***Reviews - The Beauty Trilogy by Georgia Cates - 4 Stars- 4 Stars - 3 Stars***

***Reviews***

The Beauty Series by Georgia Cates

Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates

4 Love to Hate Jack Stars

Blurb - They agreed on three months...but their love knew no boundaries.

Jack McLachlan is a winemaking magnate and easily one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors. His success and wealth make him no stranger to the complications of romantic relationships and that’s why he goes to extreme measures to avoid the hassle. He prefers simplicity in the form of a beautiful female companion with no strings attached. He arranges relationships like business deals and they’re always the same. No long term relationships. No real names.

It’s his game and his rules. He’s content to play as usual, but when Laurelyn Prescott enters his life, his strategy must change because this player is like none he's ever encountered. His world is turned on its head after he begins a three month affair with the beautiful American musician. Nothing goes according to plan and as he breaks more and more of his own rules for her, she’s exceptionally close to becoming something he never thought possible. His ultimate game changer.

Beauty from Pain is book #1 in the Beauty Series, I’ve been lucky enough to have been gifted all three books in exchange for honest reviews so here goes....

Laurelyn is the classic ‘grower’ I wasn’t a massive fan in the first few chapters and I took me a while to warm to her. Once I did I found that I completely engaged with her, she is so enamoured with Jack that she would literally do anything for him. I kind of feel a little sorry for her because for most of this book it feels like he is just using her.

Jack, Jack, Jack or should we call you Lachlan??? I really want to hate you, cause let’s be 

honest you are a complete douche!!! Luckily for you women stupidly do love a asshole and you are a despicably lovable knobhead!!!

At times Jack is so incredibly conceited I actually laughed out loud but I was also completely drawn to him, there’s just something about him that draws you in!

We SOOOO haven’t heard the last of Audrey she’s gonna be like a bad smell and just not go away!!

Jesus Christ Jack and Laurelyn have soooo much sex they must have actually worn out her vjayjay!!! I mean there’s insatiable and there’s giving yourself friction burns and this couple cross straight over into the there is such a thing as too much sex in a book territory!!

I’m glad that Laurelyn brings Jack to his knees he deserved to feel something akin to what he has done to the 12 women that were his ‘companions’ prior to Laurelyn.

It’s probably a bit mean to be willing Jack to fall head over heels for a women only to then not get what he wants. Karma’s a bitch baby!!!

I really enjoyed this book I got completely sucked in this gets 4 stars from me and I’m going straight onto book #2.

Beauty from Surrender by Georgia Cates

4 Stop Else You Will Wear It Out Stars

Blurb - How do you move on when he’s every song you sing?

After Laurelyn Prescott walks away from the love of her life, she returns to Nashville to pursue the only dream she has left. Determined to find a distraction from the pain of losing Jack Henry, she immerses herself in her music. But with her old life comes old acquaintances and new expectations. When Laurelyn refuses her record producer’s outrageous demands, she finds herself without a career—until an unforeseen opportunity presents itself. From there it’s a rocket ride straight to the top where Laurelyn finds the success she’s always dreamed of. Will it be enough to bring her the happiness she so deserves, or will the absence of Jack Henry leave her wanting more?

Jack Henry McLachlan never expected to fall in love with Laurelyn Prescott—but he did. After he foolishly let her slip through his fingers, he spends three months searching for her, but their reunion doesn’t come easy. The woman he finds isn’t the same one who drifted away without a goodbye. No longer an insecure girl on an Australian adventure, this Laurelyn is a successful musician with a promising career. Her dreams are becoming a reality, and Jack is terrified his American girl won’t have a place for him in her new life. With only a month to convince her otherwise, will it be enough time to make her visualize a life beyond the glitz and glamour, a life that includes him?

Beauty from Surrender is book #2 in the Beauty Series.

I read this book straight after book #1 so the story was still at the forefront of my mind.

How the tides have turned somehow in this book I end up feeling a bit sorry for Jack, what amazes me is why I feel bad for him when he has totally brought this on himself!!!

Jack is still a douche and in this book he’s also a petulant douche which is something new lol. 

He totally mind fucks Laurelyn and he somehow always manage to get his own way!! I have to say though if he wasn’t just fictional I would totally take off my hat to him because he plays Laurelyn like a bow!!!

No means No dick don’t pout like a toddler!!!

Amazingly even though he is an incredibly manipulative knobhead I still really like Jack even during Laurelyn’s POV’s I was still wondering what Jacks perspective would have been.

I would have loved for Laurelyn to have played a bit harder to get in this book; she didn’t even really make him work for it!!

Again seriously there is an insane amount of sex in this book, Jack must have lost so much weight just through the amount of spunk he’s ejaculated its scary!!!

I again end up feeling a bit sorry for poor Laurelyn, it just feels like she is a people pleaser and just goes along with everything Jack says. I feel like she just overlooks her dreams to make him happy!!

I not really sure where the next book will go, is it going to be Jacks or Laurelyns ex’s that cause trouble??? I’ve no idea but I’m looking forward to book #3

Beauty from surrender gets 4 stars from me!

Beauty from Love by Georgia Cates

3 Not What I Expected Stars

Blurb - The epic romance between an all-American beauty and her Aussie continues in this final installment of The Beauty Series.

Jack McLachlan is fulfilled by more than he dared to dream possible. He finds everything he never knew he wanted—or needed—in Laurelyn Prescott, his last and final companion. Life is beautiful with his beloved by his side but their post-wedded bliss is cut short when his dark past springs into their present happiness. He wants to shelter Laurelyn but keeping her untainted by his previous life proves impossible when yesterday’s sins insist on returning to haunt him. Will it be possible for them to find happiness in their forever with a past like his?

Beauty from Love is book #3 in the Beauty Series

I’ve read the three books in this series back to back so I’ve been completely immersed in the characters world and I think that’s a great way to approach this series.

Now I really enjoyed the first two books but for me I found book #3 a bit unnecessary.

Jack and Laurelyn are now married and getting on with their lives and this book is essentially an extended epilogue.

I had really hoped that Audrey would make an appearance in this book and really throw a spanner in the works that Jack and Laurelyn would have to overcome. But I’m sorry to say but nothing really happened in this book.

Don’t get me wrong this book is sweet and it’s nice to read about them settling down and becoming a family but I was really hoping for something a bit more dramatic.

A few more of Jack’s ‘Companions’ cause a bit of trouble but overall nothing worse than what happens in the previous two books.

Sorry to say this book was just a bit lacklustre for me 3 stars.

***Read Along & Review - Breathless For Him by Sofia Tate - Chapter 13-15 - 4 Stars***

***Read Along & Review ***

Breathless For Him by Sofia Tate

We’re having a read along for Sofia Tate’s Breathless For Him. Each day we’ll be highlighting three chapters, with notes from Sofia! Be sure to follow along as we get ready for the release of Devoted to Him on December 2^nd.   

 Read Along Chapter 13-15   

Favorite quotes:   

He runs his index finger down my cheek before he replies. “I was thinking how my father is a complete prick. I was thinking how glad I am my mother is a kind person with a good heart. And finally, I was thinking how grateful I am that you were the one working the coat check at Le Bistro the night I came to get my glove, because since that night, I’ve never been happier in my life.” I smile back at him, then I reach for the back of his neck and bring his mouth to mine. We kiss each other gently, but I need more. After the tumult of the night, I need to know that he really is mine. I need to claim him.   


Chapters 13-15 

 Davison and Allegra have dinner at his parents’ house. His mother asks Allegra to help with a benefit she’ll have for Allegra’s school, the Gotham Conservatory, specifically sing at it, and she accepts. Then Allegra overhears his father calling her a gold-digger to Davison, who instantly tells him to watch his mouth. In the car on the way home, she goes down on Davison after he tells her he’s never been happier in his life, and she needs to claim him.   At school, Allegra asks a Czech opera student, Tomas, to sing at the benefit, much to Lucy’s displeasure because she thinks he wants to go out with her and she insists she’s not interested.   The night of the benefit at Davison’s parents’ house, he sneaks her away to his childhood room to have sex. Then when she returns to sing a diet with Lucy, images from Allegra’s past appear on the screen-photos of her being carried away by a cop from the night her mother died, newspaper headlines. She is horrified and runs out. Davison follows her and demands to know what’s going on. At the top of a staircase, she tries to pull away from him, but she falls down the stairs. He rushes her to the hospital. She doesn’t want to see him. Her father tells him to leave. He sneaks back in while she’s asleep and begs her not to leave him. She asks her father if anyone has visited her, and he said no but he was filling out paperwork. She surmises it had to be a dream.     

  About Breathless For Him: For fans of New York Times bestselling authors Samantha Young, Sylvia Day, and E. L. James comes the stunning, erotically charged story about a woman who's not looking for love and the tempting billionaire who left her breathless . . . 

As a gifted opera singer, Allegra Orsini's only obsession is music-until she meets him. A strikingly handsome and powerful man with a life splashed across the tabloids, Davison Cabot Berkeley isn't what she expected. He's unlike the other wealthy patrons who dine at Le Bistro. Davison sees more than just a coat-check girl working her way through grad school. And from the moment he looks at her, those deep green eyes ignite a fire inside Allegra she's never felt before. She craves Davison's touch-his possession-endlessly. Even though every fiber of her being is telling her to stay away, that it's best for both of them, she can't. As his passion consumes her, Allegra can no longer deny Davison's hold on her. He'll never let her go. But as much as she wants him, Allegra can't surrender to his love-not until she faces a painful secret from her past that could destroy them both . . .   

                                    Breathless For Him Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

                                                 Preorder Devoted to Him: Amazon |B&N   

                                           My Review

4 A Nice Change Stars

Breathless for Him is book #1 in the Davison & Allegra Series and the first book I have read by this author. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review so here goes....

I liked this book it had a Sylvia day vibe to it, like an air of mystery surrounding Allegra and her childhood.

All of the opera references somehow manage to make it feel sophisticated instead of pretentious, and it was nice to have something a bit different from the usual down on their luck female characters I see so much of.

I liked Davidson but he's definitely holding something back. He was sexy as hell when he slipped into alpha mode but for some reason I always felt he was holding himself in check.

Davidson and Allegra have a load of sexual chemistry and to be fair their sexy times were pretty hot!!

I don't want to spoil anything so this is vague but Allegra’s dramatic background and subsequent reappearance was a bit random.

We all knew something was gonna happens I'm just not sure why it happened, I feel like a bigger explanation of how it took 18 years to come to a head would have been appreciated.

I honestly have no idea how the next book is going to proceed, I think there is definitely scope for the story to continue and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Davidson's mom was badass and I’d love to see her carry out her threats against Ashton who was a massive BITCH!!

My only critisim of this book would be that it meandered a bit in places and was a bit slow but overall I enjoyed it and will be moving onto book two as soon as it releases 4 stars. 

About Sofia Tate: Growing up in Maplewood, New Jersey, Sofia Tate was shy, quiet, and never misbehaved thanks to her Catholic school upbringing. If only the nuns could see her now-an author of contemporary erotic romance novels that have gorgeous Alpha heroes, strong heroines, and loads of naughty words and hot sex! She has an MFA in creative writing from Adelphi University. Sofia has lived in London and Prague. She currently resides in New York City.  

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***Virtual Book Tour - Game on by Collette West - 3.5 Stars- Out Now***

***Virtual Book Tour***Game On by Collette WestNew York Kings # 3

Blurb

Pitching phenom Bruce "Jilly" Gillette has a hard time talking to women. His hulking presence of tattoos and muscles is what makes him an intimidating closer on the mound, yet off the field, he's painfully shy, uncomfortable in his own skin.

Desperate to revamp his loner image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.

Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly's life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he's about to become her new leading man.

 Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/game-on-new-york-kings-3-by-collette.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22883350-game-on?from_search=true

Buy Links

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

My Review

3.5 Super Sweet Stars

Game on is the first book I have read by Collette West, I was given this book in exchange for an honest review so here goes....

Game On is a standalone book but shares characters and the New York Kings baseball team with the previous two books she has written.

In my opinion feel like I would have benefited from understanding some of the background and sub plots that have occurred in the other stories, so I wished id read the first two books about the Kings.

That being said this is my first Collette West book and I still enjoyed the plot and story without any prior info.

Jilly is a little bit like the BFG he's big and solid on the outside but inside he's just a big ole squishy marshmallow!!?!

I'm sorry to say that I’m not convinced that I actually like Jilly that much, I swung backward and forwards between thinking he was adorable and thinking that he was behaving like a whiny little girl!!??

I liked Hailey she was sweet and apparently has a very dirty imagination lol!!!

For me Jilly and Hailey could have just as easily been best friends than lovers as their connection was effortless and comfortable. There were snippets of passion and desire but they were fleeting.

I'm sorry but as far as I’m concerned Drake completely stole the show even though this was Jilly and Hailey’s story every time Drake popped up I was completely engaged and absorbed by him. 

If Collette West was to write Drakes book I would absolutely read it!!! Drake has something about him and I just get the feeling his story would be completely explosive!!!

I also love Gayle she's a real piece of work and a force to be reckoned with!!!

I really wish Jilly could have been more assertive I would have loved for him to go all alpha on Hailey!!

This is s cute story with a sweet couple I just wish I had read the other two books first!! I give this book 3.5 stars!!

Author Info

Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball's biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.

Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com

She is the author of NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER and GAME ON.

Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($10 Amazon eGift Card and, signed paperback of GAME ON)

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Excerpt 

"Practice makes perfect. Isn't that what all you athletes say?" She gives me a saucy wink, and I know then that everything's going to be okay.

"Yeah, but I think I’m gonna need you to help me work on my stamina." I give her what I hope is a sexy look.

She chuckles, blushing a little.

"I wanna learn every noise you make when I touch the places on your body that get you going. I wanna memorize the look I put on your face when you throw back your head, begging me with your last breath not to stop what I’m doing to you," I reply, watching her face turn a highly arousing shade of pink.

She pouts, her lips full and plump. “Do you know that I spent three hours picking out my underwear for you?"

"Really?” I ask, laughing.

"Too much?" She crinkles her brow at me, and it’s so fuckin’ adorable.

"Hailey…I’m very appreciative." I kiss the tip of her nose, getting her to smile back at me.

"I didn't know if…" she trails off.

"You never have to do anything more for me." I reach down and stroke her face.

"I just wanna measure up." She holds on to my shoulders, resting her forehead against my chest.

"Hey…" I say gently, meeting her eyes as she gazes up at me. “I don’t want anyone…but you.”

She swallows hard, her smile returning to her face, as she grabs my bicep. I feel the heat of her gaze. Maybe I do want to see that naughty side of her after all.

***Blog Tour - Her Winning Formula by Shannyn Schroeder - Hot & Nerdy #3 - 4 Stars***

***Blog Tour***
Her Winning Formula 
by Shannyn Schroeder
Hot & Nerdy # 3

  

Blurb

Spring break was supposed to be a last blast of fun for three friends before the reality of adulthood set in. But for the trio’s science whiz, it’s an education in instant attraction…

Chemistry major Felicity Stone can tell you everything about the way chemicals interact, but when it comes to social interaction, she needs schooling. Abandoned by her friends, Felicity is faced with spending spring break alone—unless she accepts a gorgeous stranger’s invitation to pose as his girlfriend at a family wedding. Not one to turn down a research opportunity, Felicity never expected it to produce such breathtaking results…

Teacher and baseball coach Lucas Tanner is fascinated by Felicity’s potent mix of spirit and scientist, not to mention her delicious curves. When Felicity asks him to return the favor by teaching her how to pick up guys, he can’t refuse—but he’s not at all happy with the idea of her using a formula for flirting on anyone but him. Can he convince her that together they have the perfect chemistry?

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/her-winning-formula-hot-and-nerdy-3-by.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23006814-her-winning-formula

Buy Links

Amazon | Barnes | iTunes

My Review

4 Adorably Sweet Stars

Her Winning Formula is book #3 in the Hot & Nerdy Series here are links to my reviews for book #1 Her Best Shot and book #2 Her Perfect Game.

Her Winning Formula is by far my favourite book of the series, Felicity is the female Sheldon (aka The Big Bang Theory) she’s incredibly endearing and I instantly warmed to her and invested in her happily ever after.

I loved that she’s a massive geek who feels that she socially inept but I loved even more that she met her perfect match in Lucas and was completely oblivious to it lol!!!

This book is absolutely adorable; Lucas is such a sweetie he actually breaks down everything that Felicity doesn’t understand and makes it felicity proof!!

Lucas is a real keeper he’s that guy that is just too good to be true, so when he turns out to just genuinely be a really nice guy it makes him that much better.

I loved the connection between Lucas and Felicity they could just as easily have been best friends and I honestly felt that spark and comfort that made their relationship so effortless.

I was incredibly surprised that the sex was so hot!! I expected it to either be a bit awkward and cliché or there not to be any sexy times at all. How wrong was I!!! Felicity is a little wildcat in the sack and again I loved that she was just so unexpected!!

The biggest and only criticism I have about this book is that it was far too short!! I read it in about an hour and I would have been really happy for this to have been a much longer novel.

Overall all I still adored this story, the characters made me smile and the adorable romance made my heart all warm and fuzzy 4 stars!! 

Author Info

Shannyn Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary romances centered around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the new Hot & Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends and their last spring break. When she’s not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to bake cookies.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($10.00 Amazon or B&N eGift Card or Printed Bound Copy of First Two Novellas in the series, HER BEST SHOT & HER PERFECT GAME)

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Excerpt 

 

The movie was filled with killing and explosions, but couldn’t hold his concentration. The mousy girl in the bed beside him kept grabbing his attention. And she wasn’t doing anything but reading silently. She didn’t even move her lips when she read, but her facial expressions changed. Her eyes would narrow or her forehead crinkled. Sometimes a sly smile snuck up on her. He didn’t know how he knew, but it was like it surprised her when it happened.

He couldn’t remember the last time he read anything for school that had him feeling any kind of emotion, much less what she was experiencing. He paused the movie. “What are you reading?”

She didn’t look up from the book, but answered, “Research.”

He tossed the remote on his bed and jumped onto her bed, jostling her in the process. “Come on. Research isn’t that fascinating. What are you really reading?”

Annoyance crossed her face with his intrusion. “It is research. I enjoy research.”

“Let me see.” He held out his hand for the reader.

“No.” She hugged it tight to her chest.

Now he had to know what it was. No one guarded research material. He crawled over to her, and she scooted farther back until she hit the headboard. “Let me see.”

“No. Now go away and watch your movie.”

“This is more interesting than the movie.” He eyed the way she held it to figure out the best way to snatch the device.

She turned to get out of bed, presumably to get away from him, giving him his opening to grab the reader. He moved fast, and she stood looking in disbelief. Her mouth hung open and fear entered her eyes, but she covered it quickly with anger as she crossed her arms.

He hadn’t yet looked down at the screen. “I’m just playing. If you really don’t want me to see this, I’ll stop.”

“Whatever. Do what you want.” She knelt on the bed and then sat, pulling her knees up to her chest. She bit her thumbnail.

He glanced down at the screen and began reading. He smiled. Felicity was reading a naughty book. “You’re reading porn?”

“It’s not porn. It’s erotica or erotic romance.”

“Chick porn.”

“You’re such a guy.” She grabbed her reader back and turned away from him.

“Why did you call it research? Why not say you’re reading a novel?”

“I am doing research.”

“Sex research?”

She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

“You don’t know…I mean….”

“Shut up, Lucas. I know how sex works. I’ve even had sex.”

“Then why research?”

She huffed and put the reader down on the bed. “These books aren’t just about the sex. They’re about human interaction, relationships. How people relate to each other and learn to understand each other.”

“That’s just part of life.”

“For people like you it is, not for me.”

“For people like me?”

“I’ve known you for less than a day, but I can tell that everyone likes you. You’re open and friendly, and you understand what people mean and what they need. I don’t. I don’t get any of that. I read these books because I get a picture of what normal people think when they see someone, how they interpret someone’s words or actions.”

He stared at her. He didn’t know what to say. During the course of speaking, she opened up. Her body language relaxed, and she was in the moment, not worrying about anything. She was honest and vulnerable. It was pretty fucking sexy. He lay down and rested on his elbow. “Does it turn you on?”

She rolled her eyes again. “Such a guy.”

She turned over on her stomach and went back to reading. He mimicked her pose and bumped his shoulder into hers. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“Sometimes,” she whispered.