5 stars

“An epic love. An epic hate.
An epic story that would last a lifetime.”

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WOW WOW WOW!!!

This book was just breathtaking!! I loved the writing, I felt the story, and the intensity of this childhood friends-to-lovers romance kept my heart racing the whole way through!! Truly, an epic love story.

It began with a heart-wrenching scene set in present day. While we didn’t know exactly what had happened, it was clear that the heroine had just been through some kind of trauma. And in order to explain what was happening to her, we were taken back to the beginning of her story. To her childhood.

Alex (heroine) and Jess (hero) met when they were just eight years old. Alex’s mother was dying and after her father lost his job, they were kicked out of their home. Homeless and with no where else to go, they were forced to sleep in their old truck outside the hospital in the parking lot… until Mr. Mason, the doctor treating Alex’s mother, found them one night and made them a generous offer that would change their lives. Even though Alex hated the idea of charity, she and her father had no choice but to accept the help… She may have hated the charity, but the one person she couldn’t hate was the doctor’s son, Jess. A boy her age who was the first person to make her smile again in what seemed like forever.

“I let myself be pulled in by Jess. The broken, leftover shell of a girl felt bright and shiny whenever he stepped in a room.”

The Masons gave Alex and her father a place to live on their ranch and over the years, she and Jess grew up together and become inseparable best friends. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that this book then follows their story all the way through to adult-hood as they eventually fall in love.

“I’ll always have your back and you’ll always have mine.”

“Always? That’s like forever. How do you know we will be friends forever?”

“I just do.”

This story blew me away!! I truly felt every word with all my heart and soul. From the moment I read the prologue I was hooked and could not put it down. The more I read, the more invested I became in these characters and I can honestly say that I had tears in my eyes for the entire last 20% of the book.

This was such a multilayered story. There were two storylines, past and present, that were seamlessly woven together. It’s not always easy to write this kind of dual timeline but this author did a fantastic job with it. My heart didn’t stop racing. I cared about the past, I was beyond curious about the future, and I loved seeing the way all the pieces we were shown fell in together as their life story began to take shape.

It’s both a coming-of-age story and a romance. Alex had a lot of personal issues stemming from the charity she was forced to accept each day. Her intense guilt over the generosity showered on her by the Masons fuelled her deep-seeded need for independence that shaped the course of many years of her life.

“I would pay them all back; I just didn’t know when or how, I just knew it would happen. Someday, I would repay every so-called miracle. I would not be a product of charity.”

For a long time, she insisted that on only being friends with Jess. Best friends, but nothing more. As frustrating as that was, I felt like I could understand her reasons while simultaneously wishing desperately for them to be together. It was painful because I felt so connected to this story. It didn’t just feel like I was reading their story, it felt like I was living it right along side them. Meanwhile Jess had loved her since they were small. He still knew she had a lot to work through and was willing to wait for her until she might be ready. This guy just loved her so damn much that it broke my heart at times. Especially with the stunning beautiful writing… it was all just overwhelmingly emotional at times.

“His blue eyes spoke a thousand words all rolled into a heartfelt stare. They calmed the panic inside my body. In the silence between two friends, the air carried an entire conversation. His dark lashes blinked back a vow I knew he meant more than anything. ‘I promise this will not destroy us.’

But the things about best friends… and soul mates… is that, no matter what, they gravitate back to each other. And there was no doubt, from the very start, that Alex and Jess were meant for each other.

“I think ‘bout all of it, you know. You and me, being here together. It’s always been you.”

The intensity built steadily throughout the book but then suddenly, at 80%, I was crying. I read this one heart-breakingly gorgeous paragraph and tears just started pouring down my face. There’s something about the combination of a strong story with the exact right words that can really hit you SO hard. It’s one of the most powerful reading experiences you can imagine. I literally just read that paragraph over and over again while I sat there crying. Only my most favorite books elicit such a reaction from me.

For the entire rest of the book, I alternated between crying and almost crying. I was constantly on the verge of tears. It’s not tragic or devastating and, in many ways, these were good tears. It’s just that I was feeling the story so strongly by this point and the years of history between these two characters had built to the point where my emotions were just overflowing. I needed Alex and Jess to be together so badly.

“I was his and he was mine… I needed him. I needed him the way  I needed air; a little bit every day just to survive in this dark world.”

And THEN, there was literally one of the biggest HOLY FUCK moments I have ever read in a book. Ever. —- My. Heart. Stopped. —- To say the ending is intense in an understatement of epic proportions but my gosh was it ever amazing!! The author didn’t hold back and even though it ripped out my heart, that epilogue rounded everything out perfectly! I couldn’t have been happier with the finale.

Everything about this book, from the writing, to the story, to the emotions it evoked, made it exactly the kind of story I most love to read. The delicious, heart wrenching push/pull of Alex and Jess’ friendship and love, the guilt, the longing, the desire, the pain, the healing, all of it was just stunningly portrayed. This is truly one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read. An absolutely EPIC love story.

I recommend this book for everyone!!

“We’ve got somethin’ that people look for their whole lives.
We just found it when we were eight.”

Rating: 5++ STARS!!! Standalone romance.

• Buy THE MASON LIST (Kindle)
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PS: I’d especially recommend it for fans of The Sweet Gum Tree. It had a completely different plot (not a second chance romance) but a very similar feeling and intensity to it. 

“We’ve never been over. You know it as well as I do…”

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WOW!! Holy sexual tension!!

This book had the ultimate hate-to-love-each-other, dysfunctional-but-can’t-stay-away, love-you-forever-no-matter-how-painful type of love story. It just had this intense spark to it that made my heart race! It’s a second chance romance with a moody, brooding, tortured bad boy hero and I loved every word. 5 STARS!!

While performing the greatest love story of all time, they discovered one of their own…

The story begins when Cassie, a critically acclaimed stage actress is cast as a romantic lead in a Broadway play opposite the one man she’d ever loved. Ethan Holt was unfortunately also the only man who’d ever broken her heart, leaving her absolutely devastated. Despite their six painful years apart, and despite how desperately she wanted to hate him, their love for each other went beyond that. And even though he knew just how badly he’d hurt her, he also knew this was his one chance to win back the only woman he’d ever loved and this time he was willing to do anything to prove himself to her and win back her heart.

I can do this. I can see him and not fall apart.
I can.
I sigh and press my forehead against the wall.
Who the hell am I kidding?
Yeah, sure, I can do a passionate play with my ex-lover, who broke my heart not once, but twice. No problem.
I bang my head against the wall.

Ethan and Casse met in drama school. She was the good girl actress, and he was the ultimate bad boy, sending fuck-off vibes to everyone who crossed his path. He warned her to stay away from him and that he would only ruin her. But when they were cast as Romeo and Juliet in a prestigious play, their forced intimacy broke down the walls between them… giving room for their true feelings to show through.

“We both know it doesn’t work like that,” he says so softly only I can hear. “As much as we want it to be the character’s emotions, it’s still going to be my arms around you, and my mouth on yours.

Despite how strongly he fought it, they fell in love. Until he broke her heart. And six years later, when they were once again cast to play on-stage lovers, he was ready to do anything possible to make things right.

“I want things to be different. If you want me to apologize, I’ll do it until I lose my fucking voice. I just want things to be right between us. Talk to me. Help me fix this.”

I absolutely LOVED this book. This is a romance that you feel with all your heart and soul. They had the kind of love that didn’t let go even after years of separation and heart break. Their chemistry was off-the-charts and their connection so intense that it kept my heart racing the whole way through.

I had quotes highlighted on nearly every page!! I loved the writing — it captured the emotional intensity of their epic love while balancing it out with hilarious scenes that literally had me laughing out loud and other scenes that had me sitting there fanning myself from the hotness. It was the perfect balance!!

We’re told the story entirely from Cassie’s POV, taking us back and forth between their present day reunion and the tragic start of their relationship in drama school. It was seamlessly blended and I found it very easy to follow along even through it went back and forth. Each piece of the story added a layer that just kept me wanting more. I really could not put this book down!

NOTE: Just because I know a lot of you have asked me about this, there is no cheating and no triangle in the whole book. That is not the source of drama so you don’t have to worry about that at all!

Ethan was the ultimate moody, tortured, bad boy. He was the polar opposite of a romantic. College Ethan didn’t even believe in love at all. At first, I just kept wondering why he was so antagonistic but the more I read and learned about his past, the more the reasons behind his actions began to make sense. My heart broke for him even as I wanted to shake sense into him. As much as it hurt though, I could see why he was the way he was. I have to say, the title of this book couldn’t be for fitting! Bad Romeo indeed!

“I warned you,” he says, breathing heavily and cupping my face. “Why the hell didn’t you listen?”

Cassie was a really great heroine. She was no shy, innocent virgin. Even though she was a little meek around other people, with Ethan she was fiery, forward, bold, and not afraid to follow her heart. She challenged him every step of the way and I loved the way she went after what she wanted.

There was just this delicious push-pull tension between them. I loved all the scenes where they were rehearsing their plays. The contrast between the open intensity of their characters’ love for each other versus the restrained walls behind which they hid their real feelings had me on the edge of my seat.

“So…” I say, looking at him.
He nods and lets out a breath. “Yeah. So…”
“We’re going to have fake sex.”
“Yep.”
“You and me.”
“Apparently.”
“I have to take your clothes off, and … well … touch you and stuff.”
“Fuck this fucking play.”

This second chance romance was different than most in that, contrary to the way many of them are structured, this wasn’t about trying to fix a broken relationship. As it showed clearly, whatever they’d once had was broken beyond repair. What remained was their love for each other that had never let go. Hurt, anger, separation, none of it changed that… and this was about considering the chance that just maybe, even after all the pain, they could start again and build something new.

“We’ve never been over. You know it as well as I do. Even when I was halfway around the world and you hated my guts, we weren’t over. You can feel it between us now. And the closer we are, the stronger it gets.”

Cassie and Ethan’s full story will be told over 2 books (Bad Romeo and Broken Juliet). There will also be a third book in the series that is a standalone romance about Ethan’s sister who you’ll meet in this book.

This book leaves you in a good place, but also makes you desperate for more. That being said, I am SO glad that I read this now and didn’t wait. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year. I loved the story. Seriously LOVED it. Absolutely freaking ADORED it. And I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 5 stars!!

• Buy BAD ROMEO (Kindle) 
• Buy BAD ROMEO (Paperback)

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Book #1 — BAD ROMEO
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

Book #2 — BROKEN JULIET
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

Spin-off standalone — WICKED HEART
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

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Must be over 18 to enter. 3 winners will signed copies of Bad Romeo.

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“I want to be the man of your dreams, angel… I want that more than anything.”

• Buy CAPTIVATED BY YOU (Kindle)
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SQUEEE!!! I absolutely LOVED this book!!

I love this series. I love these characters. I love the writing. I love the story. I love the intensity of Gideon and Eva’s love for each other. I love their passion. I love the character development. I’ve loved everything about the Crossfire series from the very beginning and this was another fantastic addition!! 5 STARS!!

This is the fourth book in this series and continues Gideon and Eva’s story than began in Bared To You. In order to prevent spoilers, I’m not going to discuss the plot at all, just my feelings about this book so you’re perfectly safe to read this review even if you haven’t yet read the book. — NO SPOILERS HERE!!

Gideon and Eva’s relationship is one I feel for so strongly. I love their dynamic — these are two damaged souls, who both make their fair share of mistakes, but who love each other with every fiber of their beings, more than anything else in the world, and that love gives them the strength and courage to face their fears and work together to create a healthier and stronger relationship and future.

He buried his face in my throat. “Love you.”
Tears stung my eyes… “Tell me again,” I begged, holding on to him.
His mouth found mine. “I love you.”

Having the added bonus of Gideon’s POV in this book was such a thrill. The story is told in dual POV and I felt that seeing both sides of the story added so much depth at this point in the series.

When Sylvia Day first announced that this series would be extended to 5 books ages ago, my honest reaction was that, as long as she stayed true to these characters and didn’t create any “drama for drama’s sake” then I was quite happy that their story would continue on because quite frankly, these characters are SO complex and their relationship still has SO potential for future development that I’m thrilled to know what I’ll be able to follow along every step of their journey and not have it be rushed. So far, I’ve loved everything that Ms. Day has written and have absolutely no complaints about any part of this series. As long as the story continues in this fashion, then I’d be happy to read even another 50 Crossfire books.

I honestly just have so much respect for the way she’s handled the entire storyline of the series so far. Everything she’s written has just served to strengthen the story and the characters. I love that at the core of this series is centered around the idea and effort of building a stronger relationship, not tearing it down. The angst and heart-racing intensity comes from how much you care and feel for these characters. Gideon and Eva certainly are not perfect people, but I feel like their flaws make them feel that much more real, and their love and way they support each other is absolutely beautiful.

“Despite all he’d been though, he had such an amazing capacity to feel and to love. He’d saved me, in so many ways. I was going to do whatever needed to be done to save him, too.”

In every way, Captivated By You was a true Crossfire book. Even though I didn’t re-read the other books before starting this, I instantly reconnected to the characters and lost myself back in their story. I read the book in one sitting and could not put it down at all. The ending is exactly the same “kind” as the first 3 books. It leaves you at a point in their relationship where things are looking up for them and you feel like they’re headed in a better, stronger direction. At the same time, it leaves you eager for the next book, without leaving you hanging. I love the way these books end and have always been happy with them.

Gideon has been one of my favorite book heroes since Bared To You. I love that even though he’s powerful, successful, and dominating, we are also shown his vulnerable side too. This was made even more clear through his POV. This is a man deeply scared by his past, fighting nightmares in his sleep and memories when he’s awake, who has fallen desperately, passionately, all-conumingly in love with a woman who not only is the love of his life, but who also understands his pain and his past on a deep, personal level.

“I told you I was going to fuck this up. I’ll fuck up again. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but God… I love you. I love you so fucking much. I can’t do this without you. I can’t live without you.”

Their path towards building a healthy relationship has never been easy but the strength of the foundation of their unwavering love for each other has given them a base to not only build up from but also to fall back on. No matter what, their love stays strong. And I love that. Theirs is a beautiful, intense, heart-wrenching journey filled with both mistakes and failures and accomplishments and progress. It’s passionate, addictive, and truly one of the best I’ve ever read. I absolutely adore this couple, I’ve loved every part of their story so far, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for them.

“You’ll never be without me. We’re going to grow old together. Die together. I’m not going to live a single day without you.”

Rating: 5 STARS!!

PS: Here’s my casting for Gideon & Eva since a few of you were asking for it.

• Buy CAPTIVATED BY YOU (Kindle)
• Buy CAPTIVATED BY YOU (Paperback)

*** CROSSFIRE SERIES READING ORDER *** 

BARED TO YOU (Crossfire #1)
Buy on Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

REFLECTED IN YOU (Crossfire #2)
Buy on Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

ENTWINED WITH YOU (Crossfire #3)
Buy on Kindle | Buy  in Paperback | Read my Review

CAPTIVATED BY YOU (Crossfire #4)
Buy on Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review

ONE WITH YOU (Crossfire #5)
More info coming soon.

“A story about a man who has loved me from the very beginning, from the first glance. The man who always was and still is my soul mate…”

• Buy NINE MINUTES (Kindle)

WOW!! I was completely blown away by this book!! It was a dark, gritty, dangerous, intense, shocking, addictive, raw, and captivating page-turner. A complex, multi-layered story with outstanding writing and unexpected twists and turns!!  I could not put it down for even a minute!! If you’re looking for a well-written, intense, and utterly unputdownable book with a completely unique and original plot, and a surprising love story that’ll captivate you from the very first page, then READ THIS!!!

I officially have an EPIC book hangover!! 5 STARS!!

On May 15, 1975, fifteen-year-old Ginny Lemon is abducted from a convenience store by a member of one of the most notorious and brutal motorcycle gangs in South Florida.

From that moment on, her life is forever changed. She gets a new name, a new identity and a new life in the midst of the gang’s base… And at the center of it all is the gang’s leader, Grizz: massive, ruggedly handsome, terrifying and somehow, when it comes to Ginny, tender. She becomes his obsession and the one true love of his life.

Wow, right?

At this point, I was pretty sure I had a idea what direction the story was heading. Then I opened the book and read the prologue. Wait… what??! Did that really just happen?? O.O — At that point, there was no turning back for me. I just had to know this story and see what could possibly have led them to that place. The interesting thing was that I ended up surprised by what I felt — and I loved that! This book made me think I was going to feel one thing, then showed me how I actually felt something entirely different.

I don’t want to say anything about the plot other than what the blurb tells you, because honestly, that’s all you should know. It’s quite a complex storyline with a lot of layers and it’s best to just let them unfold as you read. From beginning to end though, I could not look away even for a minute. It was one jaw-dropping scene after another and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.

This is just one of those books that you can’t stop reading.

The writing was absolutely phenomenal. Vivid, evocative, and utterly captivating. This was a full length book (326 pages) but I  just flew through it in an afternoon. There was an ease and fluidity to the language that gave the story no stopping points. It was fast-paced but focused on all the right details. I can’t say enough good about this author’s writing style. Honestly, it’s some of the best I’ve read.

Is there a cliffhanger? Will there be a sequel? — First of all, I was completely happy with this ending. It was the ending I wanted. I do not consider this a cliffhanger. This chapter of the story is over. However, there is more to the story to tell… so there will be a sequel coming in Spring 2015. My strong advice though is to read this now and don’t wait. I honestly was left in a good place.

It’s actually very rare for me to read biker books and the simple reason is that there’s a lot about their lifestyle that is just a little too “much” for me to handle reading about. But I loved this book. It was not graphic. Yes, there was all sorts of sex, violence, cold-blooded brutality, but it was not graphic, nor was it over-dramatized. It was not erotic, in fact the sex was all fade-to-black, it was there as a fundamental part of the story but it wasn’t the driving force. The writing just let you know what was happening, and often that would be chilling enough to build a vivid picture in your mind without needing further details.

Addressing the issue of age… Yes, she is underage. She’s about 15-16 at the start. There is no violent rape. Grizz genuinely cares for her. That being said, what happens is still wrong. My guess is that Grizz is about 30(ish) so yep, that’s uncomfortable. But you’ve read the blurb… this isn’t meant to be a fluffy book.

Another thing is don’t go looking for spoilers. I’ve been asked so many questions by readers that start with “Omg, I heard that….*spoiler*…. happens. Does it really??“ and honestly my answer is that you have to just see how it unfolds because what you think its going to be, isn’t what it is. But if I tell you what it is, then that’ll ruin everything. And you guys know that I’ll often do spoiler pages whenever I think it’s best to know stuff in advance but this is a case where I really feel it’s best to just let the story happen.

Lastly, based on what I’ve seen of reader reactions to the prologue, it seems there are two types of reactions. The first kind are the ones who LOVE it and dive right in. To you guys, I say: YAY!! Go for it!!! Enjoy the crazy ride and come tell me what you thought when you’re done!! …. But there’s another group of readers who read the prologue and kinda go WTF and nope right out of the book. To you guys, I’ll say this: Yes, it’s exactly what it looks like… but it’s not at all what you think. There are so many twists and the  book reveals the true complexity of the situation. My advice is don’t assume anything before you know the full story because, as you read, your feelings might change… I know mine sure did!

Guys, this is an absolutely fantastic book. One of the best I’ve read. I highly recommend it!!

Rating: 5 STARS!!

• Buy NINE MINUTES (Kindle)
• Buy NINE MINUTES (Paperback)

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*** FULL SERIES ***
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