St. Martin’s Griffin

Review: The Farthest Edge by Kristen Ashley

Posted by

3

Whew! This was another exciting and very hot addition to the Honey series by Kristen Ashley. I’m not even kidding about the “hot” factor. I love Kristen’s writing, as I’ve said before, but when she mixes it up and jumps into the BDSM world, then I’m definitely one happy girl. Now I realize that this type of books isn’t for everybody and that’s okay. But for me, I’m loving the fact that she decided to try something new to her.

If you read The Deep End, you saw a bit of Evangeline and know what happened to her to make her step away from a world that was her world. A life changing moment that many people would have to think twice about returning. But her friends never gave up on her. They kept pushing until they found the right button and she was done for.

Branch has a past that no one will ever know about. A past that has changed him forever. He’s hard and unflinching and quite a force. And he doesn’t like to open himself up to others, at the risk of his past messing up their future. He also has needs, just like everyone else, but because of his past, he goes about fulfilling those needs in all the wrong ways. That is until a little firecracker takes it upon herself to flip his world upside down, tear his walls to pieces and push him to the farthest edge right into her open arms.

This is an interconnected standalone, so you don’t have to read The Deep End, but I highly recommend you do. Again, this book is nothing like her usual books. The Farthest Edge will have you sweating and squirming and wishing for your spouse or significant other. Lots of sexy times. LOTS. But also is has a whole lotta sweet. Friends that don’t give up on each other and lovers that stand by and help life you up, and hold you up, when you need it the most. I really enjoy this world. I look forward to more from it.

~Melpomene

Release day: June 6, 2017
Grab The Farthest Edge here: http://amzn.to/2pPNXX4
Start from the beginning with The Deep End here: http://amzn.to/2rjv9R6

Review: The Deep End by Kristen Ashley

Posted by

0

01-de So many things are running through my head. First off, don’t let that cover fool ya. This may be a Kristen Ashley book, but it’s nothing like you’ve read before. So you’re expecting a nice sweet, and somewhat angst filled, romance, you’re going to be shocked. And if you’re like me, and like your romances a bit on the racy side, then this will be very nice surprise. Very nice. This had all the KA goodness but with a hefty dose of hot sauce.

SYNOPSIS
Enter a decadent sensual world where gorgeous alpha males are pleasure slaves committed to fulfilling a woman’s every desire. At the elite Honey club, no boundary will be left untested, and one’s darkest desires will become a sensual reality.

Olivier isn’t sure what he’s gotten himself into when he joins the Honey Club, only that a dark part of him craves the lifestyle offered by this secret, exclusive club.

When Amèlie invites Olivier to surrender, she pushes him to explore his deepest desires as a submissive. As they grow closer and find themselves falling harder than either of them anticipated, the truth about Olivier’s past could threaten the budding relationship they both long for.

Olly is this super sexy firefighter, who is also a alpha sub. I’ve never heard of those before, so it was rather eye opening. Here’s this super alpha guy needing a woman to decide his fate. I kinda liked that.

“You were searching for me.”

I’ll admit, I love Kristen Ashley something fierce, but when I heard she was writing an erotic series, I was nervous. Not everyone can pull it off without it being over the top extreme. Boy, was I wrong to even question it. This girl can write. The Deep End was hot. Plain and simple. In the beginning, their scenes seemed a little bit forced. They didn’t know each other, so the connection wasn’t there yet. But it didn’t take long for them to find that link, and once they did, there was heat. I’m talking full blown, four alarm fire. I needed to step away a few times. I gotta be honest, I needed to take a cold shower. This book was freaking hot. Now don’t get me wrong, they were’ the perfect couple. They had their flaws. But once they learned what each other truly needed out of this relationship, they found the balance and all was well.

As with all KA stories, the side characters are a whole other story. They bring much needed friendships and experiences to this story. I am looking forward to future Honey stories. I already know who I’m hoping for. I don’t normally review these intense BDSM stories, but this book was so much more than that.

~Melpomene

Preorder The Deep End HERE

Review: Wicked Heart by Leisa Rayven

Posted by

0

01 wicked This is the third book in the Starcrossed world and I am completely in love. I didn’t think I was going to like anyone as much as I liked Ethan and Cassie, but I was totally wrong. Liam and Elissa have my heart.

“Liss, I can’t live without you anymore, and I’m tired of pretending that I can.”

Theirs was a romance 6 years in the making. After being apart for so long, the heart still knows what it wants. So when Elissa finds out that Liam is coming back into her life, she tries to guard her heart, but it’s no match for him. The banter between these two, was amazing. It flowed perfectly. It wasn’t forced, it was totally natural. And let’s not forget the sexual tension. Six years is a long time and when they finally come together, the tension is off the charts. I was fanning myself left and right. Super hot!!

“You can’t look at me like that and expect me to respect our friends pact. You really can’t”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you want to straddle my face.”

But circumstances weren’t in their favor. But like I said, the heart knows what it wants and doesn’t always listen to reason.

“Ask me to give up a limb and I swear, I’ll find a way to do it. But don’t ask me to live without you anymore. I can’t. I’m so goddamn in love with you, it hurts.”

I adored this book. While the main characters were Liam and Elissa, I was completely taken with Angel and Josh. They didn’t take away from the main story, but they added so much more to it. Another storyline worth watching, if you would. Josh was Elissa’s best friend and I was cracking up at their connection. They were the perfect besties. Angel was the sweetest girl. You can’t stop liking her. She was thrust into this situation and she handled it with so much grace. I can see why, in their world, she was loved by all who meet her.

Now that I’m done, I have no idea what I’m going to do. But one thing I do know, is that I’ll be waiting patiently to see what’s next in store from the fabulous Leisa.

~Melpomene

Buy Wicked Heart

Review: Dirty by Kylie Scott

Posted by

0

01 dirty “Do you believe in crazy at first sight?”
Lines creased his brown. “What?”
“I’m not down with the whole L-word and I don’t think this, whatever this is, is that. So don’t freak out and suddenly accuse me of being a stage-ten clinger or something, got it?”
“Okay.” He looked amused.
“But what if there was crazy at first sight? Because I think we have a credible basis for that.”

This book was most definitely Insta-crazy. I swear it takes place in the span of a couple weeks. CRAZY!! But it was a fast read and I did very much enjoy it.

I liked Vaughn instantly. Here was this girl, in his shower, in a wedding dress, and he doesn’t call the cops or freaks out., He listens to her and tries to help her out, all the while slowly falling for her. He has enough on his own plate, but there’s something about this girl that makes him want new things.

It was SUPER fun to see Mal, my favorite Stage Dive character pop in there!! Seriously. I read that entire part with a big cheesy grin on my face. I had no idea any of them were going to pop in.

Dirty was such a nice way to start this new series, Lighthearted and fun, with some sweet chemistry throughout it. I swear it’s been forever since I read a fun book that wasn’t over the top. If you enjoyed the Stage Dive series, you will definitely like this one.

~Melpomene

Grab Dirty today!

Waiting on Wednesday: Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins

Posted by

1

01aaaa
TITLE:
Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories
AUTHOR:
Stephanie Perkins, Leigh Bardugo, Jon Skovron, Jennifer E. Smith, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Veronica Roth
PAGES:
400 pages
PUBLISHER:
St. Martin’s Griffin
GENRE:
Romance
RELEASE DATE:
May 17, 2016

SYNOPSIS:
Maybe it’s the long, lazy days, or maybe it’s the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom.

Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.

Preorder HERE

01 wow

Review: Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

Posted by

2

433075This was my first Penman book. It certainly won’t be my last. This book was brilliant. There are close to 1,000 reviews of the wonderful novel on Goodreads alone…so I won’t go into details about it. I highly doubt if there is anything that I could add to…however, I must share some of the thoughts I had whilst reading it…

This book grabbed me from the very first page. The last 50 pages, I had to keep putting it down. I just couldn’t handle the pain of it all. I was truly upset. Yes, this is a book of fiction…but the events are based on fact. No matter if the Penman invented the words of her own imagination, there has to be some truth in them….there’s no other way that it could have played out (READ. THE. BOOK).

However the whole concept just has me questioning everything I’ve ever known in life. What can I mean by that? Stay with me and I hope to explain….

I’m American, married to a lovely English bloke. As an American I confess, I haven’t learnt much *real* English history. This book must have driven my husband mad, as the first day I asked him dozens of questions. Bless him, he was googling like mad a few times for me. Throughout this entire book, I had my laptop by my side and googled time and time again.

I don’t know how it is for the rest of the world, I can only speak for me…but I was one who dreamed of a knight to come sweep me off of my feet. To *rescue* me. To be a fine lady dressed in layers of clothing.

The reality? Oh dear me. Where does this fantasy come from? Of princes and princesses? Of Kings and Queens? Of Knights and Ladies? The romanticized version of them. Why does it play such a huge part in children’s dreams? The reality is that women, nay, children, both male and female, were mostly used as pawns of war and empty promises of peace. Love did not come into play. Was there really any concept of romantic love throughout history? Or is that simply a modern fantasy that is pushed onto us? Sounds harsh? Look back through time and tell me why this is harsh? Reality is often harsh….Even now, look around you. Do you not see power and wealth still often play a part in “love”.

After reading this book, I have even less faith in religion. Not that I’ve had much faith in the last few years. I’ve always known that religion has been used as a tool and a harsh weapon throughout the ages, but this book really brought home how “ordinary” men used it in horrible ways. What makes the Pope someone to decide life and death over an entire Country? Don’t misunderstand me. This novel doesn’t really focus on those wrongs….they are merely mentioned as a fact of the circumstances that the Kings and the ordinary people dealt with. Entire countries being under interdict, of men in high power being excommunicated numerous times, simply because the Church wanted their way. I don’t care how much you fancy in there being a higher power, religion has been used as a weapon far too many times…ordinary, simple, innocent, GOOD people have been punished and hurt all in the name of that power…

Finally, although this book makes me question the entire concept of romantic love…I have to confess, it also restores my faith in that love a bit….I just can’t help it. Throughout history there HAS been instances when men and women gave up all for it’s name. Kings have laid down their crowns to obtain it. Men and women have died AND killed for it. So now I am so conflicted. I honestly just go round and round with the concept. There is no doubt that the main characters in this novel married as part of a political power play. However, somewhere along the way, they must have fallen in love. The real Joan MUST have felt conflicts in her life. Her father, the King and her husband, the Prince, in constant wars with one another. It does appear that she chose her husband above all she knew and how she was brought up. It is also true that he forgave her in the end. No matter how else I see it, no matter how much I try to weigh up the gains he would have taking her back…well there is no way I can see that they outweigh the losses he might have faced. At the end of the day, romantic love is the only logical reason for him to forgive her….and really….where is the logic of that in the 1200’s?

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

Review: Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking

Posted by

0

01 cry This is the third book in the Kanin Chronicles, and I was totally taken in with this series. An epic fantasy with enough action to get your heart racing and enough romance to make your heart happy. I know this is a spin off from the Trylle books, but I haven’t read those yet. But after reading this series, I have to bump them up my tbr list.

SYNOPSIS
Bryn must decide: follow her head or her heart.

Thrown into a world of suspense and intrigue, Bryn has to fight to clear her name. But she’s not alone. With help from the Trylle – including Finn Holmes – she’s on a quest to discover the truth.

With her life and her world on the line, will Bryn be able to risk it all?

Bryn has to make some very difficult choices in this final book. She is an outlaw, and must rely on some unlikely alliances if she wants to clear name and find out who’s behind all this trouble. Her heart was pulled in so many different directions, I felt so bad for her. I wanted her to find happiness, but not at the expense of all that she, and her loved ones, had to endure. Just when things were looking up, the rug was pulled out from underneath her. So many times….

I loved all these characters. Konstantin was so bad, and yet not really. He was a wild card, and I love him. I wanted only good things for him. Ridley was amazing. He endured so much for her. The pain he went through was insane. But for Brynn, he would do that and so much more. I was glad to see many of the Trylle characters in this story. They seem to have a great story to tell. Like I said already, that series is getting bumped up. I need to know how they came to be.

Brynn was so used to doing a job and not thinking of love, that she missed out on so much. She was all about the job and never understood why so many of her friends were choosing love. By then end, she knew. Without feeling love for others, this battle was pointless. But perhaps now, she’ll be able to move on to bigger and better things knowing that there’s more to this life now.

All in all, a fabulous conclusion. Mind you, there were quite a few scenes in which I yelled, “NO!!!” and my heart was crushed and ripped out a few times, but I was left satisfied. The last chapter wrapped everything up, with a nice little bow. I wish we were able to see a wee bit more of Brynn’s future, but perhaps we’ll get a surprise novella later. That would make me happy.

~Melpomene

Release Date: Aug 4, 2015
Buy Crystal Kingdom (The Kanin Chronicles)

First you must get caught up.
Frostfire (The Kanin Chronicles Book 1)

Ice Kissed (The Kanin Chronicles)

Review: Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven

Posted by

0

01 bro What an emotional and heart mending conclusion. I loved loved loved Bad Romeo. I was rooting for Cassie and Ethan the entire time. But with so much hurt in the past, can they move one and find forgiveness and move on to the future?

SYNOPSIS
How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?

For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.

In Bad Romeo, we were totally focused on Ethan and why he was so scared to love and be loved, by Cassie. In Broken Juliet, the focus is on Cassie. Ethan has destroyed her. She is beyond broken. But Ethan has come back and is determined to fix them. He has never stopped loving her. But sometimes love may not be enough.

This is very different from the first book. In Bad Romeo, you were laughing quite often. It was a fun story, with the hurt just under the surface. In Juliet, the hurt was overflowing and there was barely any laughter. My heart was in knots. This was more difficult to get through, but very rewarding at the end.

I also enjoyed the back and forth timelines. You get a glimpse into the workings of their demise. Frankly, it was hard to read. You wanted to reach in and smack Ethan, and them hug him. His abandonment issues were leaking all over and drowning Cassie with him. After three years, she has a lot of hurt that she needs to work through before she’ll even attempt to move on with him. But she’s willing to try, for him.

“You want to hold on to something?” he says. “Hold on to me.”

The chemistry, in this story, was off the charts. The tension was thick. The emotions were all over the place. You wanted them to find their peace, but yet, you did enjoy the suffering and the journey it took them to get to that final place.

~Melpomene

Buy Broken Juliet (Bad Romeo)

Check out my Bad Romeo review HERE
Buy Bad Romeo

Review: Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Posted by

1

01 badEver read a book that’s seems more real than real life? Well, this is that book. Everything flowed perfectly. There was enough banter, but not over the top annoying. There was enough romance, but not not to where I wanted to skim over “yet another sex scene.” There was the perfect amount of sexual tension to curl my toes and keep me on the edge of my seat.

SYNOPSIS
When Cassie Taylor met Ethan Holt at acting school, sparks flew. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy about campus. But one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing, Cassie and Ethan’s romance seemed destined. Until he broke her heart and betrayed her trust. Now the A-list heartthrob is back in her life and turning her world around. One touch at a time.

Cast as romantic leads once again, they’re forced to confront raw memories of the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their secret college affair. But they’ll also discover that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks.

The chemistry between Cassie and Ethan was thick. They fought, and loved, fiercely. My heart broke for the hurt they both endured, but I know things will work themselves out. These two people, while they’re far from perfect, are perfect for each other.

I laughed so much in this book. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the comedy worked. I know actors tend to be over the top and sometimes annoying, but Cassie and Ethan never seemed like that. This was real. This is exactly how I would talk to my friends.

Now I’m waiting at the edge of my seat for the next book. Can they move on from the past hurts? Can they have a happily ever after? I really hope so.

~Melpomene

Buy Bad Romeo

Review and Giveaway: Lead, by Kylie Scott

Posted by

0

01lead

“Break something bad enough. there’s no point trying to fix it.”

Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy………. This man was lost. He was so used to his stupid mom treating him and his brother like crap, as he grew up. He felt no love. He made my heart hurt. Growing up with no one to care for him, he turned to drugs and women to escape life. But too much of something takes it’s toll and he lands himself in rehab. But afterwards, he is determined to put himself back together. So he hired Lena to be his assistant and to keep him on the straight and narrow. He doesn’t want her there, but he needs her there.

Lena had no idea what she was getting herself into, with the megastar. She doesn’t take his crap and gives it just as good as she gets. Pretty soon all that arguing and banter starts creating feelings that she has no where to put them. No matter what they do, they seem to spark whenever they’re close.

Jimmy has no idea how to deal with that. He is used to one night stands and wants nothing to do with relationships. But there’s something about Lena that he needs, but he would never tell her that.

They grow closer, the more time they spend with each other. Soon you see them hanging out and doing little things for each other, and with each other. But he refuses to look at it as more than a casual friendship. Poor Lena looks at it as a growing relationship, but knows that could never be.

After some very explosive scenes, Jimmy pushed her away, instead of dealing with what’s happening between them. But soon he realizes that love is quite possible for him, no matter what he was told as a child.

Jimmy has no idea how to love and be loved. He needs Lena to help him, even if he doesn’t realize it.

EXCERPT:
“Lena, you seen my old black Led Zep shirt?”
“Nope.”
“You sure?” His brows became one dark cranky line. The scratches on his face were healing well, thank goodness. Though it didn’t reduce my desire to throttle his mother on a daily basis.
“Yes. I haven’t seen it.”
Can’t find it anywhere…”
“And this is a surprise, how?” I slipped my hands into my back jean’s pockets. “Jimmy, you own more clothing than Cher, Brittney, and Elvis, put together. Things are bound to go missing.”
“Sure you haven’t seen it?”
“For goodness sake, what do you think, Jimmy? That I stole it to sleep in or something?” I laughed bitterly. Sure as hell, the truth deserved a good mocking. I’d sunk so despicably low.
I hadn’t even meant to steal the stupid thing, but the shirt had been mixed up with my laundry a few days ago. It’d been the first top I laid my hand on after stepping out of the shower, ready to go to bed. Without thought, I’d put it on and it’d been so soft, the scent of him lingering beneath the laundry detergent. Every night since, I’d found myself in it come bedtime. My shame knew no limits. And no, I still hadn’t quit. The words still hadn’t come even close to leaving my mouth.
He frowned. “No.”
“That I have some deep secret longing to feel close to you resulting in my stealing your shirt like some creepy perv?”
“Course I don’t fucking think that,” he replied crankily, reaching up to grip the top of the doorframe. All of his bulging muscles stretched the arms of his white T-shirt in the nicest way. It was all I could do not to start drooling, my heart beat taking up residence somewhere down between my thighs. And who could blame it? Not me. Maybe if I got laid, this would go away and things would return to normal. It’d seemed safer to avoid rubbing up against any men just in case I got carried away and started dating again. This new situation, however, changed everything.
“Well, of course not! That would be crazy.” And wasn’t that the god’s honest truth? Cray-zeee. Lock me up and throw away the key because it wasn’t like I didn’t know better.
“Just can’t figure out where the hell it could be.”
Angels couldn’t have smiled as innocently. They might have tried, but they would have failed, the dirty-mouthed, winged, little liars. “Jimmy, I don’t know where it is. But I’ll look around for it later, okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, and then added as an afterthought, “and stop looking at me weird.”
“I’m not!”


This is the 3rd book in the Stage Dive series. I like the fact that they can be standalone, but to fully enjoy all the characters, you must start from the beginning. You MUST!!

~Melpomene

**** a Rafflecopter giveaway****

Buy:
Lick (A Stage Dive Novel)
Play (A Stage Dive Novel)
Lead: A Stage Dive Novel
Pre-order Ben’s book, Deep (A Stage Dive Novel)