Review: Edible

Edible by Ella Frank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First, and foremost before I get into the good stuff. I really just want to thank Ella Frank for the contest that she ran regarding this book on facebook. I want to thank her even more for actually picking my entry as the winner and for letting me forever be able to say “hey, you know I helped out with that scene at the 77% mark of Edible?!?” As well as the fact that it won me an ARC of this FUCKING AWESOME BOOK!!!

Secondly, I feel it is essential to comment on the mind of Ella Frank. I am not exaggerating here. When you read this book and some of the kinky, creative, scenes she came up with you are just going to be floored. (I have it on good authority that she may have done her own “research” for some of those scenes.)Not to mention you don’t just get the hottest fucking book you have read this year and maybe in the last few years you also get a complex and well developed story with your steam! It had some familiar elements of stories like this but it was not predictable, you didn’t have two characters making up excuses why they couldn’t be together. You didn’t get a corny ass misscommunication that spans a great deal of the book when they could talk like adults and solve the problem. This book would be a great story even if it didn’t have off the wall crazy hot sex in it… and that’s why it got 5 stars from me! I believe I am now a willing Kool-Aid drinker of the Ella Frank variety, forever! I know for sure that:

for Ella “Killing Vaginas Everywhere” Frank!!!

Edible is the third book in the Exquisite trilogy, and if you’re reading this review then I very much hope that you have read Exquisite and Entice already! If not, what are you waiting for??? DO IT NOW!!! Edible picks up with the story of Rachel: the little sister of Mason who has a penchant for leather, lace, and brightly streaked hair. She is a pastry chef at the restaurant that she and her brother run. Rachel is a character that you automatically like. You also get the impression that there is a lot more to her than what meets the eye.

The picture that she has painted of who Rachel is – is slowly peeled away in Edible. We learn a great deal about her struggles, her true strength and character. Rachel finds herself craving something she has yet to find; she learns that you don’t always know what you want or need until it backs you into a corner and refuses to give up on you…

Now unless you have been under a rock you also know that this book features Cole. Just saying his name…

We also met Cole in the previous book and know that he is a very serious man. He is a successful lawyer who works too hard, secretes sex and power and as we learn in Edible an avid swimmer with a sweet tooth for caramel. We also learn that similar to Rachel, Cole is not at all what he looks to be.

We learn the kind of man Cole really is, how deep and hard he can love, we see his playful side, and just how sexy he can get.

And when these two explore the depth of their attraction to one another:

It’s Available NOW! Enjoy The Total Obliteration of Your Ovaries!!!

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Review: Cage

Cage by Harper Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Greg. Cage.

Greg. Cage.

GREG. CAGE.

Harper?
Ms. Sloan?
Can I call you Liz???
We’re gr friends so I’m going to assume it’s cool. All I have to say to you is…

But seriously… This book had EVERYTHING IN IT!!! I mean there was this awesomely hot hunk of pierced three (3) times deliciousness of a man. A sexy, sassy, smart woman who could handle him. The most adorable three year old, hot biker shit, a smathering of serendipity and destiny, and the rest of Corps Security of course!!! I cannot fail to mention SWAY is back!!! 😀

In Axel I was so pissed with how long it took communication to happen. And while there was a moment there for about 5 – 10% of the book where I was like OH NO this is about to get predictable and I’m going to have to knock off a star or two if this shit goes on for too long… but right then it gets resolved and the way it goes down makes sense and worked very well!

Then there were moments of OMG and WTF and lots of moments of Do THAT Again! It was so good I almost want to go back and give Axel less stars just to convey how much better this was than that. But I’m not about that life, so no worries. Anyway, read it, love it, add another BBF to the list! I know I did.

~Melissa & Cage~ AKA – Beauty & The Beast

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Review: Simple Perfection

Simple Perfection by Abbi Glines
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m sort of at a loss for words right now. I have said before that Abbi Glines books are like mashed potatoes — comfortable, something you know, and love. I didn’t really enjoy the Vincent Boys/Brothers all that much but other than that I liked the Too Far series and most of the Seabreeze series was solid, as well as her paranormal series. When I read Twisted Perfection I thought OMG Abbi has finally upped her game, I thought that book was wonderful. I loved Della, I loved Woods, I loved them together and I was super happy that they were going to get a second book. I was highly anticipating it as a matter of fact. Now having read it… I just have no words for how disappointed I am by this piece of crap!!! It wasn’t absolutely awful but somehow Della managed to turn into this extremely insecure dumbass, Woods seemingly was suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder and was either this overly alpha possessive type or crying like he forgot where he left his balls. Now don’t get me wrong there were some emotional parts to this book and if he didn’t have some sort of reaction to it that would have been a problem but it’s the other times I am referring to.

Glines managed to write almost every single one of my most major pet peeves in one book! That’s note worthy in and of itself!!! Firstly, we have a huge and major problem that could have been easily fixed with one 5 minute conversation but then carries on for a great deal of the book. Secondly, I felt like she saw some things that have been popular in recent books and decided to make it work for these characters whether it fit into how she created them to be or not. Third, we have someone who has experienced a traumatic life and exhibits signs of PTSD but somehow with new information and three weeks she is able to become almost completely “healed”, and there were no Jesus sightings as far as I know!!! SPOILER ALERT: (Fourth, senseless death!!! While I am glad that we got the info. on what the fuck was up with Bethy acting batshit out of nowhere and randomly I thought it made absolutely NO SENSE to kill off Jace due to Bethy being a dumbass! It was obviously just done to set up her and Tripp’s book and like a vegan at an all meat buffet I don’t get down like that!!! It would have made more sense for her to go the love triangle route if she needed to create drama. But having him dead, then Bethy is all broke up still about having an abortion, and Tripp is back and not going anywhere 5 years later… I just don’t give a fuck! Even the scene was absolute garbage!!!! She just la-la-la’s out into the ocean after a few shots of tequila and Jace has time to force Woods to take Bethy but they can’t figure out a way for him to pull him out too, at least out of the current and if it were so strong how was he able to get Bethy to Woods??? I’m not usually this particular but if you’re going to go there than it should make absolute and total sense! This is 5 years later not 5 weeks or even 2 or 3 years later how has Bethy managed to stay alive this long if she has always had this death wish? I’m just supposed to believe because she doesn’t deserve Jace in her eyes that is what triggered this behavior? Whatevs!) Fifth, all of the re-capping!!! If someone is reading this book and hasn’t at least read the book before it then I don’t know what to tell you, but I don’t enjoy reading a bunch of what happened in previous books that I’ve already read all over again.

For all the potential this story had I am so sad that it was this disappointing!!! I still want to read Grant’s book and I still feel like Because of Low and Twisted Perfection were really AWESOME books… but IDK if my relationship with Abbi is going to make it much longer if this is the type of crap that I am expected to pay $3-$8 a pop for…

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Review: Craving Constellations

Craving Constellations by Nicole Jacquelyn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I must admit this was an MC filled weekend & Monday for me!!! I read Unattainable and this and I binged on Netflix episodes of SOA! And I must say…

I made the mistake of reading Reaper’s Property after reading Undeniable and the epicness of Deuce just drowned Horse out for me! So I’m happy that-that was not the case with Craving Constellations. I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! It was definitely a 4.5 star read for me. I cannot wait for more of this series. It was definitely light on the depraved unlike the other mentioned series and SOA. It was still very much a gritty and raw read, I just think for those where the Undeniable series or SOA are too hardcore this is a lot easier to handle. I don’t want to give away any of the good stuff so I will leave it at that. Buy it, read it, LOOOOOOOVE it and Dragon!!!! ;D

***For Kindle Users this is currently available for free from the lending library if you have Amazon Prime 9/23/13***

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Review: Unattainable

Unattainable by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one! It was a 4.5 star read for me. I think it was a bit toned down from the first two books. I don’t think that’s a bad thing necessarily. It still had several OMG and WTF moments and that one part where I felt a little queasy! 😀 I really enjoyed Cage & Tegen’s story. I also found myself very much interested in Ellie & Dirty as well. Dirty was on another level of complicated. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to love him but I did despite how messed up and wrong he was. I loved that Ellie was a hard worker and focused and that she loosened up and changed as the story went on. I’m always a fan of black characters that aren’t written like a stereotype!!! Tegen was freaking HILARIOUS and when she and Cage argued it was on the same level of entertaining as Kami & Cox. I also enjoyed that the book focused on both couples stories almost exclusively. We did get an idea of what was going on with the other characters and what would be coming up next but it wasn’t overkill. I kind of felt like in Unbeautifully we got a lot more of Eva and Deuce than was needed and not enough Danny and Ripper. I can’t say that was the case in this one at all. I am definitely looking forward to more of this series.

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Review: Blind Obsession

Blind Obsession by Ella Frank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish I had more stars to give this book! It wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be based on what others said. I thought it was going to be more of a mind fuck but I’m glad that it didn’t exactly go that way. This book was absolutely and definitely one of the darkest and most erotic books that I have EVER read. The relationship dynamics between the characters was absolutely fascinating. I loved that even though a major part of the plot was evident in the beginning that the mystery of it all draws you in and that you were left guessing right to the very end. The flashbacks weaved into the story so fluidly. Even if I hadn’t read the extra scene I still would have given it 5 stars because it was so epic and tragic and it just felt right for it to be that way. Absolutely fantastic story telling and I truly hope that even if we don’t see more of these characters that Ella Frank will write more stories like it.

Chantel Rosenburg

Gemma Harris

Phillipe Tibideau

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Review: How to Kill a Rock Star

How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don’t have much to goddamn say about this goddamn book except that if it weren’t for that goddamn Paul I would not have finished it or bothered giving it a goddamn full star let alone a goddamn 2 star rating!

This book would be categorized in what those who know me well understand to be the 12 Monkeys/Sophia Coppola category of entertainment. For those, which is most of you, who are not familiar with my Kris-isms this category contains stories that have so much fucking potential that you are out of your mind excited about the possibilities of where it will go. THEN it’s executed and you realize that it doesn’t matter if your fucking Shakespeare and can right the most beautiful words ever written if a massive piece of your of your plot is awful, nonsensical, non-existent, or redundant it means NADA!!!!

I know what those of you who loved this and found it to be of epic proportions are thinking about me…

It’s cool I can take it doesn’t change my opinion though…

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Review: Freeing Asia

Freeing Asia by E.M. Abel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have a sinus infection so I’m just going to put that out there off the tops, hopefully I make sense…

What I loved about this book…

~I loved Asia and her badass ways.
~I loved that she could see when she wasn’t thinking clearly or being rational and yet she still struggled just like any woman would.
~I loved Jay at the beginning and the end, in the middle I wanted to cut him and he was hitting a little too close to home for me and a previous relationship!!!
~I loved that Marcus wasn’t perfect.
~I loved her family.
~I loved how real the characters were.
~I loved the little life lessons. Especially in regards to finding oneself through oneself and not through others.

What I didn’t love so much…

~While I loved that Asia seemed real there were times where I cringed because she was going so far out of her way to be someone she wasn’t.
~At times she appeared to be wise beyond her age and at others she was the complete opposite.
~It began to drag for me a little bit in a few parts.
~The predictability at times was a bummer.
~There was some repetitiveness at times.

Overall this was an excellent love story. It was a story of searching for oneself, making mistakes, forgiveness, heartache, and most of all freedom…

Asia

Jay

Marcus

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Review: Hardwired

Hardwired by Meredith Wild
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across this one on facebook and read a few of the excerpts which peaked my interest greatly. It has a very familiar premise: Hot billionaire somewhat dominant guy, equally (yet unassumingly so) hot younger woman with a difficult and traumatic past.

WARNING!!!!!!!!
If you are not a fan of some of the recent series with these kinds of characters this may not be the book for you! I honestly don’t understand why people who do not like these types of stories continue to read every new series that comes out and then gives it bad ratings and talks a lot of crap about it when obviously it’s not your thing! I say that because I am sure that this will happen with this book as well. Also, if you’re one of those people who believe that there is only room for one dominant billionaire man on the planet then you won’t want to read this book either. You’ll spend the entire time comparing Blake to your precious Christian, Gideon, or Jesse…

Now that – that has been said. I LOVED IT!!! It did have some familiar aspects to other series as I mentioned but the main story was definitely something different down to the gasp worthy twist at about 90% in! The few typos, price, and the similarity factor is what prevented me from giving it that last star.

If you’re skeptical let me tell you why you should give it a shot. First and foremost the heroine of this book did not make me want to run over her with my car repeatedly to get her to shut up or throw a brick at her because of her stupidity. Erica is strong and ballsy and she goes for what she wants. She isn’t some waffling wallflower who doesn’t have direction. Despite her past she is an entrepaneur who is determined to take her company as far as it can go. With that said she has had a traumatic past, so she does at times push Blake away and run away from him. It’s never for too long or to the point where you’re ready to just throw the book across the room. Most of the time you get it. Both Erica and Blake are used to being in control of and Masters of their own Universe when you have two people like that trying to be together they are going to clash.

There is some kink, a spanking here or there, and some domination but it’s not a bdsm story and it worked well for this couple. The side characters have an interesting story and I am excited to see how that all works out. I also genuinely enjoyed Meredith Wild’s writing style and the humor and passion in this one. It would be the perfect read if you are coming off a really emotional book. This is the first book of a series so this book does pose questions that are yet to be answered, yet I wouldn’t consider it to be a huge cliffhanger if that type of thing matters to you.

~Erica & Blake~

“I didn’t know.” “Know what?” “That…it could be like that.”

“You’re mine.” I breathed into him, drunk on his taste and scent.

“You were right. I’m going to make you want things you never knew you wanted.” “You’re going to want me to hold you down and fuck you hard. To take control of your body.” “You want it right now, don’t you?”

“Clothes, off,” I ordered, directing him with my index finger…”Shouldn’t we talk about this?”…”Did I stutter? Clothes. Off.”

“I love it down here, baby… I could lick your sweet little cunt all day long.”

“How do you feel?” “Alive…” “Good.”

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Review: Taken By Moonlight

Taken By Moonlight by Violette Dubrinsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well Ms. Dubrinsky, I LOVED your book!!! I have been reading more book recommendations when I can and when the books seem interesting that were suggested to me through the Fans of Interracial Romance group here on gr and this was the buddy read for September.

I am so happy that I picked it up! So let’s jump right in…

What I LOVED about it:

1 – When it was hot and steamy, it was on fire hot and steamy!

2 – There was a very detailed and developed plot. There were witches, werewolves, vampires, druids, warlocks, and so on. The history was extensive on each and the way she linked it all together made sense and it was in a way that I have not read before!

3 – Conall!!!! Mother freaking smoking hot CONALL!!!! I want to lick him from head to toe just like the wolf that he is would do to his mate. I want to have his little wolf pups and have him call me beautiful one with his accent. Did I mention he has tattoos and he’s huge and hot? *LAWD* I love the relationship between him and Viv! They are so right together and HAWT!!!!

4 – I loved the balance of drama/angst and happy hot fun time! I didn’t feel over or undersexed and even though this is a series I felt like if I don’t read another book in it I would be happy with the conclusion I got. Also, the epilogue rocked!!!

5 – Lastly, and very important to me when I read these kinds of books… the black women in the story were not gum popping, head swiveling stereotypes, despite living in New York and the ease with which the author could have gone there. Drew had her edge to her but they all seemed like real people I could hang with. It is hard to find sometimes even when the book is written by a person of color characters that aren’t all the way on one end of the spectrum ie: gum popping, finger snapping or the other ie: completely denying that any difference exists. So yeah! I appreciate that, a lot!

What could have been better…

1 – It was a massive book I think it said almost 500 pages. It made sense for everything that was covered but I think it could have been thinned out a little bit.

2 – The editing was done well but there were some distracting typos and places where it said “him” but should have said “her” for instance that threw me off from time to time. But it wasn’t a huge deal.

3 – There were A LOT of characters. It was kind of difficult to keep track of after awhile. I was like wait who is he? Oh, is that a vamp or warlock or???? I assume we’ll see a lot of these characters in the rest of the series so I get it but maybe I could have been introduced to less of them this time around.

So I’m not going to give you a run down of what happens. You can read the synopsis and get an idea. Plus as I stated there are a lot of characters and there are all kinds of twists and turns and I don’t want to give anything away. So I’m just going to do a casting for some of the main characters and call it a day… Read it!!! 😀

Vivienne & Cassandre

Conall

Eli

Drew

Max

Lucian

Alexander

Samia

Raoul & Sloan

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