Book Review: Afraid to Hope by M.J.Nightingale

Louisa Sears is ready to start over. Escaping her small town where prejudice, long memories, and old fashioned values haunt her, Louisa embarks on her dream of finding love, and a man who can warm up her bed at night. Pregnant at sixteen, divorced from an abusive husband at twenty, and raising a daughter alone, Louisa is now ready to live. She wants what every woman wants. A rock hard man, who knows how to love. Will Florida be the place where her dreams come true?

Jay Russell is battle scarred. A past filled with horrors from childhood, the war in Iraq, and the most devastating event of his life that occurred when he returned home, he is definitely not looking for love. When he first meets Louisa Sears, the bombshell with the fantastic body, he wants one thing, and one thing only, her body underneath him. The hot little ticket that walks by his t-shirt shop, meets all his requirements for a night of passion.

The scars in them run deep though, and they both have secrets. Can two people so deeply wounded by the past learn to trust each other enough to share those secrets? And if they do, will they be able to get past them and learn to hope again?

I have not read any of the other books in this series, but that will change. This was so much more than a sizzling hot romance.

We meet two characters who are attempting to re-build their lives, both have emotional scares, both at different stages of their personal recovery. They are equally attracted to each other, but being together opens old wounds, triggering terrifying memories from their respective pasts. Both are fragile and afraid to hope, that their problems can't be overcome to enable them to move forward and build a future together.

There is no denying the chemistry between Louisa and Jay. Louisa is an upbeat woman, re-building her life after raising her daughter alone after an abusive marriage. Now with an empty nest, she moves to Florida to make a fresh start after finding her dream job. Jay is a rather cheeky guy, oozing sex appeal and gives the impression he is just carefree. However beneath the surface he is riddled with guilt from an incident from the past whilst rehabilitating after serving in the military. He too has made his home in Florida after he re-connecting with his father.

The author brought so much more to Louisa and Jay's story than just their developing relationship. We are given a graphic insight into Jay's past, so that we the readers can sympathise and fully appreciate the full extent of the atrocities Jay was exposed to during active service in the military. It is shocking and uncomfortable to read. However it isn't gratuitous in any way. It is there to serve a purpose.

As I read Afraid To Hope as a standalone, the characters from the previous books in the series slipped well into the plot. I didn't feel any loss for not knowing their background stories they serve to compliment the storyline perfectly. One in particular is pivotal in providing information and insight to Louisa, giving her a new perspective and view on what she has to do to make a relationship with Jay a possibility.

This is a well written book packed with emotions and scorching hot romance. I fully intend to read the other books in this series as well as future works from this author.

4½ stars. **Arc received in exchange for an honest review**

Blog Stop, Review & Giveaway: Beholden by Corinne Michaels.

Title: Beholden (Book Two in the Belonging Duet)

Author: Corinne Michaels

Release Date: October 22, 2014

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  Catherine Pope got a second chance at love, only to have it ripped away—again. She should’ve known better.

But she dared to hope.

She refuses to let fate take the reins this time. Catherine decides she’s going to fight.

Jackson Cole risked it all. 

He thought this time would be different.

With his loyalties pulling him in two directions—it’s time to make a choice…his past or his future.

Will they be beholden to their fears or will they both fight against their demons and finally find the love they both long for?

I was completely unprepared when I began reading Beholden. I remembered the cliffhanger from Beloved, so shouldn't have been surprised by the assault on my emotions when I began to read. By the time I'd finished the prologue, I was already tearing-up. This book should come with a warning:

Do not attempt to read this book without having a box of tissues handy.

I confess to impersonating a leaking tap (faucet) during most of the duration of the book. In the beginning I also had an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia too – talk about literally feeling what character was going through at the time! I wont say what part I am eluding to as I don't want to spoil the plot, but you'll know which part I mean when you get to it.

Beholden is so much more than an off-the-scale sexy conclusion to Catherine and Jackson's story. It's two people, madly in love with each other trying to find a way back into each others arms, to make a relationship work for them. And work they do because the odds are heavily stacked against them. With both carrying emotional baggage like lead weights around their respective necks, each has to delve deep and make decisions with gut wrenching consequences.

In Beloved, I was instantly attracted to Jackson because he was a suit wearing ex-SEAL. I was drawn to him if nothing else because he reminded me of another book boyfriend. What endeared me most to him was his imperfections and flaws and that applies to Jackson too. He's charming and arrogant, but shows vulnerability too. In Beholden, my heart wept for Jackson as he came to terms with his past, leading to an ultimate personal sacrifice. What a guy, what a hero!

Catherine went from being a woman I easily identified with, to a role model to aspire to. It was almost as if she'd pulled on her “big girl panties,” took life by the horns and charging head first into the heart of her problems. But life is never predictable, and Catherine is forced to make a life changing decision, which will ultimately change the course of her future, with an extremely high personal price tag. She shows courage, conviction and newly found determination. Taking full responsibility for her actions, doing the right thing for herself, even if it breaks her heart all over again.

Amongst the tears of despair and joy, the mood is lightened with some humour too. All I'll say on the latter is “Battleships.” ;-)

If I thought Beloved was fabulous, Beholden is perfect. I especially love the direction Corinne takes her characters, in a far from predictable and refreshingly original way. You'll finish Beholden feeling exhausted & emotionally spent! As we nearer the end of 2014, The Belonging Duet is one of my favourite reading pleasures of the year! Cheers!

5 stars  **arc received via author for blog tour in exchange for an honest review**

Beloved (Book One in the Belonging Duet)

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Not enough.

Catherine Pope has never been enough. Every man she has ever loved abandoned her—from her father to her fiancé. She finally accepted the fact she would never be enough to hold any man’s heart and soul.

Then Catherine met Jackson Cole.

When her world literally collided with the sexy former Navy SEAL, everything she always believed is turned upside down and left scattered. He made her feel alive and desirable, consumed her with fierceness and loyalty—which completely unnerved her. Jackson got her in a way no one ever had, giving him the power to destroy her. 

If she breaks down and gives him what’s left of her battered heart—will he protect it? Or will Catherine become an irrelevant part of yet another man’s life? 

Will she get the one thing that has always evaded her – to finally be someone’s beloved?

Corinne is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.

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Release Blitz: Zane, Inked Brotherhood #3 by Jo Raven.

Title: Zane, book 3

Series: Inked Brotherhood (Book 3)

Author: Jo Raven

Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance (steamy) / lickable angsty romance

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They call me Zen-man, the cool-headed one, the protector. I keep an eye out for everyone, taking them in, finding them homes. They think I’m the calm and collected one, the self-assured one, the one who knows the way. They think they see me. They think they know me.

But they’re all wrong, because inside I’m broken. I have a jagged hole in my soul I can’t fix, a festering blackness. I’ve been to the pits of hell and nobody comes back unscathed. Life in foster care fucked me up, and now a thread is all that’s holding me together. 

So I sleep around and never date, keeping chicks away. One day I’ll snap, and when I do, there’s no telling who I might take down with me. 

All the same, there’s this one girl who won’t be scared away. Dakota. She’s hot and I won’t deny I want her. But she keeps coming back, needling me, trying to get me to talk, to open up to her. 

She has no idea she’s playing with fire. When the demons come, she’d better be far away from me, just like everyone else.

Add Zane to your TBR: Goodreads

Zane’s here.

He’s standing with his back to the wall, arms folded over his broad chest, his slanted eyes on me, hot and intense. His Mohawk is tall as ever, and the silver studs in his ears and the hoops in his brow glint. I scan him from his exotic face to the faded black T-shirt stretched over his pecs, down to his ripped jeans, and I struggle for breath.

Gah. He’s too handsome to be real. Too handsome to be interested in me. And yet here he is, and I can’t miss the bulge on the front of his jeans. He’s obviously hard, and the realization makes me feel hot. The tips of my breasts tighten painfully.

What is it about this boy that makes me lose my train of thought? Deciding I want to break through his defenses is one thing—but what he does to my body even with one look should be illegal.

“You came,” I blurt, and instantly wish I had swallowed my tongue instead.

He cocks his head to the side, eyes heavy-lidded. “Almost,” he whispers, and oh God, the boy is sexy as hell. “You have an awesome voice. Never heard anything like it.”

My face flames. “Thanks.”

I step off the stage, and he grabs my hand, steadying me. His fingers are callused and warm, his grip like steel.

“Hey, Koko, you okay?” Luke calls out.

“Fine. Just need a moment backstage. Yeah?”

“Koko?” Zane arches a dark brow at me.

“Yeah, the guys call me that.”

“I prefer Dakota.”

God, me, too, especially when Zane is speaking it in his low, warm voice.

Besides… ‘Koko’ brings back too many bad memories. I’m not that girl anymore, the girl who trusted Collin with her life and almost died for it.

I head toward the small backstage room, and he doesn’t release my hand. He follows me inside and closes the door, then turns the lock.

Before I ask what he’s doing, he slams me back against the wall, his muscled body pinning me, so that I feel every defined ridge and plane of his chest. He’s breathing hard.

Speaking of hard… The rod of his erection is trapped sideways inside his jeans, and its heat seeps through the fabric, branding my flesh.

“What are you doing to me?” he breathes, his strong hand trailing down my neck and slipping the strap of my blouse off my shoulder. “What the hell are you doing to me?”

I should stop him, but his fingertips send electric shocks down my spine. He lowers his face toward me, and my lips part in anticipation. He’s going to kiss me, I think, as his breath brushes the corner of my mouth—but he doesn’t. He trails his mouth over my cheek, along my jaw, under my ear. The touch of his lips—hot and soft—tortures me, arousing me more and more, as he bares my shoulder, and draws patterns on my skin.

I struggle to swallow a moan, my nipples pressed against his chest, tiny pinpricks of pain and pleasure. His hand tangles in my hair, tipping my head back for better access, and his mouth brands my neck, sending electric discharges right into my core. Fire coils low inside of me.

Oh God, I think I’m about to come just from his lips on my neck and his fingertips on my shoulder. I have to do something to stop him. Stop myself.

I place my hands on his chest. “Ink me, Zane,” I whisper.

His mouth leaves my neck, and when he looks down at me, his eyes are so dark with need they seem black. His breathing is ragged. “Don’t.”

“I want it.” It’s more than a game now, more than familiar teasing. I need his touch so much it’s scary as hell. I’m throbbing everywhere, and I feel wet between my legs. This has never happened to me before. It’s as if the ground has been yanked from under my feet. It’s like freefall, and I hate falling.

“Tell me what you want.” He braces an arm on the wall by my head and licks his lips. He doesn’t kiss me. Why won’t he kiss me?

“You know what I want,” I say.

He leans closer again, his male musk scent surrounding me, and how can I think straight when my hands are on his rippling abs, his mouth is inches from mine, and his hardness keeps pressing into my belly?

Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.

Links to stalk Jo Raven:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoRaven

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorJoRaven

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8161577.Jo_Raven

Website: http://joraven.com/blog/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/jo-raven/e/b00kbz63fa

Other books in the series:

Asher:

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Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1tKhwtP

Tyler:

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Pre-release Promo & Exclusive Excerpt: Unbroken by R.E.Hunter

 

Release Date - 6th November 2014

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Exclusive Excerpt from Unbroken (Book 2 The Disclosure Series)

Everything he was looking for was there, in her eyes, a thousand words passing between them as they stood across from one another. His eyes swept over her, taking her in. She was fucking beautiful, her hair falling in loose waves over her shoulders, a tight sweater and jeans that could’ve been painted on, accentuating every soft curve.
His fingers burned to touch her, but he couldn’t ignore the sad look in her jade eyes, or the guilt that washed over him. He planted his feet firmly on the floor, fighting the urge to sweep her into his arms, hold her again. And then his world crashed and burned as Jeremy’s arm shot out, hooking around her waist and pulling her into the classroom. She turned, stealing a hopeless glance over her shoulder, then she was gone.

She was running toward her future. He was running from his past. When their worlds collided, nothing could prepare them for what was to come.
Reeling from Luke’s betrayal, Embry Jacobs is lost and looking for answers. His lies have ripped them apart, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about the man she loves. But to give Luke another chance, she’ll have to forgive his lies and risk her already fragile heart.
Luke Brody’s past has finally caught up to him — in more ways than one. After losing the only woman he’s ever loved, he’ll do anything to get her back. But when he finally has the chance to make things right, unforeseen circumstances threaten to tear them apart once more.
When the truth comes out, will it set them free or break them both?
 
You still have time to grab book 1 in The Disclosure Series, Undone!
UndoneGoodreads Link 
Amazon 

Rose Hunter is a native New Yorker currently living in Austin, Texas with her husband and their crazy kitten. Surviving solely on Starbucks Iced Chai and KIND bars, she spends her days writing angsty romance and chasing happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, you can find her on the beach with a glass of wine and a book in her hand.

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Author K.A. Robinson - Book Sale

SALE on BOTH TAINTED and TOXIC: LOGAN'S STORY by K.A. Robinson in honor of Tamed releasing on November 4th!
Tainted - regular $3.99 This book MUST be read AFTER Torn and Twisted.
Toxic: Logan's Story - regular $4.99 This book can be read as a STANDALONE!

Toxic has NEVER been on sale before! Ever! If you pick up both books, that's a savings of $5 off regular price!

Tainted:
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Toxic:
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Cover Reveal: Take Me With You by K.A.Linde

We are so excited to share with you the cover for book 2 in the Take Me Series by K.A. Linde - Take Me With You, scheduled for release 27th January 2015!

 

iTunes

Grant All of my demons are coming to head. I thought Ari could push them back. I thought I could conquer my vices with her at my side. I thought wrong.

Aribel Fear is my new constant. I thought I could conceal it, contain it, control it. I thought that now that I had Grant the worst was over. I thought wrong. But if we’re going to survive, wherever you go…take me with you.

Cover Designed by Najla Qamber Designs

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I’d never given much thought to falling in love. For someone like me, it seemed an impossibility. Why dwell on something that would never happen? I had no interest in chicks for more than what they could give me in one night. Fuck ‘em and then show ‘em the door. There were always clinger groupies, who claimed to love me. But they loved what I could offer them. Sex. A one-night stand. A story to tell their friends about how they slept with a rocker. With Grant McDermott. I was a name. A symbol. Nothing more. 

USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde has written the Avoiding series and the Record series as well as the new adult novels Following Me and Take Me for Granted. She grew up as a military brat traveling the United States and Australia. While studying political science and philosophy at the University of Georgia, she founded the Georgia Dance Team, which she still coaches. Post-graduation, she served as the campus campaign director for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An avid traveler, reader, and bargain hunter, K.A. lives in Athens, Georgia, with her fiancé and two puppies, Riker and Lucy.

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♥READ THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL♥

TAKE ME FOR GRANTED

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Blog Stop, Review & Giveaway: Guarded Hearts by L.A.Corville

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I want nothing but to escape the bitterness and emptiness surrounding me....

I'm, Olivia Rey, a product of an unwanted pregnancy and since that day forward my world has not beeneasy. My mother's anger at not being able to hold on to my 'father' made her lash out all her hatred and venom at me growing up. So, I did the only thing I could to survive, I enclo...sed my heart until I can be in the light.

All I want is to be surrounded in darkness to not feel...

I'm, Phoenix Ryan, I have lived a life of privilege with no boundaries making me feel invincible. Then when I was on a high, tragedy came crashing down on me and cast me into a world where I was left numb. So I did the only thing I could to survive I enclosed my heart, so I could walk into the darkness.

Will theses two guarded hearts eclipse into each other to find love, or will they be forever guarded.

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 I was around four years old the last time I cried. I had fallen outside my friend Mandy’s house. I scrapped my knee and the blood was running down my legs and onto my new socks. I didn’t cry from the pain; I cried because my mother was going to be so upset that I ruined my new socks. She was either going to spank me or put me to bed without dinner.

Mandy’s mom picked me up and sat me on her lap while she sent Jenny to get a wet paper towel and some Band-Aids. She told me to stop crying, that she knew it was going to sting, but it was going to feel better in a bit. She hugged me tight and cuddled me while we waited. I had never felt that kind of warmth before; my mother never hugged me and she certainly never cuddled me. Those were the best three minutes of my life, it felt so nice that I didn’t care if I went to bed without dinner for a whole week or got spanked.

“Olivia! Where are you? Aye wuerca,” I heard my mother yell from the front yard. Mrs. Scott was just putting on my Band-Aid when my mother knocked on the door.

“Vicki, she’s here. She just fell and scraped her knee, but she is okay now,” Mrs. Scott told my mother. As she set me on the floor she kissed my head, I cried some more, but it was happy tears this time. Mandy was so lucky.

“Well, thank you, Barbara, for taking care of my pumpkin,” she replied with her fake smile.

She extended her hand towards me so that I could take it, and as soon I did she squeezed it hard and I started crying again, and we started to walk towards our trailer.

“Olivia, I told you to stop crying. Do you want me to give a reason to cry? Only weak, pathetic people cry. If you keep crying La LLorona will come get you because she will think you are her niña.

You won’t want to be taken by her, because even though you are afraid of me I would never kill you like she killed her children, so be grateful to me, bastardita,” she told me.

I still didn’t know if I should have been grateful or not, because I still hadn’t seen the light in life.

I'm instantly drawn to both Nix and Olivia because their story and journey to adulthood appeals to my compassionate side. Olivia has endured an unhappy and abusive childhood in the hands of her alcoholic, drug-taking whore of a mother. Nix on the other hand is dealing with the consequences of his actions; he's partially to blame for the tragic death of his best friend and is struggling daily with the guilt as each new milestone in his life, brings back memories of the loss of a young life.
The author is successful at showing character growth and development. As both Olivia and Nix struggle to find their identities, whilst dealing with the complexities for their mutual feelings for one another. As a reader we feel their emotions whether good or bad. I love the unexpected twist in the storyline and whilst I despair at the heartbreak is causes one character, I equally applaud the responsibility and maturity of the other. And then there is Mandy, who stayed true to her roots but who in the end, couldn't cope with the results of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Overall Guarded Hearts has all the qualities I love in a story. Likable and relate-able characters, angst and romance with added heat & sizzle. I'm wondering if we'll hear more from Olivia, Nix and Mandy in the future, because for me, there is at least one unanswered question, however that didn't detract from my overall pleasure of reading this book.
***Arc received in exchange for an honest review.***

Leli and Aimee are Texas-Natives who reside in the Rio Grande Valley. They work in the medical field and have evolved into New Adult Romance authors. Both share a passion for HEA.
Their love for books helped them decide to purse their dream of writing. When they are not working or writing, Leli spends her day reading and adding new book boyfriends to her list, her kindle/iPad is never far from her. Aimee spends her time with her kids being a taxi to their various extra-curricular activities and her iPad is never far either.

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