5 stars

“I love you… I never stopped, and I never will.”

• Buy #1 RETRIEVAL (Kindle)
• Buy #1 RETRIEVAL (Paperback)

• Buy #2 TRANSFER (Kindle)

Note: I’ve included reviews for both books in the duet here. Spoiler free. Everything below is my review for the first book. The second book’s review will be after the page break.

WOW. WOW. WOW!! This book was absolutely incredible!! A passionate, achingly heart-wrenching, and yet beautifully romantic story that kept my heart racing non-stop. It was ADDICTIVE, EMOTIONAL, INTENSE. It was hot, sexy, suspenseful. The story took my completely by surprise and was utterly UNIQUE! I gasped when I realized what was really going on in this story — and I swear I COULD. NOT. PUT. THIS. BOOK. DOWN!!! Aly Martinez has been one of my favorite authors for quite a while — I love her writing, love her books, and always look forward to her new releases — but I can confidently say that this is her best book yet! It is certainly one of my favorite reads of the year and I highly recommend it to any reader looking for a story that will take your breath away. 5 STARS!!

One story. Two couples.

I proposed on our first date.
She laughed and told me I was insane. Less than a day later, she said yes.
It was a whirlwind, but we were happy…
Until we got greedy and wanted a family.

It was a life I couldn’t give her, not for lack of trying. Fertility just wasn’t on our side. We sought out doctors and treatments. Spent money we didn’t have. Lied to our families. Smiled for our friends. Put on a brave face for a world that didn’t understand.
Finally, we were successful…
Until we were forced to bury our son.

We were left broken, battered, and destroyed.
They say love is in the details, but it was the details that ruined us.

This is the story of how I took back what had always been mine.
The retrieval of my wife and our family.

Holy hell!!!! So, THIS SITUATION. When you first start reading, you kind of think that this is mainly just an emotional story of man who is trying to win back the love of his beloved ex-wife (which admittedly is a gripping type of story even on its own) but THEN. OH. MY GOSH… when the moment came where I realized what the ACTUAL plot-line was — which was SO MUCH BIGGER than I ever anticipated — I just literally gasped out loud and from that moment on, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It was RIVETING!!!! EMOTIONAL!!!! FULL OF FEEELS!!!

My past, present, and future were walking out of my life, and I stood immobile as every fiber in my being screamed for me to drop to my knees and beg her to stay.
To take her in my arms and tell her that we’d figure it out.
To reclaim my life once and for all.

Elizabeth and Roman’s story is told from both their perspectives, mainly in the present day but with flashbacks that piece their past together for the reader. The flow between these elements was easy to follow and every flashback always complimented their current situation in a way that really just rounded the story out even further.

I’d lived twenty-six years of life before that night. But suddenly, I was alive for the very first time. I knew absolutely nothing about that man.
But I knew he was mine.
And I was meant to be his.

If there’s any one thing I love to read about most in romance, it’s about a couple who loves each other so much that literally nothing can permanently keep them apart and this book delivered such an achingly painful and yet beautiful scenario with exactly that kind of love ensuring I was in absolute reader heaven! Despite the pain of their miscarriages, fertility nightmares, and the devastating loss of their son, that ultimately lead to their unfortunate separation and divorce, the one thing that neither of them could let go of was their all-consuming love for each other. And especially once their respective sides of the story were explained, you really got to understand what each of them was going through and why their marriage had fallen apart. But Roman loved her more than life itself and when he saw even the tiniest chance to fix thing, he grabbed a hold with both hands and didn’t let go.

He gathered me in his arms, tucked my face back into his neck, and brushed the hair off my neck.
We sat in silence for somewhere between a second and a century, his fingers lazily drawing patterns on my shoulder, before I finally found the courage to confess, “I miss you.”
He sighed. “You have no idea.”

So I want to be as vague as possible about the storyline but basically, there is another couple in this story as well. Or, during this book, it’s mainly just Clare who is a young mother to a little daughter named Tessa, and is trapped in a physically abusive marriage to essentially a mob-boss with the power to control her life and get away with horrible acts. Her only reprieve is her time at the gym with her trainer — Luke — who sees what is happening but can only go so far in his attempts to help her before crossing lines that she begs him to stay away from — in fear for his life.

Luke had been my personal trainer for three months, and in that time, he’d learned the gig. I could tell it killed him each time I came into the gym with fresh injuries or tear-stained cheeks. But he kept his opinions to himself and read between the lines, never pressuring me to spill my guts but asking just enough questions to remind me that decent people existed…
“Let me help you,” he whispered, but we both knew he wasn’t talking about stretches.

I kept trying to figure this thing out… Two couples. One story. What was the connection??! Then that MOMENT came where it just clicked and it was like a lightbulb turned on. I just literally sat up and went OHHHHHMIGOSH.

Like woah.
Holyyyyyyyy!!
This unexpected, heart-stopping, life-changing development brought them together in a way I’d never anticipated.

Trust me, the book is great even until this point but once you reach this moment, you won’t be able to put the book down. Just cancel your plans for the rest of the day because you’ll be glued to the page!

Oh and Roman. Seriously. ROMAN!!! That man is guaranteed to melt your heart. I loved the way he fought for them, for her, for their family, and for their future. His determination to win back her trust and love and to ensure that he never had to go another day without her in his life was pure swooooooon material!!

“Roman,” I pleaded.
“I can fix this,” he declared.
“Stop.”
“I can fix us,” he swore.
“Hush.” I kissed his chest.
“I will fix us, Elisabeth,” he vowed. “Mark my words. I will not spend my life without you.”

A few important things: There is NO love triangle (none at all) and NO cheating (the couple aren’t even ever with anyone else during their separation). I know the blurb references “two couple, one story” but I promise you that the way they’re entwined is one that even the most heart-core romantics will love.

I battled the urge to kiss her.
To claim her.
To take back the woman who had always been mine.

With the way this book is structured, the primary focus is on Elisabeth and Roman as the main couple, with another couple (who I don’t want to say much about) as almost a secondary storyline that is connected in a very clever way. And in the second book, the main focus will switch to the other couple.

Aly Martinez is one of my favorite authors for two very important reasons. Firstly, because her stories are always unique. Every one of her books has this emotional twist to it that always grabs my heart and keeps me intrigued. And second because her books are perfectly balanced between romance, emotions, humor, suspense, intensity, and passion. The way she writes romance is literally my favorite way of all: her stories are HOT HOT HOT but the heat is always incorporated into the stories so seamlessly that the focus always remains on character development and storyline. So her books deliver that extra zing while still keeping a strong story at the heart that stays with you.

We’d fallen in love in less than a day.
Not even utter devastation and two years apart could erase that.
A love like ours wasn’t measured in years, distance, or time apart.
It was never-ending.

This book was everything I’d hoped for and more! I loved every single word. I felt every single word. The story consumed me and I was swept away in the the passion of their reunited love, the heart-break of their devastating loss, and the unexpected hope for their better future. I couldn’t put this book down even for a minute and I highly recommend this to every romance reader searching for a unique and truly amazing new book to fall in love with!!

Rating: 5 STARS! Adult contemporary romance. No cheating. No triangle.

• Buy RETRIEVAL (Kindle)
• Buy RETRIEVAL (Paperback)

_______________________________________

Next is a mini-review for book #2…

Rising to my knees, with [my daughter] held to my chest, I hooked an arm around his neck and shoved my face against his throat. His arms instantly folded around us both as he squeezed me, [my daughter] tucked between us.
“I’m scared,” I whisper, not sure what else to say.
“I’ve got you.” He nuzzled his jaw against the side of my face. “I swear on my life I’ve got you.”

To be honest, there’s almost nothing I can tell you about the content this book that isn’t a spoiler. But I will say that I absolutely LOVED it!! Just like with the first book, this one was brimming with emotion, passion, and intensity. My heart-raced non-stop as I flew through the pages. In contrast to the first book, this book is focused on another couple, with Elizabeth and Roman now being the secondary couple, but this seamlessly completed both their stories. As their stories entwined, it was heart-warming and thrilling to watch these two gorgeously protective Alpha male heroes working side-by-side to protect their women and families. In every way, this was the perfect conclusion to this heart-pounding, addictive, and compelling story of love and family. I highly recommend it as a top favorite!

• Buy #2 TRANSFER (Kindle)

_______________________________________

**FULL SERIES**

Book #1: Retrieval
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book #2: Transfer
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback

 

“What makes you think something is wrong with your mind?”
“Because the last eight hours of my life don’t make sense. It all feels real, but it can’t possibly be.”

• Buy DARK MATTER (Kindle)
• Buy DARK MATTER (Hardcover)
• Buy DARK MATTER (Audiobook)

What a BRILLIANT book!! Full disclosure: this is nothing like what I usually review. I’m a romance reader and this book is a sci-fi thriller so trust me, I am shocked I loved it. But I did. I seriously LOVED it! It’s a new favorite of year!

Imagine you had a life you loved: a husband/wife, a son, a lifetime of memories. Then imagine waking up one day and your family is GONE. Not dead, not taken, but gone — like they never existed. That’s what happened to this hero. And this is his story of doing everything in his power to get back to the woman he loves more than anything.

If Fringe, Orphan Black, The Notebook, and The Matrix had a book baby, this would be it. And it was awesome! I usually hate this “type” of book but as I said, this one was brilliant. It made sense. It was character driven. It had a love story. It was gripping. I could not put it down. If you’re looking for something totally DIFFERENT, try this!!

A few things I want to mention because it’s a sci-fi thriller is that the story takes place in the real world: there’s absolutely no time travel, it’s not in the future, and there’s no space stuff. Also it’s a standalone with a HEA. I’m saying that bluntly because this is a thriller and they don’t all have them and I want to reassure my largely romance-reader following that this has an ending you’ll be happy with.

One of the main reasons that I decided to read this was that I was just in the mood for something to shake my reading up. I love my “reading box” — I’m a romance addict through and through and that genre has my heart, but once in a while I just need to go in a completely other direction just to… cleanse my palate so to speak. And this book was such a pleasant surprise because not only did it deliver exactly what I was looking for by keeping me engaged and interested, but it ended up a favorite! I’ve been bugging my husband to read it all day because I just want someone to talk to about the story! It just really makes you wonder. You’ll see what I mean when you read it…

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? …

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.

I was hooked right from the start of the book. Can you just imagine if your husband, wife, or child suddenly disappeared — like there was literally no trace of them existing? But you spent the last 15 years of your life with them — you know they’re real. So what happened? Are you crazy? Or is there just maybe, an explanation. If there is an explanation, how do you figure it out? Luckily, the hero of this story was a scientist. Problem solving was his expertise and even though what was happening to him was terrifying beyond all reason, (to quote The Martian) he had to “science the shit” out of it. BUT the very important thing was that even though a scientific explanation was discovered as the story progressed, it never once bogged down the story. The focused remained on HIM — his emotional, personal experiences so I always remained emotionally connected to what was happening. At its core, this is a story about a man who loves his wife so much that he is willing to do anything to find her again.

I was pulled into this story.
Surprised by it.
Shocked by the twists.
Intrigued by the complexity.
Fascinated by the explanation.
Desperate for this man to find his way back to his wife and son.

My exact note from the first quarter of the book is: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?????!!!

I whisper, “Now what?”
And he says, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

I think it helped a lot that I really loved the hero of the story. This man was just so goddamn good — like, right to his core. I couldn’t help but feel for him and the author takes you through this journey with him that just feels so real. You understand his choices, you experience his desperation, and you cling to his fleeting shreds of hope.

And the final thing that really made this book a winner for me was that the explanation of what was happening MADE SENSE. There were no giant leaps of faith — at least no more than you’d have when watching Fringe or The Matrix — and it was just logical enough to be something you accepted without questions. There were no plot holes either. Everything genuinely came together cohesively and rounded out to a very satisfying ending!

I’d consider this to be a top favorite book of the year! The writing was strong, the story was unique, addictive, made me feel, kept me guessing, and even after I finished reading, I can’t stop thinking about it! This is the first book of its kind that I’ve reviewed on my blog but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something really different!

Rating: 5 stars! Standalone sci-fi thriller.

• Buy DARK MATTER (Kindle)
• Buy DARK MATTER (Hardcover)
• Buy DARK MATTER (Audiobook)

PS: Yes, in my opinion this book is worth it’s price-tag. I paid full price for the eBook and then loved it enough that I also bought the Hardcover for my favorites shelf after!

PPS: According to Deadline, there’s a movie deal in the works with Sony! They said that “The author will write the script when he completes the book.” so I can’t WAIT! This story would make an absolutely fantastic movie!

Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen seconds that we’ll never get back.

• Buy IT ENDS WITH US (Kindle)
• Buy IT ENDS WITH US (Paperback)

HOLY WOW! It Ends With Us is one of the most powerful books of 2016 and one of the most raw, honest, inspiring, and profoundly beautiful stories I’ve ever read. It wasn’t anything like what I expected, but it delivered so much more than I ever hoped for. This is the kind of book that I want to give to every woman and just be like… READ THIS BOOK. NOW. Come to think of it, all the men should read it too. EVERYONE should read this book. Absolutely everyone. It’s a story of unshakable love and finding the strength to make the right choice in the hardest situation. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a heroine. I’ve loved Colleen Hoover’s books for a long time because she always writes unique stories… and this one left a lasting mark on my heart. It is a MUST-READ!!

This is a completely spoiler-free review. I’m not even going to add the blurb or tell you what this book is about. It’s a Colleen Hoover book. That should be enough to tell you it’s amazing. But I really feel that you should just dive into this book without knowing anything about the plot. To be honest, I’m the usually the kind of reader who likes to know every little thing about what to expect in advance, but I’ve really learned to trust Colleen’s writing and her storytelling so even I went into this book without knowing anything at all… and I was blown away by the story!

This book is unputdownable. You’ll notice as you read that there are no good stopping points. None at all. I began reading it late at night and every time I tried to put it down to go to sleep, I just had to get back up and keep reading because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t finish until almost 5AM but my gosh was it ever worth it!

Of all the heroines I’ve ever read, Lily was most certainly one of the ones I admired the most. I knew loved her from the first few pages, but having finished the book, I truly couldn’t be prouder of her. Her strength and conviction over the course of this story made her into a heroine I’d want every girl and woman to read about and look up to. She was so real and vulnerable as we all are, but the strength with which she took control of her life was admirable on such a deep level. I just wanted to hug her and cheer. I don’t think I’ve been this proud of a fictional character before.

There’s an incredibly powerful message in this book that is very subtly woven in from the start. It begins in the first chapter, but you don’t yet realize how significant each of these moments truly are… and as you read more, these pieces of the story come together forming a scenario that gives such a raw, honest portrayal of an incredibly relevant issue. I’m not mentioning it on purpose because I don’t want you to expect it. The fact that it’s unexpected for you as the reader is very important because it’s also unexpected for the heroine. As she begins to realize what kind of situation she’s in, so do you. And this realization very much allows you to experience her journey with her.

The only thing I want to address head on is the question of the ‘love triangle’ because a few of you have read the blurb and have asked about it. All I want to say is to please try and move away from that thought. I don’t want to spoil the plot at all, but that is so not what this book is about. That is not the point, or the focus. Whatever it is you’re thinking this book is, just trust me — it’s so much bigger than that. Seriously, trust Colleen. I did.

As a romance reader, I found this book incredibly refreshing. As much as I adore the romance genre (and I really do), it sometimes can get a little repetative. As both an avid reader and a blogger, I’m always looking for books that step outside the lines a little; ones that do something different or take the issues a little deeper. This book represented exactly what I wish I could be reading all the time — not this literal story, but just the fact that it went in such a different direction and gave me such an unexpected story that left me with such a strong message.

One of the things that intrigued me the most and had me wondering when I heard about this book was what the title really meant — and there’s this very specific moment when the title is echoed in the story that just had such a strong impact as I read it. That was my cheer moment. I just sat back and went ‘woah!’. The title is truly perfect.

In order to write this review, I went back over the book a second time and one thing I noticed strongly was how many intricate layers there were to the story that I couldn’t possibly have known about in my first read. I loved that this is one of those books you experience differently (in a good way) both the first and second time though.

I have to say that this book would make a seriously amazing movie. I could picture every scene so clearly as I read. This is also such an incredibly relevant story for many people — whether they’ve personally been through what happened to Lily or they know of someone who has — so I really do hope that one day this makes it to the big screen.

My copy of this book is literally filled with highlighted quotes in every single chapter but I made a conscious decision not to add any to this review because I really truly do not want to give anything away about the story. Just trust me and jump into this story blind. I promise that it is a reading experience you don’t want to miss.

This began as one of my most highly anticipated books of 2016 and it is now of my top favorite books of the year. I was unable to put it down from the moment I started reading and I know that this is one of those profoundly beautiful and unforgettable stories that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to everyone!

That’s what fifteen minutes can do to a person. It can destroy them.
It can save them.

Rating: 5+ STARS! Standalone.

• Buy IT ENDS WITH US (Kindle)
• Buy IT ENDS WITH US (Paperback)

His name is Jase Colbertson. He and I used to finish each other’s sentences.”

• Buy SWEAR ON THIS LIFE (Kindle)
• Buy SWEAR ON THIS LIFE (Paperback)

WOW!! What a stunning book! From the first few pages, I was captivated by the story and I could not put it down even for a minute. It was a unique, intense, all-consuming second chance romance story, and easily one of the very best reading experiences I’ve had all year. I absolutely loved every word and highly recommend it to everyone!

When I look for a new book to read, what I hope for is always something EPIC. Something that takes over my life, something that draws me so deeply into the story that I can’t stop thinking about it and certainly don’t want to ever stop reading. With this book, I found exactly that. After only a few chapters, I immediately cancelled all my plans just so that I could keep reading. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The way the story developed just kept pulling at my heartstrings until every part of me was right there needing to know what happened next and desperate to see how it would end. As as I got closer to that ending, I’ll admit that I was seriously freaking out but then BOOM — I read this one particular line and just totally started SOBBING!!!! Happy tears sobbing!!!! THE FEELS!!! MY HEART WAS RACING!!!! And it was just so beautiful and fulfilling that I was overwhelmed with emotion. This book was truly everything I was searching for.

Now, what’s it about?? Well, here’s the blurb…

When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J. Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. Yet from the very first page, she is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life… That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction?

So really what we had was two parallel storylines — Em’s present day when she discovered this book that so clearly was written by the boy she’d loved and lost, and also the actual story she was reading in that book. As she reads each chapter in his book we get to read it too, allowing us to see and experience the book alongside her and also immediately understand up close and personal exactly how reading this story — their story — was affecting her. I was equally enthralled by the story of their past as I was eager for them to find each other in the present day. My heart raced. My eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. And I just needed to find out what happened next. The past and present storylines were perfectly balanced. And the more I read, the more intense the story got. Especially because we knew that he’d somehow finished their story despite their separation — so what had he written? How had he ended their story?

“Would you ever have thought we’d be like this? Grown-up and wanting nothing more than to be with each other every second of the day?”
“I always knew.”
I laughed. “You’re lying.”
He was impassive. “No. I did. I swear to you. I always knew we would be like this one day. I think you always knew too.”

There was such a feeling of intense longing and desperation for their situation — these two kids from impoverished lives and abusive homes had found something beautiful, binding, and healing in their love for each other. They had such a strong connection to each other that it was heart-breaking to inevitably watch them be torn apart — because given their separation at the beginning of the book, you knew it’s was coming, but then it was equally heart-warming seeing them slowly be pulled back together as the story unfolded. It kept me glued to the page!

I was breathing hard as I lay the book down on my chest, right over my throbbing heart. I remembered that moment when everything started crumbling down around us. There was nothing we could do; we were just a couple of powerless, poor kids, so desperate to find a way to be together…

But I’ll be honest with you, reading this book was definitely one of those situations where my heart was in my throat in the last quarter because I swear it did not seem like there were enough pages left to finish the story and as I hurtled full tilt towards the end, I was so scared that there wouldn’t be time to resolve everything between them. But then IT HAPPENED. A purely cathartic reading experience. You know the kind I’m talking about. It’s rare and precious and with ONE LINE I was crying. Tears pouring down my cheeks from how much I loved it. That line, and everything it represented for the characters, was GOLD. It brought every single thing that had happened in the book up til that point together — with ONE LINE. Seriously just brilliant. I can’t tell you how perfect that moment was.

Renee Carlino truly outdid herself. I’ve read every book she’s written and this one is my favorite. In fact, it’s also one of the best books I’ve read this year! It’s captivating and intriguing, utterly addictive, and filled with the emotional intensity that comes with a heart-wrenchingly powerful love that’s been given a second chance. I absolutely loved it!!

Rating: 5 stars! Standalone romance.

• Buy SWEAR ON THIS LIFE (Kindle)
• Buy SWEAR ON THIS LIFE (Paperback)

“I would love you forever,
if I only had the chance…”

• Buy FULL TILT (Kindle)
• Buy FULL TILT (Paperback)

WOW!! I read this book start to finish without stopping and I was hugging my book with tears in my eyes by the end. This is one of those stories that reminds you to be grateful for every moment of life. The writing was captivating, the romance was heart-breaking yet achingly beautiful, and I absolutely LOVED Kacey and Jonah’s story! It’s an unconventional romance that delivers such a raw, emotionally intense impact on its readers that you’ll be thinking about it long after you finish reading. A top recommendation and highly recommended for fans of Me Before You.

Kacey Dawson has always lived life on the edge–impulsively, sometimes recklessly. And now, as lead guitarist for a hot up-and-coming band, she is poised at the brink of fame and fortune. But she is torn between wanting to be a serious musician, and the demons that lure her down the glittering, but alcohol-soaked path of rock stardom. A wrecked concert in Las Vegas threatens to ruin her career entirely. She wakes up with the hangover from hell and no memory of the night before, or how she ended up on her limo driver’s couch…

Jonah Fletcher is running out of time. He knows his situation is hopeless, and he’s vowed to make the most of the handful of months he has left to him. His plans include seeing the opening of his glass installation at a prestigious art gallery…they do not include falling in love with a wild, tempestuous rock musician who wound up passed out on his couch.

Jonah sees that Kacey is on a path to self-destruction. He lets her crash with him for a few days to dry out and get her head on straight. But neither of them expected the deep connection they felt, or how that connection could grow so fast from friendship into something more. Something deep and pure and life-changing…something as fragile as glass, that they both know will shatter in the end no matter how hard they try to hold on to it.

Full Tilt is a story about what it means to love with your whole heart, to sacrifice, to experience terrible grief and soaring joy. To live life with all its beauty, and all its pain, and in the end to be able to smile through tears and know you wouldn’t have changed a thing.

This is my third time reading an Emma Scott book and just like each time before, I loved every word of the story. Her writing flows effortlessly and quickly draws you into the story and before you know it, you care about her characters with all your heart. It’s everything I could ever want from a book. A truly perfect reading experience.

As mentioned in the blurb above, Kacey is a rock star musician whose band is on the brink of internationally famous stardom. But with fame comes an uglier side that spirals her downward away from the music that she was passionate about. Jonah is working as a limo driver tasked with driving her band and they meet when he’s commissioned to take her home one night after a wild party that goes too far. But she’s passed out drunk in his car and no one is answering her door so he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe for the night… and takes her home.

His life is hanging precariously in the balance. With only a finite number of months left to live, everything he does is carefully structured in an effort to give him the most amount of time possible. He’s surrounded by friends and family and is passionately devoted to finishing his art installation — a legacy he wants to leave in the world.

But this wild, lost girl throws his structured life out of orbit. Given his heart condition, he’s wary of letting anyone get too close to him — he wants to save them from the pain of losing him and focus all his effort on creating his art and spending time with loved ones — but as they grow closer each day, neither one can resist the pull they feel.

“I want to be able to kiss you if I felt like it, and I think you want that too. Like our first kiss… It was everything to me. Everything.”

“It was for me too,” I said. “I want to kiss you again. I want to kiss you so bad I can’t breathe. I want to be with you every second of my life but… God, how much time is that? How do I put you through that?”

It was heart-wrenching to see these two people who, in another life, would have so easily fallen into a passionately long-lasting relationship trying to hold back their feelings even though they were almost brimming over. You could just feel that they were meant for each other and they could too because no matter how hard they tried to remain just friends, the pull between them was too strong to resist.

And soon their friendship turned into an irresistible love that consumed them both.

“I can’t stand it. I have my circle and that’s it. I don’t want to tell people outside the circle. I don’t want them to have to find out. I don’t let anyone in…”
“And yet,” I said, gulping air, getting a hold of myself. “Here I am.”
“Here you are…” He said, his eyes roaming my face. “Believe me, I didn’t want to let you in. But it was almost as if…”
“What?” I whispered.
“As if I didn’t have a choice,” He said. “I tried to keep [my] walls up, keep to my routine… But you got in anyway.” He gently swiped a tear from my chin. “You feel it too, right?”
I nodded. “Yes.”

Ohhhh my gosh, the build-up as they went acquaintances to friends and finally to lovers was so well-written. My heart was racing! It was incredibly beautiful even through the pain. I loved how the focus was on celebrating life — celebrating every precious moment of life surrounded by friends, loved ones, and family. It wasn’t about a series of exhilarating bucket list events, but rather about creating memories and moments that would last forever.

Honestly, I thought I was handling my emotions pretty well for most of the book, but then this one sentence towards the end just did me right in and my tears started flowing. As a very devoted romance reader, there are certain things that I *need* in my books. A happy ending is one of them. But not all stories have fairy tale endings, but a love story like theirs, that held on until the very last precious moment deserved to be told, to have its moments and memories memorialized, read, felt, remembered. Their love story was beautiful. It was an unfortunately-timed love, but a soul-deep true love just the same. It never wavered, was never questioned, and you knew without a doubt that their love would always be a part of both of them. Kacey and Jonah’s love was a universe. Infinite and never ending.

“I love you,” I said. “God, I never thought this would happen to me.”
“But it did,” she whispered. “It happened and all we can do now is take care of each other. Live in the little moments, right? Just like we promised. The little moments. We have so many. Thousands upon thousands.”

You could definitely read this book as a standalone. The story comes to a conclusion and ends in a place that is honestly just right. However, there will be a second book (All In) coming in the fall that continues a part of the story. My advice to you is that if this book sounds good to you, jump in and read it right now without hesitation, especially if you loved Me Before You and are looking for a beautiful and emotion-filled story that’ll tug all your heart strings.

Love, loss, tragedy, beauty, friendship, romance, memories, moments… the message you’re left with to live every day to its fullest serves as a powerful reminder. Life is precious. Never forget to live it and cherish the moments. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it to everyone!

You are a universe, Kacey. I kept waiting to find the end of your love and beauty, the end of your generous heart. I never did. I never will.

Rating: 5 stars! Can standalone.

• Buy FULL TILT (Kindle)
• Buy FULL TILT (Paperback)

____________________________

Book #1: FULL TILT
Book #2: ALL IN (my review)

He could be mine if I dare to claim him.
Problem is, the world thinks he’s theirs.

• Buy IDOL (Kindle)
• Buy IDOL (Paperback)

HOLY WOW!! This was the ultimate rock star star romance!! It was absolutely perfect and had everything I could possibly wish for and more. Every word was loaded with swoon, hotness, and the most intensely passionate romance you can imagine. My heart was racing non-stop and I couldn’t stop smiling from the moment I started reading until I reached the very last page. This story had depth, heart, emotion, angst, passion, and was beyond addictive! I highly recommend this as a truly fantastic top favorite of 2016!!! This is a book you don’t want to miss!

Libby — 

I found Killian drunk and sprawled out on my lawn like some lost prince. With the face of a god and the arrogance to match, the pest won’t leave. Sexy, charming, and just a little bit dirty, he’s slowly wearing me down, making me crave more.

He could be mine if I dare to claim him. Problem is, the world thinks he’s theirs. How do you keep an idol when everyone is intent on taking him away?

Killian — 

As lead singer for the biggest rock band in the world, I lived a life of dreams. It all fell apart with one fateful decision. Now everything is in shambles.

Until Liberty. She’s grouchy, a recluse –and kind of cute. Scratch that. When I get my hands on her, she is scorching hot and more addictive than all the fans who’ve screamed my name.

The world is clamoring for me to get back on stage, but I’m not willing to leave her. I’ve got to find a way [to] keep her with me. Because, with Libby, everything has changed. Everything.

This really was one of the most well-rounded and genuinely solid rock star romances I’ve ever read. To be honest I think it might actually even be my favorite of one all. And there are so many reasons why I feel this way. It had smart characters who shared intense chemistry which led to a passionate romance, an engaging storyline that didn’t revolve around sex but was still sexy and scorching hot, fantastic banter that kept me smiling and laughing balanced with enough angst to keep my heart racing, the drama was derived from things that made sense — not stupid decisions — which meant that I actually respected both the hero and heroine every step of the way, and of course really great writing holding everything together. I was genuinely impressed with this book. If I could have custom ordered a rock star romance to exactly be tailored to what I’d want to read, this would be it! It was FANTASTIC!!!

His hand finds mine in the darkness between us.
In a low voice only for me, he speaks one last time. “Baby doll, I could assert my manly dominance, thump my chest, and declare you’re mine. But it wouldn’t mean a damn thing if I’m not yours in return.”

The story has several arcs or sections within in. There’s actually a lot that goes on and I really appreciated the scope of the story — it gave it a great sense of depth and allowed the reader to go through quite a lot with these characters.

It starts out of course when Killian crashes his bike on Libby’s lawn in countryside. Needless to say she’s less than pleased by his entrance and when he proceeds to strip naked and then hurls on her five minutes later, her patience is close to giving out. But she’s not heartless and helps him clean up and gives him a place to stay for the night. She has no idea who he is — all she knows is that he’s disturbed her peace, smells way too drunk, and now he won’t leave her alone — which, secretly she’s actually quite pleased about. And so they spend several weeks together, gradually getting to know each other, dancing around their growing attraction, and bonding over their shared love of music.

“You know what? Fuck it. Here’s the truth: I wasn’t happy — until I met you.”
I literally rock back on my heels, nearly blown away by his candor.
His hands fist as he takes a step closer. “I’ve been here for nearly two months. I never stay in one place that long. And why do you think I’m still here? The scenery? No. It’s you that I don’t want to leave.”

Naturally though when she learns that her lawn bum is none other than the world famous, multimillionaire rock star Killian James, it’s shocking. But what really turns her world upside down is when he asks her to come with him when he has to leave on tour — not just to be with him, but also to perform. He knows her talent is extraordinary and he wants to give her a chance to turn her passion into something more. And so this is their story of unexpected love, passionate romance, all set in the sexy, dazzling world of rock stars!

“You can have the world. Just reach for it.”
“I don’t need the world,” she whispers in my ear.
“What do you need?” I’ll give her anything. Everything.
“You.”

Even though, once they left the country, they were faced with the scrutiny of the world through the media, I loved that they didn’t let anything come between them. Naturally, they had to figure things out as they went so it wasn’t always a smooth path for them, but it was always clear that both of them just kept gravitating back towards each other. Whether they were hidden in the countryside or in the media spotlight or even on stage in front of the world, the one thing that never truly wavered was THEM.

He turns in to me, running the tip of his nose against mine… “I shouldn’t have held back the first time I wanted to kiss you.”
“When was that?”
He smiles, small and smug. “When you threatened to shoot me.”
“I hated you then.”
A low hum vibrates in his throat. “You found me irresistible. You would have caved.”
“I would have bitten you.”
“Bite me now.”
That husky whisper has me moving, seeking his lips. I nip his lush bottom one, tugging at it gently, and he groans, drawing me in, slipping his slick tongue along mine. “Tell me you want this too, baby doll.”
“Want what?” I can’t think, my head is heavy, my limbs fumbling.
His dark eyes meet mine. “Everything.”

I also really loved that they didn’t just fall right into bed with each other from the start. Their relationship and connection grew as they spent more time together and by the time they actually got to the point of sleeping together and becoming a real couple, I believed in them. The connection between them had been firmly established giving a solid basis for their romance that went beyond lust. The sex was absolutely smoking hot but what made this book so good was that there was real LOVE in the foundation of their relationship. But seriously… I’ll say it again: THE SEX WAS HOT!!!!! For those of you who love steamy romance, this one delivers in spades! But even still, because their connection was so strong, THAT KISS at 75% completely took my breath away. It was literally just a kiss… but one that was powered by so much emotion, intensity, and pure raw love that it made my heart skip a beat.

The music in this book was also very beautifully written. It takes a lot of skill as an author to make the reader genuinely FEEL a song that they can’t hear but I was completely entranced by the scenes where they sang together. Really beautiful descriptions!

His vocals are the stuff of legends — strong, clean, and powerful with a rawness that hooks onto your soul and gives it a tug. He sings, and you feel he’s doing it just for you, taking your pain, frustration, joy, rage, sorrow, and love and giving it a voice.
…
Killian takes a step closer. “Play with me. See how good it can be.”
“I don’t…”
“I will never laugh at you,” he promises fiercely. “Ever. I’m your safe place, Libby. You’ve got to know that.”

Killian is PURE SWOON material in every possible heart-melting, panty-dropping way. He’s the ultimate sexy rock star book boyfriend and what made him the most attractive of all was how completely devoted he was to Libby. She really did become his everything. And Libby was a heroine after my own heart. Fiesty as hell, strong-willed but understanding, sassy and down-to-earth. She was totally the kind of girl I’d be best friends with.

Overall, there is no cheating, no triangles, and no stupid drama. This book can be read as a standalone and is a complete story with a wonderful ending that brought happy tears to my eyes! It’s also the first in a series of standalones and I already know I’ll be reading the next book the moment it comes out — we met the hero of that book in this one and I’m excited to read his story!

IDOL was the ultimate sexy, swoony, heart-felt and yet angsty rock star romance that kept my heart racing non-stop. I loved the story from cover to cover and this is easily going to be a top favorite of 2016! I highly recommend it!!

Rating: 5 STARS!! Contemporary romance (can standalone).

PS: I’d easily say this is one of the top 5 best books I’ve read this year!

• Buy IDOL (Kindle)
• Buy IDOL (Paperback)