READING: Dawn of Forever (Jack & Jill #3) by Jewel E. Ann

Publication date: February 18 2016
Published by: Jewel E. Ann
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
Rating: 

Aric James Monaghan promised Jillian Knight Portland. With a heavy heart and a light bag, she travels to the West Coast for the man she loved. In a blink her worlds collide, holding her hostage to a past filled with lies, deceit, and revenge. 

Four Caskets
Two Bodies 
It all started with a boy and a girl—their tragic love story is shared through the eyes of the enemy. 

Every word fades dreams and shatters memories as life slips away. Jillian needs a Knight, Jessica needs a miracle, and together they need a savior. 

This is so bittersweet for me because I absolutely adored the first book, I loved one half of the second, and kinda didn't mind the third. I stand by my first impression of Jackson's story; I stil think it was absolutely unnecessary-at least not the way it was written!-ridiculous and offensive to women, and abused women especially, so I'm going to forget its entire existence.

On the other hand, Jessica's story was the exact opposite: heartfelt and moving until the very end. The last 50 pages or so were a bit rushed for me, especially the conclusion to J/L relationship.
The scenes at the warehouse were horrifying, just the way they were supposed to be, and even undeniably disgusting, I found Knox a very intriguing character and the flashbacks of his relationship with Sunny were brilliantly written.

All in all, I 100% recommend this series to anyone that looks for a hot romance, with hilarious and smart banter and a story that will melt their heart. Also, to anyone that is willing to overlook (or skip, whatever) Jackson's story.

READING: Middle of Knight (Jack & Jill #2) by Jewel E. Ann

Publication date: October 10 2015
Published by: Jewel E. Ann
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
Rating: 

Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan’s unsuspecting—older—housekeeper.

Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson’s advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson’s marriage proposal on their first date.
What could possibly go wrong?

While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future—the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one.

Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past. 

I was ready to hate so much on this book, but that ending? My God, I was reading on the train on my way to work and I wanted to bawl my eyes out! I mean, so heartbreaking and sad and beautiful. Jillian's relationship with AJ in this book is so wonderfully described, you want it to last forever, even though you know it won't. But you still dare to hope, until there's no hope and everything turns black. But even in the darkest moment, that short note on the napkin, is just everything; all the hope, all the love; all the life. Ah, I don't know what to say to do Jillian and AJ's story justice, it's just magnificent. 

Ahem. On the other hand, Jackson and Rhyn's was not. To say the least. I am not one for strong words but I just hated everything that had to do with these two. From his misogynistic, chauvinistic ass, to her childlike ignorance and naivete. And sure, I understand the total lack of self respect from her side. She was an abuse victim for years. What's his excuse? Oh yes, sorry. He's "damaged". Nah, not good enough, plus I'm not buying it. Jessica was damaged, Jillian is damaged and she does not treat people with so much disrespect, to put it lightly. Granted, he kinda realised it at the very end, but it was way too late. Rhyn should have kicked the shit out of him for the way he was treating her! But because of her trauma and the detrimental impact it had on her self esteem, she thought that she should not only not do that, but also be grateful that such a hot guy chose her.
Ugh, just no. 

READING: End of Day (Jack & Jill #1) by Jewel E. Ann

Publication date: August 17 2015
Published by: Jewel E. Ann
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
Rating: 

Jessica and Jude Day witness their funeral and that of their parents a few yards away from mourning family and friends. Stripped of the only life they’ve ever known, the Days say goodbye to San Francisco forever.
Six months later, two thirty-year-old misfits with elite self-defense skills and penchants for alcohol, sex, and trouble arrive like an earthquake to Peaceful Woods, a retirement community in Omaha, Nebraska, that thrives on rules and gossip. Welcome home, Jackson and Jillian Knight.

Jackson celebrates his new beginning by embracing his job and wiping his cavalier past clean with a temporary oath of celibacy. But Jillian’s past is branded into her soul—the deaths, the insanity, Dr. Luke Jones, and the need to make her lovers bleed. Her chance for redemption comes in the form of a next door neighbor, one Senior Master Sergeant Monaghan. He’s sexy, dangerously alluring, and riddled with emotional issues from years of service. He’s also … So. Damn. Grumpy. 

Their mission is simple: Let go, start over, don't kill anyone, and pray that nobody wakes the dead.

This book is really twisted, unbelievably hot, deeply emotional and overall 100% magical!

Ann does an amazing job building both relationships, AJ/Jillian and Luke/Jessica. We get to know Jessica through very emotional flashbacks with Luke, and also get to witness her transformation to Jillian through present scenes with AJ. Add quick-witted and snarky sense of humor, and you’ve got yourself a remarkable book.

Potential readers: Please keep in mind that these characters are very, very damaged, complicated and because of that, callous and harsh. I don't blame if you if you instantly dislike them. However, they never pretend to be something else to gain sympathy. They own up to each hurtful thing they say, to each evil and wicked thing they do. They never ask for forgiveness because they know they don't deserve it, but neither care for judgment. They are just people who you can either try to understand and trust, or people you absolutely hate, and that’s why this book is so incredible in my opinion: by exposing every tiny piece of these people's souls no matter how ugly, it will make you care for them so deeply and fall in love with them so hard, your head will spin!

Readers that hated the characters-I get it. They make it hard for you to tolerate them, they never let up.
Readers who chose differently-prepare for an epically emotional journey that will have you on the edge of your seat, turning those pages like your life depends on it.
That, in a nutshell, is End of Day.

READING: When It's Real by Erin Watt

Publication date: May 30 2017
Published by: Harlequin TEEN
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School
Rating: 

Meet Oakley Ford-teen celebrity, renowned pop star, child of famous movie stars, hottie with millions of fangirls… and restless troublemaker. On the surface he has it all, but with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry, and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley's team decides it's time for an intervention. The result: an image overhaul, complete with a fake girlfriend meant to show the world he's settled down.

Enter seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett-devoted sister, part-time waitress, the definition of "normal." Under ordinary circumstances she'd never have taken this gig, but with her family strapped for cash, she doesn't have much of a choice. And for the money Oakley's team is paying her, she figures she can put up with outlandish Hollywood parties and a team of publicists watching her every move. So what if she thinks Oakley's a shallow, self-centered jerk? It's not like they're going to fall for each other in real life…right?

I am very disappointed. After drooling over Paper Princess and being relatively OK with Prince and Palace, I at least expected a decent read out of When It's Real. But that was not the case.
First off, I didn't like any of the characters, not a single reedeming quality in any of them. Hated Oakley, despised Vaughn.

Oakley was, to put it simply, an egotistical asshole who thought he is the best thing since sliced bread and everyone should get down on their knees and worship his godliness. He is the kind of guy who describes his biceps as "guns". 1. Gross and 2. who says that? Apart from major douchelords I mean. The very few glimpses we get of an actual heart and feelings are very forced and not believable at all. Every time I thought I would change my mind about him, I always ended up saying "No, he is actually a jerk."
I won't even get that deep with Vaughn, the girl had literally no depth. With the charisma and the personality of a napkin, Vaughn managed to get the hottest and most famous guy to fall in love with her in a period of less that 3 months. Uh huh. Below zero chemistry between them - the love they declared to each other was just words on a paper, didn't make me feel anything.
To me, Oakley appeared as a spoiled brat who constantly seeks admiration and adoration and gets it from Vaughn, who is so spineless and scared to be on her own (can't blame her, sounds terrifying!) that she just goes from on self-centered moron to another.

I am sorry, but this book was just silly. Pure ridiculousness.

READING: Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Publication date: February 4 2014
Published by: Berkley
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica 
Rating: 

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness. He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily.

Gideon "knew." He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each others most private wounds and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart. 

Things that made me gag:

*Eva consenting to anal sex (didn't put up much of a fight, really) because having this guy she barely knows mark her there (!) would erase and heal her past. Her past being 4 years of sexual abuse. 
The fact that a woman author could write something like that about a sexually abused woman is sickening.

*The number of times Gideon told Eva to shut up. Hell no.

*Eva's endless descriptions of Gideon's exquisite physical appearance. We get it girl, calm down.

*Gideon's obsession with his billions. Such a turn off.

*Cary's no reason of existence other than being a beautiful prop, a small break between all the sex.

*Their going crazy over each other before page 30. I am no stranger to insta love but she just took it to a whole other level.

*Gideon's extreme stalking. Again - new level. 

For all these reasons and more.

READING: The Education of Caroline by Jane Harvey-Berrick

Publication date: February 7 2013
Published by: Harvey Berrick Publishing
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Military
Rating: 

Ten years after their broken affair, Sebastian and Caroline meet again: this time in very different circumstances, against the background of the war in Afghanistan.

Now a successful journalist, Caroline meets Chief Sebastian Hunter, US Marine. Will this chance encounter rekindle the erotic madness of her passionate affair with a younger man? 

Where do I even start with this...

I adored The Education of Sebastian. Sebastian and Caroline's love story is just one for the ages. I love how sweet and gentle Sebastian was in TEoS and even his pig headedness I contributed to his young age and inexperience. Caroline was a very strong female character, who despite her insecurities, sadness and misery, took the terrifying step towards changing her life, consequences be dammed, and simply started living again. 

Fast forward 10 years, and we're at the beginning of TEoC. I will admit that I didn't care much for the 1st half. I was expecting the reunion to be quite different and way more emotional than it actually was. Long gone was Sebastian's sweetness and innocence, replaced by arrogance, and general assholeish behaviour. Additionally, Caroline who finally stood on her own two feet, not relying on any man to take care of her and having a kick ass job, was being bossed around by Sebastian. It's just something that didn't sit well with me. Granted, these 10 years and being a Marine hardened him but not that much as to justify his behaviour and victimise Caroline all over again, who bent over backwards to satisfy his every whim and fancy. So instead of feeling the romance and the love, Sebastian exuded anger and aggressiveness and Caroline fear and sadness, which was prominent on their multiple sex scenes as well. I must confess however that their journey through Geneva France and Italy was described masterfully. 
Going into the 2nd half of the book I was feeling defeated and ready to accept the fact that it wasn't going to be as good as TEoS. 
I was wrong. 

Part 2 takes place in Afghanistan where all the emotion and anguish and immense love finally comes out. Sebastian left his ego aside and finally showed his vulnerable side, opening up to Caroline who was always there to take care of him. Even through the tearful ending, her selfless love for him is the book's primary focus, making her the ultimate romance heroine. And she damn well deserves it. 

I honestly feel so empty and sad now that Sebastian and Caroline's story has come to an end, having being completely immersed in their world for the last couple of weeks. 
I will always cherish and remember these books and all the beautiful emotions they evoked.
Read them! 
  

READING: This is Our Story by Ashley Elston

Publication date: November 15 2016
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult, Crime, Mystery, High School, Suspense 
Rating: 

No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them. 

Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the district attorney’s office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen.

As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own. 

Definitely a page turner that will have you sitting at the edge of your seat until the very end. 

However, I felt that it is one of those crime-mystery books that is more concerned with everything surrounding the murder and the amount of suspense built around it, rather than the actual murderer. That's why we get almost zero info on the boys' lives and backstories because they really don't matter, as far as the reader is concerned any of those boys could have done it. Motive is also something that was unknown to the reader until the very end, more like a very hasty explanation as to why that guy murdered his best friend. I think that there was so much untapped potential in the story, especially Grant's relationship with his friends, which would have given a much darker side to the story, outlining a clear villain (or not) and a more holistic view and understating behind the murderer's actions. I would have also liked more info on the female lead, Kate, and why teenagers are allowed to assist with murder investigations (?)

It's gripping and very entertaining, don't get me wrong, but it could also have been wicked and shocking and scandalous. But it wasn't.

READING: Arouse by Nina Lane

Publication date: May 2 2013
Published by: Snow Queen Publishing
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica
Rating: 

Brilliant, handsome professor Dean West is everything I've ever wanted, but didn't think I would have. My troubled past left me wary and guarded. But when Dean rescued me from mix-up with college courses, the spark between us turned into a firestorm. As he taught me about desire and trust, this warm, sexy man always kept me safe.

And for three years, our hot, loving marriage has been unbreakable.

Or so I thought.

Then one simple question provokes an alarming chain of events that threatens to tear us apart forever.

Not once have I believed Dean would lie to me...until he does.
Not once have I believed I would betray him...until I do.
Not once have I believed we would ever be apart...until we are.

Arouse is about a married couple that sees their relationship unravel when past secrets get dredged up, while having lots of sex. Lots and lots of sex. It is told by 2 perspectives, Liv's and Dean's, predominantly Liv's.

This book had its ups and downs. I loved the first half but I started to lose interest on the second half and my mind constantly wondered. Even though I tried to get myself in both characters' shoes, I felt like some of their problems where just there to create drama and they were overly exaggerated. 

Liv for me is a very weak female character who depends on "her man" for everything. She is always described as this precious little flower who met her husband when she was young (it's mentioned that he is quite older than her) and she looks up to him and he's her hero. Not that there is anything wrong with that, if you're into that kind of thing, but her attempt to become her own self and stand on her own two feet is almost laughable. Her not so great upbringing is mentioned as, I am guessing, an excuse of her behaviour but not in enough depth to justify it. When they are having sex she is obviously the submissive one, and is often told what to do and what to say. Again, nothing wrong with that if that's what you like, if it wasn't for the fact that throughout the whole book you get the feeling that Liv doesn't really want this life. Her indecisiveness about what the hell she wants was unbelievably frustrating. It seemed like she was depending on Dean for that as well, to make all the decisions for her so she wouldn't have to. As a result, she ends up settling for a life that is familiar and comfortable, even though not necessarily what she really wants.

I am not saying that she doesn't love Dean because she does with all her heart. But what happened between them is obviously unresolved and will continue to be until they have a real discussion and they both either decide to forget about everything that happened and move forward, or decide they cannot move past it and as a result, separate. People who love each other still get separated because of something bigger than them, something they find impossible to resolve. It's unfortunate, but it happens. So when problems are unresolved and still remain at the back of your mind buried deep, but you knowingly decide to be together burying your head in the sand, you have to realise it is only a matter of time until something happens to trigger said problems and they emerge again, uglier and nastier than before.

In my opinion, neither of them was mature enough to handle the situation- Liv depended on Dean to fix everything and Dean was paralysed emotionally from having the same situation happen to him again from the person he least expected it. He thought Liv worshipped him (which she kinda did) and when he realised that could very easliy change, he became mean and possessive. Liv seemed to be fine with that (!) because the thought of being alone terrified her so much that she went back to him, because they love each other so much. Ugh.

Also, I have to mention ⬇

how easily she believed the student's accusation of Dean hitting on her. If that's what it takes to start suspecting your husband of cheating, and with a student no less, then there is definitely something awfully wrong there.

Sex scenes were very hot, I have to admit, albeit way more than necessary. What was missing was a good, emotionally raw scene which would have the characters face their problems head on and hash it all out and actually talk to each other. Instead we got a sex scene where Dean demands Liv not to say no to him. Hm. I doubt the 2nd book is going to be any better, but I will give it a try. (Just saw there are 6 books in the series. Really?? I think one would have been more than enough...)