The Bad Boy CEO, by Sugar Jamison

*** Note:  This ARC was kindly provided to me in exchange for a honest review. ***

Let me start out by saying, I love the authors name.  I don't know if it is the name she was given at birth, or if it is a pseudonym, but it brings to mind a strong, confident, woman, who writes steamy books by day, and fights crime by night.  Whatever she's selling, I'm buying.  I'm on board, Ms. Sugar Jamison.  I love it. 

Okay, moving on :)

The Bad Boy CEO centers around Colt King and Zanna Jacobs.  I really did like the story.  It kept me interested from the very beginning, and I was emotionally invested in the characters throughout the entire story... even the side/supporting characters.

Colt is the 'tall dark and handsome', middle child of the three King brothers, notorious in their little town of Destiny, Nevada, for being the children of the town drunk.  The King brothers spent their childhood living with the stigma of their fathers actions, and the years following, trying to prove they weren't the 'trash' their community thought they were.  Having left Destiny to go on to become successful, rich, and powerful, the brothers return to their hometown at the insistence of their sick aunt, who raised them when their father left town and abandoned them.

Zanna is the quintessential curvy, exotic, beauty, that all the men in town have a thing for.  A bit cliche but we'll forgive that, because I loved Zanna.  Not being a lifelong resident of Destiny, Zanna stumbled upon the little town while fleeing from her troubled past.  Feeling an instant sense of safety and belonging in the little town, Zanna decided to stay for good, quickly becoming a valuable member of the community by working in the King brothers', Aunt Lolly's salon, whom she also rents a room from.

Colt and Zanna are thrown together, (much to their dismay) and from the very beginning, have major chemistry.  They both fight the desire they feel for each other, because neither are looking for a relationship, and Colt lives in Las Vegas.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that although it wasn't the most original book I've read, and it was a bit predictable, Ms. Jamison has a lot of talent.  Sugar Jamison has a great abililty to bring her characters and their surroundings to life.  Every character was lovable —except for the ones we aren't meant to love—, and made me feel as though I knew them personally.

It was blatantly obvious that there will be sequels, I'm thinking they will revolve around the other King brothers, I can even guess what their storyline will be.  I usually hate it when authors put characters in a book with the intent to give them their own books, but I really didn't mind it in this case, because it didn't take away from Colt and Zanna's story at all.  Plus, I really like the other King brothers, and I would totally read their story.

I really liked that there wasn't any of the insta-love BS that seems to be going around now days, so that's awesome, but I would have liked to see a liiiittle bit more romance between Colt and Zanna.  Sure there were some instances of them being emotionally intimate with one another, but for the most part, it felt like their relationship was based more on lust, desire and passion, than on romance and intimate connection.  The fact that the author actually had Colt and Zanna get to know one another, was great, but I think things moved a bit fast considering they'd only known each other a month, **Spoiler** and that's really not enough time to get to know someone enough to commit to marriage. **End Spoiler**  But really, if that's my biggest gripe, you know you have a pretty good book on your hands with Sugar Jamison's 'The Bad Boy CEO'.

Rating (based on a 5 star rating system)

* * * *

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes.

Would I read other books by the author?

Yes!  I really want to know Duke and Levi's stories.

*** It should be noted that 'The Bad Boy CEO' IS a standalone novel, and contains a HEA.  You will not be required to read/purchase others in the series to get a HEA (although if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate your support). ***

Bella and the Beast by Olivia Drake

*** Disclaimer:  This ARC was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. ***

I have read other reworked fairytales in the past, but Olivia Drakes 'Bella and the Beast', is so far, my favorite.  This beautifully written rework of 'Beauty and the Beast', encompasses everything a reader could want in a romance novel.  Suspense, mystery, angst, chemistry and attraction between the two lead characters, steamy encounters, and ultimately love.  

The authors ability to draw me into the story began from the very beginning and lasted until the very last page.  So different from your normal 'Beauty and the Beast' reworks, this book had twists and turns that will have you guessing, but at the same time, do not seem to come out of left field either.  I loved that the two lead characters had a childhood connection, it truly endeared me to the 'Beast'.  Anyone who is familiar with the 'Beauty and the Beast' story, knows that the 'Beast' has a love for antiquities, and I loved the authors very unique take on this.

The main characters are great and well written.  A smart, loyal, caring, hard-working, heroine that you can't help but root for.  A handsome, wealthy, caring, loyal, yet surly hero who softens in the company of the right woman and becomes the type of man that any woman would want as her own.

When trying to rate this story in a 1-5 star system, I decided on 4 stars.  That had me wondering why not 5 stars?  My reasoning for the 4 stars rather than 5, is I wish that there would have been a bit more romance and a liiiitle less story about the mystery of the 'treasure map'.  The story seemed to move just a little to fast once the H and h realized they loved each other.  I wish there could have been a bit more romantic interaction between the two, prior to the 'I love you's.  The declarations of love, are afterall, what we're here for.  I just personally felt as though I would have liked a bit more of an interaction leading up to it.  This is still an awesome book however, and definitely worth the read.  

Star rating (1-5 stars):

* * * *

Would I recommend this story to others?

Yes.

Would I read other books by the author?

Yes.

('Bella and the Beast', is part of the 'Cinderella Sisterhood' series, by author Olivia Drake)

*** It should be noted that 'Bella and the Beast' IS a standalone novel, and contains a HEA.  You will not be required to read/purchase others in the series to get a HEA (although if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate your support). ***

Noah (#1 in the 5th Street Series) by Elizabeth Reyes

Noah, is the first in a series of —I believe— four books (5th street series) by Elizabeth Reyes.  In the opener to the series, we are introduced to Noah, (a young nineteen years old boxer, who works doing maintenance at the gym he trains at while awaiting the opportunity to be allowed to be a trainer there) and Veronica (a twenty-eight year old woman, who recently lost her mother to cancer, and is having a very hard time dealing with the loss).

By some miracle, Veronica's best friend Nellie (who is the lead female in 'Abel', the 4th in the series), manages to drag Veronica to the gym where they meet Noah, who becomes Veronica's trainer.  A while later, due to unforseen circumstance, Noah needs a place to stay, and Veronica, who recently inherited her mothers large house, offers to rent him a room.  The months that follow, show Noah trying to fight his feeling (unsuccessfully in the end) for Veronica, who is also trying to fight her feelings for Noah, because of their age difference and not seeing how a relationship between the two of them could work out.

I have to say, I really adore the character 'Noah'.  He is so sweet, caring, compassionate, loyal, considerate, and lets not forget HOT!  He is basically every females dream guy.  If I couldn't be involved in a romantic relationship with him, I would still love to be a friend of his.  Now, Veronica on the other hand... hmmm... I'm a bit torn about her.  On one hand, having lost a parent to cancer, I can understand the effect it can have on your life, but, I never really got the sense that Veronica was all that close to her mother to begin with, so I can't see her mothers passing away traumatizing her the way it did.  I also hated how wishy-washy Veronica was when it came to Noah.  It was a constant back and forth with Veronica... I want him, I'm attracted to him, but I can't go there... except that she does go there... ** Spoiler ** she's making out with him in the hallway every night!  I felt like Veronica was stringing Noah along the whole time, and like I said, he's damn near perfect and didn't deserve that.  ** End Spoiler **

Because of Veroinca's wishy-washy attitude towards getting involved in a relationship with Noah, I feel as though the book got a little repetitive at times... well most of the book really.  In my humble opinion, there should have been more to the age difference.

** Spoiler ** The author should have played up the situation with Rita a bit more.  In reality if you were having a connection with a man, and the very next day he's having sex with his 'holiday drive-by sex-buddy', it would crush you.  If it were me, I would find it hard to connect to him again or more importantly, trust him ever again.  It would have personally been the nail in the coffin for any future romantic relationship we could potentially have had.  And then to have him tell her he's in love with her, then the next day have him allowing Rita to pose to provocatively on his bike, and put her hands basically on his crotch... well, that would show me that he wasn't as in to me as he was claiming to be. ** End Spoiler **

These things aside, I still enjoyed the book.  I was drawn into the story from the start.  I love Noah!  I felt as though the author did well with character development.  And most importantly, I applaud the author for writing a story about an age difference where the male is younger, it's usually the man who is older in these age difference themed books and I feel as though it took a bit of bravery on her part to write something that isn't typical.  

One thing that I feel compelled to mention, is I really, passionately hated the references of personal hate that the author wrote on Veronica's behalf about her weight.  It got to the point that it felt a little like 'fat shaming'.  Authors have to realize that you have to be sensitive to your readers, and considering Veronica's weight at the beginning of the book (167 lbs.) was pretty close to the average weight of a female, you have to think about what readers who are the same size, or larger, would feel reading things like...

“I’m not going to any movies or concerts or any event that involves me being around other people. I’m a cow, Nellie. I don’t even have clothes that fit me anymore.”

“Do you have sweats?”

“That’s all I have.” She pulled the material on the sweat pants she was wearing. “I haven’t bought anything else in months. It’s all I can get my fat ass into, and I refuse to go shopping for anything else in this embarrassing size.”

** In a scene where Veronica weights herself **

Veronica felt like throwing up now. She could hardly believe she’d let herself put on that much weight in just two years!

Nellie shook her head, her face still full of humor. “All right, all right. You’re no fun anymore. The old Roni would’ve already been flirting with him.” Veronica rolled her eyes, going down for one more stretch. “Yeah, well the old me didn’t weigh a hundred and sixty-seven freakin’ pounds!” She groaned, disgusted with herself.

Reading is a form of escapism from reality.  I guarantee you, there is a reader out there that is struggling with their weight and seeing things like someone who weights 167 lbs. calling herself a cow, not wanting to be seen in public, referring to herself as a fat ass who refuses to go clothes shopping at her 'embarrassing size', someone who feels like 'throwing up' at knowing her weight, who feels disgusted with herself at her size... well these things will make your reader feel even worst about themselves, because he/she will know that YOU the author, also feel like he/she is disgusting, embarrassing, etc.  As an author, you have a bit of a responsibility to your readers.  You have the opportunity to change their lives, and fat-shaming is not the way to do it.  It sort of left me with a feeling that the author feels people who are overweight are disgusting, embarrassing, etc.  That's not an impression you want to leave your readers with.  Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Also, considering the fact that Veronica didn't even want to leave her house for anything other than grocery shopping, it seems unlikely that Nellie would have been able to convince Veronica to go to a gym, especially one that -at the time- was an all male gym.  And even if Nellie did manage to get Veronica there, I can't see someone who is self-conscious and having self-esteem issues sticking around when the guys in the gym start snickering and laughing at your being there.  I would think even a confident person wouldn't stick around after that.

Note: I usually don't care about grammar, punctuation's, editing, etc., but if you do, you might want to take into consideration that the book could use editing.

Note to author:  Noah is described as being 'baby faced' in your book.  The man on the cover is the opposite, he has a more chiseled, angular face.  A cover is your only opportunity to give your readers a visual reference to your story, it's a contradiction to have the cover image not be the same as what you describe in your book.  It can throw readers off.

Would I recommend this book or others in the series to someone?

Yes.  Perhaps not someone who was overweight though.

Would I read more from this author?

Yes.

*** It should be noted that each '5th Street Series' book focuses around a different member of the 5th Street Gym, is standalone, and contains a HEA.  While the main characters of each book make appearances in others of the series, you will not be required to read/purchase others in the series to get a HEA (although if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate your support).

The Surrender Series by Priscilla West

In a digital age where literally anyone can self-publish and become an author, it can sometimes be hard to find quality, because the market is so saturated with quantity.  So I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon author Pricsilla West's three book series, 'The Surrender Series' (I know, I know, where have I been?!  Living under a rock? -- The answer to that question, is yes, I have infact been living under a rock. ;)).

'The Surrender Series' focuses around Kristen Daley and Vincent Sorenson.  Kristen is a beautiful (of course), smart, sweet, recent college graduate, working her way up the ladder at a prestigous wealth management firm.  Vincent is a handsome (obviously.. of course), thrill-seeking, down-and-out surfer, turned billionaire mogul, whose Kristens firm is trying to land as a client.

Each book in the series is relatively short, but I feel as though it works best that way.  From the first page of 'Forbidden Surrender', all the way through 'Secret Surrender', and until the very last page of 'Beautiful Surrender', I was drawn in, interested, and obsessed with the story.

I loved each of the characters in the story, and I think the author did a great job with character development as well as plot, although I feel as though the whole 'billionaire bad boy' storyline is becoming a little played out at this point, but, Pricsilla West did do a good job in keeping me interested despite the familiar storyline.

One thing that I didn't like, is how agressive Vincent was in the beginning of the first book in the series.  I feel as though he came across as maybe a little too... I don't know, just creepy and overbearing.  It didn't seem to fit the character that I came to know in the rest of the series.  Being a smart and very wealthy man, he should have known better than to pursue someone that he is doing business with in such an agressive manner.  Mentioning that he wants to have sex with her and also mentioning that he will only work with her company under the condition that she be he point of contact at the firm could easily have come across as him suggesting he would only work with her firm if she slept with him, and that alone could have opened him up to a sexual harrassment lawsuit.

Would I read more from Priscilla West?  A very enthusiastic, Heck yes!

Would I recommend this author or series to others... again... Heck yes!  

If you haven't already, go out and read this series, you won't regret it.  

*** It should be noted, that these books are NOT standalone. ***

My two favorites! Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens & Crazy Good by Rachel Robinson

Anyone who reads romance probably already knows these two novels (one of which is a series), but they are my (as of today) all time favorites.  So without further ado, in no particular order.



Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens:

So, I've been a fan of S.C. Stephens since cupid had a psyche,*wink* (a little Easter egg for S.C. Stephens fans).  Anyone who has read any of her many wonderful books, will not be surprised of the popularity of her books, this one especially.

In thoughtless, we join Keira, Denny, and *sigh* Kellan, in what I consider to be a very realistic look into how sometimes, the heart can be torn in two, and how terrifying that can be for everyone involved.  Life and love don't always fit into the fairy tale vision we grow up dreaming of, sometimes... most of the time actually, it's messy, painful, and hard.  Nothing in life that's worth having, comes easily.

S.C.'s Thoughtless is gut-wrenching at times and like all of her books, so well written.  I actually contacted her yeeeeeeeaaaars ago, before she even published it, to thank her for sharing it, tell her I loved it, tell her that I am now in love with a fictional character (I'm sure I am not the only person to have told her that, but still, can you imagine what it must be like to have someone tell you that?! lol), and I also asked her if she had experience with a situation like the characters in the book.  In retrospect, it was very rude of me, and in the unlikely case that S.C. Stephens reads this, I apologize, but in my defense, the book is so well written that I felt so immersed in the situations of the book and felt the emotions in such a raw way that I felt sure the author had to have been in the same shoes as the heroine at some time in her life.  I was assured that she hadn't been in that particular situation, and that, in and of itself, speaks volumes of the talent of this woman.

If you haven't already read Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens, you are missing out.  It's amazing.  Go pick up a copy today, you'll be happy you did... and you too will find yourself in love with a fictional character.

**Disclaimer*** Thoughtless CAN be read as a standalone novel with no cliffhangers, however, it is part of a series that you can read if you feel as though you would like to follow the lives of these characters further.  




Crazy Good by Rachel Robinson

For a couple of year there, Kellan was my one and only book boyfriend.  An avid romance reader, I had never come close to finding another.  One day, boom, out of the blue, I find this magical book... Crazy Good, by Rachel Robinson, and fall once again, in love, with yet another fictional character.  

In Crazy Good, we meet Windsor, a character whose personality I usually describe as "Snow Whites"... pure, virginal (though not necessarily a virgin), sweet, lovable.... you know the type.  Windsor has a past, a troubled relationship that haunts her, one that she can't seem to move fully past.  One day she meets handsome (of course, because not many books have ugly leading men), rugged, manly, sexy, a navy seal, Maverick (aka: my new book boyfriend).  Yum!  Maverick is a ladies man, of course, and not quite what Windsor is looking for.  Complete opposites, they learn a lesson that many of us learn through experience, opposites attract.  The question is, do relationships like that last?  Is a relationship with so many obstacles worth the fight?  You'll have to pick up a copy for yourself and find out ;).

Now, as much as I love this book, I DO have one small bone to pick with the author.  If anyone has seen the movie Acts Of Valor, this book is basically written in the perspective of the characters.  There is even a scene straight out of the movie.  Basically, the story is what those characters do when they aren't deployed or on a mission.  For me, I feel as though maybe the author was riding the coattails of the movie.  But, the book is amazing, and if the author had to gain inspiration for the book by borrowing from the movie, well, I'm thankful, because I do seriously love the book, you will too, so go pick yourself up a copy.