Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey

IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS. 

I can't be held responsible. Things that happen there are supposed to stay there, right? Right? Yeeeah. Not so much. 

Andie's just days away from tying the knot, but there's just ooooone little glitch. Apparently, she's already married. Or someone with her name is married to a guy out in Oregon of all places, and the courthouse won't issue her a marriage license until it's all cleared up. Tripping her way through cow pies and country songs to meet up with a man who gets around places on horseback is her very last idea of how to have a good time, but if she's going to get married, make partner at the firm, and have two point five kids before she's thirty-five, she needs to get to the bottom of this snafu and fix it quick ... before her fiance finds out and everything she's been working toward goes up in flames.

Four Stars

“You’re my wife,” he said, only inches away, his hot breath flickering over my lips. “You married me in Las Vegas two years ago.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m your husband.”

I nodded, tears slipping out.

He gritted his teeth and growled out, “And this is us, consummating our marriage.” 

♥Mack♥

**Sigh** I really LOVE Gavin (Mack) MacKenzie. Finding out I was married to him would’ve been fucking awesome. Hold up. Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a sec….

So I read a couple reviews prior to picking this up, seeing whether or not I really wanted to give it shot. Turns out, the cowboy Hero involved is a real sweetheart, so I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, I haven’t read one featuring a cowboy in a while, so I was intrigued and decided to give it a go. Turns out this is my second book in a row that featured a night in Vegas ending up in a surprise marriage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining; it became a very good read. 

“Just because a person is obsessed with the idea of something, it doesn’t make it right or even good for them.” 

Andie has plan: Make partner, get married and have the two point five kids by the time she’s thirty-five. She is determined to see it all the way through, even though her track record with men isn’t anything to brag about, but I’ll get to that in a bit. 

The only time she has ever veered slightly off the plan was when she went to Vegas for her friend’s bachelorette party and met a sexy cowboy. She was instant lust when she first laid eyes on Mack. After she accidently spilled her drink on him, the ice was broken, and they instantly hit it off. 

With him, I knew I could be myself. I could be confident and sexy and in control. I could dream of a life that didn’t involve a plan that had to be followed for the next ten years. I could forget where I came from and who I’d left behind to become the woman I was now. 

The men Andie’s life so far have fit certain criteria, which so far has resulted in dating a couple douches. There was something about Mack that was completely different and completely freeing. It could’ve been the alcohol, but then again it could be something else entirely. Her and Mack spent a passionate night in Vegas, ending with a hint of something big. 

Luceo non uro means I shine, not burn. To me, though, it means that I have a choice. I need to balance the bad with the good, make sure to avoid the things that could burn or scar me but get close enough to the heat that I feel life and really experience it. Until I met you, I’d never really embraced that idea. 

However, when Andie wakes up the next morning, she really couldn’t pinpoint what happened the night prior. What happened to her sexy cowboy? Though she wouldn’t admit it, she did feel slightly heartbroken at the thought of never seeing him again. 

Fast forward two years later…

Andie is getting ready to marry the biggest douche imaginable. She’s so focused on her plan, that she can’t see what her friends around her see. She’s completely shut out everyone around her. When she applies for her marriage license, she finds out she’s married. When she finds out it happened in Vegas, she immediately starts to piece things to together: Her cowboy and her got married in Vegas. What a clusterfuck! She needed to fix things ASAP, otherwise her plans will go down in flames. Will he even remember her? 

And I felt that point he was making with every thrust. He was taking possession of me, laughing in the face of whatever plan I’d made before coming here. He was calling the shots, not me. …

With every thrust, he gave me his response. “You. Are. My. Wife.” The last word came out as a growl. 

Oh man, I knew the moment Mack sees her at his ranch, things were going to get ugly. He was pissed, angry, but most of all, heartbroken. He really did fall for Andie. He is determined to keep her. Their chemistry is still potent and all he needs is time to convince her to give their relationship a try. 

I would’ve given this more stars, but to be quite honest, I wanted to bitch slap Andie, like multiple times. There were times where I was sporting some serious brass knuckles and then going to town on her. Seriously, she pissed me off. I wanted to yell, Get your head out of your ass and look at what you have in front of you!!Gahh! I hate stubborn ass heroines. 

As for Mack…well, he’s the newest member of my ultimate book boyfriend shelf. He made the book so worth it. Plus the steam in this book could rival any erotica book. Yea, it was HOT. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author. 

Lick (Stage Dive #1) by Kylie Scott

Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas’s plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure as hell never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is for certain, being married to rock and roll’s favourite son is sure to be a wild ride

4-4.25 Stars

“Love isn’t always smooth or straightforward. It can be messy and painful,” he said. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t still the most incredible thing that can ever happen to you. Doesn’t mean I’m not crazy about you.” 

I devoured this book; finished this in one day. Love my rock star stories. The blurb immediately captured my attention. Can you imagine? Waking up in Vegas, married, but not just to any ordinary man, but to a sexy and famous rock star! Oh man… I LOVE this scenario. I knew this was going to be a good read. 

“I needed a dose of reality. Someone who’d actually say no to me occasionally and call bullshit on that scene. That’s what we do. We push each other out of our comfort zones.” 

Evelyn, a.k.a. Ev, had her life all planned out. She was going to school to study architecture, following in her father’s footsteps. She has never caused any trouble for her parents. As far as appearances go, she’s pretty and curvy, but has always haddeficiencies with the opposite sex. So when her and her best friend Lauren take a trip a to Vegas to celebrate her twenty-first birthday, her ultimate goal was to hook-up with someone. What she didn’t expect was to wake up married. 

Normally, this situation would scream abort, abort!!, which initially was Evelyn’s reaction, but once she got to know David, she started to consider other alternatives. 

“You asked me if you were my attempt at normal. I need you to understand, that’s not it at all. Being with you, the way I feel about you, it does ground me. But that’s because it makes me question fucking everything. It makes me want to make things better. Makes me want to be better.” 

David Ferris is the lead guitarist and songwriter for the famous band Stage Dive. He has access to any woman he wants, but the only one he wants is the one he married. 

He was heartbroken when Ev didn’t remember anything about the night they got married. His pain became deeper when she immediately wanted to get an annulment. Ev was different than any other woman he’s met. Not only is she gorgeous, but she didn’t even know who he was. He could just be himself. With the pretense of getting a quick divorce, as well as help her escape the paparazzi, he flies her to L.A. Here, they are practically forced to be together. Can he help her remember their night together? Can they rekindle their connection? Will they give their marriage a try?

Sex was so messy. Love was far and away worse. 

David and Ev’s relationship is far from perfect. When his past catches up with him, Ev is finding it hard to hold on. Did they even have anything to begin with? 

I could not put this book down. The beginning was a little slow, but it picked up pretty fast. Some of you might not like the wholeintsta-love that happens between David and Ev, but I didn’t mind it at all. I love that David saw something in Ev that first night he met her. I LOVED how he never gave up on their relationship, even when it was at its lowest point. How he uprooted himself was the ultimate gesture; it made me just melt! This was definitely a great rock star story and I’m looking forward to the next installment, which BTW, I’m hoping to dear God that it’ll be about Mal. (He was flipping awesome!)

Surviving Raine (Surviving Raine #1) by Shay Savage

As the captain of a schooner catering to the elite on the Caribbean Seas, Sebastian Stark does his best to avoid any human encounters. Interacting with people isn’t his thing, and he prefers the company of a bottle of vodka, a shot glass, and maybe a whore. There’s no doubt he’s hiding from a checkered past, but he does well keeping everything to himself…

…until the night his schooner capsizes, and he’s stuck on a life raft with one of the passengers.

Raine’s young, she’s cute, and Bastian would probably be into her if he wasn’t suffering from alcohol withdrawal. As the days pass, DTs, starvation, and dehydration become the norm. Even the most closed person starts to open up when he thinks he’s going to die, but when she realizes their traumatic pasts are connected, it’s no longer the elements that have Bastian concerned.

He has no idea how he’s going to Survive Raine.

**Smirking** I guess I’ll start off by saying, “Wow!” 

4.5-4.75 Stars

“I never know what to think about you. I don’t know why you…why you do anything for me.”

“Because I love you.” There were tears in her eyes now, and it fucking tore me apart.

“I don’t understand that, either.”

“Because you are worth it,” she said with determination. 

Speechless. I swear this book made a sobbing mess out of me. I lost count on how many times my eyes got all misty and I got all sniffy. Seriously, guys…check this book out. I can’t believe this wasn’t even in my radar before I picked it up. Thank you, Trish, for saying the words, “Baddass, Alpha-Male with a dirty mouth.” Those words alone sold it for me. 

I was what I was – violent, crude, and utterly unlovable. 

Sebastian Stark is one broken character; damaged, but not beyond repair. He just needs the right person to hold him together. I have come across some fucked up Heroes in stories before, but holy crap! It’s safe to say, Sebastian can wipe the floor with most of them. See those words up there? They’re true, except the last one, unlovable. I easily admit he was very hard to like at first, but you can sense that there’s more to him that his crassness. 

One thing I did know immediately – if I somehow lost this, if I could never have this again, if something jeopardized her in any way whatsoever – it would kill me. 

All Raine wanted was a little R & R. Instead, the schooner she chartered ends up sinking and now she’s stuck with Sebastian on a ten-foot life raft. Raine is nothing like any other woman Sebastian has ever come across. She’s light to his dark. Being stuck with her is the last thing he wanted, but no matter how rude and mean he is to her, she never backs down. He doesn’t know it yet, but the most dangerous part about being stuck on a life raft, wasn’t the dehydration, but Raine herself. 

“You can’t hide from me anymore, Bastian! I have seen into you, and I don’t understand why you won’t just admit!”

“Because I’m fucking terrified of feeling something for you, okay?” I screamed at her, and my whole body went cold. 

The relationship that forms between Raine and Sebastian was inevitable. What I loved most about the story was seeing Sebastian’s walls slowly start to crumble. The stories he shared about his past broke my heart. He’s always thought himself worthless and unlovable. The only thing he believes he’s good for are fucking and fighting. No wonder he drinks himself to oblivion to drown out his misery. My heart ached for this man. Just ached! 

As for Raine, I loved her. You couldn’t help but admire her determination to get to know this man who saved her life. His steel, cold heart didn’t stand a chance. The way he protects her is crazy heartwarming. He does nothing half-assed. He fights and loves with all his heart. It always saddened me when he would deem himself unworthy of Raine and her love. Beneath that tough exterior, he’s scared shitless of losing her. 

I’ll never walk away from you, Raine, I swear – I’ll be with you as long as you will have me. If any motherfucker ever tried to take you from me, I’d fucking fight to the death for you.” 

OMG! I cannot recommend this book enough. There’s just something about this story…I couldn’t put it down. Being in Sebastian's POV, it made for an intense read, but man did I love it. The only drawback was the ending. It was left for interpretation. It wasn’t sad, it wasn’t happy….just room for more. I cannot wait for the next book!! 

Love Thy Neighbour (Friend-Zoned #2) by Belle Aurora

Asher 'Ghost' Collins and Natalie Kovac shared a passionate night together. One neither of them can forget.

So why is it so hard for them to be around each other?

With no hope of the two getting along they decide to go their separate ways. And somehow end up closer than they've ever been.

Will friendship ever be enough for the pair?

4.5 Stars

“Say it, baby.”

It dawns on me and with a small smile, I tell him sincerely, “I love you, Asher Collins.”

Looking pained, he closes his eyes and rests his forehead on mine. He whispers, “Don’t deserve you. Not even a bit. But as long as you want me, you got me.”

My eyes close and I whisper, “Don’t leave me. Ever.”

“Never. You’re my girl,” 

The first book in the series, Friend-Zoned, was so much fun to read, so I was beyond excited when this book came out early. Not sure if it’s the writing style, the characters, or if it’s the duel POVs, but then again, it could be the combination of everything that’s making me a huge fan of this series. Once again, I found pure reading enjoyment :)

This is Nat and Asher’s (a.k.a. Ghost) story. Both characters were prominent in book one, where we bore witness to their constant bantering; their strong personalities constantly clashing. It’s safe to say that these two are very similar in attitude, which is NOT a good thing...trust me. However, that did not stop them from hooking up in the conference room one night; a night that neither could ever get over. 

"I get a sick, twisted sense of enjoyment seeing her all riled up.” 

After their one, hot, steamy, memorable night in the conference room, they try to avoid each other like the plague. Their circle of friends, with the exception of Tina, know nothing of their moment of weakness that one night. Its quite well known that the two do not get along.

Nat is a freaking spitfire; I was immediately drawn to her character. She’s confident, strong, and has a tell-it-like-it-ispersona. After reading the first chapter, I knew instantly she deserved to be in my heroine makes me want to turn bi shelf. LOL! 

I feel strongly for her. Stronger than I’ve ever felt for anyone in my life and knowing she’s mine makes me feel like I can do anything. Overcome anything. 

As for Asher, he’s sexy, badass and has a quiet dangerous quality about him. He does NOT do relationships. He’s led a harsh life and if it wasn’t for the help of Nik and his family, he could’ve turned out even worse. Nat is his dream girl; a girl in which he feels like he doesn’t deserve. 

Months after their encounter and of avoiding each other, they found themselves surprised when Nat moves right next door to him. They decide to call a truce. Their friendship soon turns into something more, though they both decide to keep their relationship a secret. For now, at least, they want this for themselves. But how long will this arrangement last? Will Asher be able to overcome his past to be the man Nat deserves?

One side of his mouth quirks up, he lowers his forehead to mine and he quotes me, “You and me. We’re the same kind.” 

Loved. This. Book. The relationship between Asher and Nat was not only hot, but also very emotional. They just get each other. But it wasn’t all drama, though. I found myself smiling, a lot. Yep, lots and lots of funny and amusing moments.

I can’t wait to read Max & Helena’s book next. Max is so awesome. He’s a loving father and just an overall sweetheart. For him to be paired up with Nat’s sister, Helena, whose studying to be a physical therapist, is a perfect match; I can only imagine what kind of magic she can do with Max’s daughter, Ceecee. Plus, she’s Nat’s sister! If Asher wasn’t in the picture, Nat and Max would’ve been a great match. OMG. I can go on and on about this series. Just read it! It’ll make you smile :)

Love Realized (Real Love #1) by Melanie Codina

For Jake, it's always been Gillian

It's been her since that day she unknowingly stole a piece of his heart.....when he watched her fall for one of his best friends. Resolved to the fate that she couldn't be his, he locked up the deeper emotions he felt for her and loved her as a friend. As friends, they went through it all together. Marriages, births, divorces and even death. But when a shameful secret Gillan has kept from her friends is revealed, Jake realizes that she needs him more than ever. He knew what it was like to go through heartbreak and he wasn't about to stand back and watch her endure it alone. He also knew she would turn to him for support. What he wasn't prepared for was the return of the emotions he had long ago locked away. Could he control these emotions again and did he even want to? Could he make her realize his love for her was real, or would she slip through his fingers again?

Four Stars

A promise is a promise, and if a man doesn’t stand by his word, he really doesn’t have much to offer. 

So after my last read, which was pretty intense (and a bit disappointing), I was in search of a light, fluffy, steamy read. I don’t know what drew me to this book, but I’m really happy to have read it. Though it wasn’t as fluffy as I would’ve wanted, it still helped me get rid of that dark cloud that my last book left. 

This story is classic Adult Contemporary: Lots of drama (which left me teary eyed and emotional) and just enough steam to wet the appetite. I really couldn’t put it down. 

“Tell me you didn’t forget, Logan. Tell me you didn’t forget that I told you, if you cheated on me again it was over!” With that, his eyes opened wide, and he reached for her. 

Gripping her shoulders, eyes actually tearing, he pulled her close to him, begged her, “Please, Gillian, no, please don’t do this. I’m begging you, don’t do this.” 

On the surface, Gillian seemed to have it all: a loving husband and three wonderful children. Gillian and her husband, Logan, were high school sweethearts, had their first child while in high school, but have defied odds and have been married for the last sixteen years. We first meet her having a birthday party for her eight year old son where everything seemed to be going smoothly until a her co-worker shows up, with his wife, whom she has never met. However, when she first sets eyes on her, she almost loses her composure. There in front of her was the woman that Logan had an affair with. Shit was about to hit the fan. 

“Why wasn’t I enough for him, Jake? Why wasn’t I good enough?” 

For the sake of her children, Gillian has kept her husband’s affair a secret. She forgave him the first time, but when she found out that he was still seeing her, she knew it was over. Logan loves Gillian, but he knew he fucked up (again) and there was no going back. That his second chance was all used up, there will no longer be another; this was the breaking point in their marriage.

“You would be much more than ‘just enough’ for me, Gillian.” ~ Jake 

Jake has loved Gillian since he was seventeen years old; he knew it the moment he first saw her. Unfortunately, his friend Logan beat him to the punch, and has been on the sidelines looking in. No woman ever compared to her, even his ex-wife. No matter, though, they have always remained best friends and will always be a part of her life. However, with this new turn of events, he knows he has a chance at more and this time, he is not going to let her slip through his fingers. 

“Can I have you, Gillian?” he repeated, and she realized she hadn’t actually responded to his request. Her body was screaming hell yes, but she had yet to verbalize it to him. Could she do this? Could she take this step with one of her oldest and best friends? 

This was such a good story, which included a very likeable heroine and a sexy Alpha male Hero (jealous, very protective of what’s his and very possessive….LOVE those types of Alphas). 

The beginning was a bit slow to start, with lots of narration, but things picked up pretty fast. It was heartbreaking to read the dissolution of Gillian and Logan’s marriage. It literally made me cry seeing how heartbroken the two were. These two loved each other, there was never a doubt, but Logan was an asshat to cheat. Men can be such idiots. However, I was happy to see Jake finally have his chance at winning the girl of his dreams. The only problem, of course, was: Were they ready to take their close friendship to the next level? 

Like I said before, I am a sucker for friends-to-lover stories, and this was a prime example of one. Very happy to have picked it up.