Scare Crow - Book #2 in the Crow's Row Series by Julie Hockley - 5 STARS!!

Scare Crow by Julie Hockley

 

Five Dark & Perfect Stars

Blurb - Nineteen-year-old Emily Sheppard is losing her sanity. Ever since her mob king boyfriend, Cameron Hillard, abandoned her for her own good, Emmy has been attempting to move on with her charmed college student life as if nothing happened. Now rejected from the underworld and left grieving over Cameron’s alleged death, Emmy realizes she belongs nowhere. Worse yet, she is now keeping a dangerous secret.

 

After just a short time with Emily, Cameron has lost control over his world. As he miserably attempts to return to what is left of his life and unravel the mess he has made of the underworld, Emily’s hate turns to desperation. She needs to kill the kingpins responsible for Cameron’s death before they come looking for her. As Cameron secretly observes Emily, he has no idea of the danger he has placed her in—or that it may already be too late for him to save her.

 

Scare Crow is a tale of revenge, terror, and love as Emmy and Cameron embark on separate journeys to face enemies, correct past mistakes, and find their way to their destinies.

Scare Crow is book #2 in the Crow’s Row Series, book #1 absolutely rocked my world so as you can imagine I had some seriously high expectations.

Did Scare Crow deliver OMG yes it bloody well did!!!!

Ok so the good bits...

·         Emmy, Christ the poor girl she believes Cameron’s dead and her life is basically falling apart but she is amazing. She’s strong and tenacious and above all she is a fighter!!

·         Cameron, he’s a tortured soul and he feels like leaving Emmy is for her best interest what an idiot!!!

·         Griff, he’s like a knight in shining armour in this book he swoops in and looks after Emmy what a superstar.

And the not so good bits...

·         Julie Hockley I HATE YOU!!! Please stop finishing books on major cliff hangers!!!!!

Ok so I’m going to have a fangirl moment now.... I loved this book; I mean I seriously loved it!! It’s dark and gritty and painful and I loved every single word.

I will be honest I have read this book in a few hours and just couldn’t put it down. I feel like I have really been through the wringer, I’ve been through every emotion there is with this story and I don’t think that has ever happened to me before.

I empathized with Emmy the poor girl has suffered, she fell in love with Cameron only for him to then die (not really lol) and then she finds out she’s gonna have his baby. She is alone; she has no money and is fearful not just for her own life but especially for her babies.

I could have cried for her I felt every emotion that she felt, from her grief and desolation at loosing Cameron to her joy and relief in having Griff come back into her life.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so absorbed in a female character like I did with Emmy I needed her to be ok, I still need to know what happens to her and now Billy too.

Cameron he’s a bit of an enigma, he’s very calculating and everything he does is planned and dissected to look at every available option.

His love for Emmy is so palpable that as a reader I could actually feel it, he genuinely feels like he is doing the best thing for her even though every reader was screaming at the book telling him not to be such an idiot!!

I honestly have no idea how this series is going to play out and as daft as it sounds that is just brilliant. I love not knowing what is going to happen and it happens so rarely that I am actually looking forward to not having a clue how the story will end.

But just in case Julie Hockley ever reads this it would actually break my heart if Cameron, Emmy & Billy don’t have a happy ending!!!!

Poor, poor Griff he is such a lovely bloke and he loves Emmy so much you just know that he’s going to end up with his heart being broken. I’m hoping that he will find someone in the next book who will allow him to get his happy ending too.

Crow’s Row & Scare Crow are a love story but it’s not a romance, it’s a dark twisted tale of enduring love in a world that has no room for sentimentality and is unsympathetic towards the traditional happily ever after. This story moved me and was beautifully written, Emmy is a ray of light in a dark and lonely world for Cameron and I love them as a couple.

Scare Crow is brilliant I loved every word and I can’t wait to find out what happens next 5 very easy stars.

 

Throttle Me - Book #1 Men of Inked Series by Chelle Bliss - 3.5 STARS

Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss

 

Three & a half just for City Stars

Blurb - Suzy’s a control freak and has her life mapped out - work hard, find a man with a stable job, and live happily ever after. She’s content with the status quo, but her plan comes to a screeching halt when he enters her life and turns it upside down.

City gave up on love when his heart was crushed in college, preferring to be the typical bachelor. He spends his nights hopping from one bed to another and his days working at his family tattoo shop, Inked. A chance encounter on a dark road makes him question what he had sworn off forever – a relationship.

A night of passion and lust causes them to question everything. Is City the knight in shining armour to the damsel in distress? Can their relationship survive when a fantasy falls apart and a secret comes out that changes everything?

Throttle Me is the first book in the Men of Inked Series and the first book I have read by this author.

I liked this book and seriously a badass bike riding, tattooed alpha what’s not to like.

Ok so the good bits...

·         City he’s gorgeous, kind, family oriented and happy to make all of your fantasies come true!!!

·         All of the Gallo family, they are a big Italian family who love and support each other.

·         Sophia & Kayden they seem like the perfect couple.

And the not so good bits...

·         Suzy, I just didn’t engage with her.

·         The sex was a bit lacklustre for me.

Ok so I liked this book but there a few issues with it for me...

Now I loved City he was brilliant a sexy guy who is covered in tats and is a tattoo artist. He rides a Harley and is a bit of a badass, but underneath it all he’s a caring family man who’s a bit of a marshmallow.

I loved the idea of him fulfilling Suzy’s fantasies and the whole idea of being kidnapped and owned is titivating and a bit squirm worthy.

Unfortunately this book doesn’t follow through on its sexual promises. The build up and foreplay is hot but then the sex scenes seem to go wahh wah waaa.

City has a dirty mouth and his is alpha and kinky enough to be a bit of a wet dream lol!!

Now I’m sorry but I just didn’t like Suzy she’s constantly hot and cold with City and to be honest in real life he would have dumped her ass!!! I kind of understand that she’s trying to find the guy who lives up to her parent’s expectations but seriously City is Ahmaaazing!!!

I loved the family oriented feel in this book; I have always enjoyed books that have a large group of characters and the potential for more books.

I liked City & Suzy together especially as he took control and told her to stop being an idiot.

After Suzy was attacked I liked that we got to see City’s caring side but to be honest I would have preferred to read the kidnap fantasy play out lol.

Overall I liked this book but for me it could have pushed the boundaries a bit more and been seriously sexy. Don’t get me wrong it was still a good read and I will still be continuing on with the series.

Ties That Bind - Book #3 in The Bellum Sisters Series by T.A. Grey - 4 STARS!!!

Ties That Bind by T.A. Grey

 

Four I Love Alrik Stars

Blurb - Lily Bellum keeps many secrets, even from those she loves the most. With a determination and mindset that only she can help the demon Telal Demuzi—she sets off to join him in his cause for demon's rights, whether he wants it or not. But things don’t seem to go right from the beginning. To say he’s resistant to her charms is putting it lightly, but Lily is not one to back down or give in easily. She pursues Telal, slowly breaking down his incredible defences one smile, kiss, and touch at a time.

Telal’s years of planning are finally coming to fruition—to open the rift. Once a betrayer of his people, now he’s determined to fix the past. But one man stands in his way; one man who’s turned out to be a dark and sinister version of the boy he once knew. His plan to open the rift is met with hostility, resistance, and bloodshed unlike he’d ever thought possible. Telal finds that losing himself in the sweet body of Lily Bellum proves an excellent treatment to the chaos around him. Together, Telal and Lily get wrapped up in a world of dark magic, love, betrayal, and murder in the greatest journey of their lives.

Ties That Bind is book #3 in The Bellum Sisters Series and for me this series just keeps getting better!!

Ok so the good bits...

·         Telal I love that even as he’s being vile to Lilly and trying to send her away he secretly doesn’t want her to go.

·         Lilly, talk about tenacious she absolutely doesn’t take no for an answer!!!

·         This series just keeps getting better and better.

And the not so good bits...

·         Lilly's mom turning up I was not really feeling that.

·         Telal’s mom being a complete nutter and then just being banished, they are going to live to regret that!!!

This is the third book in this series and I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Ties That Bind differs from the first two books and it was definitely a refreshing change.

I love Lilly she absolutely mad as a box of frogs, she completely bombards Telal and invades his home!! I actually laughed out loud when she threatened to report him to the authorities if he didn’t fulfil his role as her protector.

I have never had such a clear picture in my head of a character so gobsmacked as Telal in that moment it was pure genius on the authors part.

I love how confident but yet quietly insecure Lilly was, she was so in your face and loud whilst playing up to Telal but she wasn’t vampish with it. I think her character was brilliantly written as a shy girl putting on a confident show.

Telal for me was the Christian Grey of the demon world (apart from the kinky fetishes lol). He was stoic and sarcastic until Lilly got her claws in him then he suddenly finds some passion and intensity I really enjoyed watching him develop.

Lilly & Telal have some chemistry but I didn’t find the sex as sexy as the previous two books. I actually feel like the romance almost took a back seat from the drama between Telal and Alrik.

I really enjoyed the change in pace in this book there was still action and fighting but it was more planned and calculated. I’m so glad that the T.A. Grey didn’t just tell the same convince him to love me story again, this book evolved the whole series to a different level with a much more complex involved storyline.

I have an issue with this book though it’s not a big issue it’s just bugged me!! Lilly says that she thinks that Talel knows why the girls were gifted by Lilly’s father to those specific men and she wants him to explain. But we don’t find out and now I need to know!!! I’m gonna assume it’s because the men stand for the leaders in their species and they are then united by the sisters and as such work together but is that what I’m meant to assume!!! God I’m so OCD sometimes lol.

Arhhh Chloe is pregnant in this book I think that answers my question do vampires have babies’ lol.

I loved Rosa & Kearnyn she’s a seriously badass witch and he’s a man mountain warrior I love them!!

Alrik is a very complicated character and I’m seriously intrigued by him and his story, I love the idea that the black magic combined with his hate and anger have literally changed his physical appearance and turned his skin and eyes black.

I kind of feel that although I loved Lilly & Telal that Alrik stole the show in this book, his character completely captured my attention and I can’t wait to read his book.

Overall I loved this book it was action packed and smut filled and I enjoyed every moment of reading it.

Bonds of Fire - Book # 2 in The Bellum Sisters Series by T.A. Grey - 4 STARS!

Bonds of Fire by T.A. Grey

Blurb - Three Fates. Three Sisters.

Four hot shapeshifter stars!

Hotheaded succubus Willow Bellum doesn’t take kindly to being given to the Alpha of the shapeshifters. When the will from her dead father puts Willow under the Alpha’s protection, she runs. Yet no matter how hard or fast she runs, he always seems to catch her. And with each stolen moment together, Willow finds herself relenting to his quick smile and passionate kisses more and more.

When the Alpha finally captures his feisty succubus, he proceeds with a full-on seduction meant to weaken her defences. Alpha Lyonis Keelan hasn’t made his way to position of Alpha lightly and Willow’s defiance to his touch only makes him more determined to win her. Because whether she wants it or not, Willow is his mate and he plans to keep her no matter what.

As their love struggles to take hold, an ancient demon stalks Willow. Unable to rest until it sees her dead, Willow and Lyonis must stand together or risk losing everything.

Bonds of Fire is book #2 in The Bellum Sisters Series, I loved book #1 and this book totally lived up to my expectations!!

So the good bits...

·         Willow I loved her she made him chase her down, fair play to the girl!!

·         Lyonis he wanted her from the first moment he saw her, he’s alpha and actual alpha for his pack yum!

·         Lilly she’s a proper firecracker her book is next and I can’t wait.

And the not so good bits...

·         Draven I wanted to slap him what an idiot.

·         The demon storyline, especially its defeat was very similar to the one from the first book.

This book is fab it’s erotic and sweet and if anything abit more of a romance than the first book.

The chemistry between Willow & Lyonis was crackling and the sex was HOT!! T.A. Grey writes good sex. This book defiantly had me a bit hot and bothered and even though the sex was raw and animalistic it was still sweet and loving.

Again like book #1 Willow & Lyonis being together was inevitable, but I really enjoyed the tug of war they played in getting together. Lyonis may be alpha but I loved that Willow on occasion was the most dominant in the relationship.

In this book we see not one but two sub stories, I was not a massive fan of Draven & Lucinda they just didn’t really work for me. But Jackie & Thane were smoking hot, they had some serious chemistry and their love story complimented Willow & Lyonis’s perfectly.

Obviously shapeshifter babies don’t have the same 9month incubation period because according to this book Willow was showing at about 4 week’s lol. And here’s the question do vampires have babies if so surely Chloe would also be up the duff too!!

I loved how obsessed Lyonis was with Willow he adored her and that showed, I love a tenacious man and Lyonis defiantly knew how to get what he wanted.

The shapeshifters are a great subculture and as they live in packs I loved that they created a whole town so they could all live together. There was definitely a more family feel to this book and I really enjoyed that the other sisters and their respectively families were all called into play.

Lilly & Talal’s story is next and I can’t wait. Lilly is bright and vivacious and there is defiantly gonna be some drama in her book.

Overall I loved book #2 it dragged me into the story and I was hooked, I read it in one go and loved every minute.

Chains of Frost - Book #1 in The Bellum Series by T.A. Grey - 4 STARS!

Chains of Frost by T.A. Grey

 

Four sexy as hell stars

Blurb - Three Fates. Three Sisters.

When a will from her dead father decrees Chloe into the protection of the renowned vampire commander, Tyrian en Kulev, she does what any woman would do—and casts a spell. Things get worse for Chloe when the spell she and her sisters perform summons an ancient demon from deep within the earth. Now she's being hunted by a demon set on killing her and must live at the aptly named Castle Death with the king of cold, Tyrian. Surprisingly, Chloe finds that she doesn’t mind her new Protector so much. His cold, impassionate nature needs a firm push to show his true colours, and Chloe thinks she’s just the one to do it.

Tyrian en Kulev always pays his debts. When Francis Bellum dies and orders Tyrian to act as his eldest daughter’s Protector, Tyrian resigns himself to the position. What should have been a simple deal--keep her in the castle, protect her--has turned difficult. Chloe comes to him with a demon trying to kill her and a sexy attitude that keeps invading his thoughts everywhere he goes. The little succubus easily grabs hold of the heart he’d kept locked away for so long and makes him feel once again. But can they defeat the demon that haunts her and can Tyrian overcome his past and move on to a new future with Chloe?

Chains of Frost in book #1 in The Bellum Sisters Series and the first book I have read by this author.

So far so good, supernatural... check, erotica.... check yep I’m gonna like this book I can feel it.

Ok so the good bits...

·         The sisters, I instantly liked all three of them and engaged with them from chapter one.

·         I loved that this is supernatural but not in an in your face way.

·         Tyrian, what a nightmare but from the start you can see the potential.

And the not so good bits...

·         Why are these men so reluctant to get these beautiful women, they all appear alpha so to be gifted these women should be a good thing.

Ok so I liked this book it has all of the important elements for what I constitute as a good book.

It has romance Chloe & Tyrian are always going to end up together that’s inevitable, I love that Chloe takes no notice of Tyrian’s bullshit!!!

Chloe is a succubus so she needs sex to survive this is a genius way of making a book have loads of sex and this book definitely does. In fact I think it gets the title of smut galore lol.

The sex is hot and steamy and defiantly has the squirm factor, Chloe & Tyrian have lots of chemistry and there is nothing meek and mild about their relationship.

I love that Chloe is not all scared and afraid she is in your face and strong willed from the get go. Just because a man likes to be in charge and alpha doesn’t mean that the woman has to be scared of her own shadow.

Tyrian is to be honest a bit of an idiot lol, he tries to fight his attraction to Chloe but we all know that’s not going to work and hey if the sex is as hot as it is between them why would he want to fight it!!

I love the glimpses we get of Willow and Lyonis, their story is defiantly gonna be steamy if the sparks we see flying in this book is anything to go by!!

I loved the other warriors in this book they defiantly have the potential for spin off stories and although I loved getting to know Chloe & Tyrian it was great to get other sub stories for the other characters.

It’s nice that this book has some action as well I think with supernatural romances they have to have action and drama to make them work. The attacking demons in this book do not disappoint and the big grey thing chasing Chloe was bizarre and I doubt we have seen the last of them!!

Overall this book had everything I needed to keep me happy, romance, smutty sex and sexy ripped men fighting really what else could you need!! Book #1 was fab and I’m moving straight onto book #2!

Toxic Girl by Chantal Fernando - 2.5 STARS

Toxic Girl by Chantal Fernando

 

Two and a Half not what i hoped for stars

Blurb -  Everyone has secrets.

Finally, I had a fresh start.
I knew no one.
I could be anyone, or so I thought.
I wanted to be invisible, to blend into the background.
But it turned out keeping my secret wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

Enter Grayson Mills.

When Grayson noticed me, so did everyone else.
He wanted me. Bad.

And what Grayson wanted, he usually got.

Toxic Girl is a standalone novel by the brilliant Chantal Fernando I’ve read a load of her novels they are fab and I had high hopes for this one too.

Ok so the good bits...

·         Grayson, sexy, cheeky and rich happy days!!!

·         College romance gotta love them!!

And the not so good bits...

·         Paris, what a moaning, miserable cow!!!

Ok so I didn’t hate this book but it was just not what I was expecting from that brilliant blurb!!!

I was expecting a dark, sexy love story full of grit and angst, what I got was a college romance that was a bit annoying!!

I really disliked Paris, she started off great but as soon as she got with Grayson I just started to hate her!!

She doesn’t trust Grayson at all and they basically spend the book fighting, ignoring each other and then making up.

With a title like Toxic Girl I was hoping for something dramatic but the only risqué thing about this book is that Paris is a stripper that works in a club called Toxic. Now this is itself opens up loads of possibility but no she quits almost as soon as she gets with Grayson and the club is really never spoken of again!!

Dylan who is Grayson’s ex fuck buddy is supposed to be a bit of a villain and she causes issues between Paris & Grayson but she doesn’t really do anything other than be a bit of a pain in the butt.

I liked Grayson but he didn’t really do himself any favours, he slept with Paris’s sister London and then chatted her up to start with because he thought she was London!!

To top off the weirdness Paris then gets pregnant!!!!

There are elements when Grayson gets a bits alpha, he needed to do this more because to be honest the rest of the time he’s a bit of a pussy not a really attractive quality in a man.

I loved London she was the most vibrant and charismatic character of them all!!

I found this book all a bit disappointing, there’s nothing wrong with it per sa I just had higher hopes for a different type of book L

Pushing The Limits - Book #1 in the Pushing The Limits Series by Katie McGarry - 4 STARS!

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

 

Four enduring love stars

Blurb - So wrong for each other …and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Pushing The Limits is book #1 in the Pushing The Limits Series and the first book I have read by Katie McGarry and I think it’s safe to say I’m officially now a fan!!!

Ok so the good bits...

·         I love Echo; to start with she has a seriously cool name!!! But she is also an incredibly strong girl.

·         Noah he’s just adorable, he thinks he’s a bad boy lol but he’s a proper marshmallow just with a bit of an attitude.

·         Beth & Isaiah, I can’t wait to read their stories.

And the not so good bits...

·         I hate school bullies there’s nothing worse and Grace is just a two faced horror!!

I liked this book its dark and full of angst but it still has this feeling of lightness and hope that allows it to not be too miserable.

I adore Echo & Noah together they are the perfect balance for each other, although this is a YA book you can still feel the attraction even if it is in a very age appropriate way.

Noah’s character is beautifully written, you can feel the intense love he feels for his brothers and the guilt and anger at being separated from them.

I think Noah’s life is actually more heartbreaking that Echo’s, to loose your parents and then to be split from your brothers is just awful! Add on top the abuse and neglect from various foster parents and I just need to reach into the book and give him a big hug!!!

As daft as it may sound my favourite character is Mrs Collins, she’s like the Clark Kent of psychiatrists. She may seem disorganized and chaotic but everything she does is planned and orchestrated. I love that instead of having these teenagers finding their path on their own; she helped them, guided them and supported them. She helped them to restore their faith in adults, I just loved her!!!

This book may be a romance but this is the enduring type of love that can reach over insurmountable problems and traumatic circumstances. Echo & Noah feel like they were destined to meet and help each other to learn to live again.

This book is so tragic, Echo grew up dealing with her mother’s mental health issues and then to wake up in hospital with horrendous scars but with no memory of how she got them is just unbelievably sad!

After reading this book I honestly feel like I have been on an emotional rollercoaster. I smiled, laughed and cried with these characters especially when Noah agrees to not try to get custody of his brothers.

My heart broke for him when he realised that his brothers were better off with Carrie & Joe.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I engaged with the characters and was absorbed in the story and in the end love really does conquer all!!!