Review: Prick By Sabrina Paige

I can't stop thinking about that prick.

Caulter Sterling is a prick.

A filthy-mouthed, womanizing, crude, spoiled, arrogant prick.

The tattooed, pierced, panty-melting-hot son of a celebrity.

I hate him.

He's slept his way through practically every girl at Brighton Academy.

Except for me.

I'm the good girl. The responsible girl. The 4.0, class president, studied-so-much-she-never-lost-the-big-V girl.

And in celebration of graduation and adulthood, I just made the worst decision in the history of ever.

I lost my V-card to the devil himself.

It was just one night. So what if it was mind-blowing? Hit it and quit it.

Except I just found out that my father - the Senator, the Presidential hopeful - is marrying Caulter's mother. Oh, and this summer? We're hitting the campaign trail.

One big happy family.

I'm totally f**ked.

I’m not gonna lie, I love these Step-Brother themed books.  Now I am not saying that they are all good, because they are not, but Prick is one of my favorites so far.  It was the perfect mix of bad boy, good girl, smart assed comments back and forth and smoking hot that had me reaching for my husband.  I loved how both Caulter and Kate gave as good as they got.  I couldn’t imagine if it was me who just walked into my home and saw the prick that I gave my virginity to was the son of the woman my father planned to marry.  I think I would have lost my shit, then again I have a temper and I am not a good girl like Kate was, or well what she was outside of the bedroom, or the library, or the desk with Caulter.  I think you see my point.

What worked best for me was that while Caulter was a massive prick at times he also took care of Kate and protected her when needed.  Kate could be a bitch right back at him when he was earning his prick title but she wasn’t his doormat.

Okay can I just take a moment to appreciate the title?  Prick.  Yeah that is the inappropriate humor side of me coming through.  Plus I like saying prick so yeah I am going to use it a couple more times in my review of Prick.

Back to the serious book review of Prick.  Oh what the hell I am just going to say that if you are a fan of the Step-brother romance trend like I am then I promise you will love Prick and the prick who the book is about.  Sabrina Paige thank you for making my love of this trend even stronger.

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Release Day Blitz: Monster Chef By Margaret McHeyzer

Holly Walker had everything she’d ever dreamed about – a happy marriage and being mum to beautiful brown-eyed Emma - until an accident nineteen months ago tore her world apart. Now she's a widow and single mother to a boisterous little 7-year-old girl, looking for a new start. Ready to take the next step, Holly has found herself a job as a maître d’ at Table One, a once-acclaimed restaurant in the heart of Sydney. But one extremely arrogant Frenchman isn't going to be easy to work with...

Twenty years ago, Pierre LeRoux came to Australia, following the stunning Aussie girl he'd fallen in love with. He and his wife put their personal lives on hold, determined for Pierre to take Sydney's culinary society by storm. Just as his bright star was on the upswing, tragedy claimed the woman he was hopelessly in love with. He had been known as a Master Chef, but since his wife’s death he has become known as Monster Chef.

Can two broken people rebuild their lives and find happiness once more?

I have stated before that I have had 50/50 luck with this author so when I signed up to read Monster Chef I will admit I was skeptical and almost wrote it off in my head as another one I wouldn’t either like or finish.  It looks like that 50/50 pattern is continuing but this time I really liked the book and I am so glad I gave it an honest shot.

Monster Chef is more than just another romance novel.  It is about two separate people who have lost their spouses and how they chose to deal with their loss.  Some of the most explosive feelings and passion are discovered  when the line that separates love and hate between individuals  becomes blurred and is allowed to explode.

To be blunt, Pierre earned the title Monster Chef because he can be this massive douche bag asshole.  I am so glad that I would never have to work with him in the kitchen because I most likely would end up fileting his ass.  Literally.  Holly is sweet but don’t let that sweetness fool you, she has a backbone and isn’t afraid to put Pierre in his place.  In an analogy appropriate to cooking, oil and vinegar don’t mix and to say these two clashed at times would be an understatement.  But these two also complemented each other perfectly like the finest wine to a perfectly cooked dinner, with some spice along the way.

Monster Chef has convinced me to not always write off an author if some of her books don’t work for you, because you might be surprised at how much you end up liking one that you didn’t think you would.

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Author Bio

**Bound by custom or unique by choice.**

There's something about the written word that's pure magic.


Possibly it's the fact that there are 26 letters in the English alphabet, and they can create something so beautiful or so empowering that they're able to change our lives.

How important is it that we break suit and stretch our minds?

I like to think of myself as 'unique'. My stories aren't for everyone, and sometimes I may push what you believe to be 'normal'.

Normal is subjective.

I prefer to be known as a person who's never been 'bound by custom' but is 'unique by choice'.

Until next time

Mxx

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Review: Step-Lover By: Bella Jewel

You’ll only ever have one forbidden love. 

Care to know why?

Because when you find it, forbidden love that is, you’ll forget everything else. You’ll forget your first kiss. You’ll forget the first boy who made you smile. You’ll forget all the bad, and remember all the good. You’ll forget that it’s wrong. You’ll forget that it hurts. You’ll forget everything that came before him. 

Forbidden love, it has a way of changing you. The secrets. The lies. The guilt. You want something so much you no longer care about the world around you. The passion takes away the pain. I’ve felt it. I’ve lived it. I didn’t need it, but it chose me. 

I met him before I knew. I loved him before I knew. 

I didn’t know that he was my stepbrother. I knew I had stepbrothers, but I didn’t know he was one of them. Now I know, I have to walk away. My mom, she deserves this happiness so much more than I do. If she ever knew…it would destroy her. 

You have to understand why.

I saw my father die right in front of my tiny, eight year old eyes. He took my sister with him. All that’s left is my mother and I. She’s found her happy place, the only place she’s had since our worlds were destroyed. 

So you see, I can’t have him. 

I can’t want him. 

But there’s this problem with passion, and love, and destiny. 

It doesn’t give you a damned choice.

My Review

I just love it when two people who are meant to be together, even if their relationship may have people talking, and not in a good way, are able to beat the obstacles that stand in their way and get the happiness they deserve.  Add into that equation the latest trend, step sibling romances, something I honestly can say that I have loved reading about and for me I just can’t get enough. 

Step-Lover has all the elements of a good step-brother/step-sister romance.  The step-brother is a total asshole that deserves numerous kicks in the balls for his behavior.  The step-sister who knows that people will talk about their relationship if it happens and fights her insecurities about it.  Something to keep them apart and then bring them together again.  And finally, and in my opinion one of the most important elements, sexual tension so explosive that your kindle can combust just by reading it.  So you are probably asking yourself what makes Step-Lover different from all of the other books out there like this.  Well for me it was the amount of angst that Bella Jewel just instinctively knows that will make her readers be unable to stop reading until the book is finished, it was also that there was more than just Blade and Aria’s story, there was also the lives of Blade’s brothers that were a big part of the story line. I was addicted to this story after just a few pages, and my addiction only continued to grow the further a read.  Blade was the perfect asshole step-brother, almost right up until the end.  I am not going to give spoilers away but there is one part that had my stomach in such a tight knot and my emotions on high alert that he seriously needed a swift kick to his balls.  Aria, I felt for her so much more than I thought I would have.  Her past will make you hold your loved ones a little closer and not want to let them go.

It is well known that I am a huge fan of Bella Jewel’s books, and she has added another hit to her list with Step-Lover.  I personally can’t wait for the books about Blade’s brothers to be written because these guys have a story to tell, ones I can’t wait to read.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Stepbrother Mine By Mandy Lou Dowson

They were always taught that family was about more than blood, but when step-siblings Sophie Ellis and Logan Castle meet for the first time, their attraction is instantaneous. Forever trying to keep each other at arm's length, they discover that sometimes the best laid plans fall apart, when lovers fall together.
 
He's everything she's ever fantasized about, and everything she can never have.

She's all he's ever wanted, but never hoped to have.

Trying so hard to be his stepsister, she can't shake the attraction she feels.

He decides it's best to leave, but when circumstances see them reunite, and he discovers their initial attraction is still there after all the intervening years, he can't help himself. He has to have her.

Running scared, she cuts all ties.

Left behind, his bitterness grows.

When again circumstances force her back into his arms, her past comes back to haunt her.

He's determined to make her pay for leaving him.  

Desires are forbidden. Loyalties are tested. Hearts are broken. And in the end, is love strong enough to conquer all?

**This book is a stand alone. It is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18, due to explicit scenes, language and situations.

When I first started Stepbrother, Mine I will admit I was sort of disappointed.  I have loved in previous books that the Stepbrother starts off as this massive asshole who makes his Stepsister’s life a living hell, blah, blah, blah and in this book it doesn’t start off like that.  Logan actually seemed to be a great guy.  Maybe it’s the twisted side of me but I was asking myself out loud, where is the asshole?  Well, we get him later on and holy shit he makes up for his lack of assholeism (yes I made up a word lol).  Now I can sort of understand why he was as big of an asshole that he was.  Yep I am actually standing up for the asshole.  What Sophie does was not just hurtful but in a way sort of cruel especially since their situation was different.  I’m not even sure if they would be considered stepsiblings anymore.  Sophie made me want to throat punch her multiple times.  I can understand her reluctance up until a point and after that point was reached I really didn’t feel much sympathy for her or her feelings at all.  But together?  These two are a bomb ready to explode from all the sexual tension that they have had since the minute they meet.

While I may have started off disappointed I finished liking the book very much.  Am I still a feeling the love for the stepsibling love craze?  Yes I am because with every new book that has come out, the variations in the storylines are what make me keep coming back for more.   Mandy Lou Dowson may become an author to watch out for, especially if she continues writing  books like Stepbrother, Mine that are on the edge of being taboo without actually crossing over that no go line.

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Author Bio

Mandy Lou Dowson was born and raised in a small town in Ireland, in 1983, and at this stage in life, she's pretty sure the town won't let her leave. Family is a huge deal to Mandy. She has three wonderful children (most of the time), and two Siberian Huskies who are each as naughty as the other – in fact, she's sure they egg each other on in silly cartoon voices when nobody is looking.

~

“Climb out the window and get covered in mud.”

“No, I did it last time. You do it!”

“R'uh, r'oh, here SHE is. Shhh.”

~

When she's not writing, reading, or plotting her next book -- or, you know, world domination – , she likes to relax with a few glasses of wine and some karaoke. You can usually find her procrastinating on social media of some sort, chatting to fans and talking nonsense.
 

Mandy started reading at quite a young age and her appetite for the written word has only increased with time. It would not be at all surprising to find her reading anything and everything from shampoo bottles to Edgar Allan Poe.
 

She is the author of three different genres of romance books. The Moon Bound series, which is in the Paranormal Romance genre, and is gathering rave reviews, and the Taboo series, which is Contemporary with a hint of the forbidden, the first of which has gathered very mixed reviews across the board, from one extreme to the other.

She has also made a foray into Dark Romance recently, with her first title in the genre, Retribution, releasing in Summer 2015.

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Book Blitz: Gable By: Harper Bentley

Gable Powers had all the makings of everything my father had ever warned me about: a reputation that was anything but stellar, a dirty mouth that had me shivering at the things he uttered in my ear, and a body (oh, God, that body) that was covered in tattoos, all of which added up to a solid ten-point-oh on the bad-boy scale.
The first time I met him, I instantly loathed him.
The second time was even worse.
He was a jerk. He was an ass.
He had secrets.
He was nothing I thought I ever wanted.
So why couldn’t I resist him?
New adult. Not recommended for readers under 17.

That blurb, yeah the one right about where my review starts, is what had me wanting to read this book. A bad boy, the type fathers warn their daughters about, an asshole, has tattoos, your all around bad boy image, I was like yes! Oh and that cover didn’t hurt either, can you say I want to take a bite out of those abs, yum! So you are wondering after all that hype, is the book any good? I can say, hell yes it is that good and sexy and O.M.G. I wish Gable was real cause I would fight for a piece of this man. *Sigh* okay time for me to get serious, well maybe after one more look at those abs, okay now it’s time to get down to business.

Gable is everything the blurb say he is, he is a jerk, he is an ass, he is a bad boy but he also has secrets. It is those secrets that cause him to be the way he is. He doesn’t trust easily and he hates liars because of those secrets. Not going to share what they are you have to read for yourself but while normally I am not one to say okay maybe that is a good reason to be they way you are but this time I can see why. Just trust me here people. Now does he deserve Scout’s assessment of how he is, yeah he does up until a point because Scout has some secrets of her own, some that could cause Gable to walk away.

Scout has lost her trust as well. When she clashes with Gable the first couple of times I was like ut oh she has some attitude that is for sure. Did she border on bitchy, yes at times she did. When she starts to get closer to Gable she is surprised to see what she learns, all thanks to a school project but can she handle it when the project is finished? I’ll just say this, I didn’t agree with how she handled some things but I could understand her reluctance to open up.

Overall, I really enjoyed Gable. Yes it did have some eye rolling moments and yes both Scout and Gable needed to be shaken a couple of times to get through their thick skulls, but for me it was a really good read that had me laughing at times, on the edge of my seat at others and left me with a smile on my face when I was done reading. I think I just found another series that I am going to be hooked on if the rest of the series is as good as Gable was.

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“I miss the white outfit,” he stated then put his hands on my hips, moving them down to where his fingers skimmed along the hem of my shorts then started moving them slowly back toward my bottom. “But these hot pink shorts make you look completely fuckable too.”
That brought me out of my stupor and I spun around, glaring up at him. “You can’t talk to me like that!” I hissed under my breath, glancing around self-consciously to make sure no one was watching our exchange.
He peered down at my chest where my nipples were standing at full attention under my t-shirt. “From the looks of it, I think you like me talking to you like that.” Then he leaned in closer. “What’s the matter? Never been talked dirty to before, Priss?” When he pulled back, I saw that the half grin was now going strong and his luminous brown eyes were dancing with humor at his having riled me.
Holy hell.
As I kept glowering at him, having no response to that, I noticed a girl next to us gawking at us, and embarrassed, I smiled shyly at her, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, trying to act normal. When she turned away, I whisper-hissed at him, “Are you kidding me right now? Just who do you think you are?”
He bent again to get close to my ear. “I’m the guy who’ll have you coming hard before the semester’s over,” he answered evenly, his eyes shimmering with cockiness as they burned into mine when he stood straight again.
Mesmerized, I gazed back at him, lost in him, wanting what he was selling, God, how did he do that, until it hit me that I should be offended by his boldness and I suddenly frowned. “What is your deal?” I screeched making several students look at me and felt my face burning even hotter than it already was at his inappropriate comments. I turned to get away from him mumbling, “Oh, my God,” but he grabbed me by the arm pulling me in close.
“You don’t  have to call me God. Gable works, but I’m sure I’ll be making you scream both soon,” he whispered close to my ear.
I pushed against his chest (of course he didn’t budge at all) and jerked my arm from his grasp with a scowl then moved as far away from him as I could, going to the back of the line to wait until he left. Standing there, I closed my eyes trying to get a hold of myself but could still see his seductive gaze searing into mine as he smirked while saying those things to me, as if he was so confident that they’d happen regardless of what I had to say about it.
And the really bad thing about it? As I stood there, a complete emotional mess from what’d just happened, I found I actually wanted those things to happen, which served to embarrass me even more not to mention just totally baffle me. I mean, I’d only slept with one guy, Hayden, my first and only boyfriend, and that’d been after we’d dated for almost a year so it wasn’t like I got around much, so what was wrong with me that I was all in for having sex with someone I barely knew? Someone who’d been an ass to me from day one. Someone who obviously had way more experience than I had.
As I stood behind everyone, I swallowed thickly, my cheeks still on fire, wondering who the hell I was, and when I moved my eyes to the front I saw Gable write his person’s number down in his notebook, smile at a girl who was gazing up at him like he was a damned rock star then he left without even a glance back at me.
When I finally got to the front, I wrote my person’s number down quickly and got the heck out of there because a few people were still watching me curiously. As I walked outside the building, I cautiously surveyed the area making sure Gable hadn’t hung around wanting to torment me some more but saw that he was off to my right talking to his friend, Mr. Tactful, and they were near the parking lot which was a good twenty yards away. I also saw that Gable was smoking. Well, total turnoff right there. Good. At least he had something about him that repulsed me (other than his cocky attitude, that is), and when I saw the coast was clear, I let out the breath I was holding, relief flooding over me along with a bit of disappointment at his unhealthy habit, and headed away in the opposite direction from him, going to my next class.

Harper Bentley has taught high school English for 22 years. Although she’s managed to maintain her sanity regardless of her career choice, jumping into the world of publishing her own books goes to show that she might be closer to the ledge than was previously thought.
After traveling the nation in her younger years as a military brat, having lived in Alaska, Washington State and California, she now resides in Oklahoma with her teenage daughter, two dogs and one cat, happily writing stories that she hopes her readers will enjoy.

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Blog Tour and Giveaway: It's Not Over (The Do Over #2) by A.L. Zaun

Rick Marin is an asshole to put it simply.  He tried to win back his ex-girlfriend when he knew that she had finally moved on from him and was happy.  He used a friendship to help make this happen.  He wanted Dani back and even accepted the help from Madison “Maddy” Stuart to do so.  What he did anticipate was what he began to feel for Maddy, the biggest bitch and best friend he has ever had.  Now he can’t live without her even when she drives him insane.

Maddy is all Team Rick, until she isn’t anymore.  Maddy is a vicious bitch at times, and doesn’t do relationships. She made Rick her pet project.  She can’t sit back any longer and watch Rick win over Dani any longer.  She began to feel more than just friendship for him and she has her own problems to deal with that are more important than her heart.  She is so driven in wanting to reach her career goal that she would sacrifice her happiness.

Rick, oh Rick you are an asshole but I wouldn’t love you any other way.  He knew who he really wanted and couldn’t live without and it wasn’t Dani.  No it was the castrating threatening, ball busting bitch that is his best friend.  He knows Maddy is the one for him but convincing her to not only trust him with her body and secrets but her heart as well isn’t an easy thing to accomplish.  He isn’t used to having to chase someone he wants, but for Maddy he would do anything to make her his.

Maddy has reasons why she acts the way she does.  Her past has made her the way she is and until now her past didn’t matter to her, well except one thing that is.  She wants to prove to her family that she can handle and be successful in opening the next restaurant in Miami but there are conditions.  Sadly these conditions require her to work with someone from her past, Alex, who is bound and determined to get Maddy back in his bed. 

I actually loved Rick in The Do Over even with him being the asshole that he was, but in It’s Not Over he completely won me over.  He is the jerk you love to hate, the one you know that when he finally finds the one woman that is perfect for him that he will move heaven and earth for her.  Maddy is a massive bitch, and after a while it gets old her constantly telling Rick how to behave or threatening to cut off his dick or balls.  Honestly Maddy was not one of my favorite people, in fact I actually kind of hate her.  Lately I am finding that it is the male main character that is making the book worth reading and not the female, maybe it is just the way they are being written or a mood that I am in, but for me Rick is what made the book.

I did really like this book, even though there is a cliff hanger.  In a way I wish Rick and Maddy’s story would have been completed because I want to see what is in store for the other characters in this series.   But, I shall wait patiently to see where Ms. Zaun is going to take us on this journey.  Pick this series up, I think you will enjoy it.

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17937669-it-s-not-over

Amazon:   http://amzn.to/1lQwxDw

Excerpt:

We hit a little turbulence, and reality set in at thirty thousand feet. I was on an airplane, holding Madison in my arms, on my way to New York City. I looked around, taking everything in, and I caught the flight attendant, sitting across from us, eye-fucking me. She smiled as she lowered her eyes to my dick. I wondered if she was imagining a threesome. What else could she be thinking, gawking at me, while I’m holding another woman? Somehow, I knew that my conclusion would land me in a new category of asshole. Surprisingly though, I wasn’t the least bit interested in even entertaining the fantasy. I want Madison exclusively.

My heart pounded faster, and my mouth went dry. I hadn’t admitted that to myself or any other living soul. I grabbed the bottled water and drank it in one gulp. I can’t stand her half the time. She drives me crazy. She infuriates me like no one else. But I felt something for her that I couldn’t describe. It was more than wanting to bury my dick in her and fuck her hard…I couldn’t live without her. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She shifted against me, sliding her hand inside my jacket. Reclining my head back against the seat, thoughts of her flooded my mind. Somehow, along my quest to win Daniela back, Madison had become my best friend and something more.

Liam Lucas’s words hit me like a tsunami. Your friend is more than a friend. You don’t go up against your brother over a chick unless she’s under your skin, and if you aren’t sleeping with her, then you’ve got it bad.

About the Author:

A.L. Zaun graduated from Florida International University with a degree in English Literature when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and cellphones were the size of a brick. Her impressive degree did absolutely nothing for her professional endeavors in health care management but did stir her imagination and opened up the world of books in a new way. 

Armed with a large bottle of Diet Pepsi and a multi-pack of Extra Sugar-Free gum, A.L. Zaun spends her evenings bringing to life the characters that dominate her thoughts and interrupt her sleep. 

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Review: The Do Over by A.L. Zaun

Dani’s heart was shattered almost 2 years ago when Rick broke up with her.  Now she has a love affair going on with her Kindle.  Ok well not really but book boyfriends don’t break your heart and there is always a way to lose yourself in a good book.  Her friends are worried about her and want her to finally move on.  When Dani meets Liam she can’t believe how quickly he can turn her on during a CPR class.  She slowly lets Liam into her heart and thinks that she has found her perfect book boyfriend.

Liam is one of the good guys.  He is a fire fighter, sweet, sexy as hell and wants to have Dani’s heart.  He is patient with all of her issues and loves her for who she is.  He even thinks her love of reading is cute.  Liam in anyone’s eyes is the perfect book boyfriend. 

Things seems to be going perfectly, that is until Rick shows back up in the picture and wants Dani for himself.  Will Dani risk her happily ever after with Liam for a second chance with Rick, or will she be able to walk away from the man who shattered her heart.

Liam Lucas you are my new book boyfriend!  I loved how patient he was with Dani because lord at times she could make a saint contemplate choking her for some of the things she does.  He just truly loves her for her.  The chemistry between them is off the charts from the second they met but their relationship isn’t just based on sex alone. 

Dani, Dani, Dani.  Holy shit woman at times I wanted to grab you, shake the shit out of you and scream stop being so damn annoying and gullible.  Open your eyes up you twit and see what is really going on around you.  Why would you risk what you have with Liam, the guy who loves you with his whole heart, to spend time with Rick the asshole who completely shattered it 2 years ago?  Even at the end of this book, Dani is not one of my favorite characters, not even close. 

Rick you conniving asshole, I understand that you wanted what you once had but you threw it away.  I will say Rick is an asshole that you will love and hate at the same time.  He did take steps to be the man he thought Dani would want, but he was selfish and didn’t see that his actions would cause more destruction than he intended. 

The Do Over isn’t a book about a love triangle, but it is one about letting stupid mistakes ruin the best thing that ever happened to you.  It is a book about wanting both your cake and eating it too and then finding out that cake will add 10 pounds to your hips as punishment.  I liked this book, I however did not love it by any means.  Dani was just too annoying for me.  I loved Liam and Rick but Dani ruined it for me in my opinion.  It is not a bad book, don’t get me wrong I did enjoy it and personally loved how the author worked some of our favorite book boyfriends and books into the story.  The next book It’s Not Over is Rick’s book and I am looking forward to seeing if I will love his asshole self even more or if I will hate him.

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Do-Over-L-Zaun-ebook/dp/B00CVSCNE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390416309&sr=1-1&keywords=the+do+over