5 stars

• Buy FIGHTING REDEMPTION (Kindle)
• Buy FIGHTING REDEMPTION (Paperback)

WOW. WOW. WOW.

Fighting Redemption was everything I could want in a story and more!! It’s an unforgettable story about a broken soldier’s undying love for a woman who’d always held his heart. I loved every word of this powerful, captivating and emotionally charged book. This is a must-read!! Truly breathtaking!

I just want to shout from the rooftops — READ THIS BOOK, EVERYONE!!!!

You will FEEL it with your whole heart.

I can almost guarantee that you’ll cry while reading (probably several times) because the story is truly heart wrenching but I promise you that it’s worth every tear and that you’ll be left with a smile on your face.

My eyes were already filled with tears from the very first pages. The prologue alone was all it took for me to fully connect and I knew right from the start that this book was going to be special.

“Even though we’ve never been together, you’ve always been mine, and even if I never get to keep you, you’ll still be mine.”

Ryan had dreamed his whole life of becoming a soldier. With a drunken father who beat him and fought constantly with his mother, he couldn’t wait to get away. Then Finlay walked into his life — and she was this gorgeous, shining beacon that called to his heart. But as much as he was in love with her, he couldn’t allow himself to have her because his whole life had been building towards the dream of getting out and away; of becoming a solider. And at 19, he left everything behind and joined the Army.

Six years went by as he trained, fought, saved lives, took lives, survived, and lived through hell but he never stopped thinking about the girl he’d aways wanted, who’d never been his but who owned his heart… and that he’d walked away from.

And then… he came home.

“For six years I fought every day not to think of you, and I lost, because every day you were all I could see.”

Honestly, I’m being very vague about the storyline here because there is so much more to it that I really think will be better enjoyed if you just discover it for yourself along the way.

The story unfolded beautifully. It was captivating. It began by giving us a heart-wrenching taste of the future, and then took us right back to the very beginning showing how the relationships intensified over the years and allowing us to fall in love with Ryan and Fin as they were falling in love with each other.

It was gorgeous but made my heart ache watching Ryan’s quiet, unspoken love for Fin grow throughout his childhood. I felt his longing so strongly and these built-up feelings were a huge part of what made everything so powerful once their love for each other was acknowledged.

I can’t even tell you how many different things I felt while I was reading this. The writing was effortless and enthralling and I felt like I was watching a movie of the events rather than just reading them. Every scene came alive in my mind as though it were happening right in front of me.

Everything  in this story was just so emotionally charged. I felt every word of this book. My heart fluttered, raced, pounded, and even stopped. It was beaten, bruised, broken and then put back together.

It was just beat after beat of these hugely powerful moments and I’d stop every few pages to just let them all sink in. Sometimes I’d even go back and immediately reread a section because it had hit me so strongly that I just wanted to keep reliving it.

Ryan and Fin were true soul mates. I’m crying even as I write this because what they had — their connection — was just so. fucking. powerful. So often, I’d be reading a scene that wasn’t even sad but suddenly tears would be pouring down my face just from emotional overflow.

Here are just some snippets…

“I miss you. Each day hurts a little more than the last.”

And this…

“Fin. Look at me,” Ryan said firmly.
She lifted her eyes.
“Just one day at a time, okay?”

And ohh my gosh — this:

“I’ll love you longer than the stars that live in the sky.”

There was also one scene in particular that made me ugly cry. And by that I mean that I had to put my book down because I literally could not see the page through my tears. I was a shaking, sobbing wreck. But I loved every minute. Books that can pull this level of emotional out of me are the ones that stay in my heart.

The story took place over many years and was always moving forward but, at the same time, it always slowed down and took the time to highlight all the important, meaningful parts of their lives.

There were so many gorgeous visual moment that just stood out to me: the Black Hawk helicopter — Ryan holding his hand out to Fin — Fin cleaning his wounds in her bedroom — that moment when Jake asked Ryan if he was in love with Fin — the dance — that night — lying under the stars — the letter — ALL THE LETTERS!!!!! — the lawn scene — Brothers forever — the tarmac — …. pieces of this beautiful story just keeps playing over and over in my head and honestly, I don’t want them to stop.

Sacrifice, loyalty, strength, redemption, loss, love … This book had it all and more.

“Every piece of me is in here… My breath, my heart, my life. I won’t ever leave you if you keep that safe inside you.”

When I finished, I just sat there letting the story sink in, letting the tears pour down my face, feeling the journey — the heart ache, the loss, the happiness….

This is the kind of book that I spend all my time searching for. Reading this beautifully written and absolutely unforgettable story is an experience that will stay with me forever.

I highly recommend it!! In fact, I’ll just say — READ IT!!!!! You all should read this!! ♥

Rating: 5++ stars

** This is a standalone (Adult) romance with a HEA.

• Buy FIGHTING REDEMPTION (Kindle)
• Buy FIGHTING REDEMPTION (Paperback)

“If you get me hard, he growled, “you have to deal with it.”

• Buy NIGHT OWL (Kindle) 
  
• Buy NIGHT OWL (Paperback)

SQUEEEE!!! You guys HAVE to read this!!

If you’re looking a book with great blend of sweet, hot, passionate and kinky romance, a healthy dose of angst mixed in, a fast paced plot and complex characters, this is it!! 

I was hooked from the first page and pretty much squeed and fanned my way through most of this book!! I didn’t want to put it down, didn’t want to stop reading… just totally LOVED it!!

The story is about Matt and Hannah. They’d never met before and only knew each other as Night Owl and Little Bird. See, Hannah was just supposed to be Matt’s online writing partner, nothing more. They were co-writing a book but their relationship was meant to be a simple, professional, fun collaboration. No pictures. No real names. Those were the rules. Those were Matt’s rules. After all, Matt had a perfect, happy life and didn’t need any further complications. But one day, a single picture changed everything….. 😉

I don’t want to tell you too much more about the plot because I had a lot of fun just discovering things as I went but seriously guys, this book was just made of awesome!! Fans of Fifty Shades should definitely check it out because, despite the plotlines being very different, this had a similar “vibe” and “feeling” to it. It was totally and completely unique though and I actually found the story to be a refreshingly original twist on the billionaire romances that are all the rage right now.

The hero, Matt, was such a delightfully complex character. Self described as “cynical in the extreme and neurotically secretive” and described by someone else as “a liiiiitle bit of an asshole”, he was quite the multi-faceted guy. Hot one moment and cold the next, he was a broody, charming, reclusive, dominant, vulnerable, bossy, antisocial introvert slash eccentric writer extraordinaire. I loved him.

“Matt’s smirks came in flavors — two parts kindness, one part wicked amusement, a little lust in the mix. Oh, and one hundred percent smug bastard.”

And ho BOY did he ever make me blush!!! The things he said!! OH MY! Definitely a dirty talker and not shy about going after what he wanted. Between his fuckhot kinky side, his tender sweet side and his vulnerable side, he successfully yo-yoed my emotions all over the place!

Now the heroine, Hannah, was just awesome! Smart, a little nerdy, a lot of fun, not afraid to stand up for herself and yet with a heart of gold and overall just such a kind hearted person. She was a great character!

While things did move quickly at first, I think that because they already had an established relationship together from all the time they spent writing and collaborating on their story that even though it hadn’t been romantic before this point, there was a foundation to their connection. And the twist to them falling for each other almost before they ever met in person was super fun!

“I was infatuated with a guy I knew nothing about… Shit. Was I falling for a stranger?”

I absolutely adored this author’s writing style! There were so many sentences that quite literally made me squee out loud! Side note: My husband even came over at once point and was like, ‘Wow, it must be a great book!’ and I looked up at him with raised eyebrows and he goes, ‘Oh, I can measure how good a book is in squees per minute so this one must be awesome’. So there you have it 😛

Was it absolutely perfect though? No. But as a whole the imperfections didn’t matter to me at all. I’ll admit there were a few things that made my eyes squint or kind of pushed the boundaries of my comfort zones a little but hey, that’s what you get for reading a kinky book so… be prepared to be scandalized 😉

Really though, what stood out to me was the amazing “feeling” the whole book gave me and how much I cared about these characters. I loved how despite it being very erotic, kinky, it was also just an absolutely sweet romance and the whole story had so much heart. Very touching and very heartfelt.

“I’m trying to teach you this mysterious skill, one that you seem to lack. It’s called how to say goodbye.”
I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck.
“What are you grinning at?” she said.
“I never want to,” I said.
“What? Never want to what?”
“I never want to learn how to say goodbye.”

Awwwwww, right?? Doesn’t that just make you melt??

I loved how Matt was a blend of totally fuckhot and yet so very vulnerable too. He made mistakes and paid several painful prices but I loved how flawed he was, and his imperfections made him feel so much more real. Not to mention that some of his inner monologue was downright hilarious!

“I glared down at my cock.
“Hold your fucking horses,” I muttered.
God, fuck… was this seriously my life? Stalking a girl I’d met online, parked outside her house at midnight, speaking to my dick?”

The story was told in alternating POVs and I have to say that the author did a fabulous job blending the two sides of story together. But really, the highlight of the book for me was Matt’s POV. The author just nailed it!!!! It was easily one of the best guy POVs I’ve ever read. And between his love for Laurence the rabbit and the stuffed manatee, he just totally and completely won me over. If you’re frowning to yourself while reading this wondering what the heck I’m talking about, just trust me, when you read those parts of the story, you’ll be awwwwing right out loud too. I promise!

Ok now a lot of you have been asking me whether or not there is any cheating in the story and the answer is: it’s complicated. But if it makes a difference, I’m a reader who absolutely hates any form of cheating in books and honestly, what this book had didn’t bother me. Let me explain… Basically the heroine breaks up with her boyfriend right at the beginning so that’s not an issue, and while the hero does have a girlfriend for part of it a) she’s abroad and not a “part” of the story in any way as a main character and b) while it’s clear that she’s a nice person and all, he’s also not like “in love” with her… it’s not like he’s ever torn between which one of them to love more. I mean, he’s guilty over it but it’s very clear that Hannah is his girl. I dunno, I guess the GF is never a part of the book in any direct way really and he did pay the price for his mistakes and just I guess overall it just wasn’t really an issue for me despite my near-zero tolerance for cheating. So I personally don’t think you should let that hold you back from giving this book a shot.

Also, regarding the ending… ok, this is the first of a trilogy and the book itself does not have a cliffhanger (there is a completely resolved ending by the last chapter) but there IS a cliffy in the epilogue only that hooks you into the next book which is due Summer 2014. Trust me, if you read it, your jaw will hit the floor! Mine did. But basically, readers who don’t like cliffhangers can get a full, resolved story if they stop reading after the last chapter but readers who don’t mind being teased will get a kick out of the epilogue.

It was actually very cleverly done where it’s really up to you to decide whether you want to end the book on a cliffhanger or not 😉 Personally, I am completely hooked on this series and will be eagerly awaiting the next book!

Funny, kinky, a little angsty, a lot sexy!! Bottom line, if you’re looking for a fun, fresh, erotic romance with a ton of heart, give this one a shot!

Highly recommended!

5 stars!!

(PS – that’s a revised rating. Originally, I gave it 4.5 – 5 but weeks later, I still was thinking about it and honestly the writing was just amazing….. it deserves 5 stars!!)

• Buy NIGHT OWL (Kindle) 
• Buy NIGHT OWL (Paperback)

And here’s my casting for Matt & Hannah.

Click covers to purchase/pre-order.