was a goner. And as much as Ellie felt the same way, she was more guarded. With all the negative things her mom was feeding her, coupled with the cheating exes, Ellie was not about to be fooled again by another man. Gunner had his work cut out for him, but he was determined to convince her to give him a chance. 

“Drew….it’s another first.”

He looked at me confused. “What is baby?”

“This…this feeling…it’s a first for me.”

“Tell me Ellie.”

“I have never in my life…ever felt so completely loved and…wanted.” 

I was debating back and forth on what to rate this. For the most part, I really liked the story, and I just LOVE Gunner. Going into this story, I thought this was considered Mature YA/New Adult, but I think it teetered more on the adult side. There was a considerable amount steam, not that they were explicit or anything, but more than your typical Mature YA story would have. It also had a whole lot of cursing, which was fucking fine by me. lol. What I got annoyed with were the constant uses of the phrases: “Pesh,” “Gesh,” “Hells Bells,” “Gosh,” and “Jesus, Mary and Joseph.” They were all over the place! Every time I came across them, I was like, “What the fuck?” The author constantly cusses, but is reluctant to use “God.” I don’t know. It got way annoying. 

Another thing that bothered me was the heroine Ellie. Not only did she constantly use the above phrases, but she sometimes acted like a fourteen year old girl. The way she spoke wasn’t very…I don’t know…grown up? Plus, she often jumped to conclusions and immediately got angry at Gunner. Talk to your boyfriend first before dumping him, okay Ellie? Gesh! lol. 

Lastly, another negative of the story was its length. It was way too long. There came a point where it I just didn’t care anymore. There were so many things that could’ve been cut out. I just wanted it to end so I can move on. Plus the story could've seriously used an editor to clean up the shitload of punctuation errors. 

Anyway, before I stop jabbering, I have to mention Jefferson and Ellie's BFF, Ari. She was just awesome. The shit that came out of her mouth…oh, my God, pure sailor mouth. LOVED her. As for Jefferson, totally swoon-worthy! To be honest, I was more interested in Jefferson and Ari’s story. I can’t wait for their book to come out. 

Okay, I’m done. Sorry for my jibber jabber. If you’re looking for a long, simple read and don’t mind the constant cussing andother overly used childish phrases, then I think you will enjoy this.

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (Coincidence #1) by Jessica Sorensen

There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.

4.5-4.75 Stars

In the existence of our lives, there is a single coincidence that brings us together and for a moment, our hearts beat as one. 

I was so looking forward to reading this book. The book I was reading prior to this tore me up and when I was looking for my next read, I wanted something I could swoon over and make me feel all ooey-gooey. Does that make sense? lol. When I saw that this had come out, I was all over it thinking, “yes! this is exactly what I was looking for!” **Fist pump!** I mean look at all the potential this book just oozed: The cover is gorgeous. The storyline sounded like something right up my alley; it’s rated as Mature YA, which I just love. So when I picked this up, I was not disappointed whatsoever. I was absolutely absorbed in Callie and Kayden’s story. I could not put this down. 

There is something about someone trusting you enough with their secrets that makes it easier to trust them. It’s like they’re opening their heart and in return yours should open up to them, too. 

Callie and Kayden. Where do I begin to describe this story? Both characters are severely traumatized. Callie projected her hurt outwardly with her shyness, her chopped hair, dark baggy clothes and dark eyeliner. She was considered a freak in high school. She wasn’t always like this, but what happened to her when she was only twelve, dramatically changed her. She was never the same. 

From the outside, Kayden’s life seemed perfect. He’s handsome, star football player and was very popular. But what others didn’t see was that he came from a very abusive household. No one knew that his father was beating him and his brothers. Because he and brothers were encouraged to play sports, the bruises and broken bones were easy to hide. To cope, Kayden has a tendency to self inflict pain; he has the cuts and scars to prove the hurt. On the night of his graduation party, Kayden was on the receiving end of his father’s anger. What he didn’t expect was for someone to intervene the beating. 

“That’s you, Callie, you’re the only person that’s ever made me feel happy about anything. That night you saved me, you changed something in me – you made me want to live.” 

Ever since the night Callie intervened, Kayden wanted to thank her and ask her a million questions. He never had the chance until he literally ran into her in college, although he didn’t recognize her at first. She changed. Callie and her BFF, Seth (who I ADORE by the way), have made a list of things to do in order to make their lives better. Outwardly, Callie is slowly changing; her hair, her clothes…she was trying to move on from her past. College was fresh start. However, inside she was still struggling to let people get close to her, even touching made her uncomfortable. Kayden wanted to get to know her. Why is she so skittish? Why did she save him that day? Why is he so drawn to her? 

I want nothing more than to be with her and protect her, like no one ever did for me. I want to make sure nothing bad happens to her. 

**Possible spoilers below**

**SIGH** So here I am, cruising through this beautiful story. I am loving Every. Single. Moment. these two share. I’m in pure utter bliss. Seriously. Then all of a sudden…BAM! The ending came and I was left with my heart thudding, and my mouth agape. Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me. With. This. Shit.Seriously. What the fuck just happened!?!? **Bangs head on wall** I kinda knew this was coming, but I was hoping my intuition was wrong. Nope. I was right all along. Fuck. My. Life. All I have to say is that cliffhangers suck major ass. Well there’s no denying I really liked this story, just hated the abrupt ending. Luckily for me, there is a sequel and it’s due out at the end of February. Thank GOD! Now I can breathe a little better.

Mogul (Groupie #3) by Ginger Voight

In the final book of Ginger Voight's Groupie Trilogy, Andy and Vanni have returned to Los Angeles to happily prepare for the birth of their child. A reformed Ladies' Man, Giovanni Carnevale now embarks on a fairy tale life of monogamy with the woman he loves, but the ghosts of his past still continue to haunt their newfound happiness.

The Wilke family wants to see him pay for the damage he has done to their precious Baylee, who still lies in a vegetative state. For her brother, Donny, money will never be enough to make up for what Vanni has done, but that is where the Wilke family first seeks their revenge. They demand millions of dollars in restitution, which forces Vanni to reevaluate his career path and participation in his band, Dreaming in Blue.

To ensure he has enough money to make up for his mistakes as well as provide for his baby, Vanni takes on the job as judge for a new reality talent show called "Fierce." Here he champions an unlikely contestant, proving to his detractors that he truly is a man of substance - more than anyone could have imagined. This includes producer Graham Baxter.

Graham tries to move on, but when he discovers that Andy is pregnant he cannot stop dreaming of what might have been. Maggie watches on helplessly, as hopelessly in love with him as he is with someone else. She considers moving on before he shatters what is left of her heart. It takes a couple of matchmakers (and a fairy godfather named Jorge) from "Love Plus One" to show Graham a side of Maggie he's never seen before. 

The biggest threat to Vanni and Andy's Happily Ever After is grifter Holly Neal, who returns to Los Angeles claiming to carry Vanni's baby. Graham and Andy suspect she is up to her old tricks, but Vanni knows truly turning over a new leaf means he has to do right by all the people he has wronged - including a child he may have conceived with another woman.

In the end, it is Andy and their baby who may pay the biggest price of all for his sins, when Baylee's unexpected death finally sends her psychotic brother over the edge.

Everything blows literally to pieces, forcing Vanni - and Graham - to risk it all for the sake of love.

Author Ginger Voight continues her popular GROUPIE saga with book three, amping up Rubenesque romance with steamy sensuality, and pulling the curtains off of celebrity royalty.

Four Stars

**If you have not read the first two books, Groupie and Rock Star, please stop here and read them first. The following review may contain spoilers.**

It was what he always thought a honeymoon would be like. He just needed to find the one woman he’d ever want to marry. Now he knew with all certainty that woman was Andy. 

First off, a huge, massive THANK YOU to the fabulous Ginger Voight for allowing little ole me to Beta Read this. It was an honor and privilege, let me tell you. I was dying after reading book two, Rock Star. So much happened in that book and I had TONS of unanswered questions at the end. I was so excited to get my hands on this and finally gain some much needed closure and happiness. This was me after I finished reading Mogul:

UPDATE 12.09.12

Relaxing. Calming. **Exhale** Yep. I'm a happy and content girl. **smirks** Talk about a crazy ending! 

This wasn’t as angsty as the first two books, but it was still an emotionally charged read. No character is perfect and everyone had their own little flaw; it seemed that I wanted to slap everyone sometime or another. lol. 

He sighed again as he glanced down at Andy as she slept in his arms. He’d been such a dick for so long. Why couldn’t he just keep it in his pants and be a grown-up? 

My biggest source of happiness was seeing the transformation of Vanni. Ladies, he FINALLY grew up. Thank God! Womanizing, selfish and egotistical Vanni was gone. He finally had Andy and he was not about to fuck it up. Never again!! It was torture to read his downward spiral in book two and to see him finally take responsibility for his actions and still protect Andy was such a breath of fresh air. I loved committed and loving Vanni. However, the subject of Holly and their baby was still a question we desperately needed an answer to. Is the baby really Vanni’s? How did Andy take the news?

This wasn’t just some guy sharing her bed. This was the love of her life, her unexpected soul mate. 

Oh Andy, Andy, Andy…her HEA with Vanni is within her reach, but man, his past constantly hounds her. The drama with Holly is nothing compared to what she faces in this book. Someone is out for revenge on Vanni and has their sights on Andy. There is so much backstabbing, lying and deceit surrounding Vanni that it’s hard to know who to trust anymore. Vanni tries his best to be there for her and their baby, but he’s an honorable man and wants to help Holly. Gahh! Don’t even get me started on how I felt about him and Holly. Ugh. He has nothing but good intentions, but really, Vanni?! All I can say is that I totally side with Andy. No wonder she still runs to Graham for comfort.

“But what’s more my business, is how your selfish, entitled, egomaniacal behavior affects someone I love. See, that’s more than business. That’s personal.”

“She’s not yours to protect,” Vanni reminded quietly.

“She is if you refuse to,” Graham replied. 

**SIGH** I love Graham. I just love him. I still wonder what it would’ve been like if Andy had chosen Graham over Vanni. It’s no contest, Graham has always been the better man. As much as I loved Vanni’s transformation, Graham had remained the same, honorable and loving man I grew to adore. He’s the safe and obvious choice, but I guess we can’t chose who we love. At least Graham found happiness, too, in this book. :) 

I’m sad that the drama is over, but happy with how everything turned out. The adventure and the torture were well worth it. It was such a great ride. This is a definite must read for those who have followed the series: It provided the closure we all needed. Well done, Gin! Well done :)

Comfort Object (Comfort #1) by Annabel Joseph

Nell, an out-of-work professional submissive, is desperate to find a job when she meets handsome film star Jeremy Gray at the restaurant where she works. He says he needs a personal assistant, but the work contract he shows her details not organizational duties, but sexual ones. Jobless and homeless, Nell agrees to work for him anyway, on the promise that he will pay for her to finish her college degree when her stint as his "assistant" is complete. The start of their formal Dom/sub relationship is rocky, but they soon fall into a mutually satisfying, highly sexual routine. They play vanilla boyfriend and girlfriend in public, while Jeremy uses Nell as his kinky comfort object behind the scenes. Then a stalker threatens their secret lifestyle, and their contract may not be strong enough to hold them together. This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, strong BDSM theme and content including spanking, dubious consent, exhibitionism, menage (m/f/m), group sex.

4.5-4.75 Stars

“Go on,” Jeremy breathed.

I shrugged. “Well it was work, you know? Ultimately the scene was between her and her dom. I was kind of beside the point.”

“Just the facilitator.”

“No, not at all. He was the facilitator. I was only the prop. I was always the prop, the thing people used to get off.” 

HOLY FUCK! I missed my kinky stories. I never realized how much I missed them until I picked this up. I was scrolling through all my Kindle books and saw this. I’ve had my eye on this book for ages, but for some reason I finally decided to read it. This story had me wrapped around its finger. I was so absorbed in this story; the whole world around me complete disappeared. I kid you not. Yes, the premise of the book is completely unrealistic, but who gives a fuck, right? lol. I mean, isn’t that why we read? To get away and fantasize? Oh yea. This had kinky fantasy written all over it and I just loved it. 

The applicant understands that she will act as submissive and/or sexual slave to give comfort and relaxation in private, and function as a loving and affectionate girlfriend in public, and under no circumstances will behave in any way that exhibits or suggests her submissive status in public. 

Nell is a professional submissive. She earns good money and loves the work. One day, a very gorgeous man employs her for her services, but unfortunately club rules prohibit any fluid exchange with the staff. So what does Mr. Gorgeous do? He proposes Nell for an after hour play. Their additional play and fuck after work hours was more then both had bargained for. Yes, they had fun, but Mr. Gorgeous outs her extra curricular activities and gets her fired from the club. Little does Nell know but Mr. Gorgeous actually works for Jeremy Gray, a very famous actor with a taste for the kinky side of sex. Jeremy is looking for a new submissive to do as he pleases. Ever heard of the saying, “I want a lady on the street, but a freak in the bed?” Yup. That pretty much sums up what Jeremy wants. Mr. Gorgeous was just sampling the goods Nell had to offer and recommended her to Jeremy. He is immediately intrigued by Nell. She has everything he wants in a submissive woman. Nell is livid when she finds out who outted her and why. So what if Jeremy was famous, sexy and dominating, she wants nothing to do with his proposal. Unfortunately he doesn’t take “no” for an answer and he practically makes it so she has no choice but to accept. 

He was good at everything. He could deal with anything. And I finally realized that sex was his drug. Sex was the thing that kept him ticking. Sex was his heroin, and I was the dealer. We were constantly getting “high.” 

The lengths Jeremy went through to get her to say yes is a bit much, but I quickly got over it. I wanted to live vicariously through Nell and travel the world with Jeremy as his personal assistant/sex slave. And Oh. My. God. The stuff Jeremy’s into is kinky. Take Christian Grey and multiply it by like a hundred. Yea. He holds nothing back: Anal, oral, vaginal, orgasm control/denial, m/f, m/f/m, m/f/m/f, f/f. Various toys including, nipple clamps, anal plugs, canes, floggers, whips…oh fuck it…you get the idea. The weird thing is that all the sexual play wasn’t over powering. There was a lot of it, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t bothered by it like most of BDSM, erotica books sometimes do. I just loved this story. It was an erotic escape that I thoroughly loved. Highly recommend.