TheHookerandtheHermit

 

New York’s Finest
Blogging as *The Socialmedialite*
April 22
LADIES AND GENTS! I have an announcement!
You know that guy I featured on my blog a few months ago? The really, really hot Irish rugby player who plays the position of ‘hooker’ in the RLI (Rugby League International)? The one with the anger management issues, the body of a gladiator and the face of a movie star? The one with the questionable fashion choices leading me to ask whether he was the lovechild of a leprechaun and a hobbit? Ronan Fitzpatrick? Yeah, that guy. Well, I have a confession to make…

THE HERMIT
Annie Catrel, social media expert extraordinaire at Davidson & Croft Media and clandestine celebrity blogger, can make anyone shine in the court of public opinion. She is the Socialmedialite, anonymous creator of New York’s Finest and the internet’s darling. Virtual reality is Annie’s forte, but actual reality? Not so much.

THE HOOKER
Ronan Fitzpatrick, aka the best hooker the world of rugby has seen in decades, despises the media—social or otherwise. The press has spun a web of lies depicting him as rugby’s wild and reckless bad boy. Suspended from his team, Ronan has come to Manhattan to escape the drama, lay low, fly under the radar. Only, Ronan isn’t easy to overlook, and he can’t escape the notice of the Socialmedialite…

THE PLAN
When Ronan is sent to Davidson & Croft Media to reshape his public image, he never expects to cross paths with shy but beautiful Annie, nor does he expect his fierce attraction to her. He couldn’t be happier when her boss suggests pairing them together.
What lengths will Annie take to keep her virtual identity concealed? And what happens when the hooker discovers who the hermit really is?

First things first! I am going to clarify that it is not what you are thinking when you first read the title. It isn’t about a prostitute/hooker on the street trying to romance a hermit. Well, it is half right I should say. You see there is a Hermit. Her name is Annie.  She happens to work in social media, but is rarely seen.  She prefers being alone and out of the public eye.  The Hooker part is a guy named Ronan.  Hooker is actually a position he plays in Rugby.  He is also a bad boy who needs his image cleaned up after getting into a fight with his team mate.

To be fair to Ronan, his team mate deserved the beat down he got.  He was caught cheating with his girlfriend.  I guess he shouldn’t have fought him in the public eye though because he gets suspended from the team.  While on suspension, he takes a break to stay in USA. This is where he meets Annie and her team of media clean up crew. Annie has a secret of her own though.  She is the famous Socialmedialite blogger that has lived under the radar with no hint of who she is. Oh, and did I mention that on this blog she loves to post photos of celebrities and point out all of their flaws?

These two quickly start to fall for each other even though they are from two different places and personalities.  I did have a slight problem with how Ronan handles the aftermath of her secret being revealed.  Really? You are going to turn your attitude completely around from the way you have been treating her and be a jerk? I didn’t find it believable because Ronan treated her with nothing but care, love and respect up until that point.  Also nagging me in the back of my mind was how furious Annie was when Ronan admits to knowing her secret identity. It irked me that she got so mad at him when she was the one hiding the secret.

The ending was satisfying and the writing was great.  I do hope we get to read about more of the characters in this book.  I would love a story featuring Annie’s boss! You will be laughing out loud with every chapter as well.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Dearest Annie, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I’m using my hand But I’m thinking of you. – Ronan P.S. Just to clarify, I’m using my hand to write this note…get your mind out of the gutter.”

 

MY RATING
[sc:rate4 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

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

handymendoitbetterHandy Men Do It Better: Step One by Dan Sexton
1 Star
– This book was a hot mess of juvenile horny men.  I honestly had the hardest time making it to the last page of this book.  By the end of the book, I had no desire to continue the series.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently FREE)

 

mountainheroMountain Hero: Book 1 by Cheryl Yeko
3 Stars
– This was the predictable read, but written well enough to pass the time.  I enjoyed the two main characters but I did wish it had been just a tab bit longer.  There were a few weak points in the story. The side characters were bland to me.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently $1.99)

 

thepleasureprincipleThe Pleasure Principle by Jane O’Reilly
2 Stars
– I am probably going to be in the minority here but this book wasn’t as well liked for me as it was for others.  I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the characters.  Yes the cover is hot. Yes the sexy time in the book was hot. Unfortunately, that was all I could bring myself to enjoy.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently $3.14)

 

marketingbeefMarketing Beef by Rick Bettencourt
2 Stars
– This one had a few moments of laughing out loud dialogue.  One character is a shy introvert with parents who were fixated on tormenting him about a birthmark when he was younger.  In the other corner, we have a suave ad executive.  The sex scenes are minimal and not very steamy. The ending was much weaker than the first half of the book.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently FREE)

 

scornedScorned: From the Inside Out Book 1 by S.L. Scott
1 Star
– Another book that I am sure will leave me in the minority with my rating of one star. This relationship between Dylan and Juliette is a mess bordering on abusive and emotionally disturbing. I couldn’t stand either character and the story was eye rolling.  I couldn’t believe half of the things each one of them did in the whopping 85 pages I forced myself to read. One more book to add to my list of series I won’t continue.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently FREE)

I am horrible.  I have been reading like crazy but slacking on actually posting reviews about them.  I have this list going with the name of the book, rating, and a few notes to remember about each one.  So at least I have something to give you!  Below are a few books that were on that list.  I have more but I thought I would break it up into a few posts so it wouldn’t overwhelm you like it has me!

 

rulesaccordingtogracieThe Rules According to Gracie by Stefanie London
3 Stars
-This was a cute, but short read. Coming in at a listed 98 pages made for a quick build up for the two characters. While I liked Des, I wasn’t too excited about Gracie.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently $0.99)

 

DectheHollsDec the Holls by Jasinda Wilder
3 Stars
-Another book that was good but would have benefited with being a bit longer. This one came in at 51 pages but would have been better if we would have gotten just a smidgen more of Declan and Holly. Yes, it is focused around Christmas, but good to read any time of the year.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently FREE)

 

falloutFall Out (SEALs Undone #1) by Zoe York
3 Stars
-Coming in at 155 pages, this book had the length I needed, but the characters were just mediocre for my taste.  The writing was well done, but the plot had too many ups and downs for my liking. The romance just didn’t seem to click for me either.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently $2.99)

 

knowinghissecretKnowing His Secret (Year of the Billionaire Part 1) by K.C. Falls
1 Star
-177 pages of characters I couldn’t stand.  That about sums it up.  We have a hero who is a jerk and a woman who is dull.  Not only were the characters not to my taste, but the book is a serial which is not something I read too often.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently FREE)

 

giftsinjarsGifts in Jars: Recipes for Easy, Delicious, Inexpensive DIY Gifts by Margaret Lowe
3 Stars
-I got this one around Christmas time when my kids were looking for ways to make home made gifts for the teacher and aides.  Let me tell you, there was some yummy sounding jar gifts in this book.  If I had actually had the time, we probably could have thrown together a few.  Maybe next year though.
GOODREADS / AMAZON (currently $2.99)

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

 

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

MY REVIEW

Wow. Just wow.

Have you ever read a book and just have no words to really express what you are feeling?  That is how I feel after reading Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. I have had this book sitting on my Kindle for quite some time now.  I had purchased it back when everyone was raving about it, but somehow it just got buried in my list on my Kindle.  While trying to find something to read one day, I came across it again and decided to give it a try. I am still berating myself in my head for waiting to read this.

First of all, this book does touch on sensitive subject material.  If you can handle reading about sensitive subjects, then I urge you to read the book.  I loved the character of Dean Holder.  I loved his strength and his determination.  Not only has he suffered loss and pain in his life, but he has also held onto ‘Hope’.  He never really gave up.  While we slowly learn about his past growing up, we learn pieces of information that help us figure out the mystery involving Sky.  Sky has so much more back story than what we first believe and it slowly grows and evolves into a bigger puzzle involving many more key characters in the book.

I don’t want to give to much away, because the story from start to finish is a whole.  Each chapter helps us reach the ending that the reader explores in the first chapter teaser.  I can definitely say this book is on my Top Ten for the coming year even if it was published awhile back. Again, why did I wait so long to read this?!

“Not everyone gets a happily every after. Life is real and sometimes it’s ugly and you just have to learn how to cope.”

MY RATING

[sc:rate5 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

To try an catch up on some reviews, I decided to do a list of books I have finished over the holidays and at work lately. They are ones I haven’t had a chance to write full reviews on, but should still give you an idea of what I rated them and an overall expression for each one.

1. THE IMMORTAL WHO LOVED ME by Lynsay Sands

The Immortal Who Loved Me
(2 Stars)  

I love Lynsay Sands and her vampire romance books, but this one just felt as a filler book with no real chemistry between the two main characters. It felt forced, rushed and bland. It didn’t have the creative spark that she has had in the past books of the series.

BUY FROM AMAZON

2. LONDON FALLING (THE RULEFORDS) by Emma Carr

London Falling

(2 Stars)

Wasn’t a huge fan of the writing in this one. The plot was okay but poorly executed for me with little appeal. It did have some aspects that lured it to the 2 star rating but it never made it past that.

BUY FROM AMAZON

3. HANSEL#1: An Erotic Fairy Tale by Ella James

Hamsel
(1 Star)

Creepy and skeevy in my opinion. I was not as thrilled with this one as other readers have been. I just couldn’t get past some of the things that happened. I honestly had to force myself to finish this book and then have to deal with the ending we were given.

BUY FROM AMAZON

4. KALEIDOSCOPE by Kristen Ashley

Kaleidoscope
(3 Stars)

Love this author but her writing voice grated on my nerves slightly in this book.  I think I am just over the speech –and sometimes lack of speech– that this author is famous for. I might reread this one in the future though to see if it is just my reading preference at the moment.

BUY FROM AMAZON

5. IN KELLY’S CORNER by Roxie Rivera

In Kelly's Corner
(4 STARS)

Absolutely loved this book.  While it did have a little bit of story hiccups along the way, I truly enjoyed the journey and entertainment of this book. Another author I am adding to my auto-buy list.

BUY FROM AMAZON