Review: Only for a Night by Naima Simone

2 1/2 - 3 STARS FOR STEAMY SEX, DISCUSSING ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, & MISCARRIAGES

Rion Ward fought hard to be free of the Irish mob life. Now, as the co-owner of Boston’s hottest aphrodisiac club, he’s traded crime for the ultimate sexual fantasy. But when the “good girl” from his past walks through Lick’s doors, he discovers that his unconsummated hunger for her never abated.

Widowed for two years from a man who felt that anything besides the missionary position was dirty, Harper Shaw is ready to move on. The first step to feeling alive again is sex. Hot, dirty, black-out-from-orgasm sex. And who better to provide it than the brooding, sexy, tatted bad boy-turned-man she’s known for years?

Rion, however, has one stipulation: He’ll be hers only for one night. One night to explore her every fantasy. One night to push her limits. One night to introduce her to a passion that makes both doubt if it will be enough…

*Generously received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

My overall feelings for this book are mixed, thus leaving a mixed stars rating. I don't believe the book was lacking enough to give it 2 stars, but I don't think the book can be warranted a 3 star rating with the other books that I have provided the same rating. Thus, a mixed feelings review will be brought to you.

The easiest way for me to convey how I feel about this book is through a list of things that I like and things that maybe just didn't cut it for me.

Likes:

1. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes and dialogue between Rion and Harper. They held so much tension that was so sexy. Plus, the book held great foreplay. I have previously mentioned in other reviews about the importance of foreplay and this book is a great example of execution of foreplay. 
2. The intercourse scenes were steamy and, like I mentioned above, the foreplay helped the tension and build up to the scenes. Also, there were some moments that made me a little uncomfortable as a reader, but I do not hold that against the book. They are scenes that made me, personally, uncomfortable, but they did not make me put down the book and stop reading. I just kept reading through them. 
3. I really liked that the heroine in the book was a widow with a difficult past. It isn't very common to have a leading lady that is a widow with a former husband that was abusive, plus had a miscarriage. Honestly, I read plenty of books that have provided less of a back story and tried to get away with it, so this story providing the back story that Harper has was a big thumbs up in my book!

I really don't want to rush through the greatness of touching on Harper's story. Harper tried to do like many other women have tried to do, and that is being with a guy because of how he sounds on paper and because they think that the man is the type of guy that women are supposed to be with. This is one of the gravest mistakes that women can make and Harper experienced the repercussions. Being with a man that doesn't love you for who you are, staying with a guy for guilt, believing that everything is okay because he is financially supporting you, but who cares about emotionally well-being! (*Sarcasm*) I am, honestly, so glad that Simone took the time to write Harper's back story! For me, I could have read a story about Harper and everything that happened to her and not have cared about all of the steamy scenes. It was just that compelling to me! Not to mention, the hurt and loss that she experienced with losing a child that she was never able to carry. It is all so heart-breaking! So yes, it might seem like I am rambling, but I did not want this part of the story to be overlooked or not given the time and recognition that it deserves for being in an erotic romance novel. 

Dislikes:

1. So even though Harper has such a great back story, the overall plot of the book was very surface. All of Simone's time and creative was thrown into Harper's back story, which left the rest of the book was wanting, but part of me feels like I am being a little hard on the book. Pretty much, the book has a great back story with Harper and then you have steamy sex scenes. That is the book. I do not feel like there is anything else to the story, which is a bummer. :/ I wish that we, as the readers, were able to spend more time Rion in terms of character development and were able to get to know some of the other characters better. I just feel like the story has a lot more potential. 
2. The book is short. Like very short. 120 pages short. I read the book on my way to Tennessee and was able to finish the book before I actually arrived at my destination. I know that it is a silly thing to ding the book, but I feel like a good book should be longer than 120 pages. It made the end of the book feel rushed and did not provide the correct sense of closure. P.S. Completely thrown for a loop with the family reunion type scene at the end. It felt really odd. 

So, these are my thoughts, opinions, and feelings. I feel like this review is all over the place. One minute I am praising the book for discuss issues for women and then the next, I am bashing the book for not enough character development and plot. Obviously, I cant decide how I really feel about this book. But hey! It happens. Some books are just that way. 

Review: Grin & Beard It by Penny Reid

3 1/2 STARS FOR JETHRO WINTON, BEARDS, & SEXY PLUS-SIZED HISPANIC LEADS!!

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston. 

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart? 

 Penny Reid does it again! I have read many of her works from the Knitting in the City series, the first book in the Winston Brothers series,  and I posted a review on this blog about The Player and the Pixie #2 in the Rugby series, which Reid collaborates with L.H. Cosway on the series. 

Similar to Reid's other series and works, Grin & Beard It does not disappoint! I have to admit, I have a problem when it comes to Reid's books. Anytime I pick up one of her books to read, I cannot put it down until I have finished the book. Seriously, it's a problem. This past weekend, I visited the zoo with my boyfriend and what was I doing on the way to the zoo? Reading Grin & Beard It. What was I doing while I was waiting for my boyfriend to get out of the bathroom? Reading Grin & Beard It. What was I doing on the way home from the zoo? Reading Grin & Beard It. I seriously think that Reid created a monster with this series. It consumes my life each time that she releases the next book. I'm not saying that I am complaining. I am willingly handing myself over to the monster with the sexy beard and yelling "YES! TAKE MY LIFE! I AM YOUR'S TO HAVE!" That pretty much describes my weekend with Grin & Beard It. 

Now to the stuff that you actually care about, how is the book and the content. The overall story line and plot is funny and entertaining. There are many scenes that had me laughing out loud. Such as this: 

"He hesitated for just a second before saying, 'It's just that, I like that you eat hot sauce because it means that you can handle surprises in your mouth.'"

Hot damn! Now if that isn't sexy, yet hilarious at the same time? Then I don't know what is! Reid had many scenes like this one and she excels at writing them. 

Sienna and Jethro as a couple are fun, especially Sienna! Sienna cracks me up! She reminds me of a mix between Sofia Vergara and America Ferrera. Short, funny, witty, curvy. grew up in America so she is still connected with the pop culture, but still connected to her Hispanic roots through her parents. Sienna as a character is someone that everyone can connect easily and is relatable. She has struggled with her weight and society's pressure to confirm to their ideals, but has a strong sense of who she is. I believe that is something that needs to be commended. I really applaud Reid for writing her character. There is not enough women characters in literature like Sienna. She stood up to not only to society and her peers in the industry, but even her sister. That is not something that everyone can and will do. 

Jethro Winston is a character that I was really unsure of going into the book. I was already familiar with Beau, Cletus, and Duane from the first Winstons book, so I knew that I would love them, especially Cletus. Cletus really shines  in this book and I can't wait to read his story in book #3. Also, I am super curious about Billy's story. 

(Note to Penny Reid: I felt like you left me hanging with the back story on Billy and Claire! What happened between them? And did Claire leave? We never got an answer!)

But back to Jethro. I enjoyed reading Jethro's character for the same similar reasons that I enjoyed reading Duane's. I like that Jethro really cares about how his decisions affect others. He isn't selfish. He is family oriented. Basically, he has many traits that are really appealing to women. He is handsome, smooth, charming, and do I need to remind you about the quote above? Yet, he has drawbacks with his past. His past is like a killer in a horror movie. The hero keeps looking over their shoulder to see if the killer is there or not. As the viewer, you keep screaming at them to run, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! Yet, you never know when it is going to pop-up and stab you in the back. So this fear that Jethro has is a drawback. 

You are probably wondering why I gave the book 3 1/2 stars when everything that I have been writing is positive. Well, 3 1/2 stars come from a couple personal hiccups that I have. 

1. The previous mentioned unanswered back story with Billy & Claire. Also, only mentioning once that Claire was going to be leaving then never mentioning it ever again. 
1. So, unlike the resolution with Claire. Billy & Claire's history was a topic that was brought up multiple times. I'm pretty sure I can find at least three scenes where their history was brought up for question. Yet, it was never answered. We, as the reader, never received the full disclosure as to what happened. I'm assuming that this will be later revealed in Billy's book, but as a reader I am really kind of frustrated by that because I want to know now. It was brought up now, so I want to know now. Not 4 books later!
2. Did Claire move? I don't know. Claire told Sienna that she was moving and that she wasn't planning on telling Jethro. That is about as much information that the reader got. I'm just going to assume like I mentioned above that this will be revealed in a later book. 
2. Not a enough of conflict. 
1. There were things that were struggles for Sienna and Jethro, but that was limited to between the two. I talking about in terms of outside conflict between the couple. There was one thing that created conflict for Sienna and Jethro, but I feel like it was easily handled and moved on. And I felt like Reid could have taken a step further. I think that in terms of the book, characters, and the overall plot, that there could have been more conflict. Really shake things up for Sienna and Jethro. It just came across too easy, which leads to the next point. 
3. Resolution. 
1. The resolution came across as everything ended perfect and HEA. Jethro and Sienna had a problem. They had a conversation. Happy Ending. Well, what does that mean? Is Sienna moving to Tennessee? Is Jethro living on the road with Sienna or moving to LA? Is Sienna going to be working as much? Are the press and crazy fans showing up at Jethro's house? Are Sienna and Jethro moving in to Claire's place? As a reader, I just wish there was a little bit more resolution to the story. 

Well, I believe that wraps up this review for me. I still really love and enjoy the book. I can't wait till Cletus' story comes out in September. You better believe that I will be reading it and writing a review for you! :) Please comment, like, email, share, do whatever you want to do! :)

Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

3 1/2 STARS FOR X-MEN LIKE RECRUITING, CAL, & A WELL DEVELOPED HEROINE! 

Kneel Or Bleed

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

If you have not read Red Queen, then I suggest that you wait to read my review. Glass Sword is the sequel to Red Queen and cannot be read as a stand-alone. 

I have done it! I have finally read this book! I first read Red Queen, the first book in the series, last year when it came out and since then I have been dying to read the sequel. The book came out in February, but unfortunately my to be read books were way to high for me to have the chance to read it and the perfect opportunity came in May while I was on a vacation. 

So, I have read a little bit of the reviews on Goodreads after I read the book for myself and I don't know where I stand with everyone else. For the most part, I feel like there are a lot of mixed reviews. Either people love it, giving it a 5 star rating, which if you can tell by my reviews that is not something that I do. I do not give a book a 5 star rating unless I feel like it is one of my favorite books of all time and ranks on my top 5 or top 10 books. Just wanted to clarify that. Back to the topic at hand, so the book is falling into either the reader really loves the book or people are giving it a 1 or 2 star and do not believe that it lives up to the caliber of Red Queen. 

So where do I stand? Well, I give it a 3 1/2 stars. 3, because it is not quite a 4 and the 1/2 because I do think that it does have enough qualities and substance to be recognized. The hardest thing with books in a series is trying to review and rate them as individual books. If a book is a trilogy, then it is a little bit easier. I felt like I had a clear judgement with how I felt of each book in the Hunger Games series. The same can be said for the Harry Potter series, but this is also after the series is finished that I feel like I can say that. I state this, because as a reader and reviewer, once the book is finished and the reader knows that the series is not over, they have to acknowledge that. There is more to the story. So, that is my overall thought process while reviewing this book and future books in general when they are in a series, such as Glass Sword. 

Well, what did I like/dislike?

Likes:

• One of my favorite aspects of the first book and I'm glad that it was continued into the sequel, is the similarity to X-Men. So think about it for a second with me. In X-Men, (if you are familiar with the X-Men movies and TV series) those with mutated genetics were sought out to be exterminated. They were different and not understood scientifically, but there was a group that came together to find others like them with the X gene. In X-Men, the group was obviously, the X-Men, while in Glass Sword the group was Mare Barrow and the Scarlet Guard. I really enjoyed Mare and her pursuit of the new bloods. It was really fun finding out what each newblood's power was. It reminded me a lot of X-Men. 

I know that other readers thought that the search for newbloods was boring and did not provide much action, but for me I enjoyed it because I felt like it was setting the basis or foundation for the next book. It takes time to introduce all of the new characters, their powers, and the overall development of the plot. Also, the search for the newbloods provided character development for Cal and Mare. It showed Mare struggling as a leader, connecting with others, and feeling isolated. As for Cal, it showed how his strength as a leader, a strategist, and training all of the newbloods. So in my opinion, the search for the newbloods and bringing the group together, X-Men style, was fun to read about and I really enjoyed. It has been one my favorite things in the whole series. I love learning about all of the different powers. 

• Maven and his mother, Queen Elara, are badass villains. Seriously, Maven is awesome. He is dark and unyielding in his pursuit for Mare, especially with the letters. There is nothing better in a book then a good villain. Someone that really gets into the mind of the hero and breaks them down. It is completely boring to have a villain that is weak and doesn't push the hero, but that isn't Maven or even Queen Elara. Maven scares the shit (sorry for the language) out of Cal and Mare. He is in their head and dreams. That is what makes him a good villain! He is someone Cal and Mare can't escape. They can't move past who they thought he was and who he is now. As for Queen Elara, there is nothing better than an Evil Queen that can get into anyone's head and control them. 

• Mare Barrow is a badass heroine for young women to read about. I really like how Victoria Aveyard wrote Mare Barrow to be so real. She has so many layers to her character and she is not perfect. She is an authentic teenage girl, 17 years old, going through struggles of identity, feeling alone and isolated, without certainty of anything. Is she someone that is always fun to read about? No. There were definitely times when I wanted to shake the girl and tell her to get over her issues. I definitely thought that there were times when she was just self-wallowing, having a pity party, and taking on problems for herself. But then that just brings me back to my earlier statement about Mare Barrow being authentic, she has pro's and con's. But she is still Mare Barrow a 17 year old girl. 

Dislikes:

• The ending. I hate the ending of this book. I don't want to give it away, but I hate the cliff hanger. I feel like I was just left empty-handed. I am completely confused and caught off guard. Part of me feels really angry at Aveyard. Angry at her for not giving us more of an explanation for the ending and what to expect for the next book. It is a completely frustrating ending for the reader and Mare Barrow. What happens to Mare Barrow is awful, annoying, terrible. It is one of those situations that the reader doesn't want to read about or have happen. I know personally, that if something is happening in a book that is terrible for the protagonist, then I don't want to read it. I want to wish it away and not even acknowledge that it is happening. And this is the type of situation that Aveyard put Mare Barrow in. The lightning girl. AND IT IS A CLIFF HANGER! Like I said. It is awful and frustrating. Thus, I am probably going to hate Aveyard until the next book, but it is a cruel thing to do to your readers. 

But what can I do? Wait till the next book and hope that things quickly turn around for Mare Barrow. I sure do hope so. Until then, I will be waiting and follow all of the updates for the next book like everyone else!