REVIEW: Damaged Hearts

DAMAGED HEARTS

Author: Ashley Hodge

Pub Date: July 15, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis: AUTHOR BIO

Stevie Russo promised herself she would never return to Portland, Oregon again. But when her best friend calls her in desperation, she has no choice but to push away all her reservations of returning to her home town to help her friend in need. Scared her past will haunt her while she is there she prays she can just get through the next few weeks and return to the simple life she has created for herself, thousands of miles away. But when she meets her best friend’s older brother, Zane, for the first time she realizes that keeping her secrets hidden might not be so easy. 

Zane Malley is an ex-military man with a troubling past. He has spent his entire life thinking he is incapable of love and forgiveness. Returning home to help his sister deal with their father, he hopes to get through this family crisis quickly and continue running from his demons. But when he meets his sister’s best friend, Stevie, he quickly realizes that maybe running away isn’t the answer anymore.

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MY REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Damaged Hearts by Ashley Hodge is exciting and intriguing.  It had me turning the pages and feeling a gamut of emotions from dread to excitement.  I don’t know exactly what I was expecting going in but this book is so much more than I thought it would be.

Stevie Russo has a troubled past.  A past she thought she left behind forever when she left her hometown of Portland.  When her best friend Jordan needs her help, however, she returns.  Here, she meets and is instantly attracted to Zane, Jordan’s older brother.  With Stevie’s past she knows she can never be with Zane but that does not stop the desire and want she has for him

Zane Malley is an ex-military man.  After being in the military so long he is brutal and harsh.  He also has a lot of anger geared towards his father.  When Stevie comes into his life, he begins to laugh again.  He also feels and instant pull towards Stevie but knows deep down he is not good enough for her.

Will Zane and Stevie be able to mend their hearts or are their pasts just too much to overcome?

I enjoyed this story tremendously. 

Zane is sex on a stick.  I could feel the sexy drip right off of him.  The way he talks, you just know he has swagger.  For all his sexiness, he sure could me make mad with the stupid decisions he made!

Stevie is oh so strong.  She scared of letting anyone in for fear that they will judge her once they know her past.  I loved that she wasn’t a pushover and that when push comes to shove, she did what needed to be done!

Draven is Zane’s best friend and he stood out as a character.  I would really like to read his story.

Recommended to anyone who loves an exciting, page-turning read with a HEA

I received a free copy of this book.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AUTHOR BIO

Ashley Hodge was born and raised in Southern California. After reading her first romance novel when she was just thirteen, Ashley fell in love with romance stories. As a wife and a mother to three children, she loves spending her free time traveling and of course, writing romance novels. Ashley is excited to continue to write and share her love for all things romance with all the wonderful hopeless romantics out there.

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OPINION: Letter To My Fellow Bloggers

LETTER TO MY FELLOW BLOGGERS

To All My Fellow Bloggers:

Ever wonder why you are still blogging?  I mean, we blog because we like it but also because we want to make an impact or a connection of some sort.

Whether it be a like, a comment or a follow, it seems to boost our moral and give us meaning to the labour of love we are committing so much time and effort into.

I have been blogging about books for almost a year now and although I am proud of the minor accomplishments I have made, I wonder if I’m really connecting with anyone.

Socially, I must say I am an introvert.  I don’t share much in the way of personal info and feelings and I think that this hinders what I am aiming for.  It’s not that I purposefully fo out of my way not to share these things, more that it is imply ingrained in my personality.

As bloggers, what do you believe?  Do you belive that those “social butterflies” are more apt at getting results?  And, for those of us, like me, who are socially inept, is it worth it?

Social media is all about socializing and if that is not a blogger’s strength, what kind of success can we expect to achieve with our blogs?

I was sitting here, yesterday, wondering exactly that.  Why am I still blogging?  What do I hope to achieve?  Should I continue blogging?

Then, SERENDIPITY!  I hade a like, a follow and a retweet!  This was the deciding factor for me.  I don’t need thousands of followers, likes or retweets.  I simply need ONE small connection to make all my effort worthwhile.

So, my advice to all of you who struggle with continuing your blog, I say ALL BLOGS MATTER!  From the very smallest to the very grand, your opinion is unique, YOURS.  NO ONE can say things or do things the way you can.

All blogs matter and each brings a diversity to social media that I think it would lack otherwise. 

I believe that we all matter because we all affect each other and this causes an effect on each other.  It’s quite symbiotic, really. By simply liking, retweeting, following or commenting, we give meaning to someone with the smallest of gestures.

To all the blogs out there, big or small, YOU ROCK!  Keep doing what you are doing.

Don’t forget that your opinions matter.  If you like something, don’t forget to show that you do.  It has all the meaning in the world and doesn’t cost a thing!

COVER REVEAL: The Glue

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The Glue

Author: K Webster 

Publication Date: Sept 5, 2018

Genres: Taboo Treat

Synopsis

I’m a fixer. A lover. Always searching for the right fit.
And I come up empty every time.
My desires are unusual.
I don’t feel whole until I’m in the middle, holding it all together.
Which makes having a romantic relationship really difficult.

Until them.
Two people. An unraveling marriage. Love on the rocks.
And they want me.
To put them back together again.

Problem is, once they’re fixed, where does that leave me?
I sure as hell hope I stick like glue.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K Webster is the author of dozens romance books in many different genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. When not spending time with her husband of twelve years and two adorable children, she’s active on social media connecting with her readers.

Her other passions besides writing include reading and graphic design. K can always be found in front of her computer chasing her next idea and taking action. She looks forward to the day when she will see one of her titles on the big screen.

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VBT: Lost Boy

LOST BOY

Author: M. Robinson 

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ New Adult

Synopsis:

In a world where I had no say, violence became my refuge, and nothing else mattered.
Not even my own life.
Until her.
Skyler Bell.
It all started the first time I heard that voice. Giving me hope for tomorrow. My first love was everything all at once.
Consuming.
Maddening.
Forever.
Mine. 

Except, I never imagined there were secrets that needed to be shared. Lies that needed to be confessed. Truths that needed to be told. 
Demons that needed to be buried. 
Once I realized the depth, the longing, the sadness and sorrow in her eyes mirrored mine, it was too late. Love didn't come to me as heartbreak, it came as everything I've ever wanted. Walking away wasn't an option, but it was the only choice I had.

I finally found the price of love and it cost me...

My soul.

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MY REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story blew me away from the very beginning. I enjoyed experiencing and seeing Skyler and Noah grow from the kids they were into the adults they became.

I loved that they found refuge in each other. That they were both lost but found each other and in each other, a soulmate instead of being the lost souls they were.

The writing was out of this world and just pulled me right in. At parts, it left me breathless while others, so utterly heartbroken.

At twelve years old, Noah James was captivated by the peacefulness he found hearing Skyler singing in the water. Skyler in turn is intrigued by Noah and the strength and sense of security he exudes when she is with him.

Both Noah and Skyler are lost and they find in each other the solace and love they so desperately need. But, sometimes love just isn’t enough.

When Skyler’s career goes in full swing, Noah spirals, will they ever find permanent salvation and love within each other?

This is a standalone, told in dual POV and played out like a wonderful movie inside my head. The scenes and the characters were so vivid and clear. It will compel you and become everything while you read it.

I’m in love with Noah. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I LOVE a badboy with vulnerabilities. And Noah.. Well Noah, is exactly that. With a filthy, dirty mouth, a hot temper and scars from his past, he was PERFECT.

Skyler. I hated her and loved her in equal measure throughout the book. I couldn’t understand her or her motives. Once everything was revealed however, the lightbulb went off and everything was made so clear. I should have seen this coming, but I didn’t.

Skyler and Noah’s back and forth is heartbreaking at times, and others, heartwarming.

This book burns so good! This is writing! Read a few words, a chapter even. That is all it will take you to become engrossed, consumed, a devout follower even, of M. Robinson and her books.

EXCERPT

My body molded perfectly against his like I was made just for him, only him. It was the most overwhelming, mind blowing, consuming feeling I’d ever felt in my entire life. There would be no coming back from this.

From him.

From us.

Ruining me for any other guy. He slowly parted his lips, beckoning me to do the same. I followed his lead, imitating the same rhythm he set. His tongue traced my swollen lips, and it left the craziest sensation in its wake. A tingly fire that only he could put out. I’d never be able to lick my lips and not think of this very moment. It would be lodged next to my heart where he belonged.

I pulled back my tongue, and he took it as an open invitation to gently push his into my awaiting mouth. Seeking mine out, turning this kiss into something more than I could have ever imagined it could be.

No words came close to describing what was happening between us. The feelings he stirred deep within my mind, my soul, matching my emotions with each stroke of his tongue and lips. This push and pull was as uncontrollable as where fate wanted to take us. I never wanted him to stop kissing me.

Not for a second.

A year.

A lifetime.

Noah’s lips were meant to be on mine. My body was meant to be beneath his. Our hearts were meant to be together.

I was his girl.

 I had always been his girl.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today Bestselling Author of Lost Boy, El Pecador, El Santo, Ends Here, Keeping Her Wet, Road to Nowhere, El Diablo, The Good Ol' Boys Standalone Series, The VIP Trilogy, Tempting Bad, and Two Sides.

M. Robinson loves to read. She favors anything that has angst, romance, triangles, cheating, love, and of course sex! She has been reading since the Babysitters Club and R.L. Stein. All time favorite books are The Bronze Horseman Trilogy by Paullina Simons.

She was born in New Jersey but was raised in Tampa Fl. She is married to an amazing man who she loves to pieces. They have two German shepherd mixes, a Wheaten Terrier and a Tabby cat.

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Cover Model: Stephen James

Cover Design: The Final Wrap

COVER REVEAL & EXCERPT: Beast

BEAST

Author: SC Daiko

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Mafia Romance/Romantic Suspense

Release Date: September 20, 2018

Synopsis:

I’ve been sold by my own father to a beast.

Gleb Sokolov is the definition of a savage.
He’s an animal in bed and everywhere else.
A notorious Russian mobster, badass personified.

And my father just sold me to him, to pay off a debt.

But there’s something Gleb doesn’t know… we have a son,
and I’ll do anything to keep him from finding out.

Eva Petrenko.
Sassy, secretive, trouble with a capital T.
She drives me fucking insane.
Except, when her father offers her to me, I find I can’t resist.
She belongs with me, even if she refuses to believe it.
Eva hates me, but I’ll go to the ends of the earth to protect her.
Problem is, Eva’s father isn’t the only one with debts…
and mine are the kind I’ll need to pay with my own blood.

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Read an Excerpt

Without warning, my head starts to spin. Shit, I shouldn’t have drunk that cocktail so fast. I can’t see any signs indicating the bathroom. Maybe I can escape for a few minutes behind one of these doors? I’m not that desperate to pee, just need somewhere peaceful to sit and wait for my brain to clear. I step into an office unlike any I’ve been in before. Ritzy, with an executive desk in the center that’s the size of my bed at home. My eyes are immediately drawn to a stack of banknotes on top of the shiny surface. I tiptoe across the room. Wow, it’s a pile of one-hundred-dollar bills. I pick one up to examine it. Surely these can’t be real? “What the fuck are you doing in here?” a baritone voice booms. The air around me compresses, and I spin around. A man in a tux is standing in the doorway, piercing blue eyes glowering at me. He’s so big his shoulders nearly meet the doorjambs. And he’s drawn a fucking gun on me! “I was looking for the bathroom.” I drop the money back onto the table, my heartbeat thudding in my ears. Blue Eyes paces up to me, holsters his firearm and grabs my wrist. “Who sent you to snoop?” His English is good, but I detect a familiar intonation. “Was it Vadim Rayt?” he adds. “No one sent me,” I blurt out in Russian. “I’m telling the truth.” I try to squirm out of Blue Eyes’ hold, but he pulls me against his rock-hard chest, towering above me and invading my senses with his spicy sandalwood cologne. “Let me go.” I struggle and aim a kick at his shin. His laugh is scornful. “Not before you give me a better explanation.”

I bite my bottom lip, trying to come up with something. “I just needed some time out.” “Time out? You’ve got to be kidding. The only women who come in here on their own are hookers. High-class hookers who bribe the doorman.” His gaze roves over my body. “Either you’re a whore or a spy. Which one is it?”

An idea occurs to me. How I can get out of this situation. “I’m a hooker,” my voice purrs. I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. I’ve never been so blatant… like ever. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Once I’ve gotten his pants down around his legs I’ll make a run for it. I reach for his belt buckle with my free hand. With a groan he lets go my wrist and pushes me to my knees. “You better be good.” I’ve never given a blow-job in my life. It wasn’t something I felt I could offer my ex, the only boyfriend I’ve ever had. But I’m not gonna suck Blue Eyes off, am I? This is only a means to an end. I pull down his suit pants, and he releases his monster cock himself. Oh. My. God. There’s a ring-style piercing at the tip. Is that what they call a Prince Albert? I stare at it, fascinated. “Like what you see, Kotenok?” Somehow, I don’t mind being called kitten by him. Mistake, Eva. Big mistake. Focus on the task at hand… You need to get out of here. I jump to my feet and prepare to run. But he grabs me by the hair, yanking me against him. “Oh, yes, you are good, little slut. But not as good as you think you are. Time you learned a lesson.” He steps out of his pants and drags me over to his executive chair. “What are you doing?” I yelp. “Punishing you for attempting a fast one. I’m going to spank your ass.” “And then you’ll let me go.” It’s more a statement than a question.

BOOK PLAYLIST

MEET THE AUTHOR

SC Daiko, aka Siobhan (pronounced Shivawn), is an award-winning, international bestselling contemporary romance author. Originally from the UK, she now lives in Italy with her husband and two cats

Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Cover Photography: Wander Book Club Photography

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VBT: Blood Cure

BLOOD CURE

Blood Type Book 3

Author: K.A. Linde

Release Date: August 21, 2018

Blurb

The stunning conclusion to the Blood Type series finds the world in chaos and turmoil with one final battle left to determine who will survive—humans or vampires.

She had the world on her shoulders. Now she has nothing.

Reyna Carpenter was twenty-one when she became a live-in blood escort for the ruthless and darkly handsome vampire Beckham Anderson. She thought this was just a small price to pay for feeding her brothers back home.

But nothing went as planned. Not even her tumultuous relationship with Beckham. And now she wonders if anything will ever be the same again.

As she finds herself in the midst of a losing rebellion, she and her trusted friends must flee from a city conquered by the vampire elite. With their plans blown to pieces and everything they knew and loved gone, their future hangs in the balance.

Despite all she has lost, Reyna must rise from the ashes, reclaim the life that was stolen—and complete her mission, once and for all.

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Purchase Links

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My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is an amazing book and one of the best paranormal romance series I’ve read to date. It’s unique and imaginative. It is simply a must read whether you are a paranormal romance lover or not.

It is an action packed read that had all of my attention.

In this installment, we start where Blood Match left off. The Elle supporters are rallying after total devastation and loss. They may be down but they are definitely not out.

With renewed hope, strengths and plans, will Reyna and the Elle supporters put an end to Harrington’s reign for good?

Reyna really proved herself to me in this book. Her strength and leadership shined through.

I loved, loved, loved everything about this book. From the suspense and action to the originality and pace of the plot.

And the cameo of a new character, Graves, PLEASE tell me will he have is own book?

I am actually a little sad to see this series end but what an end it was!

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ALSO AVAILABLE

BLOOD TYPE

A startling new vision of paranormal romance: When a human ventures into the world of vampires—a decadent milieu of blood-bonds and betrayal—she discovers that not all is what it seems.

For Reyna Carpenter, giving up her body isn’t a choice. It’s survival. In a civilization laid waste by poverty and desperation, Reyna accepts a high-paying position with the wealthy and hungry vampire elite. Her new job is as the live-in blood escort for the intimidating, demanding, and devilishly handsome Beckham Anderson. He’s everything she expected from a vampire, except for one thing—he won’t feed off her. Reyna soon discovers that behind Beckham’s brooding, wicked façade lies a unique and complex man. And that, in a dark and divided world, she is more valuable than she ever would have believed. For with each passing night, Reyna can’t shake the sensation that it’s Beckham who’s afraid of her. Note: Reyna and Beckham’s story continues in Blood Match.

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BLOOD MATCH

As the provocative, sensual Blood Type series continues, the rare bond between Reyna and Beckham is threatened by betrayal, greed, and twisted secrets. A desperate human. A powerful vampire. A world divided. Reyna Carpenter was promised paradise. She was delivered into hell. Giving up her body for money was supposed to be the hardest part of becoming a blood escort. She never expected to lose her heart to her dark, enigmatic boss, Beckham Anderson. After being taken by a depraved captor who plans to rule the world, Reyna will do anything to return to Beckham. She just has to find the will to survive this game. From the pawn, rises a queen. Note: Reyna and Beckham’s story begins in Blood Type and continues in Blood Cure.

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About the Author

K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifteen novels including the Avoiding series and the Record series. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, geeking out over Star Wars, binge-watching Supernatural, and dancing in her spare time. She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband and two super adorable puppies. 

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