Fear of Falling by S.L. Jennings

I can’t remember the last time I felt completely safe. Security seemed more like a luxury to me, reserved for those who were fortunate enough to have picture perfect childhoods. For those who didn’t bear the ugly scars that keep me bound in constant, debilitating fear. I’ve run from that fear my entire life. But when I met him, for once, I couldn’t run anymore.

He scared the hell out of me in a way that excited every fiber of my being. It wasn’t the tattoos or the piercings. It wasn’t the warmth that seemed to radiate from his frame and blanket me whenever he was near. It was just…him. The scary beautiful man that threatened to alter 23 years of routine and rituals, and make me face my crippling fear.

My name is Kami and I am constantly afraid. And the thing that scares me the most is the very thing I want.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, pulling me into the hard warmth of his chest. “I’ve got you. I’ll always catch you when you fall.”

And just like that, Blaine had staked his claim on the untouched part of me that no living soul had ever moved. He had captured every fear, every reservation, and crushed them in the palm of his inked hand.

Author Disclaimer: Abuse is real- verbal, emotional, physical and sexual. It takes place all around us; it doesn’t discriminate against race or gender, wealth or poverty. It affects us all- those of us who’ve had to live through it, or watch it happen, even those of us who’ve only heard about it. We are all affected. We are all forever changed. 

This is not a story for the faint of heart; this is the story of one woman’s very real struggle through a world against her, the people who hurt her, her real life demons and the people who showed her that every gray sky, no matter how dark, has a sun waiting to break through.

***Inspired by true events***

4.75-5 Stars

The scariest part about love isn’t love itself. It’s letting go and plunging into the unknown. It’s trusting someone with the very most sacred part of your heart. It’s allowing yourself to feel something foreign and uncharted, despite how much it terrifies the hell out of you. 

It's been a couple days since I finished this book and I still don’t know what to say. I really don’t. One thing for certain is that I loved this book. This wasn’t easy an read; it’s emotional and I have to warn you, there were times where I had to put it down, take deep breaths, and compose myself before continuing. More than just that, I had to constantly remind myself of the heroine’s mindset, otherwise I would've gone crazy. 

This. Is. Me. My situation isn’t fucked up. I’m fucked up. Completely, irrevocably, fucked up to my core. 

Yep. Meet Kami, our heroine. This is her, in a nutshell. I’ve never met any character so set in her ways that it would take a bulldozer, a truck full of dynamite and a loaded cannon just to put a crack her wall. I’m not going to bullshit you, she will try your patience, but then all I had to do was remind myself that she’s extremely damaged and that alone would calm my twitchy palm. I will not go into any specifics, but just know her past is very traumatic. 

She does not believe in love. To her love brings nothing but pain and misery. The only people she trusts are her roommates, Dominic and Angel, both damaged in their own right. She has a connection to them in which she doesn’t have with anyone else, until she meets Blaine.

Him. It was all him. Blaine somehow made me forgetme. The me that wasn’t allowed to feel all these beautiful, exciting things. The me that didn’t believe in happy endings. The me that was unlovable, and in turn, could never ever love.

Blaine was my more.

I had finally found my exception. 

Oh Blaine -- sweet, wonderfully sexy, tattooed, pierced in all the right places Blaine. Not only does he make me squirm and my heart beat all tachycardic, but there’s so much more to him. So much, that my review will not be able convey how I feel about our Hero. He never gave up on Kami, no matter how hard she tried to push him away. He stood by her, meltdowns and all, and still remained non-judgmental at her side. I just LOVE HIM. 

When you know, you know. And you don’t fight it. You don’t deny the inevitable. You free fall because you know there’s someone there to catch you on the other side. 

There were a lot of little things that stood out for me that made this such a great read. Kami’s roommates are fantastic and I’m sure I’m not the first one to say this, but both Angel and Dominic need their own books. In addition, the narcissistic side of me loves the fact that the heroine was Asian (hi, fellow Filipino here **raises hand**). But the main and number one reason why I loved this book was because of all the emotion it evoked in me. It was difficult at times, yes, but Kami and Blaine’s story is so worth the read. Ms. Jennings: Bravo, Langaa. Bravo!

Frigid (Frigid #1) by J. Lynn

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love. 

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have. 

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Four Stars

This Is Forever. 

So this showed up on my Kindle late last night. (Thank you Amazon pre-order.) And so I started this at around 10:30pm and finished it at about 2:30am this morning. As much as it frustrated me at times, I couldn’t put it down until both parties cleared the air, but I’ll get to that later. 

I love Jennifer Armentrout, but her writing as J. Lynn, oh man! I knew I was in for something good. She’s a master at creating Alpha, man-whore-type characters; ones where I want to slap and kiss at the same time. Yea, the Hero in this was no exception.

Sydney was perfect – the actual embodiment of the perfect woman. She was practically pristine and fresh. She was untouchable.

She was everything to me. 

Kyler is a man-whore, there’s no doubt. That quote up there about swinging their shit around at anything that has a hole, trying to forget the one they want, well, that’s pretty much how Kyler acts. He’s always loved Sydney, but has always felt she was too good for him. As a matter of fact, he’s been scaring guys away because no one will ever be good enough for his Syd. 

“Guys are totally stupid when it comes to unrequited love. We females pine away and keep our thighs closed for the most part when we love someone we can’t have. Guys swing their shit around at anything that has a hole, trying to forget the one they want.” 

Isn’t that the truth? 

So we have Sydney & Kyler. They’ve been BFFs since they were little kids. As most of the friends-to-lover stories they both have kept their feelings for each other hidden, not wanting to ruin their cherished friendship. 

Sydney hates Kyler’s womanizing ways, but it comes with the territory with being his best friend. She’s seen so many girls come and go; the door always revolving. But she loves him. She’s had only one serious boyfriend, who turned out to be a huge douche, and she’s had her share of admirers, but no one could compare to Kyler in her eyes. 

Though Kyler did have some good Alpha/possessive moments, it wasn’t enough for me to give this five stars. What really bothered me the most about this story is how Sydney just lets Kyler walk all over her. There was a part in the book where Kyler reflects on how he’s treated Syd in the past, how he seemed to always chose the quickie hook up over hanging out with Syd, and it made me kinda sad. Kyler claimed to have loved her, but how could he consciously act like that around her? Did he seriously not see what he was doing to her? Was he that blind to see what others have seen? It seemed like everyone around them knew how they felt about each other except for them. It kinda got frustrating. 

The story did have some wonderful moments, and a good amount of sexy-snowed-in good times, enough for me to really enjoy the story. Plus I can’t deny that I couldn’t put it down; I badly wanted to know how it will all go down. Even though I didn’t love this like in her previous books, I will always look forward to her books. 

Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield

--New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street JournalBestseller-- 

What boundaries would you cross for love?

That's the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in a young street musician to learn about her daughter's death and finds herself falling for him. A touching love story that will have you equally tantalized and in tears, Jane's Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.

Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it's too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no age.

Jane's Melody may not be suitable for younger readers due to sexual content.

4.5 Stars

“Don’t you let fear have a place in your life, J. Not even a tiny place. Get rid of it from every hidden corner. Case it away with the truth, and do what you want to do while you can.” 

I’ve gotten a couple recommendations from reader friends to try this out. I was instantly intrigued by the older woman/younger man storyline, so I figured I’d give it a go. I must say I’m in utter awe. 

First off, don’t hate me, but I just have to say: I cannot believe a male author wrote this -- Is it horrible of me to say that? I’ve been constantly surprised when male authors attempt to write romance, but so far I haven’t been disappointed. This story was amazingly sweet, emotionally tender and so worth the time to read it. 

I didn’t cause it, I couldn’t control it. I didn’t cause it, I couldn’t control it. I didn’t cause it, I couldn’t control it. 

Jane has just lost her daughter Melody. No matter how hard she tried to help her, Melody was on downward spiral with no hope of controlling it. Jane is devastated. She wishes she could’ve done more, to have more of a connection to her, but alas, it’s all too late. 

As she sits in her car, staring at her daughter’s grave, she sees a man standing in front of it. Was he Melody’s boyfriend? She runs into him again in the city and is determined to find out how he’s connected to her daughter. What she finds is a man who calls to her soul. Caleb is sweet, honorable and is in need of some TLC. She takes him home, offers shelter, but he refuses to take her charity. Instead she offers Caleb work, as a gardener of sorts, as a form of payment until he can get on his feet. However the connection she feels towards him knocks her off axis. They’re attracted to each other, but she is reluctant to give in until she finds out how he’s connected to Melody.

“We’re you attracted to her?”

“I’m attracted to you.”

“What?”

“Everything I liked about her, I love in you.” 

This was such an emotionally charged book. The beginning kinda reminded me of a glum and gloomy rainy day in Seattle (which is perfect considering that’s where this is set…well, at least around that area). Anyway, as the story unfolds, you start to see a break in the clouds; rays of hope and sunshine start to emerge. Jane seems to be stuck in a rut after her Melody’s death, but with Caleb, she starts to slowly heal. 

As for Caleb…**Sigh**. He’s one of the sweetest Heroes I’ve come across in a long time. There’s no hidden agenda, just completely honorable. He’s so unbelievably sweet and I fell completely and hopelessly in love with him. 

The only reason I couldn’t give this book a full five stars was that I wished there was more dialogue and more interaction between Caleb and Jane. There was a lot of narrative, some of which I felt was a little repetitive. I cherished all the times Caleb and Jane interacted with each other. Their connection and the way they help each other heal and move forward is what made the story so wonderful. Oh! Wait. There is another reason why I couldn’t give it a full five stars: I wanted an epilogue!!! It just ended too abruptly for me, I wanted just a little more. Here’s hoping Mr. Winfield will write a little something extra for us readers. (Hint, hint, wink, wink).

Eternally North (Eternally North #1) by Tillie Cole

Natasha Munro is your typical twenty eight year old girl, well your typical twenty eight year old English loud 'n' proud Geordie; curvy, fun and a whole load of fab-u-lous. Her life is all going to plan – good job, great friends, close family and a loving boyfriend – until an unexpected event stands everything on its head.

Nursing a broken heart and decked head-to-toe in tasselled chaps and rhinestones, Natasha and her flamboyant fairy of a gay best friend, Tink, uproot from their North-Eastern nest, throw caution to the wind and embark on a new life together in Canada. Canada – Land of the Rocky Mountains, maple syrup; oh, and an 'in-between movies' Hollywood mega-star.

Enter infamous bad-boy of the big screen, Tudor North – Tudor 'bloody' North! Tudor is towering, brooding and gorgeous, and he is harbouring a deep secret. His outward demeanour is cold and intimidating, and with it he successfully keeps everyone at arm's length; that is everyone except a certain Ms. Munro. 

It soon becomes clear; what with her smart mouth and lusciously ample arse, that Natasha proves more than a match for our emotionally-distant mega-star.

Will Natasha settle into her new life in Canada? Will she ever find her fairytale happy ending? Can a movie star and an ordinary girl from England ever really make it work? Or will the secrets lurking in Tudor`s past scupper their chance of happiness?

Eternally North is addictive, funny and heart-warming; a fast paced comedic journey of self-discovery; an unyielding friendship and, of course, it would not be complete without a generous sprinkling of good old-fashioned British 'slap-and-tickle'.

WARNING: contains a foul-mouthed voluptuous Brit; a self-confessed and self-promoted Friggin' Fantastic Fairy; and an abundance of tattoo-smothered muscles nicely wrapped up in one gorgeous bad-boy package.

4.75-5 Stars

“I have always had this fear that If I loved anything it would be taken away; even as an adult it seemed like I’d been conditioned to accept that it was just my lot I life, so I never let myself really feel for anyone or anything…until you.” 

**Sigh** I love you, Tudor North 

-----

“I want to take you here against the wall, make you all mine, do you want that, Tash? Tell me you want that too.” 

I have huge smile on my face. Like, HUGE. Why you ask? Three reasons:

One: This story fucking rocked. 

Two: LOVE the characters: Natasha (a.k.a. Tash), Tudor (how awesome is that name for a Hero?), John (a.k.a Tink) and Tate are all so fantastic. I can’t gush about them enough. 

Three: There’s going to be sequel. Happy Dance!! 

Loved. This. Book.

I couldn’t deny that he was all muscle and pure gorgeousness. Bad attitude though. What a bloody shame. 

Tash wanted change. She just caught her now ex-boyfriend in a very compromising position. To top it all off, he was very unapologetic about it, too…just pure sleeze! Her plan? To seize the day. So what does she do? With the support of her fairy-BFF, Tink, they’re off to start a new life in Calgary, Canada. How they chose Canada, well, just read and find out. It’ll make you chuckle :) 

Anyway, once they settled, Tash starts her new teaching job at a very prestigious private school where she’s been given a side project as well: To reach out to the troubled students. One of the student’s is Boleyn Jones. What she doesn’t know, and will soon find out, is that Boleyn is actually the little sister of A-list, bad-boy actor, Tudor North. The first meeting between the two is pretty entertaining itself. He was nothing but rude and full of attitude towards Tash, but according to Tink, he couldn’t take his eyes off her all night. What stick crawled up his arse?

“Tudor said that you are like a sunflower to him; strong, bright and beautiful, and a reminder to everyone that the sun will always shine again, no matter what happens.” 

Tudor North doesn’t let anyone in. His life is mess, but somehow, this spunky Brit is seeping through the little cracks in his highly guarded armor. Her curves, her smiles, her humor is something Tudor needs in his life; no wonder he was instantly smitten. However, he harbors a secret that prevents him from actively pursuing her, but no matter how hard he tries to keep her at arms’ length, his restraint is slowly breaking.

“You are an absolute mind-fuck.” ~ Tash 

Tash, you aren’t kidding, chick. Lots of emotions arise in this story, especially coming from the brooding Tudor. He is so fucking intense, but oh, so broken. Beneath that tough exterior, Tudor is so vulnerable. I lost count at how many times, I cried at his constant struggles. He tries so hard to hide himself and his feelings, it was so sad. Will he ever let Tash in? 

“Natasha Munro, you have completely bewitched me. I would like – no, I know I could be everything to you. But it’s impossible.” 

I loved so many things about this book. There’s the brooding, tattooed bad-boy actor, Tudor North (see my version above,Yummm!! ). The way he turns in to such a softie in Tash’s presence was so cute! He’s just an amazing person. Then there’s Tash, the British heroine, with an uber cool Geordie accent (she actually pronounces Tudor like Chew-da and yes, I guiltily YouTubed Geordie accent…so freaking awesome, I tell ya **grins** ). She isn’t your typical skinny minnie heroine; this woman has some serious curves. What I loved most about her are her humor and bright outlook in life. She really is a ray of sunshine.

Oh! And I cannot forget about Tash’s BFF and soulmate, Tink. His antics with Tash are the bomb. He is freaking High-freaking-larious! The way these two banter, calling each other names likeWilbur, Tink, sausage, fairy…etc is so funny and they do it with so much love behind it, you can’t help but just love their relationship. I want to be let into their inner circle. 

I laughed, I cried, I smiled (a lot) and I loved (a lot). I seriously cannot wait for the continuation of this story. Loved it!

Private Message by Danielle Torella

Tess has never had sex. Believe it or not, she’s never had a decent kiss. 

The aspiring Seattle painter and photographer is still recovering from the trauma of being beaten and nearly raped at a rock show nearly three years before. So she keeps life simple: she goes to school, goes to work in a coffee shop, goes home, goes on living.

But then Ben’s naked body crashes—almost literally—through Tess’s wall against the world. 

Ben is doing his dad’s art-teacher girlfriend a favor when he agrees to pose nude for her drawing class. But what he draws is the interest of the irresistible punk-looking girl—and it’s interest he reciprocates, with interest. 

Their sexual chemistry is too much to resist. But it’s when they have their clothes on that their heat quickly slips on ice. Ben’s womanizing history is one thing, but it’s history of another kind—related to that fateful night at the rock show—that threatens to tear the young lovers apart forever.

2.75-3 Stars

Highlights:

- Our Hero, Ben, is a sexy, tattooed Brit ;)

- Our heroine is named Tess. Yes, I'm narcissistic that way ;)

- Adam Levine makes an appearance in the book. Yea, can't go wrong with that.

Lowlights:

- I'm a fan of insta-love, to a degree, but something about this story felt a little off

- Tess easily forgives Ben for a misunderstanding. If it was me, I wanted more of an explanation. His was a bit lame. 

- Heroine meets a new girlfriend at a bar one night and the next thing you know they're besties. Nope. Not likely. I don't care how well u get along.

- The few twists in the story weren't all that impressive.

There were a few more minor ones, but I think I've said the biggest ones. This had sooooo much potential, too. I wish I had enjoyed it more :(