Tuesday, May 31, 2016

REVIEWS - SOME KIND OF PERFECT by Krista & Becca Ritchie

 
 
 


Well I have to do a special blog post for Some Kind of Perfect because several of us love it. I devoured the series last year and soon after I got my friends Jessica, Angie, and Amy on board. I think it's safe to say we all love the series and are sad to see it end but we are pretty excited for the Like Us series. If you haven't started the Addicted/Calloway series yet give it a chance. If you have read book one and didn't continue or the blurb for book one and thought " sex addict and alcoholic that is too angsty or it's not my thing" please look beyond that. This is a series about family, love, loyalty, and friendship. It covers so many topics from sex addiction, alcoholism, gender equality, and PTSD; it has it all. These people are complex and they go beyond the labels that they are given by society. I don't think I have read another series with better character development and it was worth all the hours I spent reading. This is hands down the best NA series I have ever read. Start it now, you won't regret it. - Shanda








Some Kind of Perfect is now available! So this is the perfect time to start the #AddictedSeries! *wags eyebrows*

9 books + 1 epilogue novel. 
6 friends. 
3 couples. 
1 continuous timeline where every book affects every character.

ADDICTED SERIES RECOMMENDED READING ORDER:
Addicted to You ➜ (FREE) http://amzn.com/B00DE5EBZ8
 
Addicted for Now ➜ http://amzn.com/B00H06NGBM
 
Kiss the Sky ➜ http://amzn.com/B00HZVPHGE
 
Hothouse Flower ➜ http://amzn.com/B00JAXSEFQ
 
Addicted After All ➜ http://amzn.com/B00P2RBHPS
 
Fuel the Fire ➜ http://amzn.com/B00VJSQKWY
 
Long Way Down ➜ http://amzn.com/B0188332MI
 
Some Kind of Perfect ➜ (NEWEST RELEASE)  https://amzn.com/B01FWXWOV2

Amy's Review
To keep from revealing any spoilers, I'll keep this fairly short and sweet. This epilogue book is perfection; we get to see all of the gang again, not to mention that all the kids are growing up. The little glimpses we get into everyone's lives was just what I wanted to read about. We see our favorite couples adjusting to parenthood and I can't help but admire how the kids are turning out. I really can't wait for the Like Us series, because a these kids have won me over already. An excellent conclusion tot he series, even though I'm sad to see these characters go.

5 Stars

Angie's Review


By far one of the best finales ever. It was so detailed with so many povs it could have easily gotten away from the authors. But the Ritchies were in complete control. The Cobalts would have been proud.

I took my time reading this. I knew it would be an emotional ride (it was!) and I wanted to savor it.

Not only did the Ritchies give us a worthy send off for LiLo, Coballoway, and Raisy, but they also did an excellent job setting up the books for the next generation. It had to be hella tough giving 13 +/- kids unique personalities that we'd all adore. But mission accomplished. I'm looking forward to meeting them again when they're older.

If you've made it this far you're obviously a fan and you'll equally love Some Kind of Perfect. If you're curious about the series please give it a chance and pick up Addicted to You. You won't be sorry.

Simply amazing. I loved every word. Bravo!

5 Stars

Shanda's Review

I really don’t have adequate words to describe how much I loved SKoP and how much I love the Addicted/Calloway series. I tried to read this as slowly as I could because I knew it would break my heart for this to end. The Ritchie sisters exceeded my expectations with this finale. SKoP covers 10 years in the lives of our beloved 3 couples; Lilo, Coballoway, and Raisy. It did not disappoint, and there were so many fabulous scenes and quotes I couldn’t possibly cover it all.

I loved how each span of time covered a birth of a child and I can’t wait to see these kids all grown up. It was a great to see that the couples were still growing and are now helping their children navigate fame. The real standout for me in this book was the Lilo POV. Even faced with a few new hurdles you can really see how strong they have become and how good they are together. This holds true for all the couples but in SKoP I really adored the Lilo POV.

This series will forever be on my all-time favorites list. It is very hard to say goodbye and I am already planning on an audio re-read at some point down the road. For me this is a big deal because I am not really a person that re-reads. If nothing else that should tell you this series is incredible to me. As several have noted if you have made it to SKoP you are already a fan so I am sure you will love this book. If you haven’t started the Addicted/Calloway series what are you doing with your life? Please give it a chance!!

I was already excited for the Like Us series but after meeting all the kids in SKoP I am impatiently waiting Damaged Like Us. I am extremely impressed at how the authors have managed to give 13 kids such unique personalities. I can’t wait to see them go through the ups and downs of life. It has to be a daunting task to tackle but I have complete faith that the Ritchie girls will do amazing things with their stories. At this point I will read anything these two write and I am looking forward to more epic reads from them in the future. 5+++ Stars

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Review The Beast of Clan Kincaid, Highland Warrior series by Lily Blackwood





Title: The Beast of Kincaid
Author: Lily Blackwood
Series: Highland Warrior
Release Date: May 31st 2016


Synopsis

A Highland warrior battles to reclaim his birthright in the first of a new series filled with seduction, revenge, and soul-stirring passion…

They call him the Beast—a hardened mercenary whose heart seems as cold as his icy blue gaze. They do not know his true name: Niall Braewick, son of the Laird of Kincaid. It has been years since he escaped into the forest the night his father was murdered. Now he has returned, ablaze with a vengeful hunger. He will gain the MacClaren chief’s trust, gather his clan, and take back his lands. And take the MacClaren’s daughter as well…

Though he pulled her from the river, saving her life, Elspeth has been warned to keep her distance from her father’s hired warrior. He is a barbarian—a shame, as he is far more compelling than the lechers and fools competing for her dowry. Little does she know that, like the castle itself, she is a prize Niall intends to claim…but will he extract blood for blood and possess what is his, or will his enemy’s beautiful, innocent daughter tempt him to forsake his dream of conquest?



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Review by Iza


Books like The Beast of Clan Kincaid remind me why I love reading historical romance novels. Why I'm head-over-heels when it comes to a Scottish male lead.

The beginning was a little rough and heartbreaking. But it also pulls you in. The writing style does that too, not only the story line.

As the blurb already says it, our hero is back for revenge and he plots on getting back more than the castle and lands; he also wants to hurt the current laird's daughter, Elspeth.

A little back-and-forth and of course that they couldn't help but fall in love with each other, but this happens and that happens and you will have to read it, to see what exactly. It's worth it. Plus, it sets the premise for book 2. I have to say, I was surprised.

4.5 stars and I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for the copy given in exchange for my honest review.

P.S. I want a Kincaid beast too.


Author Info



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Review Accidentally Compromising the Duke by Stacy Reid





Title: Accidentally Compromising the Duke
Author: Stacy Reid
Series: Wedded by Scandal
Release Date: May 30th


Synopsis

England, 1817.

Miss Adeline Hays is out of options. Determined to escape marriage to a repugnant earl, Adeline plans to deliberately allow herself to be caught in a compromising position at a house party with the much kinder man she’d hoped to marry. Instead, Adeline accidentally enters the wrong chamber and tumbles into the bed of the mad duke.

Edmond Rochester, the duke of Wolverton, is seeking a wife to care for his two daughters. A young lady of sensibilities, accomplishment, and most importantly, one who he is not attracted to—a complete opposite of the bewitching beauty who traps him into marriage. But despite the lust he feels for his new duchess, Edmond is resolved to never allow them intimacy, refusing to ever again suffer the tormenting loss of a loved one.



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Review by Iza

This book, oh my God, this book! I can't express just how much I loved it!

Or maybe I can. Okay, I'll try.

The heroine, Adeline Hays doesn't want to marry any man she doesn't love. She keeps fighting her parents on it. She speaks her mind. She's a girl after my own heart, for sure. She's also devious and plots out a way to trap herself into a marriage with a man she at least likes.

But she gets tricked and finds herself trapped into a marriage to a man everyone fears. The Duke of Wolverton, a man said to have killed his own wife *cue outraged gasps from the ladies that love to spend time gossiping*

But the Duke of Wolverton is also looking for a wife and he decides Adeline would do.

Yes, I love the Duke. He is mysterious, with a dark side to him that reminded me of many heroes from Gothic literature. As a matter of fact, I love how the entire book has that Gothic feel to it. It certainly made it onto my top reads of the year list. And yes, the Duke is also a new book boyfriend.

Will I reread it? Yes! Do I recommend it? Yes! Highly! You have to read this book! It's the first book I read of Ms. Reid's but not the last. I'm going to make sure to read the others as well. I'm also getting this beauty in a paperback format, to have on my shelf.

5 stars. 6. Loved it and I want to thank the publishers for the copy given in exchange for my honest review.


Author Bio



I am an unapologetic romance lover. I read it. I write it. Enough said. Well..I also have a warrior way "Never give up on my dreams." I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime and playing video games with my love, Dusean. 



  





 
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Tour Stop + Review Under the Surface (Alpha Ops #4) by Anne Calhoun





Title: Under the Surface
Author: Anne Calhoun
Series: Alpha Ops
Release Date: May 31st 2016



Synopsis

Welcome to Eye Candy, the East Side’s hottest nightclub where the bartenders are hot, the cocktails are fancy, and danger lurks just under the surface…

Eve Webber, the gorgeous and savvy owner of Eye Candy, knows better than anyone that growing up on the wrong side of the tracks comes with certain complications. Determined to run a clean business and fix up the East Side, Eve’s plans get temporarily stalled when a potential new hire walks into her bar. The sexual chemistry crackling between them is a potent distraction…even if she refuses to mix business with the promise of pleasure.

Detective Matt Dorchester lives by strict rules that have kept him alive in impossible situations. When his latest undercover assignment has him playing a bartender, his desire for the passionate owner has him breaking every single one. Eve is in danger and her life depends on his secrecy. But once their attraction reaches a climactic conclusion, Matt must make a desperate choice: Tell her the truth about who he really is—or risk a once-in-a-lifetime love to save her life?


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Excerpt

  
One of the most basic components of police work was learning to control a situation. A good undercover cop adjusted his personality and attitude to manage the situation according to his objectives. Matt was as good as they came, and that bluff should have worked.
Except Eve Webber raised the stakes without blinking an eye, and suddenly white-hot, explicit images of exactly how they’d finish what she’d started flashed in his brain . . . the skirt that barely covered her upper thighs, her desk, and that sleek mass of black hair she kept tugging free from the glossy color on her mouth. Heat flashed through him, the sensation shockingly intense.
Your job is to keep her alive, not get her into bed.
Eve emerged from her office around seven, iPhone in hand, and once she started working the room the vibe punched up several notches. Watching her smile and talk to the customers triggered something he couldn’t put his finger on.
During a brief lull, he turned to Tom, the steroid-buffed player working the station next to his. “She looks familiar.”
Tom hit the button on the blender to mix a raspberry daiquiri. “She won the newspaper’s sexiest female bartender contest two years running before she switched over to events management at the Met.” “Fucking moron” was implied at the end of that sentence.
A niggling memory surfaced of the newspaper’s Arts and Culture section getting passed around before the shift briefing a couple of years ago, right before he made the leap to detective and started working long-term undercover assignments. The article’s text meandered alongside a full-length picture of Eve, hair tumbled into her face, hands braced on the bar behind her, wearing a white blouse unbuttoned deep in her cleavage, a tight, short black skirt, black stockings, and heels. Her slim legs were crossed at the ankle, and the angle of the shot made them seemed endless. He should have been focused on the briefing, but he’d given the photo a good thorough look before handing it to his partner, who’d looked even longer.
The provocative shot actually masked what won Eve the contest. In person she radiated vitality, a sheer visceral force that drew light, glances, attention. Even more surprising was the way she didn’t hoard the energy but rather turned it back on whomever she was talking to. Like that person was the only person in the room. Like she heard what they were saying, and maybe even what they weren’t saying.
Life flowed into this woman. She amplified it and sent it back out into the world, and he couldn’t stop watching her.
She checked in with her bouncer, the size of the Hulk, with gang ink disappearing into the sleeves of his T-shirt.
“That’s not an off-duty cop,” he said.
“Friend of the family,” Tom replied over the music. “Someone her dad knew.”
“Bars this busy usually hire the pros,” Matt said as he pulled out a fresh rack of glasses.
“You know what those assholes charge? They’re fucking expensive,” Tom said as he handed the drink across the bar. “And they’re nosy. Hot Stuff doesn’t like strangers in her business.”
Matt would bet his Jeep that Eve wouldn’t like being called Hot Stuff, but if Tom hadn’t figured that out, Matt wasn’t about to enlighten him. He watched as she cleared a couple of abandoned glasses off the bar in front of him and handed them to a passing busboy, then came around the corner of the bar, trailing her fingers along the polished wood. He handed the drink to a customer and gave her his full attention.
“How are you doing?” she asked, scanning his station.
“You tell me,” he replied, and if he got a little closer than necessary to hear what she was saying over the thumping dance music, well, he was just doing his job. Given the heat in the bar, he expected perfume, something musky and sexy. Instead the faintest scent of mint and rosemary drifted into the air between them when she tucked her hair behind her ears.
“I’m satisfied,” she said, not backing away. “The job’s yours if you want it.”
She was less than a breath away from him. A shift of his weight and a deep inhale, and they’d be breathing together like they were naked and horizontal. The heat sizzled and popped between them and it didn’t take training in body language to read the signals. Eve Webber wanted him.
Chad Henderson. His undercover identity, the man he was pretending to be. Not him.
No matter who he was today, neither he nor Chad could have her. He was supposed to keep her safe, make sure she didn’t change her mind about working with the department, monitor any appearances Murphy made in Eye Candy.
He wanted her.
“I want the job,” he said, not bothering to hide what he really meant.
She looked at him through the layered, sweeping fall of hair he wanted to brush back so he could see her eyes, her mouth. “Hang around after close. I’ll give you the paperwork to fill out and bring back with you tomorrow.”
He leaned in, as if he needed to speak with her, employee to employer, but didn’t want to shout over the music. “See you later, boss,” he rasped.
 

Review by Iza


This is the first book I've read by Ms. Calhoun but not my last, that's for sure.

I admit, as always when you're trying out a new author, it gets a little to get used to the style, get a feel for it and the characters. You're hoping and keeping your fingers crossed you'll like it, you'll connect with the characters. And that did, indeed, happen.

I loved Eve. Being told time and time again how to live her life, she does the exact opposite and takes a chance on her dreams. I liker that she's pretty badass, and won't let anyone tell her what to do. She's not a damsel in distress, but she's smart and knows when to ask for it. I do believe I have a tiny crush on her.

Our hero, Matt, was slightly frustrating in some scenes, he made me want to bang my precious kindle into any available hard surface because he could be so stubborn, but I sort of understood him. Or tried to. What made up all of the above mentioned stubbornness was the WOW chemistry the two main characters had. It was unbelievably hot, off-the-charts!

So, 4 stars for Under the Surface, and I'll look into the previous books, as well, because Ms. Calhoun has won me over. I wanted to thank the publishers for the copy given in exchange for my honest review. 

Author Bio


After doing time at Fortune 500 companies on both coasts, Anne landed in a flyover state, where she traded business casual for yoga pants and decided to write down all the lively story ideas that got her through years of monotonous corporate meetings. Her first book, LIBERATING LACEY won the EPIC Award for Best Contemporary Erotic Romance. Her story WHAT SHE NEEDS was chosen for Smart Bitch Sarah's Sizzling Book Club. Anne holds a BA in History and English, and an MA in American Studies from Columbia University. When she's not writing her hobbies include reading, knitting, and yoga. She lives in the Midwest with her family and singlehandedly supports her local Starbucks.

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