Review: Love, In Spanish by Karina Halle

God, I love being reminded how much I adore these characters. I feel like Mateo and Vera are mine. I get them and I adore every sentiment that spills out of them. When Love, In English finished I was greedy and wanted more. I wasn’t ready to let them go. Greedy, yes I know, but sometimes Karina Halle grants wishes, and my Christmas present came early this year!

“You’ve made me realize that while sometimes love can’t conquer all, it can conquer you. You’ve conquered me, Vera, and I am forever yours.”

I was IN LOVE from page one and the feel fest didn’t stop until the end. This hot, hazy euphoria of knowing Mateo and Vera never stops even when you are experiencing the tough, tears running down my face, moments. Even when it hurts, it’s so real that you are just so captivated by the raw honesty and accuracy of it. I didn’t want to shy away from any of the hurt, because that IS a piece of their story.

“They do understand. But they don’t want to. To understand, they fear, is to become.”

Mateo’s POV gave me some insight to the insecurities that he might have felt toward their relationship. It was just what I needed after some of the scenes that made me want to pull out my hair from LIE. Honestly though, my favorite books have the characters making HUGE mistakes to earn their flawed and realistic feel.

“I think we will always pay for our sins, Vera, but our sins have been worth it. Haven’t they?”

Halle’s writing is flawless and poetic. Incredibly beautiful and stunning as her celestial metaphors that bring everything full circle. Nothing feels like a reach or insistent upon itself. The concepts, details, dialogue, and feelings all meld together spectacularly, creating a beautiful read full of emotion. BOTH Love, In English and Love, In Spanish are among my MUST READS of 2014.

“Our love is permanent and she is stardust in my hands”

Review: Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy #3) by Karina Halle

Well that was intense

Fuuuuuuck

Yeesh!

Shiiiiiit

Got damn it!!!!

Awwwwe

What a grand ending to this high action packed roller coaster of a mother fucking ride. No matter who's team your on (#TeamJavier), you will either be satisfied or not. You will be rooting or hollering. You will be suprised or not surprised. Cause helllllooooo and don't call me a liar cause I'm speaking truth, we all wanted to know who she will ultimately give her heart, mind, body and soul to. I'm here to say...nothing. Read the book. You'll shocked, surprised, let down, betrayed, elated, happy; all the emotions and then some. Was I happy with the story. Yes. Was I happy with some characters actions. No and Yes.

Bold Tricks picks up right off where Shooting Scars leaves off. Thru out the whole story it was a high octane ride that you don't get off till the very end. Some truths are hard to learn while others are welcomed. New characters are introduced, old characters come into play. You can see where the spin off will take place...I think. I love how it ended. It ended with some finding their peace and others...like I said, read the book.

*There's so much I want to say but I know I'll spoil it for y'all and this time, I don't want to spoil anything*

Review: Shooting Scars (The Artists Trilogy #2) by Karina Halle

First thing first. The writing of Karina Halle is something that I Iove to read and you can not compare her to any other authors work. It's not forced. It's not cheesy. It's not a "trend". I've said it's once and I'll keep saying it, her writing is superb. You really don't know what you will get in her stories. They're not predictable which I highly value cause I really like to be stupefied sometimes. This is me not kissing ass. This is Spoiler Whore speaking truth.

My review was gonna be short, simple and straight to the point. It was going to be...READ THE FUCKING BOOK! But then I want to share what I love about this story.

Shooting Scars picks up where S&N leaves off. We are with Ellie and Javier and and he is taking her to their past. What this entails I hadn't a clue when I started reading and when the story finished I was like...WOAH. I didn't see many things coming and I had lightbulb moments. For me, this is the story I was highly anticipating cause we all wanted to know why Javier did what he did to Ellie. It's revealed and I am still heartbroken at why he did it. I kinda understood why. Does it make it ok? Fuck no but when it comes to Javier, I tend to forgive him. Maybe it's because of the way he treats Ellie. He treasures and loves her in his own psycho way but that makes him him and I love how he protects her, again in his own demented way. Is he physically abusive? No. Mentally and emotionally? Yes. He puts her on a path that she doesn't want to go on but he knows that this will bring her closure. But he doesn't do this just for her. Oh no. Javier is a master at mind games and he's seeking his own revenge. Orange blossoms were never sweeter and while they go thru their past and drama, Camden has his own troubles.

Life just seems to keep kicking Camden down. While Ellie and Javier are "riding into the sunset", Camden is left with his family. He loves Ellie but his son comes first. After yet another let down, Camden is on a mission to rescue Ellie. She is who he wants and he does anything and I mean anything to get one step closer to her. He notices that he's changing and not for the better and he doesn't like it but for Ellie he will endeavour the changes to get back whats his. Camden gets help along the way but not without action packed scenes and one very heartbreaking scene.

The question everyone will want to know is, who do we want for Ellie? After reading this I seriously don't know. I want her with Camden cause they're real with each other. They knew each other first but people change. With Camden, there's something about him that I don't like. I want him happy cause he deserves it. I'm #TeamJavier. He's ruthless, suave, protective, manipulative, sexy and I wouldn't have him any other way. Yes, he's a bad guy but what I absolutely love about him is that he takes out the people who hurt Ellie and some might say that he needs to off himself cause he hurt her the most but not I. She's his Angel, his soulmate and I really believe that she can bring out the good in him. He just has to make the effort to change which I don't think will happen but I can only hope.

I loved the way it ended. Kinda of a cliffhanger but I didn't mind. The story has you guessing. How will Karina do this? How will Karina do that? Who the fuck is Ellie gonna end up with? And that right there my dear readers is how an author should leave off a book. It keeps you on your toes, your mind engaged and highly anticipating for the conclusion of this one of a kind series. This is one author that I will pimp out forever. 

Jerk of My Dreams # 23

Jerk. Asshole. Douchenozzle. Admit it- you hate to love the jerks. That alpha male character who is so arrogant and rude but sexy as hell. That foul mouthed douche bag of a man who rocks your traitorous heart. We've all read them and we've all liked them to some extent. In real life you wouldn't touch the man with a ten foot pole. But in the fictional world? Nothing can stand in the way! Everyone would be lying to themselves if they didn't admit that the meaner the man, the further we run... Towards them! *sigh*

That's what this weekly meme is about- those jerky delicious men! Each Friday this meme will go up, and you can share your jerk anyway you want: review, interview, lines and quotes, giveaway of a book. However you want! All you have to do is sign up HERE and follow the linky. Any time you comment on someones post, leave your link so that person can comment back.


My Javier....

Scooting Scars is a book that both Javier and Camden fans are going to love! Some teams may even cross the tracks to the other side. But for me? I'm a through and through Javier fan. There is no swaying me. I know Javier is a ruthless son of a bitch bastard who would probably cut his own mothers throat if it helped him in the end. Believe me- I've heard it all. But...

Javier. Owns. Me. Plain and simple.

I know... I'm sick, but screw you because I LOVED it and LOVED Javier! I got me some good old hot as sin latin lovin' in it too! I can't even begin to talk about Ellie and Javier's chemistry. It's crazy intense! THANK YOU LORD KARINA FOR THAT.

Shooting Scars continues exactly where Sins & Needles left off. And thank heaven for that! I'm not a huge fan of the going back and forth crap, I want the story to actually progress goddammit, not drag me by my hair over rocks and piss me off for it to only move like a week or so. Luckily, this one moved. Though not as fast as I would've preferred but I completely understand why it moved at the rate it did. So I really can't complain.

I knew I was going to see a side of Cam I'd never seen before. I knew there was a good possibility I could fall for him. I knew I was going to watch Cam fight and struggle for Ellie. I was prepared for it all, but what I wasn't prepared for was the little twists and secrets that came out! I honestly don't think many will even see what's lying underneath their nose if they don't pay attention carefully. But I did and I was like WHOAAAA!!! I cannot wait to see the final installment of this series. I can only imagine what will take place. Actually, I can't even imagine. Every time I do I'm just blown away by what happens, so I'll just have to wait.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would truthfully. I wouldn't say it was a favorite in the series, but it definitely exceeded my expectations by a lot. A LOT. I know...you're probably like, what the hell is wrong with you? Well, like I said before, I'm Team Javier (obsessive much?) and since I knew this was from Cam's point of view, I was hesitant to read it. I really didn't care to read his point of view quite honestly, but I was pleasantly surprised by it.

The only time I felt that Cam goes balls to the wall crazy was at the very end. I felt what he felt: the rage, the drive, the emotion and I was like, daaayyyuummmmm! But sadly it wasn't enough to win me. He just doesn't have the passion I need. Now if he could bring it in Bold Tricks... who knows? ;)

To Camden-


Once again, Karina Halle has lured me into a gritty world of loving lies and backstabbing romance. She writes the most alluring characters and one hell of a story line I've ever read. Her voice is lyrical and raw- and I can't get enough of it.

 

Review: Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

As I sit here and contemplate Sins and Needles I’m trying to figure out where to start. All the reviews I read were AMAZING! AWESOME! So, I picked up the book and was expecting……something more.  I try not read books while they’re being so hyped up because I’m afraid I’ll be expecting more. I think that’s what happened for me here with Sins and Needles.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good book. It’s just not AMAZING or AWESOME. 

I was intrigued with Ellie and the life she led. She’s certainly no princess or an innocent. But she’s definitely likable. I ended up in a conundrum with her. She’s a grafter. A con. She steals for a living and spends most of her life on the run. Of course that’s all she knows. That’s what her parents taught her. However, she knows it’s wrong but she still does it. She says she wants to go legit and start over. But when things get rough, she goes right back to grifting.

Camden is intriguing in his own way. He was a loner in High School. He used to be friends with Ellie until she humiliated him. Now they’re back together and Camden is hot! Hot! Hot!  He’s tattooed and pierced and a complete bad boy!

Camden and Ellie are quite the pair.

I enjoyed this story, but I wasn’t enthralled with it. I’ll definitely read the other two in the trilogy because I have to know what happens.

Find it on GoodReads! 

Jerk of My Dreams #11

Jerk. Asshole. Douchenozzle. Admit it- you hate to love the jerks. That alpha male character who is so arrogant and rude but sexy as hell. That foul mouthed douche bag of a man who rocks your traitorous heart. We've all read them and we've all liked them to some extent. In real life you wouldn't touch the man with a ten foot pole. But in the fictional world? Nothing can stand in the way! Everyone would be lying to themselves if they didn't admit that the meaner the man, the further we run... Towards them! *sigh* 

That's what this weekly meme is about- those jerky delicious men! Each Friday this meme will go up, and you can share your jerk anyway you want: review, interview, lines and quotes, giveaway of a book. However you want! All you have to do is sign up HERE and follow the linky. Any time you comment on someones post, leave your link so that person can comment back.

 

 

 

Holy.
Freaking.
Crap.

That ending...

 

There are no words.

My mind has literally been blown. This book seriously surpassed all of my expectations... And more. I don't plan on spoiling anything about this book in my review so I'm not going to go into much detail when it comes to the plot- So to make a long story short, I'll just tell you this: This is a story about Ellie Watt... Errr... Well, whoever she's calling herself on whatever particular day it happens to be. Anyhow, she's not your average heroine. She’s a liar. A con artist. A cheater. A thief. …Heck, if it involves anything illegal then she's your girl. Now I'm not one to typically love the stand-offish in-your-face types when it comes to my heroines, but Ellie is one bad-ass chick that I couldn't help but love. She's extremely guarded and hostile but after learning about her horrific past that affected nearly every aspect of her life, I just couldn't help but warm up to her because I learned to accept that she really just doesn't know how to be any other way. She's wronged, hurt, and disappointed a lot of people in her life but it just went to show that she wasn't perfect and I absolutely loved that about her. Her imperfections was what made her seem so real and it was something that I really appreciated about her character.

Now, down the road and after years of being on the run she decides to look for a legitimate job and really try to get her life back on the right track... That is until she bumps into Camden McQueen: Ex Goth, the most tormented boy in high school, and former friend... That is until she eventually wronged him too and lost any chance of ever having that friendship again. However, luck was on her side the day she ran into him- Turns out, Camden went from "freak" (by society's standards) to sexy tattooed God and he's willing to give his friendship with Ellie a second chance... Only he's not the same person she once thought she knew. This man had his own personal grudges and is a firm believer in revenge. He doesn't easily forgive and forget... A little fact that Ellie didn’t happen to be clued in on…

Camden... Where do I even begin? I just have so many mixed feelings about him- I started this trilogy with On Every Street which could be a big reason why all of my thoughts kept turning towards Javier- Ellie’s first love… And first heartbreak. …But what can I say? I love my jerk heroes. It just seemed as if anytime I would start to grow stronger feelings for Camden, we would be thrown back in time and the story would start reminiscing about his high school days- It was just extremely hard to picture his character as attractive when the only man that came to mind was a Gothic drag queen with big ears.

...Am I being a bit harsh? Probably. But I’m nothing but honest in my reviews and while Camden may have grown on me, I was still never quite sold on him by the end of the novel. Perhaps I’m just being a bit biased about my feelings for Camden since I was already going into this story with stronger feelings for another character. I really and truly was hoping that I’d end up falling just as hard for Camden as I did for Javier… Truly, I did. But Javier has a certain charm and charisma about him that takes bad boy and naughty to a whole other level...

And let's face it: I love me some naughty bad boys...  

After reading this book, you just can’t help but feel like your emotions are all over the place which could explain why this review is a super tough one for me to write. This story was full of scams, car chases, run-ins with the Mafia, kidnapping, murder... My God, you name it and this book had it in spades.

Karina Halle is seriously the God of all authors out there- The woman not only has a gift for writing but can create one hell of an unpredictable, compelling and edgy world that I just couldn't get enough of. It's such a refreshing change from most romances out there these days because the story-line and everything involved is just so uniquely its own. This isn’t your average romance novel by any means… It’s way more. I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant about starting it because it really didn’t sound like something that I would typically jump on the band wagon to read- But what I thought would end up being a book completely out of my league, ended up turning into a story that I can officially call perfection.

★ Oh, and for the record: This book ends on a major cliff-hanger.

★ Oh and also: The next installment to this trilogy isn’t out yet for at least another month...

Jerk of My Dreams #8

Jerk. Asshole. Douchenozzle. Admit it- you hate to love the jerks. That alpha male character who is so arrogant and rude but sexy as hell. That foul mouthed douche bag of a man who rocks your traitorous heart. We've all read them and we've all liked them to some extent. In real life you wouldn't touch the man with a ten foot pole. But in the fictional world? Nothing can stand in the way! Everyone would be lying to themselves if they didn't admit that the meaner the man, the further we run... Towards them! *sigh* 

That's what this weekly meme is about- those jerky delicious men! Each Friday this meme will go up, and you can share your jerk anyway you want: review, interview, lines and quotes, giveaway of a book. However you want! All you have to do is sign up HERE and follow the linky. Any time you comment on someones post, leave your link so that person can comment back. 

Holy.
Mother.
Of.
God.
If you need to know where I'm at, I'll just be over in the freaking corner BAWLING. That ending... There are no words.
...And Javier... You cold-hearted, lying, no-good-for-nothing, worthless...



 
...But my God, I still freaking love you. It may make me stupid. Hell, it may even make me pathetic... But just because I want to cut him, doesn't mean I don't want to be his baby-mama. The man was absolute perfection, minus the whole ripping my heart out of my chest and then stomping it into a million little pieces thing. I truly fell for his character and I fell hard. He was bad-ass personified... Tie that in with a Spanish accent and skills in the bedroom, and there you have it ladies and gentleman: P.E.F.E.C.T.I.O.N.

David Gandy may be who I picture for every hero I read about, but he fits Javier's character perfectly and let's face it: The man is fine. Don't judge me.

Javier was so much more than just a gorgeous face though- He was fiercely protective and willing to do absolutely anything for the heroine Ellie... Even kill.

"I'm a very bad man who has done too many bad things to deserve a pardon. I shouldn't be walking this earth as I do, I shouldn't have the money I have, I shouldn't have the love of a woman who is so far above me she should have wings." ~Javier


Unfortunately, all the pretty words in the world wouldn't have been able to take back what he did or erase the man that he was. I promised myself I wouldn't spend this entire review gushing about Javier, but Lord have mercy that's a lot to ask of a girl like myself. Needless to say I hate him... But I love him too. (It's a very healthy relationship.)

The heroine Ellie Watt on the other hand, is a woman out for vengeance. As a young girl, her life was destroyed in the worst possible way by a very powerful and merciless man. Years later, she decides it's finally time for her to take matters into her own hands and take revenge on the one man who got away with destroying her. ...Yet, in order to get her ultimate revenge she has to become what she swore she'd never be again: A con artist just like her parents. Changing her identity to Eden White was a breeze... Choosing her mark was easy too, especially if it meant it would lead her to the one man who had shattered her soul. But falling for the person she was supposed to be using and misleading? That was never part of the plan.

Somewhere along the way, the need for vengeance faded into the background and instead love took its place. ...And for the first time in her life, Eden decided to throw caution to the wind and give up her ghost in the hopes that love and trust could over-shadow her past...

I tried my absolute hardest not to fall for the smooth talking bastard but just as Eden did, I fell hard- It's just impossible not to. ...And while I consider myself a glutton for punishment by continuing to be a huge fan of Javier's, I'd be lying if I didn't say that he caused a major "da fuck bruh" moment for me.

Honest to God, this is probably my favorite book EVER. Yep. I said it... Ever. It was that freaking good. It may be a novella but it consumed me from start to finish. It was full of angst and impossible to put down, and I truly commend Karina Halle for not only her superb writing, but for creating the most incredible... Enticing... And amazingly intriguing world that I just can't seem to get enough of.
★FYI: I actually started the trilogy with this book, although I know that the majority of people read Sins & Needles first. From my understanding, this can either be read before or after but in my honest opinion, reading On Every Street first has given me an even better insight into all of the characters involved. With that being said, whichever book you decide to start with... Enjoy the ride!

Jerk of My Deams & Giveaway!

Jerk. Asshole. Douchenozzle. Admit it- you hate to love the jerks. That alpha male character who is so arrogant and rude but sexy as hell. That foul mouthed douche bag of a man who rocks your traitorous heart. We've all read them and we've all liked them to some extent. In real life you wouldn't touch the man with a ten foot pole. But in the fictional world? Nothing can stand in the way! Everyone would be lying to themselves if they didn't admit that the meaner the man, the further we run... Towards them! *sigh* 

That's what this weekly meme is about- those jerky delicious men! Each Friday this meme will go up, and you can share your jerk anyway you want: review, interview, lines and quotes, giveaway of a book. However you want! All you have to do is sign up and follow the linky. Any time you comment on someones post, leave your link so that person can comment back.

Holy sweet baby Jesus. That ending...I could hardly catch my breath.

Goddamn you, Javier! Why did I have to fall for you only to have my chest cracked open by you, YOU SON OF A BITCH BASTARD!



I still love you. Hard.

On Every Street is the prequel to Sins & Needles. I did not read Sins & Needles first like most have, but you can bet your ass I'm reading it after I'm finished with this review! The way the story flowed until the end was one hell of a read!

I personally think reading On Every Street first puts you in this suspenseful and intense state of mind. You have no idea what is to come of these characters, only that you're learning who they are and why they came to be what they are now. I'm actually glad I didn't read Sins first!

On Every Street is the emotionally gripping beginning of a woman with a vengeance. Ellie's out to get those who took her life from her when she was younger, but in order to do so, she has to become who the one thing she never wanted to be- a con artist, just like her parents.

In order for her plan to succeeded, she needs to seduce a colleague of the person she wants revenge against. For Ellie White, the training, the scheming, that's easy...until heartfelt emotions get in the way. Ellie's heart and head want two different things, but once she's sucked in by Javier's charismatic charm, it's not easy to come up for air.

My Javier...minus the beard...I couldn't find a good picture without the beard...

Javier is my new favorite jerk! I hate him, but I love him. He tore me up at the end of this story big time. I felt sick to my stomach and wanting to cry for Ellie. I can honestly say that my heart hurt, as if I was having open heart surgery and my chest was being cracked open. I wanted to die.

I have no idea what to expect next, but I can't wait for the ride I know it's going to take me on!

Guys!! I. AM. IN. LOVE.

I can't stop thinking about this book or the next book in this series, SINS & NEEDLES. I want everyone I know to read these books!! Everyone knows that I am insanely obsessed with The Black Dagger Brotherhood series (who isn't?). Well, I amnow obsessed with this series! I would rate it as high as BDB. That's saying A LOT.

I am going to gift 10 kindle copies of ON EVERY STREET.  Please leave a comment (with your email address so I can contact the winners) telling me if you've read Karina's other series, The Experiment in Terror. I have not read it but I want to now!! If you've read it, leave me your favorite part of the books. I love quotes and passages, it makes me read a series faster. :)

 Thanks and good luck!!