The Valentine's Arrangement by Kelsie Leverich

Tattoo artist Ronnie Clark is counting the days until Valentine's Day is over. Ronnie doesn't do romance. She doesn't do flowers or dates, and she sure as hell doesn't do love--not anymore. After her fiancé cheated on her while deployed, she has vowed never to fall in love again, especially with a soldier.

Sergeant First Class Kale Emerson is home on his mid-tour leave from Iraq, but he can't wait to return to finish leading his soldiers on their mission. He's got no time for a relationship...but casual sex, that's a different story. And when he meets Ronnie, a snarky, gorgeous, take-no-prisoners kind of woman, a fast fling is all he can think about. But when Kale realizes he's met his match with a bombshell woman who is hell bent against love, will just sex be enough? And will winning her over both body and soul be the toughest battle he ever fought?

Three Stars

"You can stop mind fucking me now."

Kale's eyes came close to popping out of his head. "Excuse me?"

Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Let's get this straight, Soldier. I'm not sleeping with you. You can get it out of your pretty little head, and I suggest you do so before I stick a needle to your skin." 

I saw this book on Facebook, thought the cover was beautiful, the blurb interesting and the next thing I knew, I had to have it. Maybe it was the kind of day I was having or if I was just in one of those moods where the cover was too pretty to say no to, but I had to start reading it immediately. I hate to say it, but this story didn't wow me. 

”I don’t have a problem with pain, baby. Touch me wherever your little heart desires,” he whispered as his mouth reached her ear.

Holy fucking…he was driving her body insane. 

Ronnie is a very talented tattoo artist who broke up with her ex-fiancé after finding out he cheated on her while he was deployed in Afghanistan. Men are just cheating bastards. With Valentines Day just around the corner, the last thing she needs is to meet a man like Kale. He’s a soldier and is sex on a stick. It’s pure lust at first site for both Kale and Ronnie. Both aren’t looking for a relationship, but both agree to just a physical relationship. I mean, he’ll be leaving soon again anyway, right? No strings attached, just sex. 

Well obviously we all know where the story goes from here. I did find Kale sexy and hot, though Ronnie did annoy me a little. I didn’t mind the predictability and the steam factor is very hot, but there was just something missing. I can’t really pinpoint it, but it’s the reason for the three star rating. 

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.