Slammed by Colleen Hoover

(Slammed series, book 1)
After the unexpected death of her father forces eighteen-year-old Layken and her family to move across the country, away from everyone and everything she knows, her outlook on life is anything but hopeful.

Enter Will Cooper: the attractive twenty-one year old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry. After a night tonight that turns out to be everything but expected, both Layken and Will are left with feelings they never knew they could have. Unfortunately in Layken’s life, things are never what they seem. Just as quickly as it develops, their relationship is derailed by a shocking revelation, sparking a tumultuous battle between their hearts and their ethics.

As if the dramatic turn of events in her life isn’t enough, Layken is slammed again when her mother reveals a secret of her own. A secret so intense, all of Layken’s current problems pale in comparison to her seemingly insurmountable future. Unable to confront the changes that lie ahead of her, Layken ignores her conscience as she turns to Will for solace. Struggles ensue as both Layken and Will search for a balance between that which keeps them apart and feelings that pull them together.

“I wish I could freeze this moment. I wish we could just carve pumpkins forever…” – Layken

WOW! This is one of the best books I have ever read and it is definitely one that I will read again in the future. I finished this book in one day because I was obsessed…just plain obsessed. I couldn’t put my Nook down and when I finished it, I had tears in my eyes. Okay, fine! I’ll be honest! I had tears streaming down my face. (Hey…I’m emotional!) Actually, I’m not even blaming the fact that I’m emotional for crying multiple times reading this book; it’s the writing. It is just brilliant. The storylines all flow together so well, and I absolutely fell in love with these characters.

First of all, Lake (yes, I’m on a nickname basis with her) is such a strong character. Oh, and how great is her name?! Layken. I LOVE IT! She has been dealt a hand that would cause most people to crumble, but with the exception of a couple bad days, she handles it all with maturity. The nurturing she provides to her younger brother Kel when her mother is busy working the night shift and sleeping during the day makes you forget that she’s only eighteen-years-old. I just adored her so much, and my heart ached for her throughout the book.

Ahhh, Will. I fell in love with him when he pulled out two grilled cheese sandwiches and sodas from a bag…in his car…for his and Lake’s first date. I don’t know why, but I just found that so freaking cute. What can I say? I’m a romantic ;) My emotions got toyed with reading this book more than they ever have in any of my relationships (I think that’s a good thing?) and it seemed like every time they would just maybe be working things out, I got slapped in the face with a big “AH HA, FOOLED YOU!” Colleen Hoover, you are a sneaky little trick…and I love you for it!

The last character I really loved was Lake’s best friend, Eddie. First of all, Eddie is a girl and you learn later on the actually meaning of her name. Without giving away too much, she has been bounced around foster homes because her mother was a crackhead who didn’t have time for her. Despite her upbringing, Eddie shines such a positive light on this book as a whole. She was the one picking up Lake when she needed it, she pushed her in the right direction; she was essentially her guiding light. The scene on Eddie’s birthday; I absolutely lost it. I was full on crying at my desk at work while I read that part. I just loved her character so much and to see her boyfriend do that for her was just too much for my emotions to handle!

I don’t want to say anything more, because I don’t want to give away any of the spoilers for this book. I feel like it would ruin the emotional ride if you had any hints as to what issues arise in Layken and Will’s relationship, as well as her mother’s secret. This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, and I can’t wait to start reading the sequel. The writing is brilliant, the characters are phenomenal, the relationships will give you hope, break your heart, make you smile, and make you cry. Slammed is just perfection. Absolute perfection.

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Dark Citadel by Cherise Sinclair

(Masters of the Shadowlands series, book 2)
After Kari breaks up with her date during Beginner’s Night at Club Shadowlands, she’s given the option to continue with an experienced dominant. Despite her steamy fantasies about BDSM, the inexperienced school teacher plans to simply observe. Yet under the unyielding hands of Master Dan, she not only participates, but gives him everything he asks for. There is nothing she can hide from him. Not her passion…or her love.

WARNING: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and a strong BDSM theme. It is not appropriate for young adults.

“Aside from your safe word, you have no say, no opinions, no control.” – Master Dan

After finishing the second book in this series, it’s official: I’m hooked! I was a little hesitant to read this series because it sounded a little intense, but I have found myself intrigued by the different Doms at Shadowlands. This book focuses on a different Dom and sub than the first book; Master Dan, whose wife died in a car accident and has a reputation for never taking a specific sub for more than one night, and the school teacher, Kari who is inexperienced in the world of BDSM.

She shows up at Club Shadowlands with her boyfriend, Buck, who is a huge douche. I guess in his defense he is inexperienced in the world of BDSM too, and takes the role of being a Dom to the extreme; he’s a complete and total ass to her. After ditching him, she assigned to Master Dan who immediately falls in lust with Kari. After fooling around a little on her first night of the beginner’s course, Kari has every intention of returning for the second night because she just can’t get enough of Master Dan. Regardless of her attraction to Master Dan, Kari constantly wrestles with her choices; she can’t understand why she enjoys this behavior and feels like she shouldn’t. Master Dan has an excellent quote to try and ease her mind: “Why they think everyone should be alike in making love when no one can even agree on what ice cream they like, I’ll never know.”  

Kari returns for the second night, has sex with Master Dan for the first time, and has her world freaking rocked. It’s not only a big night for Kari, who had sex for the first time while being restrained, but also for Dan; it was his first time taking the same sub twice. The third night, which requires some crafty work on Jessica’s part (she’s the Master Z’s sub from book 1) to get Dan to realize how much he wants to be with Kari, is the most intense. Dan’s punishment for Kari for back talking him and complaining about her outfit was pretty damn embarrassing! I would have probably started crying…then again, I’m a wimp. BUT, my favorite part was The Capture Gardens! OH. MY. GOSH! I’m not even going to try and pretend like the whole premise of the game didn’t intrigue me. It’s essentially hide-and-seek mixed with tag, only when a Dom catches his sub, he gets to decide what to do with her and as always, she must oblige or risk punishment. WHEW…I got a little hot and bothered after that!

I actually liked this book a little better than the first book. I didn’t really have a preference in regards to Jessica or Kari, I liked them both pretty much the same but I did like Master Dan a little better than Master Z. I really hope there is a book that focuses on Master Cullen though, because I think he’s my favorite so far and he hasn’t even been THAT involved! Overall, I really liked this book although it was slightly more intense than the first one. I loved Kari and Master Dan together, and as much as he helped her realize her passion and eagerness for BDSM, she helped him just as much with finally coming to terms with his wife’s death. I’m ready for book 3 and to learn about the horribly intimidating Master Nolan! 

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Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

It begins with a free and joyful act – but from then on, Michael finds it impossible event o remember what it felt like to be free and joyful. When he fires his new rifle into the air on his seventeenth birthday, he never imagines that the bullet will end up killing someone. But a mile away, a man is killed by that bullet as he innocently repairs his roof. And Michael keeps desperately silent while he watches his world crumble.

Meanwhile Jenna, the dead man’s daughter, copes with desperation of her own. Through her grief, she tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps appearing in her dreams.

While the book gets off to a pretty slow start, I ended up enjoying it. My expectations may have been a little too high, but once I got about half way through breezed through the second half. In the prologue we find out that Michael’s innocent act of firing his new rifle in the air ends up killing husband and father, Charlie Ward, while he works on his roof about a mile away. After Michael and his best friend Joe, who was with him when he shot the rifle, find out that the bullet took someone’s life, Michael goes into panic mode and Joe tries to convince Michael everything will be just fine. Michael ends up digging a hole in his backyard, placing the rifle in a PVC pipe, and burying it to hide any evidence. His whole life has been changed, and so has Michael; he’s distant, he avoids his family and his girlfriend, and he becomes increasingly more and more paranoid. With the police narrowing down the spot where the gun was fired to a four block radius and begin going door-to-door to question residents and inspect all firearms, Michael is faced with a huge decision. Does he come clean and clear his conscience but potentially ruin the rest of his life, or does he keep quiet and hope this whole nightmare blows over? Can he swallow the stone and move on, or will it get caught in his throat and cut off his air supply?

I actually really liked this book, although getting through the beginning was a little rough. I was so torn on my feelings for Michael; I felt so terrible for him because he never could have imagined that his bullet would kill someone, but I was also mad at him for being deceitful and trying to cover up what he did. I think the part that changed my opinion of him for good was when he started sitting on the church steps across from Jenna’s house every single night. He had so much remorse, but just couldn’t accept the fact that turning himself in would change his whole life. Instead of going to college, he could be going to prison. I was continually hoping that he would do the right thing, but I really did feel for him. I can’t even imagine being in that kind of situation.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the relationship he formed with Amy, a girl who has a reputation for getting around. I absolutely loved her character, and my heart ached for her a little bit. She was a girl who was misunderstood and judged harshly on her actions before anyone really got a chance to know her. One of my favorite lines of the book was when Michael stood up for Amy to his girlfriend Darcy: “Amy Ruggerio is one of the most decent human beings I know. She’s been a good friend to me. A friend, period. You can believe whatever the hell you want. But nobody calls a friend of mine – and friend of mine – a pig.” She really was a great person, and what Darcy did to her broke my heart a little bit. After her and Michael started hanging out, I was really hoping they would end up together!

Overall, it was a touching story. I gave it 3 stars just because I wasn’t crazy about the first 40-50 or so pages. The relationship between the characters is moving, and the maturity transformation from Michael was admirable. I do wish we would have learned more about the repercussions of Michael’s final decision, and see if his relationship with Amy progressed at all. Ohhh, I really hope it did! This is a good book for anyone from teenagers to grown adults. You’ll fall in love with these characters; I know I did.  

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Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair

(Masters of the Shadowlands series, book 1)
Her car disabled during a tropical storm, Jessica Randall discovers the isolated house where she’s sheltering is a private bondage club. At first shocked, she soon becomes aroused watching the interactions between the Doms and their subs. But she’s a professional woman – an accountant – and surely isn’t a submissive…is she?

Master Z hasn’t been so attracted to a woman in years. But the little sub who has wandered into his club intrigues him. She’s intelligent. Reserved. Conservative. After he discovers her interest in BDSM, he can’t resist tying her up and unleashing the passion she hides within.

WARNING: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language and a strong BDSM theme.

After I finished the Shades of Grey trilogy, I decided I wanted to explore that genre a little more and stumbled upon this series on Goodreads. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I have never read anything by Cherise Sinclair before; I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. I will just say this: if you have a strong aversion to BDSM, I would advise against this book. The scenes involving Doms and subs can get rather graphic and include but are not limited to: whipping, restraining, caning, bondage, spanking, and exhibitionism. If you think you can handle that, pull up a seat and we’ll get down to business.

I was surprisingly hooked on this book and since it was short, I was able to finish it in one day. Right off the bat, we are introduced to the two main characters: Jessica, the conservative account who stumbles upon this bondage club by accident, and Master Z, the owner of the club and eventually Jessica’s Dom.

Master Z introduces Jessica to the world of BDSM, and her first night at the club is one of my favorite parts of the book. Her reaction to the Dom/sub relationships, the various equipment, the different rooms, etc. was entertaining and pretty funny. I remember reading that part and thinking “That is exactly how I would be if I was in her situation!” I would probably be intrigued but I’d also be scared as hell! I’ve never been in that kind of atmosphere, and I haven’t gotten into BDSM personally. I actually felt kind of bad for her during her punishment for breaking up a scene, and I actually caught myself cringing a little bit when Jessica started crying and her punishment wasn’t over yet. OH MY GOSH, and I could not believe the punishment Master Z had given Adrienne for disobeying her Dom. I mean…WOW!

Now, onto Jessica and Master Z; I think I like them together but since the book was so short, I’m not 100% sold yet. They have only been together for two nights so we just kind of touch the surface of their Dom/sub relationship, as well as any romantic connection that may stem from this. That being said, their sex scenes together are freaking hot! I mean, I got a little hot and bothered just reading them, y’all! The part that really got me was when Master Z was doing a demonstration in the medical room, Jessica volunteered as the sub (her Dom isn’t touching anybody but her!), and unbeknownst to her, another Dom will also be pleasuring her. She’s blindfolded and restrained. There are toys involved. There is an audience. It’s intense and it’s HOT!

There were a couple things I found farfetched, which is why I am only giving it 3 stars. First of all, I find it hard to believe that someone as meticulous as Jessica would sign these documents without reading all the way through them. If a nightclub requires your signature, you MIGHT want to read through and figure out why! Secondly, I could not believe Jessica’s willingness to not only let Master Z watch her shower five minutes after meeting him, but letting him dry her off! I mean, really?! She is supposed to be reserved and conservative, and I feel like both of my “bugaboos” go against whom her character is.

We learn very little about any of the other Doms in this club but from reading the synopsis for the second book in this series, it will focus on a new sub and one of the other Doms, Master Dan. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series, and I’m anxious to learn about some of the other Doms! Bring ‘em on, strap me down, whatever…I’m ready for the next book!

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The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher

(The Opportunist series, book 1)
Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.

“You can only give your heart away once, after that, everything else will chase your first love.” – The Opportunist

Holy. Fuck. I honestly don’t even know where to start or HOW to start reviewing this book. I finished it yesterday morning, and I can’t stop thinking about it! My emotions got thrown all over the place; I felt like a 25-year-old going through early menopause! I was pissed off, I was heartbroken, I was hopeful, I was devastated; I loved the main characters and I hated the main characters. I wanted Olivia and Caleb together but then I didn’t, and then I did; to say this book was an emotional rollercoaster is an understatement. This book freaking owned me emotionally. I honestly can’t remember a book I read where not only did I feel so many emotions throughout the book, but felt them all at once! It’s emotional overload.

I had a pretty severe love/hate relationship with Olivia and Caleb throughout the book. There were times I found myself smiling while reading about their dates, listening to their banter, and holding out hope that they just might be able to make things work…and then there were times I just wanted to smack both of them! I was heartbroken when I read the office scene and in that moment, I hated Caleb. I felt so terrible for Olivia until she has her brilliant idea to get back at him. As I was reading that part, I literally said out loud “NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!” I just wanted to shake some sense into her and yell “DON’T DO IT, HOMEGIRL!!” I was devastated at this point in the book, and true to form, it wasn’t over yet. I thought I couldn’t feel any more emotion for their relationship than I already had, and I was wrong. Their exchange in the hotel room broke me. The image of Caleb on his knees crying silently just absolutely killed me. It was at that moment that I just had to stop reading for a moment and take in the events that led up to this situation. These two people who loved each other so much have destroyed their relationship; they both let their selfishness, their pride, and their manipulations shatter any chance they had at being together.

I’m still a little torn on how I feel about the ending. I think the best word I can use to describe it, is bittersweet. I wasn’t necessarily happy about it, but it makes sense. This book has done a number on me emotionally, and yet I can’t wait until the next book is released. I will be recommending this book to everyone. It’s memorable, it’s heartbreaking, it’s addictive, and it made me hurt for these characters. It’s just a crazy good book! WHEW…I need a drink.

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Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 11)
With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects other, and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit – and the twisted motive for the attack.

But her attention is divided. Though she can’t “read” vampires, Sookie knows her lover, Eric Northman, and his “child” Pam well – and she realizes that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot – which is much more complicated than she knows.

Caught up once again in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human – and that there is a new queen on the board…

Well, here we are eleven books into the series, and Sookie still can’t manage to just settle into a normal life. No matter where she goes, trouble seems to find her. She’s working a shift at Merlotte’s when the bar gets firebombed…and from what Sookie can tell, the bomber wasn’t fully human. It turns out an old enemy just might be out to seek revenge on Sookie.

Sookie also has her faerie cousin Claude and faerie uncle Dermot living with her, and call me crazy, but it seems to me that Claude is up to something. I have said before that I didn’t care for the faerie aspect of this series, but I like this new Claude. There’s just something about him…

Ohhh, and will Eric and Sookie ever just be happy together?? I’m starting to think that might be impossible…even if they are married. Well, the marriage is only legal in the vampire world; if you didn’t already know that, you probably should read the previous books before jumping to this review. Just sayin’! It seems as though Sookie is starting to consider the real costs of having a long-term relationship with him. How would he feel about her when she starts aging and he doesn’t? How much more violence can she really take in her life? I think all these feelings point to the conclusion that Sookie really has no desire to be changed into a vampire to make her life with Eric “easier.” I never really thought she would turn, because she had never said she wanted to, never asked questions about it; she only thought about it once. She’s too independent to change her life like that for a guy…she’s no Bella Swan (THANK. GOD.) As if all that wasn’t enough to complicate their relationship, we find out Eric has been keeping a pretty big secret.

Bill has more of a role in this book than the previous one, and true to form, I found myself rooting for him just a little bit. I’m a bigger flip-flopper than presidential candidates, I tell ya! I am still on Team Eric, but this is the first time in a while that I actually liked Bill and wasn’t just feeling sorry for him. There are also a lot of other characters that make a very welcome appearance in this book: Amelia, Bob, Alcide, Hunter, Bubba, and Mr. Cataliades, just to name my favorites. I don’t know that I’ve ever mentioned Bubba in my previous reviews, but anytime he’s involved I always find myself with a smile on my face. I get all shook up ;)

The end creates more questions than answers. Is Sookie really done with supes? What is Sookie going to do with her grandfather’s gift? What IS Claude really up to? What lies in store for Sookie’s relationship with Eric…and Pam for that matter? SWEET SASSY MOLASSY, I NEED SOME ANSWERS!! I can’t wait to see how Harris wraps up this series with the final two books. 

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Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 10)
After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Fae War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the shifters’ coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to one particular Were draws her in to the dangerous debate. Also, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side – and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.

Well, this book wasn’t all I expected it to be but I suppose it was slightly better than the previous two books in the series. I still find myself less than impressed with the majority of the plotlines in the most recent books, unfortunately. We come into this story with Sookie recovering from the torture she received from Lochlan and Neave, the demented fairies from the previous book. She seems okay physically, but it’s very apparent that emotionally she’s still a mess.

Eric has cemented himself in her life and is now officially her boyfriend. YAY! I have loved Sookie and Eric together ever since Dead To The World, and I am so happy that they are finally together when they are both in their right mind, and one isn’t in a state of amnesia. Oh! Oh! Oh! For the first time in the series, Sookie FINALLY imagines what it would be like if she were turned into a vampire. I have been waiting for her to at least consider the idea since she got serious with Bill; it only took ten books to get there. I still don’t think she will go through the change, mainly because her relationships with vampires have never been horribly solid.

We get to meet Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, who comes to Eric for help in returning his brother to sanity. I’m not really sure what to think of Appius; I think it’s just the fact that he’s having sex with Eric’s “brother” Alexei, who is an adolescent. I just could never really get past that whole relationship enough to make an opinion of him.

Sookie contacts Bill’s “sister” (she was created by the same maker as Bill) in an attempt to save Bill’s life. He is still recovering from the silver poisoning he got from one of the demented fairies’ teeth in the Fae War. His “sister” Judith agrees to come stay with Bill, and uses her blood to nurse him back to health. I’m anxious to see where their relationship goes since Judith resembles Bill’s late wife so much. I think this put a nice end to the drama between Bill and Sookie, I really liked it.

Oh, and Sookie also has to deal with her angry half-fae uncle Dermot who managed to stay in the human world since the Fae world was sealed up at the end of the last book. There’s a twist that will make it more difficult to catch this little sneakster though because he just might look exactly like someone else; someone Sookie would never be afraid of. Once again, I’m not horribly interested in any of the faeries (except Sookie) that have been in these books.

There’s a lot of buildup around Sookie’s plan to kill Victor because she sees him as a threat not only to her, but also Eric, Bill, and Pam. As I expected, she doesn’t want to kill him in cold blood; they try to devise a plan that will invoke a battle of some sort so she can use self-defense as her excuse for killing him. Understandable, I guess…but the dude has made it clear he wants to kill you. Just stake him, homegirl!

Overall, there wasn’t a whole lot of action in this book which was quite the change of pace from the previous two books. I still didn’t love this book, but it was a pretty good read. Even so, I’m eager to read the next book just to see if they carry out their plan on Victor and to see if Sookie and Eric are in it for the long haul… (please say yes, please say yes, pleeeease say yes!)

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