Romance book reviews. Reviews of books that make my heart race, have a beautiful love story, and a happy ending.

Romance book reviews. Reviews of books that make my heart race, have a beautiful love story, and a happy ending.

Aestas Book Database
Book Review — Beautiful Broken Rules by Kimberly Lauren

Book Review — Beautiful Broken Rules by Kimberly Lauren

by · 6 Comments

SQUEEE!!!

Bad boy fans, you’re going to love this book!!

I had been in such a reading funk the last few days. I’d started and stopped so many books that I was starting to wonder if it was ‘me’, y’know? But THIS BOOK pulled me right back into happy reader land!

Beautiful Broken Rules was a wonderfully addictive and romantic read with a bad boy hero who I promise you will fall for! There was heaps of swoon, awesome banter, and a delicious kind of angst that made my heart race and kept me flipping pages. Once I started, I could not put it down!

Fans of Beautiful Disaster should definitely check this book out! Although the plot lines are very different, this one gave me many of those same wonderful ‘feelings’.

This book also pretty much defied one of the norms because instead of having a manwhore hero, we had a heroine who pretty much was the female equivalent. Kinda weird to think of it when the roles are reversed, huh? But it totally worked for this character. Emerson was a strong heroine and I loved that she didn’t make any excuses for the way she was and the things she did.

Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself here…

The book is about Emerson, a college student who has three rules that she never breaks: 1) Never sleep with someone a friend has feelings for, 2) Never sleep with someone in a known relationship, 3) Never sleep with the same person more than three times. These rules keep her ‘safe’ within her comfort zone. She was deeply scarred by events in her past that basically left her terrified of relationships and so these rules are her coping mechanism that both allow her to have fun and keep her clear of being bogged down in any relationship drama or heart break.

Until Jaxon Riley showed up.

With his gorgeous tattoos, his cocky but endearing attitude, and his naturally protectiveness, this bad boy sweetheart spun her world right around and for the first time in her life, she found herself actually wanting more than just a fling. He didn’t care about her past, he just wanted her future and was determined to win her heart.

*swoons*

“I don’t need a protector, okay?” I breathed.
“I’m trying my fucking hardest here, Beautiful.”

Only a few pages into this book and I knew it was going to be a winner! I was smiling and chuckling and swooning and it just kept on getting better. I really honestly loved pretty much everything about it.

I fell hard for Jax. Everything about him was either alluring, intriguing, or downright hot! And Emerson was a surprising and fun heroine. She certainly had her share of issues but I felt like I could understand them and better yet, Jax understood them and I seriously just loved the way he was with. So sweet and tender but yet totally possessive and protective. The perfect combination! He knew about her issues and yet he was willing to be patient with her.

“I love you… Relax, I won’t say it again for a while. I just want you to get used to the fact that one day, when you’re comfortable with it, I’ll tell you every day, multiple times a day. I want you to know how much I love you every single damn day, but for now, I’ll just let you soak it in.” 

I loved that this was more than just a romance. The core group of friends and family were just as awesome to read about. Some of their scenes were seriously just priceless!

“Ew, guys, stop it. Not on the couch.” Quinn was right next to us, batting me off of Jaxon.

“Oh, like we haven’t gotten plenty of fluids on this couch already, sweetheart,” Cole laughed from behind her.

“All of you are disgusting, shut up, push play and keep your fluids to yourselves,” Jace complained.

There were definite undercurrents of tension though through the story because of how Emerson clearly shied away from all relationships and there were some moments of full on angst and drama but at the same time, all of it was the delicious kind. I revelled in it even though there were times when I just wanted to shove her and Jax into a room together and not let them out until they’d worked through their issues.

One thing that I did really like was that throughout the drama, I never once doubted their feelings for each other and despite being a tad frustrated at how long it took them to get through their last issue, because I could tell they were still just crazy about each other, it allowed me to ride it all out with a good feeling instead of being worried sick. They both made mistakes but I also *knew* they’d work things out and was excited to see it all come together.

“You’re my heart. You don’t walk away from your heart.”

Beautiful Broken Rules was exactly what I’d been looking for. A fun, delicious blend of swoon and angst with a possessive but sweet bad boy and a strong but damaged heroine. It just pushed all the right buttons for me and is definitely one of my new favorite New Adult romance reads.

Highly recommended!

4.5 stars

PS – This reads as a standalone but the next book, Beautiful Broken Mess, is about Jax’s brother Jace!!

Casting

Standalones

  

Beautiful Broken Rules Promo SM

SIGNED GIVEAWAY & COVER REVEALS for KILLING SARAI & REVIVING IZABEL by J.A. Redmerski

SIGNED GIVEAWAY & COVER REVEALS for KILLING SARAI & REVIVING IZABEL by J.A. Redmerski

by · 282 Comments

Look how beautiful!!!! Both books in J.A. Redmerski’s latest series In The Company of Killers now have brand new covers! The first book Killing Sarai was released earlier this year and I loved it! It was unputdownable, unpredictable and left me dying to know what happened next!

The second book, Reviving Izabel, will be released before the end of 2013 and has a blurb that you can see below! Reviving Izabel will have a resolved ending but for readers who want more, there will also be a third spin-off book following Victor’s brother, Niklas, and a brand new character ❤

Also, the author has offered a signed giveaway of 2 sets of both Killing Sarai and Reviving Izabel!! It’s open Internationally. See details at the bottom of the post 🙂

 ❤  BOOK #1 — KILLING SARAI ❤

Killing Sarai SM

Currently available for purchase.

From the author of the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling novel, THE EDGE OF NEVER, comes a story of passion and survival…

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

(paperbacks will be available in the next 2 weeks)

 ❤  BOOK #2 — REVIVING IZABEL ❤

Reviving Isabel SM

To be released December 10th, 2013. 

Determined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned.

Sarai’s reckless choices send her on a path she knows she can never turn back from and so she presents Victor with an ultimatum: help her become more like him and give her a fighting chance, or she’ll do it alone no matter the consequences. Knowing that Sarai cannot become what she wants to be overnight, Victor begins to train her and inevitably their complicated relationship heats up.

As Arthur Hamburg’s right-hand man, Willem Stephens, closes in on his crusade to destroy Sarai, she is left with the crushing realization that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But Sarai, taking on the new and improved role of Izabel Seyfried, still has a set of deadly skills of her own that will prove to be all she needs to secure her place beside Victor.

But there is one test that Izabel must face that has the potential to destroy everything she is working so hard to achieve. One final test that will not only make her question her decision to want this dangerous life, but will make her question everything she has come to trust about Victor Faust.

 ❤  SIGNED GIVEAWAY ❤

2 winners – each will receive signed copies of both Killing Sarai and Reviving Izabel.
Books will be sent out after the release of Reviving Izabel later in 2013.

Open Internationally (one winner will be International, the other US only).
Void where prohibited by law. Must be over 18 to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SALES, PRICE DROPS, NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING BOOKS

SALES, PRICE DROPS, NEW RELEASES & UPCOMING BOOKS

by · 2 Comments

$0.99 Sale Alerts

  • $0.99 — Lost & Found by Nicole Williams. This is the first of the Lost and Found series. I’ve heard such good things about it! Can’t wait to start!
  • $0.99 — Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken. This book made me laugh, cry & swoon. Everyone should read it!! It’s a standalone New Adult romance with a HEA. Read my review. “I can tell you have a good heart… because the minute I met you, I wanted to fight for it.”

       

$1.99 Sale Alerts & More

  • $1.99 — While It Lasts (Sea Breeze #3) by  Abbi Glines. Despite this being the 3rd in the series, it can be read as a standalone. From what I hear, this book is fan-yourself-hot! I can’t wait to read it and meet Cage! Regular price is approx $8.
  • Series sale!! The Education of Sebastian and The Education of Caroline have dropped in price from $4.99 to $2.99 each. If you’re a fan of forbidden love stories, this is definitely a series to check out! I loved them both! Here are my two reviews: Book #1 & Book #2. “Everything had a price: every glance, every kiss, every stolen touch… I knew it was wrong; I knew it was right.”

 

Special Sales – These are rare publisher sales on highly recommended books. Regular price is approx $8 each.

  • $3.79 sale — The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. This book is a beautifully written New Adult standalone and has one of the most powerful endings I have ever read. Absolutely everyone should read this book at some point in their lives. It was unforgettable. Trust me, its totally worth it! Read my review.
  • $3.79 sale — Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker!! This is a must-read standalone New Adult romance about a girl who was drowning in the pain of her shattered life and the boy with a dark past of his own who pulled her out and helped her to breath, to live, and to love again. Read my review.
  • $5.00 sale — Entwined With You (Crossfire #3) by Sylvia Day. This is not a standalone and should only be read after both Bared To You and Entwined With You but I can’t recommend this series highly enough. One of my TOP favs!!
  • $5.00 sale — Breathe (Sea Breeze #1) by Abbi Glines). This is the first of a series of interconnected standalones that is on many of our reader’s favorites list. I can’t wait to read them! Abbi’s writing is absolutely addictive!

    

New Releases

  • Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters. I’m really excited to read this! It’s a New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance and this line from the blurb grabbed my attention: “My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.Then it all changed. I was sold.”
  • Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage. A cute, swoony, heartwarming standalone New Adult romance. The hero is a gigolo and the heroine is determined to be his friend no matter what. I loved it! Read my review.  “He could be my soul mate…except for one teeny tiny glitch. He’s a gigolo. Boy, do I know how to pick them.”
  • Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino. This was a sweet, heartbreaking and romantic story that kept me up reading all night! It’s a standalone romance with a HEA and has now been re-released by Atria with a new cover. Read my review.
  • Vain by Fisher Amelie. This is actually a paperback re-release now that the gorgeous new cover has been launched. I loved this book. It was a beautiful, unique YA romance. Read my review.

         

Upcoming Releases

  • Sept 3 — Conversion (Conversion #1) by S.C. Stephens. I adored this vampire series from the author of Thoughtless! It’s very unique and I think it will appeal to all romance readers regardless of whether they are fans of paranormal romance or not.
  • Sept 17 — A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers. Oh my! This one looks sinfully good! A double taboo forbidden love triangle! The blurb says she’s “torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have.” 
  • Sept 17 — Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves. One of my most highly anticipated books of the year! I can’t wait to read it! “What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?”
  • Sept 17 — All of You by Christina Lee. This is a standalone New Adult romance and get this: the hero is tattooed and a  virgin!! Holy unicorn!

       

**Prices are set by Amazon.com and are subject to change at anytime without notice. 

Book Review — Arsen: A Broken Love Story by Mia Asher

Book Review — Arsen: A Broken Love Story by Mia Asher

by · 32 Comments

Love can destroy you.
Love can erase you.
Love can heal you.
Love can reinvent you,
And if you are lucky enough,
Love can make you whole again.

For the first time in my blogging life, I have no idea how to rate a book. My feelings are just too all over the place. Let me try and explain…

I’m not going to lie, when I first heard about it, I was 99.99% sure that I would hate this book. It basically seemed like the polar opposite of what I might love and truthfully, in a way, it was. It had almost all of my “no-no’s” in it, the biggest one being cheating, which is almost always a deal breaker for me. But… it wasn’t as clear cut here as I expected it to be and even though I’m not sure about where I stand on it, I can certainly understand why readers are loving it.

So hear me out and see if maybe this book might be for you. I think every reader will just have to decide for themselves on this one. But I’ll be honest and tell you that the only way I was able to bring myself to read this was because a good friend gave me all the gory details in advance. There was no way I was going into this one blind but all the insanely high ratings had my curiosity peaked. So, she told me everything and knowing those details pushed me over the edge and made me decided to give this book a shot.

Warning though: THIS. BOOK. WILL. RIP. OUT. YOUR. HEART. For real. You WILL want to throw your eReader at the wall. You WILL be angry. You WILL roll your eyes and want to throttle people. You likely WILL cry. And you’ll probably hate the heroine at some point (or several). But… you might also end up loving the book. It’s just one of those books I guess that really hits home with some people.

So, about the book….

Cathy has the perfect life. Or so it might seem on the outside. She has a gorgeous, sweet, kind, thoughtful, loving husband, Ben, who thinks the world of her, is always there for her and who cares for her more than anything. But after three miscarriages, she begins to fall apart. Her sense of self-worth (which has always been shaky at best) shrivels leaving her sad, lonely, and miserable. She can’t bring herself to accept her husband’s unwavering support and can’t bear the thought of not being able to have a child. Emotional numbness begins to take over and she just slips away.

Enter Arsen. Young, confident, handsome egotistical playboy who doesn’t remotely try to hide his attraction to her and, for the first time in a long while of being closed off, he makes her feel and… she’s drawn to that.

“When our eyes connect, I see danger, and maybe something exciting. Something forbidden. Some basic instinct in my instantly recognizes that this man doesn’t make love to a woman. He fucks her.”

The more she spends time with Arsen, the further she pulls away from Ben, the perfect man who has unquestionably loved her since the day they met, until the lines between love, lust and friendship have not only been blurred but are utterly shattered.

Now, about my feelings…

For the entirety of the book, my heart bled for Ben. I mean BLED. He was one of the good guys, y’know? The keepers. The kind that you fall down on your knees and thank the high heavens for and the fact that Cathy couldn’t see it was just fucking tragic. He was the one. The hero. There was absolutely no question in my mind. Ever.

“For you I will do anything. Anything.”

“Babe, talk to me. You’re scaring me. What’s the matter? Tell me so I can fix it… please.”

Breaks my heart just reading that. 🙁

Cathy… hmm… ok, brutal honesty here. My conclusion based on the entirety of the book was that she needed help. I mean that in a very serious, non-judgmental way. She needed professional therapy. She was going through some serious depression and had a whole mix of issues going on and the way she was coping on her own ended up destroying years of many people’s lives. Again, truly tragic. It was hard not to see her as flat-out ungrateful and selfish. She had a lot of issues and truly was an anti-heroine. The only way I can come to terms with, no.. more like ‘deal with’, her actions is by feeling pity for the fact that she was in a bad place and just didn’t receive the help she clearly needed. I think it was because she didn’t know how to love herself that she couldn’t accept Ben’s love for her.

Now Arsen was interesting because in all honestly, I didn’t connect with him as a character until the epilogue. He raised my hackles because of the threat he represented and I wavered back and forth on my feelings for him. Maybe, in another book, away from this situation, I might have felt differently for him but in this book, I never personally fell for him. I couldn’t relate to Cathy’s obsession with him and because of the cheating aspect, I just felt a little ill during most of his scenes with Cathy. Especially the sex scenes. I think the best description of Arsen was this quote right here: “Arsen, a friend gone wrong.”

I think what hurt the most was that there was no justification. This wasn’t a situation where Cathy and Ben fell apart, no, this was Cathy, just Cathy, drifting away. And a big part of me hated her for it because she had Ben. She loved Ben and she threw him away.

“I wish I could save you, Cathy. Take the pain away; erase it from your body. I wish I could hurt for you, but I can’t. You have to save yourself. All I can do is love you. Through it all, just love you. But you need to let me back in.”

While the story is primarily told from Cathy’s POV, we do also get a few scenes from Ben’s side partway through and later on, some from Arsen’s. The first half is actually fairly slow building. I was enjoying my read and I liked all the flashbacks that built the foundation of Cathy and Ben’s relationship but at the same time, nothing was really putting my heart in my throat per say. But then one tiny lie started the downward spiral… and that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach began to grow as I watched bit by bit as something that I’d come to love got torn to shreds.

The real cheating didn’t begin until the second half and even when Cathy was in a place where she felt like she needed Arsen, I still just didn’t feel anything for him. It was like a total emotional disconnect and I just felt sick to my stomach for what they were doing to Ben. There was never a point where I was torn between Ben and Arsen. I didn’t blame Arsen though… he was just being Arsen. I wouldn’t have expected different or better for him. He just came, he saw, he conquered and in a weird way, he was trying to help her. He did have real feelings for her. But Cathy… fuck. I was pretty disgusted with her because what she wanted from Arsen wasn’t something that Ben wasn’t offering, it was just something she wasn’t in a place in her life (I guess) where she was able to accept it. And she was the one in the position to say no. And she didn’t. And I hated her for it.

“No one said cheating was pretty but hell, it’s downright disgusting. Yet, I can’t stop myself from doing it… I feel revulsion turn my stomach upside down by my own actions. I want to scream, I want to throw up, I want to die. I’m repulsed by me, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay to be with Arsen.”

But as much as I hated that Cathy needed Arsen, I won’t deny that he did help her in a way. For some unfortunate reason, he was the person who was able to help her reach a level of healing that she sadly wan’t able to get from Ben even though he was offering it to her.

My heart just broke for Ben over and over again. Every tear I cried was for him. The first time was around the 60% mark and just suddenly… TEARS and full body chills. That man just did not deserve what he was delivered. Dear Lord but he did not deserve it. It was tragic and just… heart breaking.

It wasn’t until the very, very, VERY end that I came to terms with some of what had happened. There was one line in particular that actually made me reconsider a lot of what I’d read and look at Cathy in a different light. Not that it made me understand her, but more that it made me understand something about her. The ending… well, I’m not going to give it away directly but it’s a bittersweet, tragic HEA. “Technically” I’m happy with the ending. Even though “happy” really does NOT seem like the right word. Relieved, maybe?

“There never was a choice for us, was there?”

To tell you the truth, I have NO idea how to rate this book. Was it good? Yes. It absolutely was. For sure. But a part of me wants to give it 2 stars because I’m so fucking angry and then another part of me wants to give it 5 stars because holy hell did it make me feel. I don’t feel good rounding out that number though because 3.5 honestly doesn’t feel right either. Ben was a 5 star character and, tragic as what happened was, I think they had a 5 star love. Most of my ratings are based on my feelings but at the same time, I don’t just want to ‘feel’ any emotion, I want to feel specific ones and… this book made me feel some things I wish I hadn’t felt. *sigh* I just don’t think it’s possible in this case to generalize my feelings down to one specific number.

Overall I’d say it was partly 2 star and partly 5 star but not an average of them. It just was what it was.

There’s a line actually that kind of resonates with how I feel about the book as a whole:

“I hate you as much as I loved you.”

Mia Asher has written a strong, compelling debut novel that takes you through the beautiful and ugly sides of love and betrayal. Truly, a broken love story in every way. 

ARSEN PROMO

Book Review — Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage

Book Review — Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage

by · 6 Comments

“He could be my soul mate…except for one teeny tiny glitch. He’s a gigolo. Boy, do I know how to pick them.”

Price of a Kiss was a cute, swoony, heartwarming standalone New Adult romance. It was lighthearted and romantic but still had emotional depth. The banter was awesome, the writing was great and the story was sweet. I really enjoyed it!

The prologue instantly hooked me. It it we see the hero, Mason, at eighteen years old, put in an impossible situation by his mother’s landlady. With his sister sick and their single mother struggling to make ends meet, the rent was months overdue. Threatening them all with eviction, the landlady backs Mason into a corner and propositions him. If he agrees to sleep with her, the balance would be voided. So, despite her being over twice his age, the fact that this might be the only way to save his family from immediate eviction had Mason going along with her wishes.

Two years later, Reece is starting her life over in a new college after her last relationship ended in a horrible mess when her ex-boyfriend crossed the obsessed stalker line and tried to kill her. She changed her name, changed towns and started over. A new relationship was the last thing she was looking for but the minute she locked eyes on Mason, she fell head over heels in swoon with him.

From fifty yards, he’d taken my breath away. From ten feet, I’d been ready too have his babies.

Of course there was the one teensy tiny glitch… he was a gigolo. Totally and completely off-limits. But that did not stop her from swooning hard or wanting a friendship with him. She wasn’t looking for anything more at that point and honestly, he couldn’t give her any more even if she’d wanted it so between them they struck up an unlikely friendship brimming with fun, flirty sexual tension.

Every female instinct in me wanted to reach out and trace the wrinkles in his brow he was making as he frowned.
Must. Soothe. The hottie.

Oh and…

Brace yourself for this one, ladies: He had a tattoo. I know. I almost spontaneously combusted right then and there.

Teehee!

Ok honestly, this book just made me happy. Flat-out happy. So much of my book is highlighted. I laughed and snorted my way though a good chunk of the book in a way that made me glad I wasn’t sitting in public at the time I was reading 😉

But I felt so bad for Mason! The poor guy was literally sacrificing everything for his family. He couldn’t have real relationships, everyone either wanted to take something from him or shunned him, and you could just see the pain it was causing him. He gave it all up – friends, relationships, a social life, everything – just to keep a roof over his family’s head.

But that was what made their friendship mean so much more. She was literally the first person to see him as HIM. Just Mason Lowe. She fell hard for him but knew and understood where he was coming from. She didn’t ever judge him and I have to say, I loved her as a heroine for that.

“Every woman treats me that way, Reece. I’m not a person to them. I’m just… a good time or something vile to be avoided at all costs. And then you can along and you… you hugged me. You are the first person who sees me, Mason, not sex for sale.”

In a certain way, they were kind of perfect for each other because she wasn’t looking for a new relationship and he quite literally could not commit so their mutual understanding led them into a really wonderful friendship. But their attraction was palatable, their chemistry was combustible and their flirty banter was just pure gold.

I loved Reece. She was a strong heroine and totally in control of her life. Yes, she’s been through a huge trauma but she was not about to let it dictate her life. It was really refreshing to just never be annoyed with the heroine.

And Mason… ohhhh Mason. Seriously, just the sweetest guy! With a hilariously insatiable appetite (and I’m talking real food here, get your mind out of the gutter!) and a gorgeously protective nature, he was easy to love.

The more time they spent together, the more apparent it was that their feelings for each other ran deeper than they each expected but it was heartbreaking to see how tainted Mason felt. They were crazy for each other but he just couldn’t bring himself to be with her. Not while… well, you know.

I’m going to try and anticipate some questions you might have about this book given the hero’s um… *cough* profession.

First, they do not sleep together while he’s “taking clients”. Second, they don’t become a couple immediately but their friendship did begin to build early on and got developed quite a bit so that by the time they actually were ready to make it official, they fell into it very easily into their relationship given their already established connection.

This book had a little bit of everything – laughs, heart break, and a really sweet, impossible romance that I rooted for from the first few pages. It was my first book from this author and it certainly will not be my last. The writing was funny, witty and easy to read. I’ll definitely be looking forward to more from Linda Kage.

At 370 pages, it’s definitely a full-length novel but it flew by fast. I read it in a couple hours and was left with a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling. It’s a standalone with a HEA and epilogue so you really get a complete story here.

If you’re looking for something fun and swoony or something to read after a heavily emotional book, this would be a great choice!

4 – 4.5 stars.

________________________

Series of standalones. Click covers to purchase.

PRICE OF A KISS PROMO SM

Book Review — Good (Too Good #1) by S. Walden

Book Review — Good (Too Good #1) by S. Walden

by · 8 Comments

“Love comes in all kinds of packages. Some are neatly tied up, and some are messy. It doesn’t mean that the messy ones aren’t every bit as good.”

Holy taboo!!

Good was a well-written, rebellious romance that defied rules and crossed lines.

Bold. Daring. Forbidden.

The dedication at the beginning set the tone for the whole story:

To lovers who fought the odds. And won.

To give a little bit of background, Good is a New Adult student/teacher romance but there is nothing sugar-coated about it. I loved that the author wasn’t afraid to explore such a controversial, unconventional topic. The taboo screamed loud and clear and despite the fact that the relationship was legally acceptable in their state, it’s up to every reader to decide if they can morally justify it because the facts are this: the heroine in a 17 year old student and the hero is her 28 year old math teacher. Plain and simple. They were attracted to each other, they fell in love and they acted on their feelings. Now add to the mix the fact that the heroine is a Christian from a church going, Bible thumping family and you have the recipe for a story that will leave no feather unruffled. And…. I loved it!

Here’s the blurb:

Cadence Miller is a good girl. She just happens to make one terrible mistake her junior year in high school which costs her ten months in juvenile detention. Now a senior, she’s lost everything: her best friend, the trust of her parents, driving privileges, Internet access. And most importantly, anonymity. Everyone knows about her mistake, and the kids at school like to remind her with hate notes in her locker, pranks, name-calling—the works.

But there is one bright spot in the hell that’s become her life: Mark Connelly, her very cute, very off-limits 28-year-old calculus teacher. She falls hard for him—a ridiculous schoolgirl crush headed nowhere. She can’t help it. He’s the only good thing at Crestview High. She doesn’t expect him to reciprocate her feelings. How inappropriate, right? But he does. And he shows her.

This book had guts. Balls. It pushed every boundary. I won’t lie though – some scenes did make me squirm. The situation was anything but ‘comfortable’ but I couldn’t put it down. It was dangerous and thrilling.

“He’s cute. Very cute. And very smart. And very manly…. And very off-limits.”
“Those are always the best love stories,” Fanny replied.
“Which ones?”
She sipped her tea. “The dangerous ones.”

The prologue starts off with a bang. Right from the start, I was drawn into the severity and scariness of their situation. And, I wanted to know more!

I really love S. Walden’s writing. Her character building is fantastic! Within a few pages, she managed to make me fall for the hero and be drawn right into the heroine’s story.

Cadence was a really interesting character. She was vulnerable on the inside but tried her best to wear a tough exterior. I really liked her. She was sheltered but not stupid. Innocent but not overly naive. And she was fighting an entire life’s worth of doctrines and beliefs while trying to find her own place in the world.

I was outraged on her behalf for the way she was treated at home. Downright furious!!! How could her parents be so close-minded?? Utterly blind! Every time that I wanted to cheer her on for standing up for herself, they found a way to cut her down. It wasn’t outright cruelty, but sometimes you don’t need fists to hurt.

“I worked for an entire month since my release from juvie to get back into my parents’ good graves… The irony was that I didn’t need to show either of them I’d chanced because I hadn’t. I’d always been a good girl, even when I made that mistake. Yes, it was a really terrible mistake… but it didn’t alter who I was. I didn’t suddenly overnight become a drug addict or a career criminal. I made one bad choice that branded me for life, at least in my parent’s eyes.”

I felt terrible for her. I mean, who doesn’t make mistakes when they’re a teen? It’s supposed to be the time of screw ups. Granted, hers were more serious than most and while her parents’ initial reaction might have been understandable, at some point, you have to be able to forgive and allow room to rebuild trust, no?

“I was tired of hearing the word “no”. I heard it every day… I couldn’t breathe for the “no’s” piling on top of me, pressing on my heart, smothering my brain, making it impossible to think positive thoughts.”

But because of the way the story was written, it made you initially feel one thing but then the more you thought about the different perspectives, the more multi-layered the story began to get. I mean, even with her parents… I could “get” where they were coming from the more I thought about it even though I hated the stance they took. But I think that’s the point – people are rarely “good” or “evil”. We’re all comprised of multiple sides.

But lets get to the romance…

It was hot, forbidden and thrilling. But I love taboo books because you just never know what you’re “supposed” to feel. Y’know? Should you root for them? *cringes* I really wanted to. Heck, I did. Did it feel wrong? Sure. Absolutely. Did it stop me from feeling that way? Nope. It was like my brain and my heart were at war and it was a constant battle to see which one could come out on top.

I’m not going to lie though – as much as I loved the forbidden romance aspect, I won’t deny that the fact that a 28 year old was actively pursuing a 17 year did at least partially rub me the wrong way. Honestly, there were times when I wasn’t sure… wasn’t what he was doing wrong? Shouldn’t an older person know better? What a fine line there is between the fantasy of love and the reality of it.

He was so direct. No beating around the bush. But at the same time, he never pushed her. He just didn’t hide his feelings from her. Gah!! the conflict! And darn him but he was swoony! I have to give him that. Sweet and swoony. He never once pushed her into anything but, at the same time, he didn’t hold back either.

“I wasn’t a complete idiot. I knew this was all wrong, and I knew I had to confront the possibility that Mr. Connelly was a bad man. A user. An exploiter. So why didn’t I believe any of it?”

There were definitely times though when he crossed the line and was unquestionably wrong. But I guess that made him human. I mean, who is perfect? And the way he apologized for his mistakes gave me a deeper respect for him. It’s hard not to respect someone who fully admits their faults.

Another thing I found interesting was that there was never a time when you got so lost in the story that you forgot Cadence’s age or Mark’s job. The taboo always loud and clear. It felt dangerous and forbidden.

“Do you really think it’s wrong that we’re together?… Or do you think it’s wrong because that’s what you’ve been taught?”

See, it’s a weird thing with student/teacher books because it’s like… Would I want that kind of relationship? No. Would I want it for my daughter? No. But at the same time, sometimes things don’t work out in an ‘ideal’ way and you can’t always help who you fall for. I guess the choice then is whether you act on it or not. But, if you don’t at least try, you might miss out on something incredible. So, it’s hard for me to judge it. And I have to take into consideration how much of my discomfort came from my societal norms and from what I’ve been taught my whole life. In another country, on a different planet, maybe this wouldn’t be taboo. They weren’t hurting anyone, they were both consenting, so… who am I to judge?

Every single thing in this book made sense. Everything was a reaction to something. I loved that there was no fluff and that everything that happened had a purpose and was somehow tied into either the overall plot or a character’s development.  It was a well crafted story that made me stop and think.

I loved that this story made me uncomfortable in places, I loved that the questions that it raised, I loved the thrill of the taboo, and I loved the way the whole story came together. It was fast paced, attention grabbing and I honestly didn’t want to put it down.

Good is the first of a 2-part series so everything wasn’t tied up neatly with a bow at the end. There was absolutely no relationship cliffhanger but there was an external one. While their relationship wasn’t in doubt, we are left with a lot of unanswered questions and there is a lot to explore in the next book. That being said, it didn’t leave me biting my nails. Sure, ideally, I’d have loved to have the sequel ready to go but I’m okay waiting here. And I will certainly be reading the sequel the day it gets released.

S. Walden really did a fantastic job with this book. It was bold, daring, and dangerous. This is the kind of taboo you want to read.

4.5 stars

Casting:

I also want to share this note from the author because it was a part of what made me want to read the book:

Yeah, so I realize I’m taking a chance with this one (as I do with all my books, it seems). I know many of the student/teacher relationship books out there involve professors and college students to make them a little more accepting. Yeah. I really don’t do “accepting.” Plus, the story spoke to me. It wanted to be written. Cadence needed to be written. Not only am I taking a chance with the stark age difference between heroine and hero, but I’m also taking a chance infusing spirituality in this book. It’s not enough that Cadence would embark on a completely inappropriate relationship with her teacher, but I wanted to make sure she was a Christian as well. So there you go. Start ruffling those feathers. She’s a Christian. She’s involved with a 28-year-old while she’s still a minor. She’s impressionable but not disgustingly naïve. It’s very much a love story that explores personal values, societal expectations, and the meaning of true love.

I do have to share this because I thought it was funny. My agent asked me, “Summer, now they don’t do it until she turns eighteen, right?”

“Well, I looked up the age of consent in Georgia. It’s sixteen,” I replied.

Brief pause.

“Summer, they don’t do it until she’s eighteen, right?”

“Oh, Marisa. Don’t you want to wait and find out?”

**************************

If you want to try another of S.Walden’s books, here are the links to Going Under. This is a standalone romance that really did a number on me. It was a gutsy, controversial story that was painful at times but also, raw, honest, and in the end, beautiful.

Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

Good promo BL

Copyright © 2025 · Aestas Book Blog

a pretty swirl