4 Bramalicious Stars

I will make this short and sweet. 

I loved Bram, he was so much fun to read. We met him shortly in the previous installment, he is Linden's big brother. And he has done it all: drugs, booze, women. Beneath the witty banter there is a vulnerable soul. Who would have guessed.

Nicola was a bit of a challenge - I understand the place where she comes from though. Being a single mom wasn't exactly easy for her so she had to make sure her little girl comes first. She is sometimes just as vulnerable but would never give it away and show it to Bram. Until he makes her an offer she can't refuse.

Of course when you read a Karina Halle story you know that there will be drama and I wasn't disappointed. I was just surprised that the secrets Bram held were only hinted at around 75% into the book, so it was a bit of a shock. The resolution of it came again in Karina Halle style - sweet and satisfying

One thing...the inaccuracy when a person goes into diabetic shock bugged me a bit. You NEVER inject insuline. You try to get sugar into them.

4 Reflective Stars

“She’s mad but she’s magic. There is no lie in her fire.”

Would you risk your friendship for the chance to find love? A tiny personal bit: I have done it both ways: once I did, the other time I didn't - and both of the times it was a disaster. So I suppose when it comes down to it, it really is a "no risk, no gain" choice.

“Life isn’t a linear journey. Sometimes it’s one step backwards, two steps forward and then a jump out to the side. It’s kind of like the “Time Warp”, when you think about it."

I fell in love with Karina Halle's writing when I read "The Play" a couple of months ago. I'm a bit of a "reading-in-order"-Monk so I had to go back at some point to calm the titties of my OCD.

Linden McGregor is a Scot living in San Francisco. His parents weren't exactly the textbook kind, he never felt any love or care and was raised along with his brother by nannies. His two best friends, Stephanie and James, give him the love he never experienced at home. Linden is fun, sometimes adorably cheesy and a player.

Stephanie is the perfect balance of a heroine I can wish for. She is smart, kind, naughty, funny and a great friend. Only...her relationships never work out.

On Stephanie's 25th birthday, a drunken night, Linden and Steph make a pact. If they aren't in a serious relationship when they turn 30 they will marry each other. The first third of the story deals with the five years until our main characters enter the time when the pact starts to become effective. It also shows how they both deal with their respective feelings for each other, which are strong but are they worth exploring and possibly killing everything they had? Destroying an amazing friendship? In that time there are lots of relationships on both accounts...until one night when a kiss changes everything.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m falling in love with her.  Sometimes I wonder how long I can pretend I’m not.”

I loved the dynamics between Stephanie and Linden, their easy friendship and the love between them. I loved reading about relationships in your twenties as I got the chance to revisit mine and reflect on them. How you handle some things with maturity and others not so much. How hope is high when you meet somebody you might be able to fall in love with. The insecurities you have to deal with on a daily basis. All this is wrapped up in this beautiful story of growing pains and love. I read some mixed reviews of this story and I can understand the frustration. It did work for me though and I can only say onto "Wham-Bam-Thankyou-Bram". 

5 Royal Stars

3.5 Mischievous Stars

As much as I loved the first three books in the series this one fell a little flat for me. It makes me a little bit sad to read a story of an author YOU KNOW is fantastic and has been able to enchant you with her stories.The one factor who saved this for me was Lee. He was such a charmer.

Lee Cross is a thief. As a teenager he and his brothers were left by their mother to fend for themselves. Lee, the second oldest of the bunch accepts the responsibility to care for his family. Living on the edge of society he does the only thing he can do to guarantee his and his brothers' survival: he reaches out to a crime boss and starts to work for him.

Karla is a police officer. Her parents are a disaster - I don't think I can add anything else to this other than that her father is a prick and also with the police. She is upstanding, honest and loyal. At least she tries to be all that. 

When these two meet sparks fly and not just the good ones. Karla was flat and one-dimensional and only started to shine in the last 20%. I really tried to love her and ended up only liking her, wondering all the time why Lee would be so head over heels for her. She lacked the brilliance Alexis had in King of Hearts. She had edges I didn't expect and in the beginning it felt a bit as if she considered herself to good for Lee.

“Take your hands off me right now or I’ll arrest you,” I ordered, my tone harsh.Seconds passed, like he was deliberating over what to do. Then he released me, but not before delivering a final statement. “One day, Karla, you’ll understand that me having my hands on you is never a bad thing.”

This is one of the most unlikely pairings you can imagine. The idea was the reason why my expectations soared. I thought I was in for a treat and ended up a little bit disappointed. As mentioned in the beginning Lee made it worthwhile. He was mischievous and a sweet talker and given the chance he would have talked himself into my panties right from the start - law be damned.

“I just really, really like you. I like the things you do to me, and I don’t want to lose them.”Feeling his jaw move, I thought he might be smiling. “If it’s any consolation, I really like the things I do to you, too. Actually, I fucking love them. And you won’t lose me, so long as you make the choice to be with me.”

5 Royal Stars

Phew. Where to start...where to start...

King. Oh yeah...King. He is rich and successful. He is attractive. And he has a beautiful soul - honest, funny and smart as a whip. I don't think I've come across a lot of characters that shone as brightly as he did right from the beginning. When we meet him he is one of the big leaders in England's world of finance. 

And here is the thing: our heroine shone just as brightly as King. Alexis is sassy, has lots of snark and absolutely no filter. None. Zip. She is kind, funny and totally at home and comfortable in her own skin. Her smarts match King's and her soul is just as beautiful. These two people are so much alike and yet so different. 

The story is divided in two parts:

In the first part you get all the backstory how King came to be the homeless person he portrayed in Hearts of Fire.

The second part picks up after the end of the last installment.

Alexis walks into King's life when she applied for a job at his company and despite expectations she actually is hired to be the PA of one of the big players in London's finances. Although there is an intense attraction and incredible chemistry between the two of them Alexis doesn't want to complicate her life by having an affair and lose her job in the process.

They get to know each other, spending a great deal of time together - there is a lot of witty banter between those two which I enjoyed immensely. King makes it hard for her to resist (how she did it, I have no fecking idea, I would have succumbed at hello) and at some point the pull towards each other is too strong...

Secrets are revealed that are so serious that the life they both knew will be changed forever. I will stop right here telling you more about this amazing story because this is where you have to find out for yourself how it continues and ends.

This is one of those books you don't want to end but you want it end. While the first part was funny and flirtatious the second part really put me through the ringer in a good way. My heart broke and was put together again. There are a lot of tender moments which made me *feel* the love they had for each other. I can't recommend this series enough - Miss Cosway - I worship you. These two main characters have become one of my all time favourite couple.

“Sometimes we see someone and they just suit us. They're beautiful to us in every way. You're that person to me.”

5 Glorious Stars

Hero:

Broken - check
Protective - check
Loving - and f*cking check

"You have never been invisible to me, flower. You're all I see."

Can a man be any hotter? I'm talking about Jack McCabe, brother of Jay Field, MC from Six of Hearts. This was even better than the first installment of this series and I'm so freaking happy with the end. Lets start at the beginning, shall we?

Lille is an artist and a good person. She lives with her mum who is a bitch extraordinaire and abuses and controls our heroine. One day at work, Lille receives the offer to join a circus. Lille, sensing the opportunity to get away from her mother. And so the journey starts.

Jack works for the circus as a fire breather. His family was killed when his parents' house burned to ashes. In the process he lost his brother. Or did he? Jack is broken and convinced no woman is fit to deal with the extent of his flavour of kink.

Lille wants to get to know this enigma that is Jack. She is fascinated and enarmored with him and wants to dig deep to get to the secrets he harbours. She also doesn't shy away from a little meddling when she thinks it's for the happiness of the people she loves.

“Would it make you feel better to know that we all get the same number of hours in a day, days in a year? Some people might be rich and some might be poor, but none of them can buy time. It is one of the fairest systems in the world.”

As they get closer Jack starts opening up. And of course there is betrayal and hurt and all kinds of roller coaster emotions. I loved the dynamics between Lille and Jack, while he tried to keep his distance he still showed a lot of tenderness with his girl. To be perfectly honest, I loved Jay and Matilda a great deal but I absolutely adored Jack and Lille.

My emotions were all over the place with this one. The hurt, the reluctant happiness emanating from Jack, the heartbreak when Jack talks about his youth. The incredibly hot sex.

There is a little murder mystery as a side story which I also enjoyed. 

As you can guess I loved this book immensely and L.H. Cosway is becoming another favourite of mine with her stories in creative settings and her writing. I can't wait to see what King's story is. That guy really broke my heart.

4.5 Clever Stars

I wanted to make more teaser pics but unfortunately I didnt get around doing them. Maybe I'll add some in the next couple of days.

This was the first time I read one of L.H. Cosway's books. I loved the premise, having an illusionist as a hero who is out to get revenge. This person is Jay - when he was a teenager he was abused by his father. One night when he hid from his father his home was burned down by thugs and his family died. He then went on to live with his uncle in the US of A. Fast forward 15 years and we find out that Jay, now a famous illusionist, has returned to his home in Ireland. He goes to see a solicitor being defamed by a journalist for causing the death of a volunteer during one of his tricks.

The solicitor's daughter is Matilda, a fairly shy girl and no stranger to loss either. When she was young her mother was shot and killed by thugs in her own house, her father injured and she took away scars in her face from the assault. She is self concious and quite insecure, not only because of the scars but also because of her inexperience with men and not being able to find a suitable guy to hook up with. After all, we don't settle, we want EPIC LOVE.

Those two meet at her father's office and Matilda is quite taken with Jay. He has become an incredibly charming guy and most of the time I wanted to kiss him for being absolutely fantastic.

Their chemistry is great and Matilda finds herself wanting more than friendship but Jay keeps pulling back which (naturally) causes Matilda to feel even more insecure.

I loved those two together - there was a sweetness about how Jay handled Matilda, even when he rejected her. He made sure to explain why he couldn't be with her - without revealing his motives though.

I might tell you that you're mine, but you need to understand that it goes both ways. I belong to you, too.

While you progress in the story you can actually guess where this is going yet it is so freaking clever that you still get a kick out of the solution. I loved every word of this book...so now i'm onto the next installment!

4 Wicked Horse Stars

As always Sawyer Bennett provides a not too angsty but hot read.

Meet Cain, who works at the bar The Wicked Horse and its sex club The Silo as chief of security. He scarred from his past but not too damaged to make this a dark read. He also has a loving family. He does, however, hold a mean grudge. And he is a fantasy maker at the sex club.

Sloane is a beautiful, sweet heroine with a heart of gold. She's the daughter of a politician who left his wife for a younger model, taking tax money to be a beach bum. Sloane works as a journalist for a magazine in DC, her boss sends her to Wyoming to uncover whether Callie's dad (we met her in the first book), a politician, is involved in the sex club The Silo run by Bridger (who we also were introduced to in the previous installment).

When these two completely different people meet we know that Cain doesn't do repeats. He's a wham-bam-thank you-ma'am kind of guy but when he runs into Sloane in the bar he is intrigued by her innocence and curiosity to try new things between the sheets.

The flow of the story was lovely, the sex way hot, the way Cain treated Sloane most of the time was sweet. Altogether I loved the explosive chemistry of those two. My only problem is with the ending of the story. It felt rushed. I thought that Cain held onto his grudge too long. I wanted to kick him in his shins, pull his hair and tell him to get a grip. When he actually came around he didn't have to grovel for long. Yes, Sloane has a heart of gold but in the end she just welcomed him back into her life without so much as a short flare of temper. We also get to see more of Bridger who, I'm pretty sure, will break my heart with his story.

Again, another Sawyer Bennett winner for me, she really knows how to drag you out of a book hangover!

5 Just-Wing-It Stars

Thank God I had the second part of this story already waiting! This is going to be short:

Half a year has passed and Lily has been nursing a grudge towards Marc. While being apart she trained with Marc's friend Kingsley and has become a force to be reckoned with. When she meets Marc again there is some major ass-kicking and it takes a while for Lily to get over the resentment and hurt. But knowing Marc we know that he'll charm himself back into her panties.

There are some incredibly sweet scenes when Marc drops his roughness and says how he really feels about his girl. There are also heartwarming scenes with Lily and Kingsley and I love how much he cares about her. I have already said that I can't wait for his story - that way lies some heartbreak, I'm sure. And who the hell is Mai?

Again, this was a story that had me tensed up and squeal in delight, the snark all these characters show is hilarious and I am really satisfied with the end.

5 Happy New Year Stars

This isn't a sweet lovestory. This is a story you'll end up having whiplash with and boy, that feels so  good. I hope the books will be made into a movie, it would be epic.

Lily (I love her name) and Marc are mercenaries. For the correct amount of money there isn't much they wouldn't do. Lily is a kickass woman, she can hold her own in a fight, she's smart as a whip (I see pattern here) and her role in this operation in Liberia, Africa is to be a transporter. Lily has her own agenda though. She has been working towards her goal to get revenge for her sister, who was tortured and killed by Russian mob.

Marcelle De Sant is a rough guy who can be utterly charming when he wants to be. He is usually solitary but of course he doesn't mind a lady's company for a passionate romp in the sheets. He works this job for the money.

I hopped into this book not knowing what was to come. After the first 20% I was wondering if I wanted to read about a hero and a heroine roughening each other up but as the story progressed I saw that it was necessary. These two people aren't lovey-dovey people, they work in a field where violence is present at all times and it is essential to shoot first and ask questions later. So I moved forward in the story with that in mind and I'm so glad I did.

After they spend some time in each other's company, unwillingly at first, Marc softens and succumbs to Lily's charm (which includes but is not limited to) kicking his ass six ways to Sunday, and it's probably the only sweet thing you'll see in this book.

Kingsley Law is a side character and Marc's friend and sometimes partner and I can't wait to get to see his story.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure you have the 2nd book ready because, I promise, you will not want to wait continuing. This read was extremely fast paced and I had to catch my breath repeatedly, there wasn't a quiet moment and I loved every second of it.

4.5 rocky road stars

Hop on the emotional roller coaster!

Our heroine is Chloe - a mid-twenty girl from rich parents who owns a flower shop. When we meet her she is still with her boyfriend Eric (let me say right away - there is no cheating). She's sweet, straight forward, loyal and a good girl all around.

A.J. is so fantastically multi-layered, it's hard to describe him without spoiling too much. He is an enigma and on this journey we peel back layer by layer of his personality. He is distant, bad-mouthed and rude. His brain is capable of something called chromesthesia - seeing sound in colors. Comes in handy since he's the drummer in a rock band called Bad Habit (love that name btw.). 

Chloe's best friend Kat from the previous book "Sweet As Sin" is getting married and Chloe has been trusted with providing the flower arrangements. When Chloe and A.J. meet (again - they have met in the previous installment first) they clash. A.J. is aloof and whenever he looks at Chloe to her it feels like he is tasting something really nasty in his mouth. Of course the obvious dislike doesn't last long and soon they find themselves in a dance of pushing and pulling. While Chloe is quite upfront with what she wants, A.J. keeps pulling away. (highlight for spoiler) I love how A.J. leaves origami figures on Chloe's car's windshield - because he just can't stay away from her.

Chloe knows there are secrets he hides. He tries to stay away from her but her pull is too strong - until one day, when Chloe is hurt and his protective instinct kicks in full force. Once we see his real self  he shines so bright that you're blinded by the brilliance.

The way J.T. Geissinger describes how A.J. sees colors when listening to music is almost like poetry, it's that beautiful.

We do get a happy end but until then there is a lot of drama and angst involved. And heartbreak - oh that hurt so good.

The heroine, while mostly acting mature has a moment of insanity when she screams at A.J. and demands out of pure jealousy that he never see a certain person again despite him just telling her that this person has been his only friend. The drama and angst are always strong in this story and rarely tip towards OTT.

As I've said in my review for Wicked Beautiful, J.T. Geissinger is an extremely talented writer, I love how she strings her sentences together, the wit, the charm, the heartbreak. There is a hint in the epilogue who we will get to see next and what this story will be about. There is a hint in the epilogue who we will get to see next and what this story will be about and I can't wait to see what J.T. Geissinger as in store for these two. 

***ARC via netgalley in an exchange for an honest review***