Raine by J.C. Valentine

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Raine

 

RAINE
by J.C. Valentine

Warning: RAINE contains adult situations some readers may find offensive. This is a deeply emotional story that contains violence, explicit sex, strong language, and is not considered suitable for readers under 18.

Shy.
Intelligent.
Naive.
Statistic.

Raine Forester was an average girl leading an average life. She slipped beneath everyone’s radar, until Camron Moss, the most popular guy in school, took interest in her and changed everything.

Some acts are unforgivable.

Raine thought she’d been accepted. She thought she was one of them. She thought she was in love… until one moment made her realize she’d trusted the wrong person. Lies are told, hearts get broken, secrets are revealed, and sometimes, true love is found in the least likely places.

Have you ever started reading a book and thinking to yourself that you aren’t sure if this is going to be a book that keeps your interest?  I admit that after the first few chapters, I was wavering between putting the book down or going for the whole she-bang.  It does touch on some sensitive subject including rape.

I wasn’t a fan of a few characters in the book. The boys’ parents were horrible.  I hated the fact that they had no substance to their roles except to be the money holders that are cliche.  I also took a bit to warm up to Raine. She is suppose to be some ordinary girl dating this wonderful and popular boy, but within a chapter he turns into this completely different character at the other end of the spectrum.

Then we have Jarret, who is Camrons little brother.  He is older and the black sheep of the family. He swoops in to save the day and the woman in distress.  While I did like his character and was rooting for him to succeed in being the man his brother could not be, I would have preferred him to have stood up a little sooner to his family.

Overall the story was a pretty decent read for a new to me author.  I could see myself reading more books by author J.C. Valentine in the future.

[sc:rate3 ]

AMAZON / AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS

 

Quickie Reviews For You (8)

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A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

For this post, I am going to share a few books that I rated as a DNF.
DNF or Did Not Finish, are books that are simply that — unable for me to finish. There are always books that doesn’t work for one, but will be great for another. So please don’t let my DNF rating stop you from reading the following books. Give them a try if they sound interesting to you.

Ricochet Locked and Loaded

 

RICOCHET: Locked & Loaded
by: Heathe C. Leigh
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $0.99)

 

 

 

 

 

reft

 

REFT
by: Libby Austin
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $2.99)

 

 

 

 

 

my stepbrother, my dom

 

MY STEPBROTHER, MY DOM
by: Annabelle Winters
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $2.99 or FREE with Unlimited)

 

 

 

 

 

stepbrother under wraps

 

STEPBROTHER UNDER WRAPS
by: Lana J Swift
GOODREADS
AMAZON (currently $2.99 or FREE with Unlimited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini-Merger: Guys on Top by Riley Simpson

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mini merger

 

Mini-Merger: Guys on Top
Author: Riley Simpson

Gabe smiled mischievously, “Are you proposing some kind of mini-merger between us?”

Gabe’s not interested in players – he’s interested in serious business. As the VP of Summers Enterprises, he has to oversee an intense company merger with Chaucer Enterprises, but his counterpart at Chaucer, Jag, seems to be all about seduction and fun and games.

But as Gabe gets to know Jag, and why the man is known by that name, he discovers a sexy charmer who’s hard to resist. Perhaps there’s more to Jag than meets the eye, and one unexpected late night encounter will tell Gabe everything he needs to know.

This book was not a hit for me. I expected a M/M romance but got something else. This is a short read that comes listed at 21 pages.  I understand that 21 pages are hard to flesh out character personalities and actual romance.  Being that short of a book makes not only the romance almost nil, but leaves the reader with feelings of no connection with each character.  I felt like I was reading a submitted short story to a men’s magazine.  It was short, to the point and almost clinical in character feeling. If you are looking for a short read with no depth or swoon worthy moments of love, then skip this 21 page story. Go for a full length novel. Yet, if you want something quick, straight to the point and mainly just a sex fueled chapter, then this is your go to read.

[sc:rate1 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

The Twinkies Cookbook by Hostess, 85th Anniversary Edition

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twinkie cookbook

 

Ah. Twinkies.

The sugar filled (and cream filled) cakes we would scream with joy to see packed in our lunchbox growing up. The dessert was one that children would trade anything in their lunch for in the cafeteria. Then came the scare of Twinkies never being around again. Thankfully they are back on the shelves and now Hostess is celebrating with an 85th anniversary Edition cookbook for Twinkie lovers.

Looking through the photos and the names of the recipes, I admit to drooling and craving a Twinkie. I might have ate one or two (or three) while also devouring the pages of this cookbook.  I learned new ways to include the Twinkie in several dessert dishes  I wouldn’t have really thought about. A few of the recipes were generic and with not much thought really, but it is including Twinkies! How are they suppose to improve on something that is already perfect?

There were a few flaws with the electronic version I received. The recipes were split up weird with half the recipe on one page, and the rest on the next. Pictures were also cut in half and split up the same way.  In my opinion, this would be better as a print book than as an electronic edition.

[sc:rate3 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

Quickie Reviews For You: The R.L. Mathewson Edition (8)

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A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

Taken from my list of books read and ready to be reviewed, we are featuring books that are from The Neighbor From Hell series by author R.L. Mathewson.

 

playing for keeps1Playing For Keeps
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #1
4 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently FREE)
Can I just say that those Bradford men are sexy! I want one. Seriously. Send one to me R.L. Mathewson (and several hundred dollars to feed him each month). Jason was hysterical. I laughed so many times when reading this book. I did think it had many repetitive scenes, but the characters made up for this. Not only do Bradford men have an unbelievable appetite, but they have very large egos. Haley wasn’t my favorite character, but she did seem to balance well with Jason.

 

perfection2Perfection
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #2
5 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently $0.99)
Oh.Em.Gee. LOVED this book in the series! Trevor was the ice cream, cake, icing and a cherry on top in this book. I loved him from the beginning, all the way through the epilogue. The naughty scenes had me fanning the blush away on my face several times. Again, the Bradford ego and appetite is in abundance, but who cares when we get dirty and swoon worthy. Zoe was one lucky girl in this book. (And ladies…he likes himself some curves!)

 

checkmate3Checkmate
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #3
3 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently $0.99)
Huh?…What happened? While Conner definitely was another hot male in this series, I wasn’t a fan of Rory or the story. Two rivaling companies, coming together for one project, living next door to each other, and hating each other from childhood. Oh, and throw in some sex, egos, and tons of side characters.  There was plenty of plot, but lots of repetitive dialogue that made it drag. I wanted to throttle Rory more than embrace her.  The side characters — along with Conner’s sarcastic commentary –is what made this book bearable for me. Even though I didn’t like it as much as the first two, I definitely want to read more in the series to keep up with the Bradford family and friends.