Review: Black Lies by Alessandra Torre

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Brant:
Became a tech billionaire by his twentieth birthday. Has been in a relationship with me for 3 years. Has proposed 4 times. Been rejected 4 times.

Lee:
Cuts grass when he's not banging housewives. Good with his hands, his mouth, and his body. Has been pursued relentlessly by me for almost 2 years, whether he knows it or not.

Go ahead. Judge me. You have no idea what my love entails.

If you think you've heard this story before, trust me - you haven't.

**This is a STANDALONE full-length novel. It is not part of a series, and does not contain a cliffhanger.**

*Complimentary copy received for review purposes.

“If you think you’ve heard this story before, trust me – you haven’t.” Remember this quote from the book, because once you get into it, you will think you have heard it, but you have no idea what is to come. Layana Fairmont was not looking for someone to begin a relationship with nor have a side piece. She fell in love with 2 men: Brant & Lee.

Brant was the techy billionaire that they have been together for 3 years. He has proposed 4 times and Layana has rejected him 4 times. Both have secrets that could hurt the other, but what will they reveal? Will their love and relationship be able to withstand everything or not?

Lee is a landscaper who is great in bed, and Layana can’t get enough of him. She has gone to extreme measures to make sure she has Lee. Is sex all she really loves about Lee?

All I can say is wow! This was an awesome read, I gave it 5 stars. You will not want to put it down until you figure out what happens. Then you will be running to your friends saying “you have to read this now!” Alessandra Torre never disappoints and she always feed the sexual urges you crave to read about. This is a standalone and I promise you will love it!

Alessandra Torre

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Review: Empathy (Empathy #1) by Ker Dukey

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Blake:
I am a brother
I am a police detective
I am a contract killer
I don’t want to love
I don’t want to feel
I don’t want … EMPATHY.

They say some people are born with decreased activity in the front central lobe causing them a deficiency in empathy. Maybe that’s true about me but whether I was born this way or created in a moment of evil, empathy was something I didn’t possess until her green eyes met mine in the mirror and I couldn’t take her life.

I didn’t want to feel, didn’t want this woman in my life complicating how I lived but she was there at every turn. Sent to haunt me for my sins. Her light so bright she provoked a shadow from everyone she touched. When a job turns bad quickly altering my life forever I’m forced to feel. When nothing is making sense I’m forced to face truths I never would recover from. When life drowns you in its cruelty you don’t know which way the current will drag you or who you’ll become once you re-surface.

Melody:
I was a daughter
I was a student
I was a victim
Did I have his love?
Did I make him feel?
Did I have his empathy?

When the actions of a soulless killer forces sorrow into my veins I never dreamed the man healing my wounds would be the one to leave the worst scar. His love would scar my soul. Scars are permanent; I will never feel the relief from them. Will I learn to live with them, remember why I have them and learn never to let him close enough to inflict more?

Will I eventually cover them… like tattoos coating them with new memories, new love and new starts? I didn’t know these answers because the pain was too suffocating, the only thing I knew was they will always be under the surface lingering. He had scars too, from his sins. There is nothing that can cover them, they were too deep, too ugly, too dark and they marked us both forever.

Warning: This book will mess with your mind. It is a very dark, sexy, twisted romance novel. 18+ only.

*Complimentary copy received for review purposes.

Let’s start out by saying holy cow! This book was suspenseful, an emotional rollercoaster, and had me hooked from the prologue. I read the prologue and said am I really going to like this? This is pretty wicked. I gave this book 5 stars. I was completely set on feeling one way towards Blake throughout the whole story to have my thoughts completely turned upside down at the end when the truth of the story came out.

I want to use this quote directly from the book to help tell my version of empathy without spoilers. “They say some people are born with decreased activity in the brain; a cold spot in the front central lobe. Where most people have activity, a hot area giving these feelings, emotions, and enabling them to love, there are a few who have a cold spot, affecting their ability to feel emotions, empathy. There are theories that serial killers have this cold spot. Psychopaths. That’s why they lack the ability to connect, to care.” Was Blake born this way or created in a moment of evil? Is it possible Melody was his sunshine? Was she what broke through all the empathy and made him feel, made him love?

Melody was a daughter and student who was grieving. Who would be the one to help her cope? Literally running into Blake was what turned him into having nightly dreams of her Jade Green Eyes. Were his thoughts and dreams enough to control his desire for her? Blake was a jerk. Did she love him or hate him? Or was it that she hated herself for wanting him? The connection they share is not what it seems. Just like I said above, when you think you got it all figured it out. The ending and the truth is not at all what I pictured based on what information was given in the beginning to make you believe what you “thought happened.”

Is someone you love and care about who you really think they are? Do they hide emotions and/or a side no one knows about? This story really lets you see into the sickness that psychopaths experience in their head. What do they thrive on? What fuels them to be the way they are or act the way they do? Will you do anything to protect the one you love? Will the truth put Blake at ease? Will he be able to live with his past? I hope you enjoy this novel as much as I did. I hope Ker Dukey will give more into these characters, maybe in another book…

Ker Dukey

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Review: Us (L&J#3) by Emily Eck

Us (L & J #3)

by Emily Eck

Told from dual points of view, Elle and J must figure out how to bring down an MC, steer clear of flying bullets in Missouri and south of the border, all the while making sure Fernie is out of the line of fire. Elle's love for J is tested, as is her belief that she will ever find "normal" with the man she loves. J is determined to make things right so he can give Elle the "normal" life she deserves. He just has to stay alive to make it happen. With his own personal sun by his side, he knows nothing is impossible. That is, until the bullets are redirected from his head to Elle's.

Elle: I held my hand up, showing him the ring he’d put on me. “This is us,” I told him. It was more than a ring. Well, to me it was more. “I promise to love you ‘til the day I die.”

J:"Us, baby. This is us. I'll love you 'til the sun ceases to shine."

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I finished Melted & Shattered and wasn't 100% sure how J was going to handle that ending. It happened out of nowhere. I was chilling on my couch when J literally roared in my head. This is what he said. 

Light – She's filled with it. I want it. I need it. I crave it. Her light is my drug, and I am in a constant state of withdrawal when she isn't around.

Rewind – I may not have been there while Elle was falling apart, but I always had eyes on her. More importantly, I never stopped thinking of her, loving her. She's the reason I'm in the middle of a drug war. She's the reason I'm in Mexico staring in the eyes of a drug cartel boss. 

Press Play – I'd tear the world apart for Elle, and I just might have to after what happened in the park. I won't stop until she is safe. I won't sleep until she is next to me. 

Because if she dies--

so do I.

**ARC given in exchange for honest review**

J Roars (2.5)

I felt the need to include J Roars review because I had not read and/or reviewed it until now.  Please note that J Roars is 2.5 in the series and you must read this series in order to get the whole story.  I really liked J Roars.  I gave it 4 stars.  I love hearing J’s point of view on everything and how he plays things out in his head, and how he feels. 

Elle is J’s sun, she is his drug, and he is addicted to her.  What steps will he take to make her safe again and have her in his arms?  If she is dead, he may as well be too.  Without his sun, he will always be in the dark.  Stay tuned for book 3, Us to get the final chapter of L&J!

Us (#3)

Elle & J are trying to solve how to bring down head of an MC.  Are they safer in Mexico or Missouri? Will he be able to keep her safe and give her a normal life?  Will Elle’s glowing sunshine be enough to help lead J into happiness?

Will Elle be able to maintain safety for one of her most beloved cubs?  Fernie is brought back into the picture.  Will he be able to step up and be a man or is he truly one of Elle’s cubs that she “mothers?”

I really liked Us and was sad to say that this was the end to L&J’s story.  I gave it 4 stars because yes I got my HEA but only partially.  I wanted to know more at the end and I’m guessing that will lead into the next book that leads into Chris’ story.  I love how the story goes back and forth from Elle and J each telling their version of what’s going on.  It lets you get into both their heads to know what each one is thinking and their perception of their environment.  I don’t want to give away name and characters to give spoilers, but I wanted to mention that some of Elle’s favorite books are mentioned in this book.  I personally have not read Kristen Ashley’s Dream Man series, but after the comments about that series, I must read it, plus my cousin is a huge fan.

Emily is a Midwestern Gal hailing from the United States, but could be anywhere as you read this. Currently residing in Mexico, adventure feeds her soul, and offers great writing material. She loves kids and working with kids, but can only handle caring for four-legged furry friends. A crazy dog and laid back cat have trained her to be their partner in life. After coming from a snowy climate, Emily and the animals are loving the sun Mexico has to offer each and every day. Vices include Swedish Fish, ignoring chores in favor of reading, and caring too much for people in her life. She chose to write this bio in third person as she is an Aries, and found writing in first person ended up with her writing an excessively long life story. Aries like to talk about themselves. It is something Emily is working on being more mindful of. You can contact her on any of the social media platforms below and she will respond, as her mom gave her the gift of gab. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emily-Eck/1448076818747715 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReadEmilyEck 

Blog: http://reademilyeck.blogspot.com/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768338.Emily_Eck 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/reademilyeck

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Review: Rules of Protection (Tangled In Texas #1) by Alison Bliss

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Some rules are meant to be broken...

It’s rule breaker Emily Foster's birthday, and like everyone at The Jungle Room, she just wants to get some action. Unfortunately, she stumbles on the wrong kind, witnessing a mob hit. To protect her, she’s entered into the Witness Protection Program with by-the-book Special Agent Jake Ward as her chaperone.

When the location of their safe house is compromised, Jake stashes Emily deep in the Texas backwoods. The city-girl might be safe from the Mafia, but she has to contend with a psychotic rooster, a narcoleptic dog, crazy cowboys, and the danger of losing her heart to the one man she can’t have.

Jake's as hot as he is infuriating, and she can't help but push all his buttons to loosen him up. Their mutual, sizzling sexual attraction poses a dilemma: Jake's determined to keep her safe and out of the wrong hands; she's determined to get into the right ones—his.

*Complimentary copy received for review purposes.

I was lured into this book by the promise of dirty, dirty things. Alison Bliss kept her promise and gave me so much more.

For me, it was pretty easy to figure out who was doing what and all that jazz. But that didn't take away from anything else I got from reading this.

I loved this. There was just something about this that would not let me put it down. Honestly, I haven't been this engrossed in a book in a long time.

Possibly my state of mind, but possibly not. I was thrown from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other the whole time I was reading this. There is mention of multiple personality disorder in this book... I kinda felt like I might have it. Going from hysterical laughter to ugly crying jags kinda makes you feel that way, especially when you wake your husband up at 3 am doing it.

Jake Ward... Holy Hotness! He is hot and caveman-ish and confusing as hell. Emily is... well, she is Emily. There is no real way to describe this chick. She does remind me of myself and I'm not sure if thats good or bad. But I can identify with her.

At one point I did start screaming “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? NOOOOOOO! DON’T DO THAT... DON’T DO THAT...” I had to put the book down and step back. I couldn't watch the trainwreck I knew was coming from that. I only waited 5 minutes.

I will tell you now. There will be facepalms, there will be cringing, there will be laughter, maybe some tears and there will be some sexual relief needed.

It was definitely well worth it and a great stress relieving distraction if you're in need of that type of thing (which I was).

Alison Bliss

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Review: Dark Desires by Measha Stone

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By definition a fantasy is an imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or need.

Inside are just such fantasies. A collection of erotic short stories and flash fictions...

The Simple Things

He took great pleasure in watching her undress for him on their bed. In particular, he loved to witness her panties make their way over her ankles and slip off her feet.

She seemed to slither out of her clothing. Her feet never touched the ground. Once her lacy panties had been carelessly tossed from the bed, she rolled onto her stomach and beckoned him with her grin. An invitation of sorts.

He stood beside the bed, admiring the smooth texture of her glowing ivory skin. A devilish smile flashed as his fingers reached for the buckle of his belt.

She shivered.

*Complimentary copy received for review purposes.

Ok so this was a very different read for me. I gave it four stars because I enjoyed the content.

Dark Desires…how dark are your desires? I guess I never really realized how dark mine were until I read this. There are some things in this read, that if I was a submissive that these would be hard limits for me. But the lifestyle of being a submissive is something I crave. I keep thinking if I bite my lip, and roll my eyes, I am going to get spanked. I believe it’s in all men’s nature to be a dominant. What do we have to do provoke it? What can we do to make them fulfill our fantasies? I think maybe sharing this book will help.

This book was great because it had several erotic short stories in it. Every time each story started getting good, it ended. Each story was unique in its own way. It was a fast read and I highly recommend it. It was well written and definitely sets the mood. Good job Measha!!

Measha Stone
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Review: Ricardo (Santini Brothers #1) by Marita A. Hansen

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On a Mediterranean Island run by mafia, the Santini brothers are fighting a war against the Landi family, who are targeting their loved ones. After his fiancée is murdered, Ricardo, the eldest of the brothers, starts spiraling out of control, his violent nature leading him down a path that could rip his family apart. But, when two women walk into his life...

His first love—Bianca D’Angelo

And an assassin from the Viper Sisterhood

...he finds himself pulled into a world of espionage, intrigue, and seduction, where he'll win his family's safety and the woman of his dreams—or lose everything.

*Complimentary copy received for review purposes.

Ricardo Santini is the eldest of his brothers, and the heir for the title Don, mob boss aka the head of a crime family. The war has broken out against the Landi family. Everyone’s loved ones are targeted either due to their name or who the opposing family thinks the enemy is or who they are related to. His fiancé was murdered, which led his violent temper to become fiercer. Will his rage be the undoing of his family?

Can you imagine not being able to feel and/or not being able to control your temper/rage? This is exactly what Ricardo experiences every day. Tasks as simple as shaving, taking a shower, cannot be completed due to risk of being hurt.

Does not being able to feel physically hinder you from loving someone completely?

Even though it’s been over 10 years since Bianca and Ricardo have been together, will he still feel as strongly for her as he did back then?

Can the Santinis trust the Viper Sisterhood?

Secrets, lies, and the TRUTH will come out in this story told by Ricardo. But who will suffer the consequences? What deaths will come from it, what lives will be spared?

I gave this book 4 stars. At first, I was having a hard time trying to figure out all the background information and who went with whom, and how everyone was connected. It took a little while. Also after I learned some of the Italian lingo that helped me understand as well. Ricardo is a strong man who exudes power, masculinity. He is terrifying, yet stunning. Was he truly labeled as a killer because his heart was so cold he would rather kill than bed a woman? Read this book and find out…

I cannot wait for Book #2 re: Brando and what his decisions will be for his future now knowing about his past.

Marita A. Hansen

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Review: Complicated by M.M. Koenig

  

  

 Mia Ryan has learned the hard way that her choices can have horrible consequences. Taking an offer that was supposed to get her life back on track was nothing but a ploy. To keep the ones she holds dear safe, she's forced to finish what she started, without any hope of finding out why she was targeted in the first place. Though Mia has Ethan by her side, she can't seem to believe in him, especially since most of his life remains a mystery. Ethan Fitzgerald has done everything in his power to prove to Mia that she can trust him, but it never seems to be enough to convince her to drop the last wall around her heart. With deep and dark secrets lurking around every corner, he has his own plan to keep Mia from any danger, but it may just shatter their love forever. There are so many questions – with even more shocking answers – and when Mia uncovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same...

**ARC given in exchange for honest review**

First off, I want to say that my emotions have been on a rollercoaster through this journey of Complicated.  I am giving it 5 stars because it kept me guessing at what was to come and who was really telling the truth.  This is book 2 in the series.  You definitely have to read Conflicted to understand what is going on.  Complicated picks up exactly where Conflicted left off.  

Mia Ryan is torn between telling the truth and living with deceit.  Will the truth set her free or will it bring more harm than good to herself and her loved ones?

Are the details of your life molding who you are or who you become?  Mia's past will come crashing down on her in a way she never expected.  Can Ethan bring her the happiness she so desperately seeks to mend her scarred heart or will he be the final strand to unleash her storm of bottled up emotions.  Mia is a very selfless person who only seems to care about herself.  When will she start to do for herself?  What decisions will she have to make to protect the ones she loves?

Ethan is a hopeless romantic under all the bad boy personna and tattoos.  He never seems to amaze me at the depths he will go to prove his love to Mia.  

Again this was an amazing read to get my heart pumping and to be crushed by 3 words...To Be Continued...

M. M. Koenig was born and raised in Minnesota. She now lives in the Twin Cities area with her loving dog Marley. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelors of Science in Sociology. M. M. Koenig enjoys being active and has a variety of interests that coincide with her passion for life. Always one to try new things, she has acquired a variety of skills. Her sarcastic nature and multitude of experiences tend to find their way into her novels. When she has free time and isn't writing, she spends as much time as she can with friends and family. To fuel her soul, she is constantly looking for new music, movies, and books to keep the writer's block at bay.

Connect with M. M. Koenig!

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Review: Lather by Nicki Rae

18 year old Emily Jenkins is from a small town in Indiana. She has just graduated High School and is going through a bad break up; she is ready to start college and get on with her life. But, before she even gets a chance to start college, unforeseen events thrust her right back in to the life of her ex. Will she survive him and be able to continue with her life or will she be drawn back to him?

Logan Moore has just returned home from College for the summer. He has had a rough first year, all of his own making. He wants to right some of the wrongs that he has created over the last year, but it is proving more difficult than he thought. After a tragic accident, that he feels is his fault, Logan tries to cope with the guilt and is offered help by someone he least expects.

Will their lives ever be the same?

Amazon US

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Paperback

**ARC given in exchange for honest review**

I really loved this book.  I gave it 5 stars because it had lots of scenarios that I could relate to.  I am from Virginia and Logan goes to school at Virginia Tech, Go Hokies!  I love Emily & Logan even though both of them break my heart in more than one way.  I can’t wait to see what is next in the Moore Brother Series. 

Emily Jenkins is a small town girl from Indiana who has just graduated high school.  Will the long distant relationship work or will her one and only turn into typical and lonely?  Finding the one thing that she fears will cause her heart to break.  Will she ever get over him or will she run to be at his side when he is hurting the most?  How will Emily cope?  Does she confide in her friends or will the answer be in the bottom of a bottle?

Logan Moore is glad to be back at home.  But is the one thing that he wants over?  Can he fight to have things back to the way they used to be?

Are the friends that Emily confides in, the ones that she can really trust?  It is really hard to picture the chain of events that blossom in this story.  I was really surprised every time I thought I had the story line figured out, something different happened.  That is one of the best things in this story.  I like being puzzled about what’s to come, but not confused that I don’t understand what is going on.

Nicki Rae was born in Dayton, Ohio. Today, she resides just outside of Indianapolis with her husband, her nine year old son and her zoo full of animals; two cats (Sam and Shelby), fish, a bearded dragon (Spike) and a tarantula (Bill). The tarantula actually belongs to the guys, Nicki hates him!

Nicki has a degree in Human Resources and is a banker by trade.

Along with being an avid reader, she is also a lover of music and a HUGE sports fan (Go Colts!).

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