Code Red by Amy Noelle

After getting hurt in college by a gorgeous man, Nicole Magette vowed never to risk losing her heart again. Now she lives a structured and satisfying life. Her work is easy, her friends are her family, and the only consistent men in her life are her two cats, Winchester and Huntington Peabody the Third. She doesn't date, and she hooks up only with losers—men she has absolutely no risk of falling for. But if she finds herself in danger, she has her old fail-safe in place—the Code Red.

In college, she and her four best friends came up with the system as a way to keep away the good-looking bastards that might worm their way past their carefully constructed walls. Seven years later, three of her friends have succumbed to their last Code Reds and are happily married. Now it’s just Nicole and her closest friend, Jen, who are still on their own, and Nic is just fine with that.

That is, until Joshua Daniels is transferred to Nicole’s office from New York and assigned to work with her on a special project. He's everything she's avoided and everything she claims she doesn't want, so why can’t she get him out of her mind? He's persistent, dangerously handsome, and sexy as sin. In other words, he’s her worst nightmare. She turns to her friends to help her resist Josh’s considerable charms and the inescapable draw she feels every time she gets near him. Can the Code Red save her this time, or will Josh send her perfectly balanced life into chaos?

3.5 Stars

Code Red: It was our way of forming a support group and to keep ourselves from falling for Mr. Wrong.

Someone had recommended this book to me stating that it was similar to Alice Clayton. I, being a huge fan of Ms. Clayton, couldn’t resist the draw of a contemporary romance with a ton of laughs. This book had a lot of potential: Hot Hero, likeable and relatable heroine, building sexual tension, and a ton of kick ass secondary characters. I couldn’t wait to dive in. 

Good-looking men were my kryptonite, and my friends were the antidote. I needed them. 

Nicole needed her circle of friends more than ever. Her last relationship ended in disaster. After that, she vowed never to let any man get close to her ever again; she will never be hurt again. This is when Code Red was first implemented. With the support of her friends, she can withstand any man. However, as the years passed, her friends have slowly succumbed to the whims of man and are now happily married. Out of her circle of friends, only her and her BFF Jen remain single. 

One damn smile, one stupid touch, and I was ready to throw him down on the desk and mount him. 

When Josh Daniels storms into Nicole’s life, she feels not only feels the tingles of lust and desire, but something else as well…something, more. To say Nicole is freaking out would be an understatement. She’s called a Code Red. This is going to get interesting. 

“You terrify me. You have from the first moment, because I think I knew I was going to fall for you. And I did.” 

I loved Josh. The only thing that bothered me about him was that he was almost too patient with Nicole. She is such a hot mess. She tried and tried to do whatever she could to not fall for Josh.Code Reds were flying everywhere in this book. It was actually starting to get ridiculous. 

Could a person die of sexual frustration? Because if they could, I was going down, no lie. 

I liked this story. It had a good amount of humor, plus Nicole and her friends were awesome for the most part. I could easily picture myself as part of their group. They are a hilarious group of girls. However, as much as I loved the connection between all of them, it wasn’t enough for me. I started to get frustrated. You knew where the story was headed, but MAN, did it took FOR-EV-EVER to get there. This was definitely one sexually frustrating story. Nicole’s character, as much as I liked her, I wanted to smack some sense into her. There were countless times where I was just like, “What the frick is your problem?! Can’t you see how into you he is?!” Gahhhh!! And when, finally, Josh and Nicole finally got together, it felt like it was a little too late. It kinda lost its entire muster. **sigh** Anyway…like I said, for the most part, this was an entertaining read with an HEA that left me smiling. 

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Writer’s Coffee Shop for the ARC**

True Love Story by Willow Aster

Sparrow Fisher is transforming. No longer dressed up in antiquated clothes and ideals, she is finally trying on her freedom.

Before she moves to New York City, she meets Ian Sterling, a musician Sparrow has dreamed about since she first saw him. The attraction is instant, but their relationship isn't so simple.

Over a five year span, Sparrow and Ian run into each other in unusual places. Each time, Sparrow has to decide if she can trust him, if he feels the same for her, and finally, if love is really enough.

4.75 Stars

W.B.T.

I suppose I might never have known or believed that love could be so strong if I hadn’t seen it dragged through this hell. Now I know that love can truly endure anything. 

You know that feeling of finally finding a book that consumes you? That brings you out of that book funk? And when it ends, you’re in a haze. Not only because the story is over, but you’re sad that the journey you took has reached completion and now you’re back to that pesky ole book funk? Yep. That’s me right here, right now. I’m in a sort of daze at the moment, but I feel compelled to write this review now because I know I just couldn’t wait to spread the word on how much I loved this story. I will warn you right now though: The Love story between Sparrow and Ian is not a pretty one. There were times where I was smiling and laughing one minute, then angry and extremely hurt the next. It was emotional, raw and just flat out addictive. 

“You have this grounding quality about you. I don’t know a better way to put it. It levels me. I’ve never been at home anywhere, but I am with you.” ~ Ian 

The story begins with Sparrow and Ian cosmically meeting, again. They have met before, several times to be exact, but this meeting was different. We instantly find out that Ian broke Sparrow’s heart, but how? 

Sparrow first met Ian when she was only eighteen years old. Even though she was already in a relationship at the time, the first time she meets Ian, she knew her life would never be the same. The connection they have is instantaneous. At this point in her life, Sparrow is just about to graduate and move to New York with her best friend, Tessa, to start college. Lots of changes are happening to Sparrow and throwing Ian into the mixture just made things a whole lot more interesting. 

“But seeing you, being near you, talking to you, hearing your laugh, watching your lips move, all of it. I felt awake. Alive. Crazed, almost. And I haven’t known what to do with it. Seeing you each time, it just intensifies, which never happens for me. With you, I just want more – instead of wanting to run, I want more" ~ Ian 

Ian is a famous guitarist and songwriter. Through a series of events, Sparrow and Ian find themselves together at random times. Family gatherings, ski trips…they constantly run into each other; never really planning on running into each other. But when given the opportunity to be together, they take it. Ian isn’t really the “relationship” type, but he knows what he has with Sparrow is something special and he does not want to lose what he finds in her. She knows that they’ll be apart a lot, but they both decide to start a relationship, without really officially forming one. Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense once you read this. When Ian and Sparrow are together, they really are together. There is no doubt that these two are in love. The intensity of their relationship slowly grows with every encounter, but the talk of committing was never really fully discussed. Where is their relationship headed?

“I’m not a good person, Sparrow. I…I’m not. I look at you and I see all the good and I know that I could never deserve someone like you.” ~ Ian 

Reading this story through Sparrow’s eyes, you felt everything that she felt. When Ian broke her heart, my heart broke as well. We both fell hard for him. I was so angry with some of the things he did; I didn’t think he was redeemable. However, there was always a flicker of light that kept on shining no matter how dark the times were. Ian is a broken man, I understood that. As for Sparrow, she knew what she was getting herself into. You prayed for a smooth road, but deep down you knew something was going to happen. Sorry if that’s spoilish, but every story has drama, and this one was no exception. 

I loved this story, I really do. It wasn’t a perfect five start read, but it was close. This story will make you smile and Ian will make you melt. However, you will get angry and you will hurt when you read this. I think that’s why I loved it so much. Putting my heart in a blender does have it’s perks…you feel alive, Crazed, almost and I do admire that in a story. 

Man of the Year (Vice & Virtue #3) by Bianca Giovanni

In this continuation of the Vice & Virtue series friends-turned-lovers James and Lola are in Las Vegas for the Adult Video Awards. He is up for the biggest prize of the night, Man of the Year, and with his recent retirement, he's bound to win. Will an event celebrating his previous sexual exploits challenge his relationship with his inexperienced girlfriend? How will Lola cope with being thrust into James' spotlight? By the end of this whirlwind weekend, the two will learn that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas

Four Stars

“I love you, my beautiful girl,” I whisper to her. “I love you so much. I’ve always loved you. I’ll love you forever, Lola. Forever and ever.” 

I was ECSTATIC when I found out Bianca was going to continue James & Lola's story. I thoroughly enjoyed the mini stories and I really enjoyed the full-length novel that is Vice, Virtue & Video. I am a huge sucker for friends-to-romance stories. There’s just something about falling in love with your best friend. It’s like fast-forwarding the getting-to-know-you-phase, and just head onto the bedroom. LOL. Yea, you know there’s nothing wrong with that. 

“What can I say? I fell in love,” I shrug. “I know it sounds totally corny but my heart belongs to her and I seriously can’t even consider having sex with anybody else.” 

So this story takes place about three months after James and Lola finally declared their love for each other. Now that he’s with Lola, James has decided he can no longer remain in the porn business. He’s quite a big actor in the Adult Entertainment world and has had his share of a lot of women. Now that he’s retiring from this career, he’s getting more exposure. They’re in Las Vegas to attend the Adult Video Awards, where James is nominated for a ton Adult Video Awards, including Man of the Year. Lola is there to support him, but feels completely out of place. 

I don’t belong here. I can’t hang with these people, go to events like this, watch spontaneous gangbangs pop up in corners, hear a vengeful slut tell me that I’ll never be enough for James… 

Poor Lola. She is indeed out of her element here. First off, James is the only man she’s ever been sexual with and considers herself very inexperienced, especially considering James has probably slept with the majority of people at this award show. She is beyond intimidated by everything around her. Shit, I would be too. I mean, put yourself in her shoes: I felt awful for her when they started showing clips of all the nominees and the variouspositions there were all in. I would be mortified if I had to endure watching my boyfriend’s sex scenes, let alone watching it with a room full of people he probably fucked. Damn! I felt for her, but she held her own…at least for a little while. There were a lot of vengeful women hating her: It is because of her that their beloved James is leaving the business. Her anxiety is very understandable. Will she be enough for James? 

“Seriously, let’s break this down,” I continue. “I’m getting beauty, brains, humor, crazy-ridiculous-insane hotness and that smart mouth that I love. You’re getting a guy who dropped out of college, who has no valuable skills, whose only claim to fame is having a big dick and who’s going to be shunned by real society the second I leave the Valley. 

I love James. He loves Lola so much, it was so sweet to read. I love that he’s leaving the business for her. They really do belong together. The sex between James and Lola is still scorching and James just practically worships her, in and out of the bedroom. I just love him. However, I did have some gripes with the story. One: Lola’s constant giggling was grating on my nerves. I’ve never met a heroine who giggled as much as she did, even during some hot sex. WTF?! I wanted to slap her a few times and tell her to quit it. LOL. Two: I wanted to see more of possessive and jealous James. I love when men get all-primal and claim what’s theirs. Three: I wished it were a little longer. The drama towards the end could’ve been elaborated a little more, rather than Lola forgiving James immediately. Not that James did anything wrong, but I wished she had explained her concerns a little more. Aside from that, I really enjoyed this story and made a great addition to the series. I can’t wait for more :)

If You Stay (Beautifully Broken #1) by Courtney Cole

24-year old Pax Tate is an asshole. 

Seriously. 

He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad-boy with a bad attitude to match. 

But he’s got his reasons. 

His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with guilt although he doesn’t understand why. What he does know is that he and his dad are left alone and with more issues than they can count. 

As Pax grew up, he tried to be the kid his father always wanted; the perfect golden boy, but it didn’t work. His dad couldn’t overcome his grief long enough to notice and Pax couldn’t keep up the impossible perfect façade. 

So he slipped far, far from it. 

Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the ugliness, the black void that he doesn’t want to deal with. If he pretends that the emptiness isn’t there, then it isn’t, right? 

Wrong. 

And it’s never more apparent than when he meets Mila. 

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air to his hardened frown, the beauty to his ugly heart. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her, but he quickly realizes that he’s got to figure it out because he needs her to breathe.

When memories of his mother’s death resurface from where he’s repressed them for so long, Mila is there to catch him when the guilt starts making sense. Mila is the one…the one who can save him from his broken troubled heart; from his issues, from the emptiness. 

But only if he can stop being an asshole long enough to allow it. 

He knows that. And he’s working on it. 

But is that enough to make her stay?

Four Stars

She’s like a breath of fresh air.

I may be the Big Bad Wolf, but even wolves need to breathe. 

This was just the kind of book I needed. It was one of those can’t-put-it-down ones that I often crave on my day off. Though this was a short read, it packed quite a punch. On the surface, it’s a story of opposites attracting. The sweet and beautiful Mila paired with Pax, the bad boy with an awful reputation. They first meet under the direst of circumstances, with Pax barely clinging to life and Mila saving him. What happens after the incident is when things start really to heat up. 

I feel like there’s a certain sadness to him, probably because his eyes hint at things that I don’t yet know about him, troubled things. His body is hard, his face is hard, and his eyes are hard. Like stone.

And even still, I am pulled inexplicably to him.

I can’t explain it. It’s not logical. 

Our Hero, Pax, is not your typical Hero. He uses drugs, liquor and woman to cope with his hidden demons. He comes from a very wealthy family, but after the death of his mother, he and his father are not the same. Pax has so much potential, but he continuously wastes it away with his wild lifestyle. When he accidently overdoses, is he at his lowest point. This is when Mila first meets him: Slumped and sprawled in his car with no help. Mila just prays that it wasn’t too late when he was finally taken by ambulance. 

When Pax first wakes up in the hospital, he can’t remember what happened. But what surprises him even more is when Mila walks into his room, checking to see if he is ok. He doesn’t remember her, but what he notices immediately grabs his attention. 

She’s staring at me with clear, green eyes and she’s holding a vase of flowers.

And she’s fucking beautiful.

My gut immediately tightens in response. Holy shit. 

Mila is not the type girl Pax normally hang around with. She gives off an aura of wholesomeness and goodness that is very foreign to Pax. All I know is… I’m drawn to her. She’s everything that I’m not and it fascinates the hell out of me. 

Pax tries to get Mila out of his mind, but he is determined to find out who she is. Why? He doesn’t even know. He knows she’s too good for the likes of him, but that doesn’t stop him from pursing her. Pax manages to fuck up a few more times before Mila reluctantly tries to establish a relationship with him. How he manages to clean his messes up is beyond me. Frankly, I wouldn’t have been as forgiving as Mila, but then again, he is trying. 

“Something about you makes me think that I can be better, maybe even get my shit straight. I haven’t felt that way in a very long time.” ~ Pax 

Mila is still holding a bit of herself back; hesitant and scared ofthe incident happening again. Pax is definitely hiding something. She convinces him to seek help and reluctantly agrees. But once he uncovers his secrets, how will Pax cope? Will he resort to drugs again? Will Pax allow her to help him or will he push her away?

“I’m just not that good at relationships. I haven’t had any practice. But if you stay with me, if you stay… I promise that I will never leave you again.” 

This was such a good read and I’m so thankful for Trish for recommending it to me. It was a tad bit on a darker side, but it was crafted very well. I really liked it and would definitely recommend it.

Truth (Consequences #2) by Aleatha Romig

Claire Nichols endured the CONSEQUENCES of Anthony Rawlings’ vendetta.

When she first arrived to his home, her goal was survival. Through strength and compartmentalization Claire captivated her captor. Her resilience in the face of his rule threatened Anthony’s well developed plan. Domination became desire and power turned to love.

Their passion and adoration in a world of opulence appeared perfect. Yet, reality was a roller coaster of emotion. Claire’s world teetered on the edge of sanity as Antony monitored her every move. When given the opportunity to flee, Claire drove away. A fateful decision which set a well laid plan into motion.

However, unbeknownst to either of them, there were others who saw past the perfect facade of Anthony Rawlings. There were others who saw the TRUTH. Conspiracy and unfulfilled promises result in an early prison release for Claire. Not just a release – a pardon. According to the law, her crime never happened!

Will it be that easy? Faced with freedom from her past... can Claire seize it? Can she build a new life, mend her broken spirit, become the woman she once was, and seek her own revenge? Or is it all a game? And does the game master have different plans?

How does Sophia Burke fit into the puzzle that is Tony and Claire? Will her presence affect the future of this well esteemed man? Can he dominate twice? Is that his goal?

TRUTH continues the tumultuous saga of CONSEQUENCES, introduces new players, and uncovers more intrigue. Aleatha Romig skillfully weaves past transgressions through current deception to create a fervent world of obsessed desire. In this reality can an all-consuming relationship survive?

When buried sins are discovered they threaten not only Tony and Claire’s future -- but their very lives! Will the TRUTH be revealed in time?

Five Stars

**If you haven’t read book one, Consequences, there are spoilers below**

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. ~ Mahatma Ghandi 

HOLY MOTHER!! That was good. No. Fuck that. It was excellent. First off, thank you, Trish for convincing me to read this. After the mind fuck that is Consequences (book #1), I was waiting for my emotions to simmer down before even considering picking up the sequel. I was livid after book one.LIVID! It was mostly directed at Tony. Frankly, I was scared to read this. My mind wasn’t ready to take another beating. (Pun completely unintentional. Sorry!) 

Tony – his magnetism, his control, his dominance – was erotic. 

Book one elicited so many different feelings towards Anthony: Anger, lust, confusion, but most of all, betrayal. Tony is his own entity. I’ve never met a character that had me so conflicted, ever. I had such a strong love/hate thing for him. By the end of the book, after his ultimate betrayal, I concluded that I hated him. There was no way he was redeemable after what he did. It would take a fucking miracle. I mean, how could Claire possibly forgive him?

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. ~ Helen Keller 

Claire is given a second chance, a pardon if you will. She’s very fortunate to have friends and allies to help get her life back on track. She has found refuge with her ex-boyfriend’s fiancé, Amber McCoy, along with Amber’s brother, Harry. Oh, and may I just go off on a little tangent by saying: I LOVE HARRY! He is such a sweetheart. Okay. I could continue to gush about him, but I don't want to spoil it too much. Anyway, Claire finds comfort and friendship with them both. They welcome her and help her as best they can. She wants nothing more than to move on and leave her past behind. However, it isn’t easy considering Tony is still as obsessed with her as ever. When he finds out about Claire’s pardon, Tony is not a happy man, but he can’t help that he still loves her. He’s seriously twisted that way. How can she move on with her life knowing he’s following her every step? 

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. ~ Confucius 

This sequel wasn’t as much of a mind fuck as book one was, but some parts did have my mind spinning. So many questions were answered, but more questions arose. More layers are unraveled and more secrets are revealed. There were so many little twists and turns that when it finally ended, I was left thinking: Who was manipulating whom? My perception of Tony is still up for debate; I am still left with this internal battle when it comes to my feelings for him. I hated him after book one. Now? Not so much. Is he redeemable? It looks like he might be. Can I ever forgive him for what he has done to Claire? I didn’t think it was possible, but there’s a good chance that I might be able to. And that ending? What was that? I have my theories, but I guess they won’t get answered until book three, Convicted, is out, which I want like NOW. **Deep Breath** This really is an exceptional story. It’ll drive you bat shit crazy, but I loved the journey I have taken so far.