Aestas Book Blog

Book Review — Take A Chance (Rosemary Beach #6) by Abbi Glines

February 14, 2014 by Aestas · 182 Comments

Before I get into the review, I just want to say that I strongly recommend reading all the other books in the series before reading this one. Grant’s story is tied in quite strongly with both Rush and Woods’ (and with everyone else in Rosemary Beach) and I really feel like they should all be read in order. There are a lot of characters too so it would be good to go in with a bit of a refresher on them first.

Emotionally, this was a bit of a complicated book because there were a lot of factors at play. Grant was an interesting character. I’d always liked him but I hated his choice to be with Nan in any capacity so, going into this book, I was looking forward to seeing him grow a lot and learn to appreciate a relationship with his heart rather than just his… other parts 😉

I’ll be perfectly honest here… I hate Nan. Absolute hate her. And as such, even though I liked Grant, I wasn’t so sure how strongly I’d be able to connect to someone who clearly had had such a tolerance for her. I loved Grant, but I did not understand the way he was with Nan. But what this book did was it really helped me see her through his eyes and get to at least see why he had been with her.

“Mine had been the arms she’d run into, and like a fool I had opened them up for her. Now, all I had was a lot of damn drama and a slightly damaged heart. She hadn’t claimed it. Not completely. But she had touched a place no one else had. She had needed me. No one had ever needed me…. As sick as it was, I had wanted to be her hero.”

Harlow’s initial reaction to him though was (understandably) kind of that she didn’t want much to do with a guy who could be involved with someone as horrid as Nan. And I have to say, I totally saw where she was coming from which sucked for him because, despite how hard he kept trying to fight it, he was falling for her.

I kinda went back and forth on my feelings though because I could both understand Grant’s fears and see what was preventing him from putting his heart out on the line even as I simultaneously just wanted to slap him upside the head and tell him to get his shit in order before he lost his chance with Harlow for good.

What I loved about Harlow was that while she may have been a little shy and generally preferred to keep to herself, she was not a pushover. She saw right through Grant from the first time she met him and was not going to be on the receiving end of any of his issues. She also had no problem calling Nan out on her shit either. And I just kinda loved her for it.

We also get to see a whole lot of Mace in this book (he was Kiro’s son and Nan and Harlow’s brother) and I absolutely loved him. I really hope we get a whole book on Mace in the future because he really stole my heart. He had that whole protective big brother vibe working for him when it came to standing up for Harlow and I can only imagine how he’d get when he fell for someone. And I have to say… even though I know I’m supposed to be rooting for Grant as the hero of this story, for a good while I totally agreed with the advice Mace was giving Harlow….

“My advice is to stay the fuck away from [Grant]. Guys that weak aren’t the ones worth sticking around for. When a guy gets the attention of someone like you, he’s supposed to understand his luck. Not toss it away. He doesn’t get it. Find a man that understands your worth.”

He wasn’t wrong. See, the first half of the book was kind of interesting because… it’s rare to read a book where you actually don’t even think the hero is worthy of the girl yet. And truly I didn’t think Grant deserved Harlow. Not at first. He had a lot of growing up to do and a lot of things to come to terms with before he could give his heart over. And the thing was that I understood and respected that. Not everyone just takes a running leap and jumps into a relationship with their eyes closed. He had valid fears but they were ones that he needed to get over before I could respect him as someone worthy of Harlow.

But I will say that while Grant did mess up (a lot), I have to give that guy credit because he knew how to give a great apology. I mean, gosh — it was hard not to forgive him. It really was. I kinda just had to.

“I may have pushed her too far away,” …

“Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe you never stood a chance to begin with. But is she worth trying?”

I nodded. “Yeah, she’s worth begging.”

A big part of the story was actually Grant facing his fear of loving someone and opening himself up to the potential pain of losing them. Having seen first hand how devastating the loss of a life could be, he was determined to do anything and everything to prevent himself from ever experiencing that loss.

“…all I could think was what if I loved someone that much and I lost them? How could I live? … I decided I never wanted to be that vulnerable. I never wanted to love someone that much. I never wanted to face losing the one person that owns me.”

I felt that of all the lines that described Grant best, it was this one…

“You’ll find out you can trust me. I’m not a bad guy. Deep down you know that. I just made a very bad decision.”

Now, the second half of the book had some really cool revelations and twists to it that I loved – specifically regarding the beautiful backstory development with Kiro which showed me a whole new side of him. I’m not going to lie, I teared up more than once and thought it was a wonderful addition to the story.

The ending is a cliffhanger. Grant and Harlow’s story is still unfinished. I literally turned the page and then realized… there was no next page. *sniff* But, if you’ve read this series so far (which you really should before reading this book), it’s nothing outrageous — I mean, it’s the same type of cliffhanger you’re already used to from this series so if you’ve handled them ok so far, you’ll be fine with this too.

I do have to say that all of Abbi Glines’ book have this insanely addictive quality to them. They kind of just compel you to inhale them in one sitting — which was what I did with this one. I read it start to finish without stopping and am now looking forward to the next one!

Rating: 4 stars

** SERIES READING ORDER **

#1 FALLEN TOO FAR (RUSH) — Kindle | Paperback

#2 NEVER TOO FAR (RUSH) — Kindle | Paperback

#3 TWISTED PERFECTION (WOODS) — Kindle | Paperback

#4 FOREVER TOO FAR (RUSH) — Kindle | Paperback

#5 SIMPLE PERFECTION (WOODS) — Kindle | Paperback

#5 TAKE A CHANCE (GRANT) — Kindle | Paperback

#6 ONE MORE CHANCE (GRANT) — Kindle | Paperback

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Book Review — RULE (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

February 11, 2014 by Aestas · 11 Comments

“It’s always been you even when I didn’t want it to be, even when it broke my heart over and over again. It’s just always been you.”

What an awesome book!!! My first thought after finishing it was:

WHY DID I NOT READ THIS SOONER????? WHYYYYYY??

Rule was one of the books I’d had on my TBR the longest without having read it. I literally bought it the day it was first released as an indie (back in 2012!!) and for whatever reason, I just never had got around to reading it. The funny thing is that I actually always thought I’d like it. Maybe I was subconsciously saving it for desperate times?? Who knows… but from the first few pages, I was totally pulled into the story and knew there was no way I was going to put it down. Everything about it just screamed WIN!!

The story is about Rule and Shaw who were about as polar opposite as you could possibly get. He was a hot headed, rebellious, man-whoring, tattooed (and thoroughly pierced!) bad boy, and she was a pristine, straight A student. They’d been in each other’s lives since they were young teens but as far as he knew, she was also the love of his late twin brother’s life. But what he didn’t know was that she’d always and only loved his twin like a brother and had always been secretly in love with him….

I absolutely loved their banter. It was fun and so snappy!

“You’re twenty-two, Rule. When are you going to stop acting like an indulgent teenager?” …

“You’re nineteen, Shaw…. My eighty-two-year-old grandma has more of a social calendar than you, and I think she’s less uptight.” …

“I like Ethel.” …

“Everybody like Ethel. She’s feisty and won’t take crap from anyone. You could learn a thing or two from her.”

“Oh, maybe I should just dye my hair pink, tattoo every visible surface of my body, shove a bunch of metal in my face, and sleep with everything that moves. Isn’t that your philosophy on how to live a rich and fulfilling life?”

There might not have been any insta-love in this book (quite the opposite in fact) but I sure fell instantly in love with it. Everything about it was fun and addictive. And it was so much more than just a bad boy romance too — there were deeper things at play … a long unrequited secret love, a dysfunctional family dynamic made worse by a tragedy that just rubbed salt into old wounds, a fantastic cast of Alpha male brothers (of both blood and friendship), and a wonderful romance at the heart of it all.

Rule really stole my heart. He was such a misunderstood character I think. While his outer appearance was too much for some people to look past, or it just made them judge him wrongly, he had a heart of gold and for as much of a bad boy as he was, he was also such a good guy.

“Are you, Mr. Manwhore of the Century, seriously trying to give me relationship advice?” …

“Just because there hasn’t been one girl I wanted to hang out with exclusively doesn’t mean I don’t know the difference between quality and quantity.”

I loved how naturally protective he was of her. At times, it was actually hilarious…

“Maybe next time you could just pee in a circle around me so that they know you’ve already been there.”

But all joking aside, he had no problem telling anyone who messed with his girl right off…

“I’m telling you this stops now or you can go to the hospital and I can spend some time in jail, got it?”

And with so much history between them, they both knew what was on the line…

“Rule, if this goes bad, it’s gonna be so, so bad.” …

“True, but if it’s good, its going to be so very, very good.”

Oh, and I also have to say that while I do love a protective here, it’s also totally awesome when the girl stands up for her guys and Shaw had a totally badass line that I have to share with you…

“I’m not giving you his number because he’s mine and if you get anywhere near him I swear to God the things I do to you will be chronicled on Investigation Discovery for years to come.”

My heart really broke for Rule though. The way his family treated him was so unfair and I just wanted to reach in and hug him and tell him that it would all be ok. And given all of the things he’d been through, it was an understandably big step for him to open up his heart to anyone.

I can’t say enough how much I loved that this was more than just a romance. I feel like the external issues in both Rule and Shaw’s lives brought a lot of dimension to the story. I didn’t actually expect that and it was a pleasant surprise. And I also loved that even though the focus of the book was clearly on Rule and Shaw, the few pages that each other character graced were enough to connect me to them and have me interested in their lives as well. Especially Rome — omg, I’m totally crushing on him (shhh, don’t tell Rule).

Taking a little side moment to gush about Rome here… this quote basically described him as exactly the kind of hero I love most…

“Even battered and bruised, Rome was the kind of guy who stood between the people he loved and anything that might possibly hurt them.”

Be still my heart!! Ok. I’ll hold off on the rest of my Rome-love until his book. Back to Rule now…

The story was well paced and it kept my attention the whole way through. No slow or sticky spots. And, for the most part, there was a lot of what I love most in books which is two people trying to work through their issues to figure out how to make their relationship work. I’ll admit that there was some stupid mixed in but for the most part it didn’t bother me because with the way the story was told, in alternating POVs, I could always see that neither of them ever meant to hurt the other and they were trying in their own way to do the right thing… even though sometimes they did the wrong thing first and then had to learn from their mistakes.

And I really have to give Rule credit — he may not have made all the right decisions but that man sure knew how to give an epic apology and grovel. He was impossible not to forgive. The things he said just melted my heart and I loved how, once he’s sorted out his feelings, he was bound and determined to make sure Shaw knew how he felt.

I really loved seeing Rule and Shaw work through things. They both were dealing with a lot of respective external drama in their lives but I could see them improving as they went.

“We have to fix this.”

“We need to learn how not to break in the first place.”

The book ended in such a way that it totally wrapped up Rule and Shaw’s story but left me curious and intrigued to read on in the series and find out about the other guys’ stories.

You know, it’s funny but I guess sometimes you can get spoiled reading a lot of really great books and after those it’s sometimes hard to find another one that you really love. And after starting and stopping no less than four books this week that just weren’t working for me, I was starting to wonder if maybe it was me? Like, what’s the likelihood of that many books not working out? But then… I started this book and just instantly connected. Total book magic.

The best word I can use to describe this book would be ‘addictive’. This is definitely a must read bad boy romance. It’s fun, flirty, and sexy, but also has a lot of depth and a great core group of characters I can’t wait to read about. I highly recommend it!

Rating: 4.5 stars

PS — I just want to address this because some people have been asking. The original indie version of this book had a lot of errors in it that some readers were complaining about. But since then, it has been reedited so I just want to assure you that the version out now is totally clean and reads without any issues.

*** SERIES READING ORDER ***

Note: each book is about a different couple.

Book #1: RULE — Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book #2: JET — Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book #3: ROME — Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book #4: NASH — Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book #5: ROWDY — Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback
Release date: October 21, 2014

Book #6 :ASA — Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback
Release date: April 14, 2015

Cover Reveal + Teaser — THE WILD SIDE by R.K. Lilley

February 10, 2014 by Aestas · Leave a Comment

I am so excited to bring you the cover, blurb, and a special teaser from RK Lilley’s new standalone erotic romance novel — The Wild Side. I am a huge fan of her writing — I loved both the Up In The Air series, and the Tristan & Danika trilogy and can’t wait to read this new book!!!

*** edit: since this post, this story has been changed to a novella serial. Details to come.

Scroll down and see what it’s all about 😉

❤ THE WILD SIDE ❤

standalone erotic romance — coming 2014

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE A WALK?

Alasdair Masters is in a rut. He just hit forty, has been nearly celibate for the past year, and his life has turned into a daily sequence of lonely patterns that revolve around avoiding human contact.

His tidy life is turned on its head when a hot young blonde at the gym that’s been pseudo-stalking him decides to rock his world. A very young blonde. Way, way too young for him. The problem is, he can’t seem to tell her no, and she just keeps coming back for more.

It doesn’t help that he’s ninety percent sure she’s a criminal, and still, he can’t seem to turn her down. What is a dull introvert to do when a chaotic cyclone that oozes sexuality comes twisting into his life?

At first, he thinks she’ll give him a heart attack, but after his twenty-year marriage ended a year ago, he’s been a little lost, and when she comes crashing into his life, he realizes that he’s never felt more alive.

Is a walk on the wild side just what he needs to get his life on track or a disaster in the making? Is it possible for someone that much younger to be just what he needs, or is she a fortune hunter, as everyone keeps telling him? Is it his hormones telling him that the mysterious younger woman is the one, or could it be more?

❤ TEASER ❤

I set my two perfectly folded gym towels down on a chair by the treadmill and got on the machine.

I always brought two. I wasn’t even sure why. I was a creature of habit. Once I started a pattern, I tended to stick to it, rain or shine.

Kind of like my marriage. Of course, that hadn’t lasted forever, but that hadn’t exactly been my choice.

I punched in my settings and began my warm-up. I had already done twenty minutes of stretching at home. My three-hour daily workout was very precise. I had a family history chock-full of heart disease, and so I aggressively fought to stay healthy. I was intelligent enough to know that I’d brought the whole thing to an extreme, but honestly, what else was I supposed to do with my free time? I was busy enough with work, but my work involved a lot of sitting down and tapping away at a computer, and I felt I had to counter all of that physical inactivity, somehow.

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KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY & SIGNED COPIES of SWEET THING & SWEET LITTLE THING by Renee Carlino

February 8, 2014 by Aestas · 486 Comments

Here’s another amazing and HUGE giveaway for you guys!!

To celebrate the upcoming release of Sweet Little Thing, a companion novella to Sweet Thing, author Renee Carlino is offering up a giveaway of a Kindle Fire HD and also signed copies of both books!!!

So, if you’re new to these books, check below for more info on both of them and then be sure to scroll down and enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post for your chance to win!!

GOOD LUCK!!!! 😀

❤ SWEET THING ❤

Standalone New Adult romance.

“You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together…then you’ll hear the sound of your soul.”

Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She’s an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father’s café, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She’s denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions-for him, for music-but her father’s legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.

Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

❤ SWEET LITTLE THING ❤

Companion novella to Sweet Thing

Ever wonder what happened after the final pages of Sweet Thing?

From his candid and sometimes neurotic point of view, Will tells all in this musical and sexy follow-up novella to Renée Carlino’s USA Today Bestseller.

Life is pure bliss for Mia and Will. They have a puppy, a loft in Brooklyn, and a new music studio on the rise. It seems things couldn’t get any better for this talented couple when life decides to throw them a sweet little curve ball.

They quickly learn that things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes happily ever after is one giant leap of faith away.
With the help of good music, good friends, and one eccentric old lady, they overcome a few of life’s little bumps to find the sweetest thing of all.

Release date: March 4, 2014 | Add to Goodreads

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NEW & RECENT RELEASES LIST

February 7, 2014 by Aestas · 1 Comment

There have been SO many new releases recently that I decided to just put them a whole bunch of them together in one post here for you to browse through. Unless I have a review linked in though, I haven’t read them yet but many are sequels to books I’ve loved. Happy reading, everyone!! 🙂

COLD BLOODED BEAUTIFUL by Christine Zolendz — New Release

YAY!! It’s live early!! This is the sequel to Brutally Beautiful, a book I recently loved (read my review). It is not a standalone, and is a direct continuation of the story in the first book following Kade & Sam. I can’t wait to read it!! Please note that the first book can be read as a standalone and it was an awesome read! Dark, twist, & funny with fantastic writing. Reading order: #1 Brutally Beautiful, #2 Cold Blooded Beautiful.

LIFERS by Jane Harvey-Berrick — New Release!

This is a standalone romance I’m looking forward to! It’s written by the author of another book I loved (The Education of Sebastian) and this book tells the story of a 24 year old man returning home to his small town after 8 years in prison. Everyone looks down on him and shuns him except for one girl — the preacher’s daughter and resident wild child — who doesn’t judge him but accepts him as he is…

NICO by J.B. Harnett — New Release

This is the third book in The Leaves series but follows a different couple than the first two books. I haven’t read this series but the blurb of this one sounds really good! It starts: “When I was a boy, I met a girl. She didn’t know it then, but she changed me.” The series reading order is: #1 Inky, #2 Cole, #3 Nico.

ARROW TO THE SOUL by Lea Griffith — New Release

This is the second book of the No Mercy series. I haven’t read these books yet but I hear they’re dark and gritty as the heroines are assassins!! If you want to check them out, here’s the reading order: #1 Bullet to the Heart (on sale $0.99, reg. $5.99), #2 Arrow to the Soul.

BE WITH ME by J. Lynn — New Release

This is Book 2 of the Wait For You series. The main novels in this series are standalones but it’s recommended to read them in order as they are all connected. The first books are also on sale! Reading order: #1 Wait For You (standalone — $0.99), #1.5 Trust In Me (alternate POV of book 1 — $1.99), #2 Be With Me, #2 Stay With Me.

KALEIDOSCOPE by Kristen Ashley — New Release

This is the sixth book in the Colorado Mountain series. Each book is a standalone but it’s recommended to read them in the following reading order: #1 The Gamble #2 Sweet Dreams, #3 Lady Luck, #4 Breathe, #5 Jagged, #6 Kaleidoscope. And here are my reviews of: The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, Lady Luck, Breathe.

SAVING QUINTON by Jessica Sorensen — New Release

This is the second instalment in the Nova series where “Nova and Quinton’s dramatic story of love and redemption continues.” These books are not standalones (one continuous story about the same characters) and must be read in the following order: #1 Breaking Nova, #2 Saving Quinton, #3 No Regrets.

SONG OF THE FIREFLIES by JA Redmerski — New Release

This is a new standalone New Adult romance and is a spin-off of The Edge of Always (following characters originally introduced in that book). The tagline is: The truth will set them free.

TAKE TWO by Laurelin Paige — New Release

This is a Hollywood romance standalone from the author of the Fixed Trilogy. Based on the blurb, it sounds like a bit of a second-chance romance and it can be read as a standalone. A one night kiss with a stranger she never forgot……. seven years later, he’s a major movie star and she’s working as an assistant on his movie set…..

SHREDDED by Tracy Wolff — New Release

This is the first book of a new series but can be read as a standalone and the hero is a bad boy snowboarder!! From the blurb: In this intense and exhilarating New Adult series debut, a hotshot snowboarder and a rebel with a cause try to let go of the past—and find a future with each other.

NEVER BEEN READY by J.L. Berg — New Release

This is the second book in the Ready series but each book is about a different couple. Also, the first book, When You’re Ready, is on a limited time SALE too!! I haven’t read them but they both look good!

STOLEN GRACE by Arianne Richmonde — New Release

This one sounds really different! I haven’t read it but it seems to be about a husband and wife whose marriage is on the rocks but must put aside their differences when their child is put in danger. It’s a standalone novel.

IGNITE ME by Tahereh Mafi — New Release

This is the third and final book in the Shatter Me series which is a YA dystopian/paranormal series that the blurb recommends for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent. Here it the reading order: #1 Shatter Me, #1.5 Destroy Me, #2 Unravel Me, #2.5 Fracture Me, #3 Ignite Me.

PINK SHADES OF WORDS by multiple authors — New Release

17 of today’s Best Selling Romance Authors have come together to support Breast Cancer Research and have released this new anthology. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated towards Fifty Shades of Pink Avon Breast Cancer Team.

UNWANTED STARS by Melissa Brown — New Release

This new release is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. The blurb says it’s about a woman who trades in her day job for a one year contract with a European tour company and now is basically being paid to see the world. But “when a mysterious stranger enters her life, however, everything changes: her expectations, her priorities and her view of the world. And nothing for [her] will ever be the same.”

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SIGNED GIVEAWAY — CONNECTED & TORN by KIM KARR

February 7, 2014 by Aestas · 232 Comments

*Backdated by 1 month now that over.

Woohoo!!!! Another giveaway!! 😀

Connected and Torn by Kim Karr are together in print for the very first time!!!! And, to celebrate, I have a very special signed giveaway of a set of both books for you!! Open internationally so everyone can enter!!

If you haven’t read this New Adult romance series yet, I’ve also linked up the whole reading order below so you can see what they’re all about! The first two books (which tell a completed story) are already available in both eBook and print and the rest are coming in the new months!

Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post for your chance to win!! 😀

❤ SERIES READING ORDER ❤

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice?

The story that begins in Connected is concluded in Torn
these two books follow the same characters.
Dazed is a spin-off novella following Aerie & Jagger.
Mended is a spin-off novel following Xander & Ivy.
Frayed is a spin-off novel following Ben & Bell.

It is recommended to read the series in order.

#1 — CONNECTED — Kindle | Paperback – available
#2 — TORN — Kindle | Paperback – available
#2.5 — DAZED — Kindle – April 1, 2014
#3 — MENDED — Kindle | Paperback – June 3, 2014
#4 — FRAYED — Kindle | Paperback – Sept 3, 2014