3 STARS ✮ J. KENNER ✮ WICKED TORTURE

WICKED TORTURE

Stark World #3

by

J. Kenner

✮✮✮ 3 STARS ✮✮✮

Outwardly, Noah Carter is riding high as the tech world’s hottest new genius. Inside, he’s still reeling from the abduction of his wife and baby daughter eight years ago, and then the devastating discovery of his child’s body. For years, he kept up hope that his wife was alive, but now that she’s been declared legally dead, he’s thrown himself even more deeply into his work, cutting himself off from emotional ties because they just hurt too damn much.

Then he meets Kiki Porter, an eternal optimist with a killer work ethic and dreams of fronting a band. And everything changes. Even though he tries his damnedest to fight it…

Sexually, they are combustible together. But their true fire is emotional, though it is a slow to burn. But once it lights, it is all consuming. The relationship grows emotionally, the sex is hot, things are good.

But just when it’s looking like they might have a real future together, the past comes back to haunt them. And Noah’s going to have to decide what he’s willing to give up for love … 

After Wicked Grind and Wicked Dirty I was very much looking forward to Wicked Torture. There were hints sprinkled in the second installment of the Stark World - I knew that Noah would have to work through some of the tragic events of his life. What the blurb doesn't say is that this is a second-chance romance.

Noah and Kiki were both likable, no - lovable, characters. Noah is the epitome of a good man. He always wants to do right by people. He is honest to a fault and caring. He had always been Kiki's champion, supported her and empowered her to do what she was best at. And then he dropped her. He knows when he left her more than ten years ago he did right by the mother of his child but not by her and it has been eating at him ever since. He wants her back but he knows that their experiences have changed them and he has a lot of Kiki's resentment to overcome.

“So I’m telling you right now, Kiki, I want more. I want it all. And I’m not a man who settles. Not anymore.”

Kiki...she was a lovely heroine. I know there is a but in there. The problem I had was that she was described as character with a quick temper but that was inconsistent with the way she let things happen to her, the way she let Noah go. She was passive when Noah left her which I thought was a pretty understandable reaction given the circumstances. What I didn't like, however, was that the author laid blame on her doing so. Seeing how Noah didn't involve her in his decision I wouldn't have fought for him either.
Generally, Kiki didn't seem to me all that hot-headed except maybe in the beginning. She was scared to get hurt, yes, but that was only natural given her past of people leaving her behind.

Not to fall. Not to hope. I did all those things before, and then he left, taking my heart with him. He left, just like I’d known he would. Just like everyone does.

The story lost me towards the end - while it was pretty predictable the whole time the last couple of chapters really irritated me.
History repeated itself and I hated, HATED that Noah made the same mistake yet again. He excluded Kiki and just went on to do what he thought was for HIM the right thing to do without taking the heroine's feelings into account. There was ZERO growth with him, and considering that he had ten years to think about his mistakes he didn't learn a thing. And the decision to do right by Kiki didn't come by itself - it took a third party to push him in that direction and I hated that, seriously, at least I wanted him to see his mistake. It pained me because I really loved Noah.

“The world doesn’t care what I think, and the people in it make decisions without me. My world changes, and I don’t get a say in it.”

One more thing that was a little unbelievable was how fast Kiki gave into the hero. She kept saying that she'd never let him hurt her, that there was no chance in hell that they'd ever be more again. It took two weeks for her to change her mind. Two weeks.


I loved the first two books in this series but this one just didn't live up to my high expectations. I have come to love J. Kenner for her endearing characters you can only root for, the drama that was never over the top - just enough that you could feel the anxiety. This time I'm a bit disappointed. It happens and you can't love them all.

Having said that I did enjoy some of this story!

As per usual, when I'm not entirely happy with a book I urge you to read other reviews and make up your opinion based on all of them. Although it didn't work for me you might love it!

Follow Vanilla & Spice Books

  

3 STARS ✮ STYLO FANTÔME ✮ MUSCLE MEMORY

MUSCLE MEMORY

by

Stylo Fantôme

✮✮✮ 3 STARS ✮✮✮

Her lips, the way she feels, how she moves against me. Her voice when she laughs, her eyes when she cries. Her soul connected to mine, for better or for worse, for all eternity.

I don't remember...

A blank face. Unrecognizable. The darkness and impenetrable fog, day after day after day. Who am I? And for that matter, who is she?

I can't remember...

Two sides to the same coin – one wants to remember, and the other wants to stay forgotten. Which side will win? Can he trust his heart to bring him back to her? Or will she stay lost in the fog forever?

I might never remember...

Trope I’m not fond of: amnesia.

Trope this book contains: amnesia.

Yes, you may stare at me like that. I deserve it. It’s a bit like me going to the shop, buying myself a bag of carrots and cooking a huge pile to eat. I don’t like carrots. But the cover was so pretty and I didn’t read the blurb…I have no other excuse.

I have no identity. No social security card, and no possibility of getting a new one, which means no job. I have no name, no birth certificate, no credit score, no references?”

I wouldn’t say Stylo Fantôme has converted me, but never once did I feel the need to DNF Muscle Memory because the story she’s written grabbed me as Jon Doherty tries to come to terms with the life he lost in the blink of an eye and the one he’s found himself dropped into.

The love of her life doesn't even remember her, and she has to watch him parading around with another woman, and she does it all with a smile.”

It was fairly cut and dried for me when it came to my feelings on the characters, particularly Delaney and Kitty. Kitty, seemed to be a character inserted for readers to dislike and it worked as I found her a weak, one-dimensional potential bunny-boiler who I struggled to feel any empathy for and who overpowered the real relationship in this story—Jon and Delaney’s.

I don't remember you. I didn't before, and I won't after. But I swear to you, I remember this. I remember us.”

Whilst they weren’t necessarily good for one another before his memory loss, as they get to know one another again under changed circumstances, it was clear where my allegiance lay. But I have to be honest in that Jon and Delaney lacked the emotional punch I was hoping they’d create. There were some truly beautiful moments between them and ones which were penned equally as beautifully, but the narrative style didn’t give me that opportunity to really get into their minds. And if I had, I think that could have been the game changer here.

Overall though, Stylo Fantôme did enough to keep me captive and I’d be interested in reading more for her. I have to be honest though, whilst it’s had no bearing on my rating as that would just be unfair, amnesia is still my literary carrot.

Follow Vanilla & Spice Books

  

3 STARS ✮ MELANIE HARLOW ✮ FROM THIS MOMENT

FROM THIS MOMENT

by

Melanie Harlow

✮✮✮ 3 STARS ✮✮✮

It was like seeing a ghost. 

When my late husband’s twin brother moves back to our small town, I want to avoid him. Everything about Wes reminds me of the man I lost and the life we’d planned together, and after eighteen long months struggling just to get out of bed, I’m finally doing okay. I have a new job, an amazing support group, and a beautiful five-year-old daughter to parent. I don’t want to go backward.

But I’m drawn to him, too. He understands my grief and anger and guilt like no one else—and I understand his. Before long, that understanding becomes desire, and that desire becomes uncontrollable. 

He says he doesn't care what people think, and love can never be wrong. But life has taught me its cruelest lesson--love doesn't always win.

If only my heart would believe it.

This seems to be one of the cases of it's me not the book because everyone else seems to have loved Melanie Harlow's From This Moment and while I didn't hate it, I didn't love it as much as I After The Fall and If You Were Mine. There are so many reviews raving about this story so please check them out - maybe it was the wrong time for this book...I don't know.

For much of the book I was well entertained. I loved Wes - he has been carrying a torch for the woman who married his twin brother. When he comes home after years of working in Africa for Doctors Without Borders he runs into Hannah, who is still struggling with coming to terms with the premature death of her husband. But when Drew died, Hannah didn't only lose her husband, Wes lost his best friend, his brother, the person he always stepped aside for because he loved his brother almost more than anything in the world - until Hannah.

“I always knew you were the one.”

I loved how selfless Wes was. He gives Hannah himself and she is the only woman he sees. He is also one the shy ones, the ones you don't see right away but once you do there is no going back. Wes is amazing with the Hannah's daughter, the way they bonded was really sweet. He is a wonderful, good man with a pure, pure heart and so in tune with Hannah's feelings. He gives her room and time when she needs it although he craves her company.

With Hannah you can only empathize. She saw her whole life laid out for her and all of a sudden everything changes. She is alone, a single mother and still reeling from the death of her husband. She went through all the stages of grief but never pulled herself out of the depression. When Wes comes back it's easy to see how upset she is - of course she is, her late husband's face looks back at her when she looks at him.

I didn't want it. I wasn't ready for it. But love comes without warning.

Letting him isn't just confusing for her, she is first and foremost a mother and needs to consider her daughter's feelings too. However, their shared grief makes for a powerful connection because Wes knows exactly what Hannah is going through.  The most important person in his life is gone too. And slowly there is a light lifting the darkness and soon their friendship escalates into more, way more. which brings a whole new set of issues because this is a small town and people talk. Mostly behind people's backs. And not very flattering.


I empathized with Hannah for half of the book. She really tried hard to get herself out of the never-ending spiral of grief. At some point, though her constant push and pull started to get on my nerves and towards the end (!) she blames him for walking away when she actually told him to go. And while her inner monologue told me that she realized that she sent him away, it was frustrating.(highlight to read)  She got also a bit spiteful and that's not an attractive feat.  I couldn't see how she would ever get over her fear. And a couple of pages later there was a twist...


(highlight the next part to read)

...which I saw coming a mile ago. Let me tell you - if you have unprotected sex two weeks after you started your period...maths tells me that you're fertile.

“Just do it,” she said breathlessly. “I need you inside me again, Wes. Even it it’s only for a minute. We’ll be fine. We were fine the last time.” 
“Just for a minute,” I whispered as I reached down and slipped the tip of my cock inside her. “I won’t come inside you.”

Reckless, right? He is a doctor, for Pete's sake. 


And all of a sudden things were looking up and that just didn't work for me. She lays down the law one moment and the next nothing that was a problem before matters anymore. While I did believe that she honestly loved him their problems didn't go away. I also still had the last time she freaked out in mind...




... and that was only a couple pages before she was enlightened. I just didn't buy it. Yes, she was grieving but even after Wes explained a misinterpreted situation to her she said she didn't care and things were over. (highlight to read).



With all that being said, I adored Wes and loved little Abby. I also think that Wes' mother was a great counter part as an overbearing and opinionated witch. I loved to hate her. The angst level is higher than I expected but that wasn't unwelcome.

“Love is a risk, Hannah. But it’s always a risk worth taking.” 

While this isn't my favorite by Melanie Harlow I still enjoyed parts of it. Again, the reminder - if you have read my review do yourself a favor and read others too. The way we experience books is always subjective and you might miss out on a great read!

Follow Vanilla & Spice Books

  

3 STARS ✮ JEN FREDERICK ✮ PLAYED

PLAYED

Gridiron #4

by

Jen Frederick

✮✮✮ 3 STARS ✮✮✮

She's been playing it close...

Ara Martin and college football star Ty Masters have been best friends since the first day of school when Ty literally ran her over. She fell for him immediately, but having lived under the shadow of her famous father, she knows a relationship with irresistible Ty would only end in heartbreak. For four years, she’s kept her feelings hidden. But one drunken encounter weeks before graduation is about to expose Ara’s biggest secret and destroy her most treasured relationship. 

He’s been playing for keeps…

Ty is about to be drafted into the NFL, but his personal life is a mess. He’s got an agent he doesn’t like, a brother who can’t stop offering his opinion, and a beautiful woman he craves but can’t have. He can fire his agent and ignore his brother, but he’s not sure what to do about Ara. Ty’s been able to run down every quarterback he’s faced, but his sexy, stubborn best friend keeps slipping through his fingers.

Luckily, he's not one for giving up, and once he gets his hands on her, he's never letting go. 

I love Jen Frederick. Her books usually never fail to make me laugh and put a stupid grin on my face. Downed released almost a year ago so I was more than ready to get another Gridiron story. I also love the friends-to-lovers trope but unfortunately Played missed the mark this time for me. Let me explain:

I get that if you have a wonderful friendship you care about you do everything to protect it. I understand the fear of jeopardizing it by admitting to deeper feelings but there comes a point when a heroine should stop running away and acting like a chicken, grow some balls and just stop being so frustratingly immature.

Ara is the daughter of a famous sculpture and close to the final exams for her art major. She works at a gallery with a jerk of a colleague who walks over her and she doesn't do so much as blink about that. Ara wants to be successful in a branch that doesn't have a lot of jobs on the market to begin with and she wants to succeed without her father's help. It was woefully frustrating to see her harping on about wanting a spot in the sunlight but not using her resources available to get there. And that attitude leaked into every part in her life.

When she met Ty four years ago, she fell hard for him but seeing all of her father's marriages ending in tears she is convinced that a friendship rather than a relationship would keep Ty in her life. And here is the second thing that made me grind my teeth. Ara is a coward. Note: it's not becoming to be a coward. It makes a person look insecure and we know how attractive that is. And the part where she shoves him into the arms of another woman and then harping on about it in her inner monologues was ridiculous.

Ty gave me a bit whiplash and while he was an indifferent jerk with all his former girlfriends he was mostly sweet with Ara.

I've always loved Ara the person. She's the first one I think of when I wake up and the last one I contact before I go to sleep. She never falls lower than two on my text list. 

He loves her and their friendship is one aspect that was wonderfully portrayed and I adored about this story. They just trust in one another, knowing the other one would be there if things went downhill. But he's also a bit clueless and contradicts himself.

If she made even the first sign that she wanted me, I'd be over there in a heartbeat. But she's turned me down cold. I can get the hint. Her friendship is too precious for me to fuck it up with sex. I can get that anywhere. I won't find someone as loyal, kind, funny as Ara. Or as hot, my dick reminds me.

So he wants her and would totally act on it and he doesn't because she turned him own? And then he values her friendship too much? What is it now? You see, he confused me a little bit.

At least he got his head on straight fast and went after what he wanted most.
There was also the a little drama on social media with Ty's ex-girlfriend and how that would influence the NFL draft was a bit unrealistic and OTT - why would the NFL care about ex-girlfriend drama of a future prospect professional football player? What they expect from their players is that they are 100% focused on the job - and Ty was all in and committed to his career.

This story doesn't sound like the ones I'm used to from Jen Frederick. It lacked the witty dialogues, the engaging story line and most of the time I felt a bit detached - I never really connected with the characters or their romance but I did love their friendship and maybe that's what they should have stayed - friends.
With all that being said, I still enjoyed parts of the book and I hope that the next one will be a winner again. As always the reminder that you check out other reviews, I might be totally in the minority and you might end up loving it!

Follow Vanilla & Spice Books