From Glowing Embers (Tales of the Pacific book 1) by Emilie Richards

From Glowing Embers by Emilie Richards

Note:  This is a standalone book.  There is a HEA, and you will not be required to read other books in a series (if this book is part of a series) to understand what is going on.

From Glowing Embers is the story of a young man (Gray) and a young women (Julie Ann / Julianna) whose relationship is tested in the ultimate way.  Through unforseen circumstances and events, the pair fight to make their relationship last, but in the end, are unable to.  Years later, the pair get the opportunity to face their past and attempt to put it behind them.

I wanted to like the story (being Hawaiian, I am biased when I see stories that take place in my beautiful homeland), but 'From Glowing Embers' fell short for me.  Having seen all that Julie Ann faced growing up, I wanted more for her than what Gray was offering.  He kept seeming so on the fence about being with her, at times he even only seemed to be spending time with her out of pity.  He kept saying things like, "I want you, but we can't.", "I want to, but we shouldn't.".  What reasons were there for him to keep saying that?  The only thing mentioned was his fathers prejudices towards Julie Anns family.  If your fathers ignorance is keeping you from moving forward with Julie Ann, she's better off without you.  Considering the fact that Julie Ann has had no instances of love and affection in her life, Grays behavior towards her almost seemed emotionally abusive at times, because it was like she was settling for less than she (or anyone) deserves by putting up with his behavior, because she didn't know what a healthy relationship should be like.

*** Spoiler *** When Gray finally comes to terms with his feelings for her (which he has fought up until then), she gets pregnant, and he bails on her.  He leaves Julie Ann in a hostile situation where she (an already emotionally fragile girl who has faced abuse) has to endure months and months of terrible treatment by his father.  He does nothing when she goes to him for help, because, according to him, there are no other options.  How about being an adult, quitting school, and taking care of your responsibilities yourself instead of ditching her with his parents?!  *** End Spoiler ***

Years later, when Gray seeks her out, I can't disagree with Julie Anns (now Julianna) resentment towards him and her unwillingness to not want to talk to him.  Yes he had some good in him, but in my humble opinion, the bad outweighed the good.

I found some things unbelievable about the story as well.  For instance, Paige.  A little too good to be true.  A woman who is dating a man, but okay with him rekindling his relationship with someone else.  Yes she is not in love with him, but that made it more unbelievable for me.  Their whole relationship seemed a little 'thrown in for the sake of drama' to me.  In all honesty, all of the side characters when they are in Hawai'i are unneeded.  If you take Paige, Dillon, and Jody out of the story, it wouldn't matter at all.  And while I'm on the subject, how unrealistic was the whole story with Jody?!  *** Spoier *** He helped kidnap this child for a 'friend of a friend'?  Really?  I don't care if you're trying to make amends to your deceased daughter, you would not kidnap the child of a 'friend of a friend', possibly not even an actual friend.  If I had to guess, I would say that Paige, Dillon, and Jody are in stories of their own, and being introduced here in this story.  *** End Spoiler ***

In the end, there is a HEA, albeit a HEA that kind of hits you out of no where, because at that point, you don't really even care if they live HEA.  After all of the nonsense, there should have at least been an epilogue so we can see if they even end up having the 'dream' they both want, but are unsure they can actually have.  But noooo, the author skipped the opportunity to do so.  Oh well.  I guess I'll use my imagination.

On a side note, I would have preferred Julianna end up with Dillon.  Him I liked.

Rating (based on a 5 star rating):

* * *

Would I recommend this book to others?:

Honestly, no.

Would I read other books by the author?:

Not on purpose, but sometimes I download books online without checking to see if I've read other books by that same author sooooo.

Playing for Fun by Tracey Alvarez (Due South book 6)

*** I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a honest review ***

'Playing for Fun' is a sweet, emotional, story about old friendships that grow into deeper emotions.  Both protagonists have their issues to overcome in order for them to possibly come together and work as a couple.  Sometimes the hardest thing to do, is take the chance on romance, especially at the risk of an already wonderful friendship with that person.

Tracey Alvarez did a great job capturing my attention and holding it throughout the entire book.  Her ability to bring their small little town and the residents who live there to life is superb.  The supporting cast of the book are all so lovable, from best friends, family members, meddling old women, even down to Diablo the cat, I found myself falling a little in love with their little town and it's inhabitants.

I felt invested in both main characters and found myself hoping or their happiness, even if it meant they had to be apart to find happiness, or even if it meant they would be finding happiness with people other than each other.  Both characters are so well written, the author really took character development seriously with these characters, and stuck with each of their personalities throughout the book.  So many times, authors will write a character who is, for instance, quiet, maybe introspective, unemotional etc., and later in the book, that same character will say or do something that is completely contrary to how that person was previously described.  That is most definitely not the case with this book.  Both characters stayed true to themselves from start to finish.

Being Polynesian myself (Hawaiian), I loved seeing the similarities between the maori and maoli (Hawaiian) cultures and languages.  Not many people know that all Polynesians (Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Fijian, Tongan, Maori etc.) originally came from the same place, settling in different parts of the pacific.  Distance, introductions to other ethnicities, and centuries apart caused our languages, cultures and customs to vary slightly, but there are still so many similarities, it's fun to see it.  So thank you Tracey Alvarez for sharing that little glimpse into the maori culture.  

One small thing I would suggest changing however, is the glossary of maori words.  It's too hard for someone reading your book to go back and forth from reading then going to the glossary everytime a maori word was used.  If I hadn't had a previous knowledge of the Hawaiian language and been able to figure out some of the words, it would have probably irritated me.  I would suggest putting the english translation to maori words in parentheses after each maori word instead of having a glossary.

If anyone is on the fence about this book, I would suggest you jump right off that fence and grab you a copy of "Playing for Fun".  It's a sweet, fun, read and you won't regret it.

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Rating (based on a 5 star rating system):

* * * *

The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars, is because of the aforementioned glossary being inconvenient, and the fact that I felt the end was veeeeeery slightly rushed.  I would have liked there to have been a little more than just having Harley talking to Ford and then *bam* he see's the light and knows what to do to fix things with he and Holly. 

Would I suggest this book to others?:

Most definitely, yes.

Would I read others in the series?:

Yes.  I love the characters I've met already, and would love to know more about them and hear their stories.

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**** NOTE:  Although 'Playing for fun' is part of a series, it is a STANDALONE novel, has a HEA, and you will not be required to read or purchase other books in the series to get the full experience of the book, or understand what is happening.  However, if you feel moved to purchase other books in the series, I'm sure the author would appreciate the support. ****

Ecstasy Unbound by Setta Jay (The Guardians of the Realm, #1)

*** I kindly received this ARC copy in exchange for a honest review ***

Ecstasy Unbound is a paranormal erotic romance novel by author Setta Jay.  Number one in the "Guardians of the Realm" series, Ecstasy Unbound centers around goddess Alexandra, and Guardian Urian or "Uri" as he is known.

Now, I love all things paranormal.  Always have, probably always will.  Ghost stories, horror movies, vampires, werewolves, UFO's, you name it, I'm intrigued by it.  So you would think that a book such as "Ecstasy Unbound" would be right up my alley.  Well, to be honest, I'm a bit torn about it.

I appreciate that the author put so much thought into the plot and development of the series, which very blatantly is being set up for a series, but in my humble opinion, there was WAY too much setting up for the series in this opener of the series, and not enough actual story.  I would say that 70% of the book felt like backstory, explanations of powers, details about sub-characters, history of gods and goddesses, etc, etc, etc.  It was way too much.  It was to the point that I felt overwhelmed with information and to be honest, bored.  I think it could be the way in which the author tried to slip all of the tons and tons of information into the book, but the overall effect of it really ended up taking a lot away from the story of Alex and Uri.  

At the end, I felt as though I barely read an actual story... I felt more so that I had just read "gods and goddess's for dummies" or "paranormal beings 101".  That is NOT what I signed up for at all.  You never want your readers to walk away from your book feeling disappointed, and that is exactly how I felt.  To be honest, this book made me never want to pick up another book by the author.  It took a lot for me to keep picking up the book and start reading it again, I just really was over it and didn't care, but I received this book as an ARC, and therefore, I owe it to the author and/or publisher to finish it and review it.  I also owe it to my fellow readers to give an honest review, and that is what I am doing.  I also made the mistake of requesting others in this series (based on the good reviews) prior to reading the book so I will have to read those and review them as well... unfortunately.

On the flip side, if you enjoy very sexual hot reads, you may like this book.  Setta Jay definitely knows how to write a steamy scene, I'll give her that much.  I definitely felt the chemistry and attraction between the protagonists.  I think she did a great job portraying Alex and Uri's connection, although there wasn't that much more to the actual story than that... some fight scenes, hot sex scenes, and... well, that's about it aside from the afore mentioned overly excessive spewing of back information about the series.

WARNING:  It should be noted (because I didn't see a warning anywhere), that there IS a rape scene in this book.  I know and understand that many readers avoid books with rape scenes, so if you are offended by rape scenes, you will want to avoid this book.

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Rating (based on a 5 star rating system):

* * 

Would I recommend this book to others?:

No.  Sorry Setta Jay.

Would I read others in the series?:

Yes, but only because I have already committed to reading them prior to reading this first novel.

***Note*** This novel is part of a series, but is standalone.

Falling Hard by Tina Wainscott

Falling Hard by Tina Wainscott (A Falling Fast Novel - Falling Fast #2)

Gemma Thornton, has a painful and traumatic past she's been trying to heal from for years.  When her father gets into an accident, Gemma is forced to return to the small town where running from the pain is impossible.

Paxton Sullivan, the black sheep of his family, has never been a stranger to family conflict, but when the girl who had once captivated him, whom he once shared an intense, yet brief connection with, the girl who has always been off-limits because of her connection to his family and her alligations against his brother, returns to town, Paxton finds himself once again struggling with the conflicting emotions of the connection he's always felt for her, and his loyalty to his family.

When obligation and a promise to a close friend forces Gemma and Paxton to temporarily live under the same roof, they both find themselves wondering if their reservations about being with each other are legitimate and worth fighting such a strong attraction and connection.

New information comes to light, setting into motion events that stand to change both their lives forever... if they are willing to take a chance on one another.

__________________

Review:

I really enjoyed "Falling Hard", it captured my attention and held it from beginning to end.  The plot was original and not something I can remember ever reading before.  There are a lot of twists and turns to keep you interested and just enough drama to truly have you feeling for the characters.  The character development was great and I honestly felt emotionally invested in both of the protagonists.

I really loved how gentle and caring Paxton was with Gemma, it endeared me to him in a way that was a bit surprising, because it can sometimes be hard to portray a male character as being both strong and protective, yet also kind, caring, gentle, thoughtful, and considerate at the same time.  IF a man like Paxton existed in the world, the woman who got him would be one heck of a lucky woman.

I appreciated how the author delved so deeply into the mental and emotional conflicts that someone who suffers from Gemma's past would have.  The self-doubt, guilt, and even self-blame that survivors feel is hard for someone who hasn't experienced it to relate to, but the author did an excellent job at portraying it.

**SPOILER AHEAD** The one thing that I didn't like, was the confrontation scene.  It seemed a bit unrealistic to me, because no one there had any proof of their alligations, and if something like this were to take place, Blake would have had a very good case of defamation of character against everyone involved.  Plus considering the statute of limitations had expired, no news reporter in the world would have gone anywhere near writing about or reporting about Gemma's alligations.  The part about Tracy, well, that was really far-fetched to me.  I can't see someone being with, or staying with someone whom they felt had raped them.  Plus the dynamic of their relationship would probably look a lot different.  If a man raped a woman and then ended up married to her, he would probably feel dominance over her, and she would have probably felt controlled by him, yet in the novel, it was the opposite. **END SPOILER**

Having volunteered for years with programs for people with special needs, I appreciated the author bringing to light the fact that people with special needs can and often do live full and fulfilling lives.  They are just as capable as us, they just have to fight harder and sometimes find other ways in which to achieve their goals.  They are true warriors, they show bravery on a daily bases that I envy.  If ever you are in need of humility, spend the day with someone who has special needs, the problems in your life that seem so important and life changing will seem trivial and petty within an hour.

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Rating (based on a 5 star rating system):

* * * * 

Would I recommend this book to others?:

Absolutely.

Would I read others in the series?:

Probably not.  I don't feel a connection to any other characters, nor do I have enough interest in any of them, to honestly care about their stories.  But if the synopsis sounded good, maybe.

** NOTE:  This Novel is part of a series, but it is a standalone novel.  You do not need to purchase or read others in the series to get a HEA, however, if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate the support **

Controlled Burn (Boston Fire) by Shannon Stacey

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

"Controlled Burn" is a quick and easy read.  While I liked both protagonists a lot, and really enjoyed them as a couple, I felt as though Ricks misgivings about getting involved with Jessica were very weak.  It seemed as though Ricks main concern about dating Jessica was the fact that he was her grandparents tenant and good friend.  He barely mentions the fact that she lives thousands of miles away, across the country.  And when he does, it's really not used as his reason for not getting involved with her until later when they are already involved... or atleast about to be.

The author mentions other characters in the story and gives backgrounds and/or backstories on them, which clearly is a set up for future books in the series, and while I usually don't mind that at all, I feel as though their names and things about their lives were mentioned a little too much, especially at times when it wasn't necessary to the story.  At times, it took away from the story, and there wasn't really any character development with those secondary characters.  I felt no desire, interest, or need to learn more about them or read their stories at all.

I loved Rick, Jess, Marie, and Joe's characters a lot.  I think the author did an excellent job on character development with them.  I found myself emotionally invested in the main characters, and honestly, a bit concerned for Marie and Joe's future.

My biggest complaint about the story, is the abrupt ending, and the lack of an epilogue.  Don't get me wrong, you WILL get a HEA here, but it felt a little abrupt to me.  An epilogue was greatly needed in this story, there were a few things left unresolved, such as whether or not Jess moves to Boston, whether or not Rick buys Marie and Joe's home, and whether or not Davey reconciles with his parents.  It's nothing that is important enough to get me to purchase a part two, or others in the series -as I suspect was the authors intention in leaving those things unresolved-, so I will just use my imagination.

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Rating (Based on a 5 star rating system):

* * *

Would I recommend this book to others?:

Yes

Would I purchase other books in the series?:

Probably not.

Would I purchase other books by the author?:

Possibly, but I would check the reviews first.

*** It should be noted, that while "Controlled Burn" is part of a series, but IS a standalone novel.  You will not be required to purchase others in the series to get a HEA, however, if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate your support. ***

Undressed: Billionaire Romance (The Manhattanites Book 2) by Avery Aster

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

Undressed is an erotic romance novel by author Avery Aster.  The story centers around Alexandra "Lex" Easton, an up and coming, New York fashion designer, and Prince Massimo Tittoni, an Italian Prince slash notorious playboy slash textile manufacturer, who supplies Lex with the fabric she uses in her designs.

When Prince Tittoni decides he wants to expand his textile business and get into the mass market fashion industry, he realizes that supplying Lex, his new competition, will be a conflict of interest and bad for his new business.  Lex, whose styles are known for the very fabrics the Prince supplies her with, of course, has huge objections to this.

Not willing to give up the business she fought so hard to get started, especially now when she is finally beginning to make a name for herself, Lex jumps on the next flight to Italy to confront the Prince... or potentially beg him to reconsider, if it comes to that.

After not being able to convince the reluctant Prince to sell her the fabric, the pair spend the next week attempting to come up with a compromise that will work for the both of them.  The more time the pair spend together, the harder it is for either to deny the attraction they feel for one another, and soon, emotions, lust, and passion begins to complicate the business relationship they are trying to build.

Prince Tittoni, traumatized by a past relationship is very distrusting, and unwilling to fall in love with the fiesty American, while Lex, the daughter of a Rock -n- Roll legend of a father, and a notorious playmate groupie mother, grew up in the limelight, and doesn't want to return to it.  Being seen on the Prince's arm at a ball causes rumors of the couple being an item, the very idea giving the handsome Prince cause to step back and evaluate what he and the American are doing together, and the attention they are receiving, causing Lex alarm.

Will these two overcome the obstacles in their path and take a chane on love?  Buy the book and find out.

*******

I'm a bit torn about this book.  On one hand, I appreciate the originality of this book.  The plot is well thought out and not something I've read a million times before, which in the over-saturated world of the romance genre, is rare.  The book also caught my interest and held it throughout the book, and the author has a great talent when it comes to bringing the locales to life... I could almost smell the salt water of Isola de Girasoli, and feel the hot sun beating down on my skin.  However, on the other hand, the character development was off, and the story was far-fetched.

As far as character development, I feel as though both protagonists got over their issues with starting/being in a relationship rather quickly and without any reason behind it, other than the story needed it to happen.  We have Lex, who doesn't have time to date, yet here she is, making time... to date.  On top of that, Lex is a woman who is traumatized by a childhood in the spotlight, yet she gets over that and is strutting her stuff, nearly nude, on a red carpet with tons of papparazzi around.  Yes she had some help from our friend 'liquid courage', but it was two shots, not the entire bottle.  Then there's the Prince, jaded from a past relationship, he has sworn off love, yet quickly changes his tune, and when I say quickly... whew... I mean quickly.  The entire love affair takes place in the time span of a week.  Really?!  ONE WEEK?!  I'm sorry, but that is not enough time to meet, get to know, and fall in love with someone.  It just isn't realistic that a man who is rich and powerful, who I'm sure has tons of women throwing themselvs at him in an attempt at becoming royalty, or rich, who also happens to have major emotional scars when it comes to trusting women and love, would or could go and change his tune so drastically in such a short amount of time.  I don't care how beautiful the woman is, I don't care what connection you have with each other, you will take more than a week to get over the past and begin to learn to trust again.

I also disliked the "love scenes", and I use the term "love" very loosely here, because although the Prince claims that when he and Lex have sex it is not fu*#ing, but rather making love, the love scenes came off very much so, as fu*#ing.  There was no tenderness in their interaction at all, and I'm sure the author threw in the 'I love you's during sex to reenforce that the Prince says he and Lex only make love, but that was definately not the feeling I was left with.  I mean, you love each other, but you choose to have your first time together to be in at basement-sex-orgy-party?  Granted they are in their own private quarters, but come on!  Plus, he is a Prince, and she is a fashion designer, why would either of them take the chance at being caught there?  Why wouldn't you find a place better suited for a romantic first occassion of 'making love', or even go home to his palace rather than going down to the sex dungeon?  It's not that I'm a prude, it's not that the author didn't write very hot and steamy scenes, I just have issue with the fact that the whole 'making love' thing was driven home so much, yet that did not feel like the case at all to me.  Making love requires more than having sex with someone you love, people in love can still simply fu*#.  Making love requires tenderness, affection, intimacy, and emotional vulnerability, none of which was present in their 'making love'.

*** Spoiler alert *** Plus the ending, where Mossimo proposes marriage at Lex's fashion show was very cheesy to me.  Aside from the fact that he's asking her to marry him after spending only a week together, he didn't take two things into consideration.  One, Lex doesn't like the spotlight, so being propossed to in a setting that couldn't possibly be more in the spotlight, -literally, they had spotlights on them- would probably not be the best place to propose marriage.  Two, the fashion show was about Lex and her company, it was her time to shine, her time to show the world all of the hard work she put into her company.  If this were reality, no one would even be talking about the clothing line, all they would be talking about, is the proposal.  It would totally over-shadow Lex's clothing line.  How much of a narcissist would you have to be, to do something like that?  *** End Spoiler ***

My overall view, is the story comes off as a bit unlikely, and unrealistic, which totally conflicts with the great talent that Avery Aster clearly has as an author.  Some people might not mind quicky romances, or care about the believability of a story, but I do, and it really took a lot away from the story for me, which sucks, because I really liked both characters a lot.

** Note to author:  Lex is described as having wavy blonde hair.  The woman on the cover has dark brown, or black hair.  Your cover is your only opportunity to give your readers a visual representation of your story, and an inconsistency such as this can throw your readers off.  **

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Rating (based on a 5 star rating system):

* * *

Would I recommend this book to others?:

Possibly.  If someone wanted a quick read, or had an interest in both romance and the fashion industry, then yes.  Otherwise, probably not.

Would I read other books by the author?:

Yes, possibly.  I would check the reviews first though.

*** It should be noted, that this book, while part of a series, IS a standalone novel.  You will not be required to read other books in the series to get a HEA, although if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate it. ***

Loving the Enemy by Charmaine Pauls

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

Loving the Enemy, is the prequel to the 'Seven Forbidden Arts' series, though it is a standalone novel.

Loving the Enemy, focuses on Lily and Jacob.  Lily is the sheltered daughter of a rich and very powerful criminal.  In the beginning of the book, we find Lily to be homeless, and living on the dangerous streets of Cape Town, due to an attack on her fathers home.  Sitting in a dark, secluded, park, where it is about to rain, Lily is stumbled upon by handsome and mysterious Jacob, who offers Lily a place to stay for the night.

After reluctantly accepting Jacobs offer, Lily learns that he is in the bodyguard business.  When Jacobs apartment is attacked by the very men who attacked her fathers home, the pair set out to find the only person who can help and protect them, Lily's father.

As you read on, you are brought along as Jacob and Lily attempt to make their way from Cape Town, to Lily's father in Paris.  No small feat considering neither of them have money, and all of the airports and ports are being monitored for any signs of them.  What follows is an action-packed, romance, where two people from completely different world are thrown together and must learn to trust and rely on one another if they want to make it out alive.

The 'Seven Forbidden Arts' series is a paranormal series, but there really is little to no paranormal 'activity' :) in 'Loving the Enemy', though it is mentioned occassionally.  I wish the author would have thrown a bit of paranormal aspects into the mix, because it was a bit of a let down to have it mentioned, but not actually be part of the book.

The book kept me interested from the very beginning, it's not predictable, and the author did a great job with character development.  I felt invested in both lead characters, and couldn't help but root for them.  The plot was original, intriguing, and well thought out.  I would definitely be interested in reading other books in the series.

The book could use a bit more editing, though it isn't anything that I personally feel detracts from the story, though if you are someone who is bothered by grammatical errors, it is something to keep in mind.

Something that really detracted from the story for me, was the age difference between Lily and Jacob.  Lily is eighteen years old, and a very naive, sensitive, sheltered eighteen year old at that, while Jacob is thirty, and a very traveled, experienced, thirty year old.  Though it isn't unheard of for a thirty years old man to date a eighteen year old girl, I feel as though their maturity levels were way off, and that threw me off a lot.  Lily, for most of the book, seemed very childlike and immature, while Jacob was intense, and very knowledgeable due to life experiences.  The aspect of their age difference had no real relevance to the story (it wasn't an obstacle keeping them apart) and therefore could have been eliminated by simply making Jacob a couple of years younger, which would have made the story flow better.

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.  The author did a great job of introducing the series in a manner in which I feel intrigued to find out what happens next.

*** It should be noted that while 'Loving the Enemy' is part of a series, it 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). ***