#Review — Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen

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Brooklynaire
(Brooklyn Bruisers #4)
By Sarina Bowen

You’d think a billion dollars, a professional hockey team and a six-bedroom mansion on the Promenade would satisfy a guy. You’d be wrong.

For seven years Rebecca has brightened my office with her wit and her smile. She manages both my hockey team and my sanity. I don’t know when I started waking in the night, craving her. All I know is that one whiff of her perfume ruins my concentration. And her laugh makes me hard.

When Rebecca gets hurt, I step in to help. It’s what friends do. But what friends don’t do is rip off each others’ clothes for a single, wild night together.

Now she’s avoiding me. She says we’re too different, and it can never happen again. So why can’t we keep our hands off each other?

 

MY REVIEW

Author Sarina Bowen is one of my auto-buy authors. If she has a new book coming out, I can guarantee that I either have pre-ordered it or have it on my to buy list for payday. Not only does she have some of the best writing in contemporary romance, but she has the most drool worthy covers as well! I honestly stared at “Nate” for longer than what is appropriate when getting ready to read a book.

Nate and Rebecca have been friends and coworkers for 7 years. Nate hired her as an assistant when he was just breaking out into the tech industry. Fast forward and you have Nate a billionaire who also happens to own the Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team.

When Rebecca has a fall on the ice, she is put on leave to see a doctor. After the concussion time frame has dwindled down, Rebecca is still having trouble with balance and not feeling much better. Nate decides to send her to a specialist to have this figured out. Such a nice boss to do this, but we soon find out he also has a huge crush on Rebecca.

All through the book we are treated to flashbacks of the seven years that they have worked together. We read through relationships, the business skyrocketing, and the evolving crush they both develop for each other.

I have to say that I wasn’t huge fan of the ending of this book. While it finishes with a sweet happily ever after, I felt it was a bit rushed. The conflict that was introduced for the couple was also kind of “eh”.  It didn’t bring much conflict to the relationship.

Even with the ending being a little wah-wah, The slow building romance was amazing. Let us just say that Nate may be the sweet and laid back boss you would love to work for, but the sexy and oh so demanding man in bed is hotter!

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

My life is constant noise… When you kiss me, everything goes quiet. That’s the only time I can forget everyone else.

 

“Hey Bingley.”
“Yes, miss?”
“Can you give Nate a message for me?”
“Voice or text?”
“Uh, text. Tell him Rebecca sends her congratulations.”
“Certainly, my dear. Are we adding any emojis?”
“No, because we’re not twelve.”
“Noted.”

MY RATING

AMAZON / GOODREADS 

 

Porn Star by Laurelin Paige and Sierra Simone

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You know me.
Come on, you know you do.
Maybe you pretend you don’t. Maybe you clear your browser history religiously. Maybe you pretend to be aghast whenever someone even mentions the word porn in your presence.
But the truth is that you do know me.
Everybody knows Logan O’Toole, world famous porn star.
Except then Devi Dare pops into my world, and pretty soon I’m doing things that aren’t like me—like texting her with flirty banter and creating an entire web porn series just so I can get to star in her bed. Again. And again.
With Devi, my entire universe shifts, and the more time I spend with her, the more I realize that Logan O’Toole isn’t the guy I thought he was.
So maybe I’m not the guy you thought I was either.

 

MY REVIEW

I can’t believe that I just read a book titled PORN STAR.

Okay, quit laughing at me. We all know it is believable. I am a smut reader at heart.

I loved this book. I was so in love with Logan! It was love at first chapter! Devi was a great character as well and had the most hilarious parents.
The one person I couldn’t stand, besides Bruce the douchecanoe, was Raven. Every single time she was getting page time, I wanted to stab my eyes out.
I still have no idea what Logan saw in Raven.

Logan is left feeling depressed and in a rut after his long term girlfriend and co-star Raven has left him for another man. She didn’t give him a reason or a goodbye and even took their pet pooch.  Logan has been going through the motions of work filming his scenes and secluding himself from others. When he finally attempts to move on and attend an industry function, he finds himself watching his ex girlfriend making a scene herself with two other guys in the middle of the party. When he goes to leave, he runs into Devi Dare by the pool. Devi Dare is the industries hot female on female actress. The only “het”, or male and female, movie she has done was with Logan and Devi. Logan and Devi both hold secret fantasies and crushes on the other.  They even use the other as the focal point of their alone time fantasies. When Logan decides to move on for good, he concocts a plan to include Devi as his next partner in a reality based porn series. Of course the two fall in love during the process but then a whole new set of problems arise.  They find themselves questioning how to make a relationship will work without jealousy and hurt feelings. Logan never felt this way when he was with Raven, so they didn’t have many boundaries. Finding himself in a new situation is hard for Logan to figure out and he likes to compartmentalize his feelings while Devi finds it hard to do that.  She can’t seem to separate work and personal life. Finding the balance and the way to make their relationship work is the true heart of this story. Honestly, don’t let the title of Porn Star scare you away from this book.

Also, can we just mention that art gallery scene again?! Oh to be that old woman who got a visual. MMMmmmm.

A great read for all you smut readers out there!

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

“in my experience, the minute you mention you’re allergic to bees, people start mentally replaying that scene from My Girl, and that scene’s a bit of a boner-shrinker to be honest.)”

“You’re supposed to be unsure. You’re supposed to dare, not stand still. You risk. You take chances. You figure out how to live by living.”

“I’m scared too,” she says.  “But I’m with you.  If we fall, we fall together.”

MY RATING

GOODREADS / AMAZON

 

 

 

Split by J.B. Salsbury

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He's not like other guys...

He’s not like other guys…

After her career goes sour, Shyann finds herself jobless, penniless, and packing for her hometown–where unwanted memories await.

Lucas needs the quiet life. And that’s exactly what he’s found in Payson, Arizona. For the first time in his life, he finally feels like his mind is in check. Lucas has suffered from blackouts since he was a child. He knows he’s not like other guys.

But when Lucas meets his boss’s daughter, her probing eyes and personal questions pick away at his barriers. Shyann is everything he should never have…everything he wants. And soon the blackouts return. The last thing he wants is to expose how dangerous he can be–but he’s helpless, and it could cost him Shyann.

 

Man oh man.

This is one of those books where you really want to rate it higher because it was “reading crack”, but you also had some problems with it to lower it down. Since I am having a hard time with the rating, I am going to give it a middle score of 3 with a list of pro’s and con’s.

PRO-Lucas/Gage
CON- Shyann

PRO- first story I have read with a main character and multiple POV with this disorder.
CON- sometimes the two personalities were too Good vs. Evil

PRO- it kept my interest until the end with the “reading crack”. I HAD to know what happened.
CON- A little predictable, but the downfalls of the story is what made it so addicting!

PRO- The epilogue
CON- The constant reminder and career whining Shyann puts the reader through.

PRO- The cover
CON- Dustin and Trevor (technically that is two cons, but whatever.)

GOODREADS / AMAZON

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

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Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship.Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

Chevy Stevens targets her readership with a novel that hits all the notes they come to expect from her—and ratchets up the stakes even more in a novel that explores the darkest heart of love and obsession.

 

Never Let You Go is written as a flashback style chapters between past and present time.  It is also a two part book dividing the story between past a present. Confusing? Yeah, it could be at times. I wasn’t a fan of the flashback chapters and alternating point of view.  I would have been happy with the different POVs, but mixing in the different time lines made it a little confusing some times.

Part one of the book was the best part of the story in my opinion.  You gradually see how Andrew changes and starts to lose control of his emotions. The writing was well done and let the reader feel like they were part of the story.  Part two was a little weak for me. The characters were off and felt a little “off” compared to the first half.  I felt that the story went off in another direction, but still an okay path that had me continuing the read.

Overall, it was an okay book. It wasn’t my favorite book this year, but it wasn’t the worst. I can honestly say that I would try another book by this author though.

GOODREADS / AMAZON

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

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Red Queen

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

I finished this book roughly around 8 hours ago.
8 hours.
8 hours of bickering in my head about this book.
How do I rate a book that I both loved and loathed?
This book brought out a RoLlErCoAsTeR of emotions.

Let me start with the main characters of the book.
Mare: This girl had me wanting to pull out every hair on my head. One minute she is in love with Maven and the next page she is kissing Cal. Bad Mare. Although to be quite honest, I still can’t decide which boy to choose either.
Maven: Poor, misunderstood and unloved spare for an heir Prince. I fell for your sweetness and smooth moves just as Mare did. Then you pull a one-two punch at me and I STILL wanted to like you. How can you do that to me?…I mean Mare.
Cal: The Prince that matters to the Kingdom. Not only is he first in line for that throne, but he has everything going for him. Feelings that get in the way and make you care. Oh let’s not forget how you can set us on fire….literally.

Now the plot reminded me of Game of Thrones.
There. I said it. I actually compared a book to another book and I am waiting for the ruler to strike my hands. I can’t help it though. I kept picturing the characters from GoTs in each role in Red Queen. Think about it for a few minutes and it works — and it is amazing!

Then we get to the final page and I am so frustrated with it. Seriously?! You chose that point in the story to stop and leave me hanging? No. Just NO! Just for the record authors, if you are going to leave us with that big of a cliff hanger, you better deliver sooner on that next book. Write faster!

With all that being said though, I love this book. I love how I was yelling out loud at the characters.  I wavered in my choice of which Prince was the right one for Mare. I was excited for each traitorous move on the chess board. I screamed at the ending and maybe thought about throwing it against the wall. All in all, the emotions the author put me through in this book is exactly what books should do. So bring on the next one. I can’t wait.

“The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”
― Victoria Aveyard, Red Queen

GOODREADS / AMAZON