Category Archives: New Adult

4 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, New Adult, Review

Vixens and Vipers, Greywood Legionaries: Book 2 – Rose Gravestone

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Vixens and Vipers
Greywood Legionaries: Book 2
Rose Gravestone

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Cathartic daydream of justice for RTC victims

Blurb:

Desire is my downfall. Vengeance is my weapon. And trusting him could be my ruin…

Vengeance fuels me, desire tempts me, and trusting him could be my greatest mistake…

Greywood University was never meant for someone like me. Getting in was a miracle; surviving premed unnoticed was the plan, but life had other ideas.

A lawyer approaches me with an astonishing offer to lead a lawsuit that could dismantle some of the most corrupt corporations in the country. Saying yes could change everything—saying no would mean forfeiting the justice stolen from me years ago.

Then there’s Seamus. The most dangerous student on campus, he’s feared and worshipped in equal measure. His voice is silk, his smile sunlight, but beneath the golden veneer lurks darkness. Seamus is part of a vigilante legion that thrives on chaos and wreaks havoc. He says he wants something real with me, but I know better. Falling for him isn’t just reckless—it could be deadly.

When a demon from my past resurfaces, threatening to drag me back into the life I barely escaped, the pressure around me builds. The walls close in. Yet every time I teeter on the edge of a breakdown, Seamus is there, promising I’m worth fighting for.

As the ghosts of my past collide with my present, I’m left with only one option. I give myself to Seamus, trusting his protection…

… even as I question if he’s the mistake that’ll cost me everything.

I love “The Beekeeper” movie and recommend it to anyone who has been scammed. This reminded me of that, a cathartic daydream of justice and revenge for victims of RTCs (Residential Treatment Centers) – horrific forced “rehabilitation” of “out of control” teens. We discover in the ending Author’s Note that Rose was trapped in one of these for most of her young adult life. I felt that in the realistic emotional journey of the FMC, Valerie.

My only previous knowledge of RTC’s was years ago, watching Dr. Phil shows where teens were often “transported” (kidnapped) and forced into vans heading to these places while tearfully begging and/or threatening their parents. So midway through this novel, I watched the documentary “The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping”. It was eye opening and horrifying.

I hope there are other cathartic release books without BDSM and explicit content for those who don’t enjoy reading these things. But this content did bring notice to the topic from me, someone who didn’t have much knowledge of it before.

Trigger Warning given at the beginning of the book:

Please be advised that this book contains some dark and triggering content. If any of the following triggers bother you, this book probably isn’t a good fit for your library.-Mentions and depictions of the abuses that take place at Residential Treatment Centers (RTC’s).-Obsessive anti-hero.-Mentions of sex trafficking (not perpetrated between MCs).-On-page depictions of anorexia nervosa.-On-page depictions of reactive attachment disorder (RAD).-Gun fights, knife fights, and gore. Seamus is a character with questionable morals and a skewed perspective of the world. Valerie has endured intense emotional traumas and struggles on a daily basis because of her past. Only proceed if you enjoy your MMC’s morally grey.

This contains explicit scenes of consensual BDSM. But I would not call it hard core. I’m not a frequent reader of this content, having wound up here because I liked the first book in the series. Book 2 focuses on two of the secondary characters in Book 1, so we get snippets of updates on the first couple.  I’m not a fan of pain, so I wasn’t excited by some of the acts depicted. But I was excited by the dialogue! And the acts didn’t bother me. They contained no degradation, which would have turned me off it.

The graphic content spiced up an otherwise terrific depiction of survival, emotional growth, and strength for Valerie. I really enjoyed this character. She’s far from perfect, which makes her realistic and relatable. Seamus is a bit less fleshed out of a character but an ideal rock for Valerie who pushes when he should and always supports. He comes up with a nickname for Valerie, which I loved:

“Valk is short for Valkyrie. Legendary female warriors known for slaying thousands of men. Seems appropriate.”

There is a lot of humor in this. Seamus is hilarious.

Valerie: I give my head a shake. “I’m… happy to see you.”

Seamus: He tilts his head to the side. “Why do you make it sound like such a surprise? I’m marvelous, I f–k like a god, and I make you smile.”

I like that these two don’t have instalove but have actually gotten to know each other a bit before feelings developed.

Valerie went through horrific abuse at a Troubled Teen Center that her mother sent her to. They have been slowly working on their relationship. While there, they broke her ankle and withheld proper medical care until she was sent to a hospital and her mother arrived. The story begins with Valerie speaking to a lawyer who is representing her case against the center.

I’m used to the disbelief of others; it’s one of the fears that was ingrained in me. After all, Wasatch staff members told me that nobody would believe me as they were abusing and neglecting me. At the time, I was a minor, and Wasatch was a reputable treatment center for troubled youth, protected under the umbrella of the Troubled Teen Industry, commonly referred to as the TTI. Their word would always be taken over mine.

The lawyer fortunately does believe her, and the case moves forward. It dregs up issues Valerie was previously fighting, including anorexia. Valerie believes she is incapable of having a serious romantic relationship because she can’t trust anyone enough. I found this storyline very believable and thoroughly enjoyed Seamus’ tempts, nudges, and fights with Valerie over it. Valerie has the chance to walk away but doesn’t take it. There is no dub-con here.

I don’t want to give spoilers, but I was thrilled at the ending. Valerie is a strong character who doesn’t require a man to save her. There is a partnership between Valerie and Seamus rather than a hero-victim dynamic.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Frequent foul language.

1st person past tense from Valerie and Seamus.

Errors: There were a couple of contradictions in the text, frequent capitalization errors in the dialogue formatting especially towards the end, 2 misspelled words, 1 missing word, and an extra comma.

388 Pages

$4.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

Received free from BookSirens for my honest review.

4 star reads, Dark Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, New Adult, Review

Luminaries and Legionaries, Greywood Legionaries: Book 1 – Rose Gravestone

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Luminaries and Legionaries
Greywood Legionaries: Book 1
Rose Gravestone

Rating: 4 out of 5.

College mafia romance with good bad guys

Blurb:

A deadly secret. A dangerous captor. A dark love that teeters between obsession and salvation.

A simple night hike turned into a nightmare…

I stumbled upon something I was never meant to see—a deadly secret hidden deep in the forest. Before I could escape, Dorian Acheron—Greywood University’s notorious vigilante—chased me down. His hands pinned me to the cold ground, and his piercing gaze promised retribution for my unwelcome intrusion.

The choice he gave me was no choice at all: vanish into the grave he’d dug for someone else or become his temporary captive.

Now, I’m confined to his gothic home, and every breath I take is steeped in unease. Dorian watches my every move, a predator lying in wait. His unseemly roommates threaten me each time I cross paths with them, convinced that my silence can never be trusted.

Dorian promises I’ll be free after a week—as soon as he’s sure I’ll keep his secrets. But as the days drag on, I begin to see cracks in his icy armor. Beneath the terrifying façade lies a man capable of tenderness, even vulnerability. Against all logic, I find myself drawn to him. Yet his dark world suffocates me, so I yearn for the moment I can escape.

Unfortunately, my past resurfaces. When Dorian discovers that I’m far more than a quiet college student, his fixation on me transforms into a dangerous obsession.

Now, I no longer know whether he’s keeping me captive to protect his secrets… or because he’s claimed me as his woman.

Luminaries and Legionaries is a spicy dark college romance featuring a morally grey MMC and a shy, intelligent FMC. If you enjoy Rina Kent’s Legacy of Gods or Shantel Tessier’s LORDS, you’ll turn feral for the men in Greywood Legionaries!

It’s not the most realistic narrative, but I don’t think we expect that with a college mafia novel. It’s a fun, entertaining, spicy, quick-paced, escapist read. I enjoyed and recommend it, but I don’t think it’ll be something I want to re-read, so 4 stars from me. Well worth your time once, if you like this type of story. I intend to try the remaining books in this series.

It’s billed as “dark” and contains dubious-consent scenes. Unwanted touching of a sexual nature occurs but no actual rape. There is seduction but not coercion. The woman does not feel violated.

Warning Included:

Please be advised that this book contains some dark and triggering content. If any of the following triggers bother you, this book probably won’t be for you.-Dub-con.-Mentions and depictions of child abuse (flashbacks to abuse).-Alpha-hole, domineering hero. Dorian is a character with questionable morals and a skewed perspective on the world. Only proceed if you enjoy your MMC’s morally grey.

The FMC, Mira, is empathic, seeing energies on people and animals, and highly perceptive in an almost paranormal-genre way. It’s not totally realistic, but I’m okay with it. I loved The Mentalist and Medium TV series, so I’m not averse to believing someone could have these abilities. Wild animals are drawn to Mira, which I found very cool.

The alpha’s head lifts from the ground and he turns around to give me a narrow-eyed look, letting out a growl of warning. It’s as if he’s saying, “stay right the fuck where you are, and don’t you dare stop petting me.”

Mira is on her way to becoming a vet. She’s independent, strong, skilled in firearms, and damaged by previous abuse. She has her coping mechanisms and is usually very quiet. I found the believability stretched when this was contradicted by her word vomit and oversharing.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re fucking fascinating, love?” Brit questions, gazing at me with a deepening interest.

“Usually, they tell me that I’m insane.” I can’t exactly disagree, since I’m yet to meet anyone who can feel other people the way I do. Cara swears I’m an empath, but I don’t like the supernatural connotation around that word. It’s not like I see dead people or smell emotions, I just sort of… sense them.

The Brit walks behind me, and I feel his gaze burning a hole into the back of my head. I think he’s trying to figure me out—both men are—and that confuses me. Most people don’t care to figure me out. They catch a whiff of my brand of crazy and run in the opposite direction. I prefer it that way, since I’m not very good with people. I get along much better with animals.

“I think I like you,” Dorian says, sounding perplexed by the prospect.

“Please don’t. I’d rather you disliked me and wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. Not in the permanent way, but in the Jesus fuck this girl is so annoying I’m gonna let her go back to her dorm room way.”

The MMC, Dorian, is billed as morally grey and that holds up. Murder when justified, theft, and drug business is okay, but hurting “innocents” is not. The organization he belongs to seeks to destroy sex trafficking operations. Dorian and his “legion” started out as vigilantes, cleaning up their college town. Overall, I found Dorian likeable.

There’s something panicked in her eyes that I really don’t like. I’m not a rapist, I’m not someone who will ever get off on forcing women. I have my fair share of kinks and taboo enjoyments, but desire on both sides is a must for me, otherwise I don’t have any interest.

It looks like other books in this series will have other dominant-submissive kinks, but Dorian’s is orgasm control. No beating or degradation required.

I live in a house with dominant guys. Connor is the type to spank a girl’s ass until she’s sobbing for mercy, then squeeze it while he’s fucking her—sadist through and through. He needs to deliver pain to really get his blood rushing. Seamus, on the other hand, likes scenes of all kinds—tying a girl up any number of ways and playing with her however he feels like in the moment. It changes from person to person and scene to scene. He leaves his bedroom door open, enjoys other people watching him work, so I’ve witnessed him do a whole range of shit with girls. I think the thing that really gets him off is begging.

As for me… I certainly have particular tastes, and all of them center around the pleasure of my partner.

“So many men are terribly unoriginal. Disappointingly so. A punishment is easy when you redden someone’s ass, but pain tolerances build. That gets old. Forced orgasms? Not so much, that’s an entirely different form of torture.”

Everyone is amazingly gorgeous, except the bad guys who always have oily hair. The sex scenes are hot and interesting. There are quite a few, but the story is definitely there and interesting in its own right. Dorian is built like a porn star god with the huge package to match, which felt farfetched. At least Mira has some scars to prevent her from being physically flawless.

This contains insta-love on part of Dorian and almost-insta-love on the part of Mira. I noticed it, but it didn’t bother me. The action scenes are pretty good but end too fast. They could use more suspense and detail. There is humor sprinkled throughout, which I appreciated.

Contains graphic sex scenes.

Frequent foul language.

1st person past tense from Mira and Dorian.

Errors: 10 – Misspelled words, 1 set where the space was in the wrong place between them, 1 missing space between words, 2 missing quotation marks, a few capitalization inconsistences, 1 subject-verb disagreement, the color of an object changes, and the name of the cat is spelled differently a couple of times.

406 Pages

$4.99 at Amazon and part of Kindle Unlimited.

Received free from BookSirens in exchange for my honest review.

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, New Adult, Review

Aflame: A Fall Away Novel (4) – Penelope Douglas

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The Fall Away Series:
1. Bully
1.5 Until You
2. Rival
3. Falling Away
4. Aflame

Aflame
A Fall Away Novel (4)
Penelope Douglas

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Continuation of Jared and Tate’s story – hot second chance romance

Blurb:

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.

As the book opens, we find out that Jared and Tate broke up shortly after the events in “Falling Away”. WTF? I was not happy! I was pissed off that they broke up after all they went through before. And I read on reluctantly. I’m not a fan of restart romances in general. They often feel like the author couldn’t let go of the characters they loved. The characters themselves often behave in ways uncharacteristic of them in order to fit to a new story line. Thankfully, that was not the case here!

As I read on, I understood Jared’s reason for leaving. He needed to grow up and discover what he wanted out of life, what would make him happy, and who he was outside of his relationship to Tate. He was going through the motions of life, heading into a career he didn’t want. Tate was his only focus and happiness. He didn’t want to end up resenting her. He always intended to return to her.

Tate only saw abandonment and thought she lost Jared forever. She tried to move on. Jared thought she had moved on and stayed away longer. He returns to town for family reasons, and his friends knock some sense into him. It’s a collective effort from all our favorite characters with some very funny moments.

They were very young at the end of Bully/Until You. They had to grow up and figure themselves out before they could come together as mature adults and make it stick. The usual cliches aren’t found here, which I’m grateful for. This was very fast paced and enjoyable. The sex scenes are very hot. And the grammar has gotten much better!

1st person past tense from both Tate and Jared.

Contains graphic sex scenes – hot ones, including some very good sexting.

Occasional foul language.

HEA. We finally get the epilogue(s) I’ve been wanting and find out some things about the future for all the couples.

8 errors. Very good editing.

$3.99 on Amazon.

237 pages.

Favorite Quote:

Jared and Tate are talking about the kids from all the couples being in high school together later on. Jared: “Relax.” He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. “I don’t think anyone can get in as much trouble as we did.”

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, New Adult, Review

Falling Away (Fall Away Book 3) – Penelope Douglas

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The Fall Away Series:
1. Bully
1.5 Until You
2. Rival
3. Falling Away
4. Aflame

Falling Away
(Fall Away Book 3)
Penelope Douglas

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Two victims of abuse become survivors and break the cycle by learning to love each other

Blurb:

Jaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid.

K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away….

K.C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt. Now she’s stuck in her small hometown for the summer to complete her court-ordered community service, and to make matters worse, trouble is living right next door.

Jaxon Trent is the worst kind of temptation and exactly what K.C. was supposed to stay away from in high school. But he never forgot her. She was the one girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day and the only one to ever say no. Fate has brought K.C. back into his life—except what he thought was a great twist of luck turns out to be too close for comfort. As the bond between them grows, he discovers that convincing K.C. to get out from her mother’s shadow is hard, but revealing the darkest parts of his soul is nearly impossible.…

K.C. has another truly messed up wicked mother. She has been enduring abuse and conforming to her mother’s wishes in most things to lessen that abuse. Jax bullies her a little bit, telling her she is gutless, in order to spark her defiance and get her to be herself, to figure out who that really is. Jax has to do the same thing, moving past his own history and learning to accept love.

The sex with OP scenes at the beginning really skeeved me out. But I pushed past it and did enjoy this very much. The sex scenes with the main characters together were very hot. The story is good. I was happy to get to know both Jax and K.C. a lot better. They both grew tremendously and got better from interacting with each other.

This was another fast paced and enjoyable read with a lot of emotion.

Graphic sex scenes.

Occasional foul language.

HFN verging on HEA

8 errors. Very good editing.

!Start Rant!
I really hate reading detailed sex scenes with Other People. I don’t care if the main characters aren’t in a relationship yet. I don’t care that it isn’t cheating. I don’t like characters to be promiscuous, male or female. It’s a hurdle I have to get past, something I have to actively try to ignore, in order to enjoy the book. I wish authors would stop with this! I don’t need to be shown that a character is attractive and popular by them having sex with OP!
!End Rant!

$5.99 on Amazon.

434 pages.

Favorite Quotes:

K.C.: If only life could be edited like a story, I’d rock.

K.C.:

We want a house, a car, a fancy fucking vacation, and prestige, so what do we do? We go to school, and we get jobs we hate to pay for the things we want. We deal with people we don’t like and waste years of our lives sitting in stark, fluorescent-lit rooms and listening to coworkers who bore us so we can pay for a small amount of precious time to enjoy what makes us happy. To achieve a fraction of our lives just feeling as if it was all worth it.

We sacrifice to earn.

Ciaron, Fallon’s father, to Jax: He shook his head. “Son, women are easy. They simply want everything. It’s not difficult.”

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, Hate To Love, New Adult, Review

Rival (Fall Away Book 2) – Penelope Douglas

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The Fall Away Series:
1. Bully
1.5 Until You
2. Rival
3. Falling Away
4. Aflame

Rival
(Fall Away Book 2)
Penelope Douglas

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Angst, drama, humor, and hot sex scenes

Blurb:

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the two years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Two years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

Fallon and Madoc have another love to hate to love story filled with secrets and misunderstandings. I loved Tate’s dad, and Jared’s mother was getting there, working on it. But Fallon has a queen bitch evil mother. There is a lot of drama from her.

I loved the witty verbal sparring between Madoc and Fallon. They have fun together, and I got their connection. Madoc is loveable, sweet, and funny. Fallon is grittier, darker, and more damaged. But Madoc brings out the spunk and humor in her.

This is a re-read, so it must be 5 stars. Fast paced, fantastic writing.

You have to read the dedication! It’s a hilarious and cute poem, “To Hubs”. Don’t miss it!

Again, I had a big problem with having to read detailed sex scenes with Other People! Ewwww!

Contains graphic sex scenes. Other than the OP ones, they are very hot! Characters are 18 and in their summer before starting college.

Occasional foul language.

HFN verging on HEA

1st person past tense from Fallon and Madoc. I was very happy to get chapters from each of them this time.

14 errors. So the editing has gotten much better with this one.

$11.99 on Amazon.

366 pages.

Favorite Quotes:

Fallon: One thing I knew right then and there. I might hate Madoc, but I loved his friends.

Madoc: Sometimes I wondered if the angels talked to get me to behave or to entice the devil to come out to play.

Fallon:
I wished I didn’t feel the invisible cord pulling me to him, wanting to touch him again, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. We always want what’s bad for us.

Madoc was hot. He knew it. And he knew everyone else knew it.

Madoc: Her white bikini was just that. A bikini. In every possible definition of the word, it was evil and temptation in its worst form.

Fallon: Who was I kidding? I’d have better success trying to jam a tree branch up my ass than convince myself I didn’t want him.

Fallon: “Madoc?” she whimpered, sounding pained. “I’m not a piano. Stop playing me.”

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, Hate To Love, New Adult, Review, Young Adult

Until You (Fall Away Series) 1.5 – Penelope Douglas

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The Fall Away Series:
1. Bully
1.5 Until You
2. Rival
3. Falling Away
4. Aflame

Until You
Fall Away Series 1.5
Penelope Douglas

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Jared and Tate’s story told from Jared’s POV – Not just a rehash!

Blurb:

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or so numb that you actually felt high? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between.

Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don’t care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum.

I love her so much that I hate her. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn’t trust her or anyone else.

So I hurt her. I pushed her away.

But I still need her. The sight of her centers me, and I can pool all of my anger into her. Engaging her, challenging her, bullying her…they are my food, my air, and the last part of me that feels anything human.

But she left. She went to France for a year, and came back a different girl.

Now, when I push, she pushes back.

I love “Until You” more than “Bully”. Maybe it’s being a woman and seeing into the mind of a man? I know I like novels from the man’s POV, so yes. But “Until You” is better beyond that difference. In “Bully”, I didn’t totally get the connection between Jared and Tate. Because I didn’t get inside his mind, I didn’t completely believe his swift turn around. But here I get it. I’m so glad that Penelope Douglas wrote this story! It’s not the same story from a different POV, so you won’t get bored. You don’t need to make choice on which one to read. There are lots of extra things in each of them. But if you only want to read one, I recommend “Until You”. It had more feels for me. Plus there is an extra sex scene 😂.

As I said in my review of “Bully”, I like bully stories. I especially like this one because the bullying doesn’t go too far. There is no sexual harassment or physical violence. The girl isn’t depressed or brought to suicidal thoughts. Both Tate and Jared are strong. Jared gets stronger, grows, throughout this novel.

My one big problem with this was the parts in the beginning where Jared was with Other People. They were much too detailed! I don’t like it when the main characters are promiscuous before the relationship. I don’t care that it isn’t cheating. And I definitely don’t want to have to read the details of it. Nasty! I wanted it to stop! If you are with me, I hope you can push past it as I did.

1st person past tense all from Jared.

Contains graphic sex scenes, hot ones.

Occasional foul language.

HFN (Happy For Now)

There are many errors (25). That I love it anyway is a testament to how good it is!

$4.99 on Amazon.

406 pages.

Favorite Quotes:

I used to keep her up late watching scary movies, and after all this time, nothing had really changed.

Her ass still wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.

“I never touched their bodies like that or held them. I never cared about them enjoying it. They didn’t get any part of me worth having, Tate. Especially, K.C. I never touched her like this.” I stroked her hair. “You own me body and soul, and everyone is going to know it. Sometimes I’m going to go slow with you, and sometimes I’m going to fuck you. But it will always be love, Tate.”

Always has been. And always will.

Tate, we are climbing out of this fucking mess one way or another, because no one ruins us.

“You made me mean. And now I pummel poor, defenseless girls… and guys,” she added, and I wanted to laugh again, thinking of the damage she’d done to Madoc.

“You might say that I turned metal into steel.”

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Sex Scenes, Hate To Love, New Adult, Review, Young Adult

Bully (Fall Away Series Book 1) – Penelope Douglas

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The Fall Away Series:
1. Bully
1.5 Until You
2. Rival
3. Falling Away
4. Aflame

Bully
Fall Away Series Book 1
Penelope Douglas

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Very steamy love to hate to love YA/NA romance

Blurb:

My name is Tate. He doesn’t call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.

We’re neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I’ve been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door.

So I left.

I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I’m back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I’m hoping that after a year of breathing room, he’s moved on and forgotten all about me.

But even if he hasn’t changed, I have. I’m not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We’re going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down.

I love this book. I read it in 2014 and was surprised how much I still remembered from it. I’ve read hundreds of books since then! So this is very memorable. I like bully books. This is definitely one of the best. The bullying wasn’t that bad. There were no sexual assaults or threats of it and no physical abuse. Jared didn’t make Tate’s life miserable, and she never became depressed or suicidal.

Tate is strong, which I love. Jared bullied her before she went to France for a year, but she comes back a badass. The way Tate became the bully was handled brilliantly. “This is how bullies are made.” I also liked how that didn’t go on too long, how Tate pulled herself back from that abyss.

Jared and Tate had a history of love, and Jared had a great excuse. He just needed to grow up and figure himself out after the trauma he went through. I didn’t completely believe Jared’s swift turn around at first, but by the end I got it. I believed how Tate could take Jared back into her heart as quickly as she did, which wasn’t overnight quick (a cliche I hate in bully books).

The story isn’t perfect. I hate that Jared was sleeping around but Tate is a virgin, and he even says how he loves that, that this makes her really his. Thumbs down on that cliche. I’m also not a fan of the cliche bitchy slut revenge for stealing her man bit. But I forgive these things because of all the rest. I love this book.

Oh! And the sex scenes were very hot.

1st person past tense all from Tate. I didn’t feel that Jared’s character was completely fleshed out because I only got Tate’s POV. For this reason, I like “Until You” better. More on that in the next review.

Contains graphic sex scenes. The characters are 18 when they get down to business.

Occasional foul language.

HFN (Happy For Now)

Alright is not a word. It’s two words: all right. Beyond that, there were 50 errors. That’s a lot. That I look past this speaks to how great the story is! Note: I may be reading an earlier version of the book because I bought in 2014. Amazon thinks I don’t own it when I go to its current webpage.

$4.99 on Amazon.

333 pages.

Favorite Quotes:

As I faced Madoc, who had raised himself to meet my gaze, I grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted my knee into his groin. Hard. The amount of pressure must’ve been a lot, because he yelped and fell to his knees, moaning while holding his crotch.

I’d been called a bitch before, and it didn’t hurt the way being called a slut did. Being a bitch could be a survival technique. They get respect. There was no honor in people thinking you were a slut.

5 star reads, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Review

Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail – Tijan

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Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail
Tijan

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Best friends to lovers with great small-town drama

Blurb:

Rayna would do anything for Brady and she has. She’s bailed him out of jail. She’s healed his bruises and picked him up from parties. She’s always been there for him regardless if he had asked or not. But when a potential love interest for Rayna returns to town, their relationship is threatened. Brady has to decide if he’s going to make her his or let her go. And when he tries to do the right thing by both of them, neither could’ve foreseen what secrets their decisions would’ve exposed. Their small town is soon rocked by controversy and in the midst of it, Rayna and Brady try to figure out if they can be together or not.

I love this book. I originally read it back in 2014. Even after all those years, I remembered a few things. “Get off!” – “I just did.” was my favorite. I thought of that recently and wanted to re-read this. I’m not going to put the quote here. It’s at the start of Chapter 2, which you can see in the Sneak Peek on Amazon. Tijan’s Fallen Crest series seems more popular, but this is my favorite of her books.

There is a lot of great humor here. It’s a fast read, quick paced. Tijan does soap opera drama very well. Whose father is whose and who slept with who and when, absentee parents, good surrogate parents to replace them, that sort of thing. I loved Rayna’s grandparents and other secondary characters.

Both Rayna and Brady grow during the story. I love both of these characters and how they interact. I don’t like that Brady has been having casual sex. It doesn’t seem like he was a real slut as I don’t know how many girls he has been with. But I don’t think he is a man-whore (doesn’t make the girls pay emotionally, doesn’t lie to get it).

All sex is off camera.

Occasional foul language.

1st person past tense, all from Rayna.

286 pages.

$3.99 on Amazon.

Standalone.

Errors: 33 (wrong words, extra words, missing words, misspelled words, wrong punctuation marks,  laughing/groaning/smirking/etc as dialogue tags, alright is not a word – it’s all right)

There is a never published start to a sequel called “Brady Remington Is My Boyfriend” that was abandoned. I have it and read it. It just stops with no resolution to the story but does have some actual sex scenes in it. I think Tijan posted the chapters to Facebook at one time, and I copied them into a Word doc. I feels like Tijan didn’t like where the story was going, and I would agree. Rayna was acting wish-washy and vague, not the great character that was in the actual book.

Favorite Quotes:

A tingle shot through my toes from his soft tone, but I clamped down on it. I didn’t need to be getting hot and bothered by him, not tonight. Not ever.

“You… you upheavaled my night. I wanted to stay in. I wanted to be boring. I like being boring, Brady”

I looked away when Clarissa sent a scorching glare at me. I wasn’t going to bend to her will and go against my grandmother. Viola had spoken.

5 star reads, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Police, Review, SAFE, Young Adult

Going Too Far – Jennifer Echols

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Going Too Far
Jennifer Echols

Rating: 5 out of 5.

A delinquent and a young police officer – clean romance

Blurb:

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far…and almost doesn’t make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won’t soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won’t be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge — and over….

This is about two teenagers 17/19 who face fears, grow, and heal. It’s clean – there is only making out on camera. It’s funny, sweet, and has a great, dramatic story. It is very well written and fast paced. I read it all in one go. 5 stars – this is the second time I have read it.

The book ends at 75%. The last 25% is a sneak peek at two other novels.

1st person past tense all from Meg.

Errors: 10

Favorite Quote:

I didn’t quite dare, because I didn’t want him to tell me no. But I got very close to touching The Place Prisoners Should Not Touch Policemen.

4 star reads, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Review

Crew Series – Tijan

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Crew Series
Tijan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

High school to college romance with drama and violence

Crew – Book 1

Blurb:

To survive where I live, you have two options.

You can be a Normal—a cheerleader, jock, member of the debate team, or on the yearbook committee. You pretend everything is normal.

Or you can be crew.
You insult us? We hurt you.
You hurt us? We really hurt you.
And if you f*ck with us, we will end you.

My name is Bren.
I’m the only female in the Wolf Crew—the best, fiercest, and most dangerous crew there is—and we have a rule: There’s no falling in love.

Well… too late.

This series is loosely related to the Fallen Crest series and set after it. You should read the Fallen Crest series first if you don’t want to encounter spoilers here. Rousseau is a poorer, neighboring town to Fallen Crest. If you have read the Fallen Crest series, you will have heard the term “Crew” as it was mentioned there. Crews are a little like gangs but nowhere near as rough and criminal-leaning. They are more like tight friend groups with people who will always back each other up. Loyalty is number one. They aren’t cliques because their members do socialize with people outside their crew. People who don’t join crews are called Normals.

Bren is one of only two females in the crew system. She is in a four-member crew called the Wolf Crew. This novel is really about how Bren grows and evolves, becoming emotionally stronger, finally speaking about her past and accepting the love that has always been waiting for her.

I liked it a lot. It was fast paced, interesting, and enjoyable. There wasn’t too much violence for my tastes. I liked being in Bren’s head and how things were slowly revealed. Bren is a strong character but not maxed out unrealistically. She had learned to stuff things down to survive, but she wasn’t happy. Her growth was in starting to unpack and deal with things. I also liked the secondary characters and felt I got to know them even though we get everything from Bren’s point of view. All the characters are complex with both good and evil inside them.

There are some sex scenes, but they aren’t long or very graphic.

Lots of good humor, which I loved. Zellman cracked me up.

No cheating or Other People drama.

There are a bunch of catty Normal girls. I liked how Bren dealt with them.

Lots of foul language.

1st person past tense, all from Bren.

This is well edited. I found only 10 errors.

372 pages. $2.99 on Amazon.

Favorite Quotes:

Zellman: Good head is like an animal on the endangered list.

Cross chuckled. “My point still stands. Zellman has no taste in women. He’d bang a door if it had a hole his prick wouldn’t get a sliver from.

Bren: “…There should be a rule where teachers and staff can’t leave the school. When you enter, you deal with them there and only there. It’s too much, thinking of all of them having their own lives.”

Cross: Walking backward, he winked as his back hit the screen door. “And just so we’re clear, I’m intending to grab your tits someday. I’ve been intending for a long time.”

Zellman: “You’re like my sister now. Crew family. But no lie, I’m hoping to see your tits someday. And it’s probably going to happen, since we all scrap.”

Crew Princess – Book 2

Blurb:

Being crew is walking between two worlds.
One world is normal: Prom. Parties. College.
Those are the concerns they worry about.

In our world, we deal with other situations.
Cops. Drugs. Brawling.
That’s a typical day for us.

But what if it wasn’t?

What if there came a day when you stopped?
When you considered letting your enemies win?
When you didn’t fight back?
When you chose a different path?

First I lost my family. Then I got the Wolf Crew.
I couldn’t lose them too.

But what happens when Cross, Zellman, and Jordan keep going…
…and I don’t?

In Crew Princess, the adults are after the Crew system again, and Bren grows up emotionally, getting ready to face her future. There is more drama, parents divorcing, surprise family members, and a conspiracy to be solved. Bren and Cross are going strong, and Jordan has a girlfriend. Zellman is still funny, but we don’t get as much of him in this one.

1st person past tense, all from Bren.

This is well edited. I found only 5 errors.

304 pages. $3.99 on Amazon.

Always Crew – Book 3

Blurb:

For the longest time, I was Bren Monroe.
I lived in Roussou, California.
I had no parents, no brother, but I had a crew.

Then things started to change.
I never planned for any of it.
I didn’t think I’d fall in love.
I didn’t think I’d have a relationship with my brother again.
I didn’t think that he’d come back.

Now I’m in Cain.
My crew is in college.
They’re growing, going through their own things.
And here I am, figuring out my life.

There’s always hurdles and obstacles to overcome.
That was never my hardship.
That was my regular.
But living? Being content? Being happy?
Those were my challenges now.

Everything was going well…
Until it wasn’t. Again.

This one is about Bren finding her career path, drama between Cross and his surprise family member, and romantic relationship drama for Jordan and Kellman.

In this, Blaise and Aspen are together. They have their own book. So I think that one should be read before the Crew series. Maybe? I haven’t read it yet to know. But we always assume there is going to be a HEA, so it’s not that much of a spoiler.

We get several chapters and sections from Cross and a chapter each from Zellman and Jordan.

This one had a bad problem with two different speakers in the same paragraph. The paragraph break was just weirdly missing 12 times! I only found 2 other errors.

364 pages. $4.99 on Amazon.

Favorite Quote:

Zellman: Each person should get their rocks off as many times as they could. I felt it was a worthy mission for the world’s population.