I was approached by a fellow blogger about this book series and asked if I wanted to read the series in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t know what to expect but when I heard M/M with supernatural elements and all high ratings thus far I figured I’d be crazy not to give it a shot.

I really, enjoyed this book. I give it a solid 4.5 Stars. It had some elements that were similar to other books that I have read, but other than that I couldn’t find one criticism to give about it. I loved the main characters. We have our rugged and downtrodden Jon who has given up on life. We have the unassuming, self-sacrificing, virginal Ellis. Last, but not least we have Ellis’s brother Rudy. I absolutely love him and the way that the author portrayed him. I think that not just having a character who has intellectual deficits is difficult but to have some of the story from his POV must be incredibly difficult without it coming off as stereotypical or offensive. I’m sure it will still feel that way to some people but you can’t make everyone happy.

The characters were very touching and the story was warm and heartfelt. It also had a nice large dose of smoking hot sex. I cannot wait to continue with this story and learn more about what is going on… especially with the supernatural elements!

Copy provided by author for a honest review

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Fighting to Forget Playlist

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Review: Fighting to Forget

Fighting to Forget by J.B. Salsbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, anytime I read a book this long in one sitting, well two really, and less than 12 hours total time, you know it was AMAZING!

I think that in FFF and even more so in Forgive you definitely get a dose of the heavy stuff. There was plenty of light and fluffy and humor to balance it out and each had a primary focus on the relationship. In Forget I think we get to see a part of Jamie’s writing that we all knew she had in her but had yet to have the story to present it to us fully. In Forget we get a massive dose of the heavy stuff while the rest is in the background. I absolutely loved the way that Jamie wrote how Rex and Mac/Gia had to battle with their traumatic pasts and that they made decisions and did things in an extremely realistic way to cope. I loved that the therapist in this was not a robot. He expressed appropriate emotions at appropriate times. I loved that his importance in Rex’s life was not put on the back burner. I also enjoyed getting to see our other favorite characters and how their lives continue to grow and change… Well maybe not so much “change” for Blake, lol, but that was to be expected.

Jamie balanced the heavy of this book with some really good drama and plot twists that we also got in her other books as well as some seriously scorching hot sex. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this one. It is definitely one of my favorite reads this year thus far! Anytime you are already starting to get emotional at the prologue you know the book has the potential to be EPIC! I’ve always been a huge fan of Jamie, and I truly do my best to give my honest opinion on how I feel about a book no matter how big of a fan I am of the author. I will be the first to admit however, when an author whom I love as a person writes something this moving and heartfelt it makes it so much easier to be honest and I am grateful for that!!!

I still remember the tingly good vibes I got when I picked up Fighting For Flight, and how the music made me feel and how wonderful it was to watch Jonah and Raven fall in love. I still remember how excited I was to learn that Raven and then in Forgive Layla were not damsels in distress… Sure they were not islands either and needed support and love and care and they did get that from the men in their lives. Most importantly though I think that Jamie’s heroines are all strong and independent and with or without the men in their lives they have amazing stories to tell. I am just so happy for Jamie to have written Fighting to Forget and to be able to say that she truly does get better with each book. On April 15th run don’t walk, do not pass go, just get it and read it and have your tissues ready and love it!!!

Mac/Gia

Rex

Quote Love:

Playlist, I loved some of JB’s playlist and a few others were on rotation while I was reading:

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Veiled Innocence Playlist

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Review: Veiled Innocence

Veiled Innocence by Ella Frank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Final Review – 4/4/14

I can still remember it like it was yesterday when Ella Frank sent me a message and verified that I work in mental health. She was so nice about it and told me that I could tell her to mind her own beeswax if I wanted to and all I could do was laugh. I mean we are talking about THE ELLA FRANK!!! The lady who inspired my 30th B-Day gift to myself, who wrote the most perfect, perfection of a man ever in life: Cole Madison. The woman who wrote the most haunting and vividly erotic book I have yet to read: Blind Obsession. So when she asks me a little question like that I have no problem saying yep, I’m a mental health therapist…. Then she absolutely freaking BLEW MY MIND… when she asked me if I would be interested in consulting on the book she was currently writing… It took me all of .4 seconds to say FUCK YES!!!!!! Then I hyperventilated, and screamed, and ran around my apartment all giddy and happy because my two mostly separate worlds were coming together and it meant that I was going to get to read the raw pages of Veiled Innocence right along with her trusted dream team crew. Then I felt nauseated and worried. I mean, what if I fuck up? What if I give her the wrong advice? What if people read it and tear Doc to shreds like I do when I read books that are absolutely inaccurate and awful in regards to their take on mental health or mental health treatment… (I would love to name names right here, but read enough of my reviews and I shouldn’t have to.) But I knew the topic well and I felt like I could do it and this is Ella “Killing Vaginas Everywhere” Frank we are talking about. I would just have to take the chance!!! So then I sign my non-disclosure, which made me feel very Fifty Shades… and the next thing I know I am being submerged in this wonderful world. When I saw that she actually thanked me, I was like HOLY SHIT… that says KRISTIN!!! Her thank you to me, for my consulting is in this book, forever!!! WOW!!!! I just can’t thank Ella enough for letting my two worlds converge in that way and I can’t think of another author that I would have wanted to do this for – for the first time.

Now on to the show…

When I began this book I thought as most will that I was getting a student/teacher romance. Which I have read quite a few of and thoroughly enjoy them for the most part. What I got was something very much like that but completely different at the same time. The best way that I try to describe it to others is to say that it’s kind of like you took the HBO series In Treatment (or was that showtime???) then you mix it with Lolita and sprinkle in a dab of Romeo and Juliet and of course you have Ella’s talented way of writing the most erotic sex scenes and that is what this book is.

I think it is rare that you read a story that takes you through so many different feelings so thoroughly. I loved Addison for who she was entirely. Which depending on where you are in the book changes drastically. I loved that even though she was a high school senior that the experiences of her life did show in her behaviors she may have been a teenager but as my grandmother says she had an old soul.

This is one that is so very hard to review without telling you anything of importance. Just read it, and fall in love with the characters like I did. Feel all the feels that it pulls out of you. When it gets uncomfortable, and dark just ride the wave and when it feels light or insightful or epic gobble it up. As I stated, I am so very thankful to Ella to letting me contribute a teensy bit to this… but I’m also very happy that I don’t have to give this book anything but a five star rating and a glowing review because it was excellent. Enjoy the book hangover!!!

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GOT MY ARC!!! Can’t wait to read the polished up and pretty version of it. With one week until release day, I guess it’s time to write my review and start telling EVERYONE why you need to read this one!!! LOVED IT!!! Review to come…
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Teaser —->

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I’m dying right now!!! And so very thankful to Ella for letting me be her consultant on this! I don’t even know how to express how excited I am. I have only just started and I can already tell you this book is going to be something special! Especially since every one of Ella’s books is better than the last…well if I don’t take into account my personal bias and overwhelming obsession with (Cole) Edible, that is. I can’t wait to dig in and I really, really, hope I do a good enough job!!!