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Title: Smut
Author: Karina Halle
Publication: May 16th 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
Rating: 4/5
What happens when the kink between the pages leads to heat between the sheets?
All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree, and take over his dad’s ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finally finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career.
What Blake and Amanda don’t want is to be paired up with each other for their final project, but that’s exactly what they both get when they’re forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is a pushy asshole (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her ass (though it’s a brilliant ass), they fight tooth and nail until they discover they write well together. They also may find each other really attractive, but that’s neither here nor there.
When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it’s not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality. Sure, they still fight a lot, but at least there’s make-up sex now.
But even as they start to fall hard for each other, will their burgeoning relationship survive if their scandalous secret is exposed? Or are happily-ever-afters just a work of fiction?
Smut ended up being even more awesome than I had expected it would be. I was literally laughing out loud on every page. The humor, the sex, and all the nerdy love made this book so good and just what I needed.
Amanda Newland and Blake Crawford get paired up together, unwillingly, by their teacher on a writing project. They hate each other but it turns out they work and write well together. After the succes of that, Blake comes up with the idea to start writing smut together using a secret pen name. As their writing gets more intense and their attraction for each other can't get denied, their feelings for each other start growing also.
Amanda and Blake were on one hand very different but on the other very much the same. They really made a perfect pair together, though. I loved it once they got past their dislike for each other and started writing together. Especially when they got to writing the actual smut. They were hot hot hot together!
I absolutely loved this book. As a blogger and reader it really spoke to me and I'm sure it will to a lot of other people too. There are some lines in this book that will make you laugh oh so much. Not to mention all the delicious nerdy puns. But let's just not mention Fluffy. Ever...
Overall, Smut was the most perfect combination of hot romance and adorkableness. With pretty much every page making me laugh, this romantic comedy is a page-turner like only Karina Halle can write.
About the Author:
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
Title: Girl From Above: Falling
Author: Pippa DaCosta
Series: The 1000 Revolution #0.5
Publication: March 4th 2016
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Caleb Shepperd is a fixer. He'll do anything for credits.
When he's hired to track and kill a woman who's muscled in on a dangerous smuggler's territory, he figures it's just another day in the black...Until he's trapped in a silo with his mark.
'Just another day in the black', could turn out to be his last day alive.
A 10,000 word prequel to the science fiction series: Girl From Above.
Girl From Above: Falling was a great prequel to Girl From Above: Betrayal, which I read last year and loved. I really liked reading about how Caleb and Fran initially met and how she ended up being his pilot.
I just can't help but like Caleb. He's not you every day main character. He's kind of a criminal and like the synopsis says, he'll do anything for credits and this is so true. But that's what I like about him. And I loved his chemistry with Fran!
I gotta admit, though, that when I read Girl From Above: Betrayal I didn't like Fran all that much from what I remember. I'm not even sure why. But I did like her in this story. I thought she was pretty badass, actually. So I can't wait to continue with these books to see if she stays that way.
So since it had been a while since I read book #1, I think it was a good call to read the prequel. It makes me very excited to continue the series as I'm really into science fiction these days. And also, this book was such a page-turner!
About the Author:
Pippa DaCosta is a hybrid author. Before securing a traditional publisher, she published the Veil Series (a x5 book urban fantasy series) independently in 2014. She has also published two science fiction books, with more planned for 2016. Pippa is traditionally published with Bloomsbury, and Random House Germany. Her work has been featured in the Galaxy Chronicles anthology, part of the Future Chronicles series. Pippa continues to independently and traditionally publish her work.
She lives in Cornwall, UK.
Title: Flash Gold
Author: Lindsay Buroker
Series: Flash Gold Chronicles #1
Publication: April 1st 2011
Genre: Young Adult ~ Steampunk
Purchase (free): Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 3/5
Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered "dogless sled" in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece.
With her modified rifle and a pocketful of home-made smoke bombs, Kali wouldn't normally hide from a confrontation, but taking on a whole airship single-handedly is a daunting task. Unfortunately, the other racers won't assist her--they're too busy scheming ways to sabotage her unorthodox sled.
When a sword-slinging stranger shows up, wanting to hire on as her protector, she's sure he has ulterior motives, but he's the only one interested in helping her. The question is...why?
Details: an 18,000-word (75 page) steampunk novella set in the Yukon during the gold rush era.
Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker definitely wasn't a bad story. I liked the steampunk elements a lot—that was probably my favorite thing in this story. I also liked the airship pirates because let's face it, that's just cool. Kali was a great character. She was witty and pretty badass. I loved the mysterious Cedar as well. And I loved the setting too.
I just didn't totally love this book. I felt like it lacked some sort of world-building with how short it was. At times I felt confused like I should know more about this world but there wasn't enough time and detail explained. I know it's a novella but still... I wanted a little more.
I am curious, though, where the story is going next for Kali and Cedar. I'd love to learn more about them, especially Cedar. And also, the writing was pretty good so that's always a bonus for me.
About the Author:
Lindsay is a full-time independent fantasy author who loves travel, hiking, tennis, and vizslas. She grew up in the Seattle area but moved to Arizona when she realized she was solar-powered.
Title: Puck
Author: Kim Askew & Amy Helmes
Series: Twisted Lit #4
Publication: November 15th 2016
Genre: Young Adult ~ Contemporary
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Rating: 5/5
Life isn’t always fair, and no one knows that better than fifteen-year-old Puck. When she’s unceremoniously booted from yet another foster home, this city kid lands at DreamRoads, a rehabilitation wilderness camp. Her fellow juvenile delinquents include a famous pop star with a diva attitude, a geeky, “fish out of water” math whiz, and a surly gang-banger with a chip on his shoulder. The program’s steely director aims to break Puck, but she knows that every adult has a breaking point, too. Determined to defy this realm of agonizing nature hikes and soul-sucking psychobabble — even if that means manipulating four lovestruck camp counselors and the director’s dim-witted second-in-command — Puck ultimately gets much more than she bargains for in this “wondrous strange” outdoor odyssey inspired by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Puck by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes definitely was one of the big surprises of 2016 for me. I really liked all the previous Twisted Lit books but I loved Puck even more. It was a quick read that I had such a hard time to put down. If I could've I probably would have read it in one sitting.
Puck is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This happens to be one of my favorites of his work so I really liked all the similarities. The main characters of this story is Puck, a fifteen-year-old girl, who gets send to a rehabilitation camp for juvies by her foster mother. I loved her character. The way she was written felt like a real teenager who's having a tough time in life. The kids she ends up with a this camp were are very different and interesting in their own way so this made for a unqiue cast of characters.
I don't know what it was about this book but it made me emotional. I teared up a few times, which speaks for how good this book was. I guess I saw myself a little in some of the kids in the book and I'm sure other people will be feeling the same thing.
The book is not just emotional though. It's also quite hilarious at times and made me smile and laugh out loud. So I would say it isn't a too heavy book because of how funny some things were in it but it does make you feel things. At least I did.
I would very highly recommend recommend Puck to anyone. I've only spend about three days reading it but it's already feels like a special book to me that I adore. So I would suggest everyone to go buy this book and start reading it right away. You definitely won't be disappointed!
About the Authors:
Los Angeles-based writers and bffs Kim Askew and Amy Helmes have been writing together since 2007. Askew’s work has appeared in Elle, The Wall Street Journal, and other magazines as well as the anthology The May Queen. Helmes is the author of several books, including The Wisdom of Nancy Drew and Betty and Veronica: A Girl's Guide to the 'Comic' World of Dating. Her essay “Searching for Mr. Darcy” was featured in the Los Angeles Times.
Title: The Pawn
Author: Skye Warren
Series: Endgame #1
Publication: December 6th 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 3/5
"Sinfully sexy and darkly beautiful, The Pawn will play games with your heart and leave you craving more!" - Laura Kaye, New York Times bestselling author
The price of survival...
Gabriel Miller swept into my life like a storm. He tore down my father with cold retribution, leaving him penniless in a hospital bed. I quit my private all-girl's college to take care of the only family I have left.
There's one way to save our house, one thing I have left of value.
My virginity.
A forbidden auction...
Gabriel appears at every turn. He seems to take pleasure in watching me fall. Other times he's the only kindness in a brutal underworld.
Except he's playing a deeper game than I know. Every move brings us together, every secret rips us apart. And when the final piece is played, only one of us can be left standing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE PAWN is a full-length contemporary novel from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love. It's the first book in the brand new ENDGAME series.
I came very close to rating this book with four stars but I thought with the things bothering me in the book that I couldn't give it more than three, which of course is still a great rating. The start of the story was really good and promising. I was excited to see where it all would go because it was so supenseful.
I just couldn't like the main character, Avery. It may have something to do that the book I read before The Pawn had a really strong main character and compared to her Avery was sort of weak. I know I shouldn't compare characters like that but it might have been one of the reasons why I didn't care for Avery. She led a very sheltered life because of her father so she was very naive, which I can totally understand. I just wish she could've stood up against... well basically everyone.
I liked Gabriel more than Avery. I liked his intensity and that he bid on Avery when she got auctioned. Only the last part in the book made me think, what the actual hell Gabriel but I guess that was part of the cliffhanger there. As much as Avery annoyed me, I did like her with Gabriel but I wished there had been a little more passion. Just a tad.
Other things I liked other than Gabriel were Avery's best friend. She was so nice and a great friend to Avery so I would love to read more about her. I also loved the appearances of Candy and Ivan from the Stripped series (which is my favorite series by Skye Warren) and I also loved that Avery used to study mythology so she thinks about certain mythology a lot.
Overall I always usually enjoy Skye Warren's books and I was really excited when I found out she was releasing the pawn because the premise sounded amazing. Dark romance is my favorite type of romance and Skye is one of my favorite authors in that genre. And I did enjoy The Pawn for the most part but I just didn't completely love it. But I would still recommend it because it's a quick read and the start of a new series. I really want to read the next book because of where things ended.
About the Author:
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dark romance such as Wanderlust and Prisoner. Praised as a “true mistress of dark erotica”, her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, four dogs, and one evil cat.
Title: Dollars
Author Pepper Winters
Series: Dollars #2
Publication: November 18th 2016
Genre: Dark Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo
Rating: 5/5
“I should never have asked for a night with you. This would never have happened if I’d had more willpower.”
A thief met a possession and did what he did best.
Now, he has to live with the consequences.
Including the girl he claimed.
Pimlico was stolen and sold all before her twenty-first birthday.
Two years with a master who almost killed her is over.
She has a new master now.
A master who demands everything, expects everything, and requires ultimate access to her mind.
Elder broke countless rules when he took the girl who wasn’t his.
She confuses and bewitches him, but his fascination won’t save her from his desires.
He wants to know her.
She wants to forget.
Together…they’re doomed.
By now it's become a habit to say "holy shit" after I finish a book by Pepper Winters. And it's no different with Dollars. This was some book, you guys! I actually thought it was even better than the first book, Pennies. And that says a lot because I thought Pennies was amazeballs. But Dollars had me totally mesmerized, simply because of Pimlico and Elder.
Dollars was somewhat different from Pennies, in my opinion. The focus definitely lay even more on Pim and Elder and their relationship. After the events at the end of book one, Pim had to heal a lot. In the meantime she and Elder started getting to know each other more. The more the spend time together, the more their feelings seemed to grow for each other. And even though Pim still didn't speak and basically is captive by him, Elder just knew her inside. Their attraction to each other is super intense in this book and it all comes to an explosion at the end.
I'm a huge fan of Pepper's writing. I felt that with Dollars her writing was even more gorgeous and lyrical. This story was just so damn beautiful the way it revolved around Pim and Elder. They have a different sort of relationship than in any of Pepper's other books but they have so quickly turned into one of my favorite book couples.
There were of course some side characters that were introduced in this book. And I must say I really liked Michaels, the doctor on board of Elder's ship. I'd love to read some more about him in any of the next books.
I have no clue what book three will hold, but I already want to read it so badly. I will wait pantiently, thoug, because I know that Pepper will absolutely deliver something amazing like she always does. She never ever disappoints!
Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex... her books have sex.
She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.
