Review: Thin Lives by Bethany Kris

4 STARS FOR AN AMAZING TRILOGY FROM BETHANY KRIS!!

Some days, it felt like Emma had just imagined it all. 
Like maybe everything she had been with Calisto was just a dream. 
Emma knew it was crazy—it was impossible to forget what she had shared with Calisto Donati. All their love, the stolen moments, their foulness together, and the beauty underneath it all were real. 
They were real. 
But he didn't know. He didn’t know any of it. 
And little by little, with every day that passed her by, Emma found she was losing those pieces that reminded her they had existed once. 
Just like the rosary. 
All too soon, Emma knew … there would be nothing left.

Calisto Donati

Emma hadn’t given him a choice. 
Her, not him. 
Yeah, that’s what Calisto was going to keep telling himself. He refused to feed into the strange curiosity he had about Emma Donati. It had been building from the moment he’d first seen her face after he’d awakened. He wouldn’t admit that for longer than he cared to admit, he thought there was more behind her false smile, polite words, and the distance she put between her and him—that there might be more to them. 
He couldn’t. 
Except … he was feeding into it. 
Calisto just wasn’t sure what it was. 
But tonight he was going to find out. 
Whether she wanted to tell him or not.

***

The final Bloodlines novel.

(Generously received this book for my honest review by Indie Sage PR)

Thin Lives is the third and final book in the Donati Bloodlines Trilogy and is not a standalone novel. I HIGHLY SUGGEST that you read the first two novels in the series, Thin Lies and Thin Lines, before reading this novel. If you are interested in reading my reviews for Thin Lines and Thin Lies, then you can find them here. 

I cannot promise that you will not read any spoilers in those reviews or this one. I always try my best to not give away any major spoilers and forewarn you if the review does contain any spoilers, but still provide the best review that I can for the author and publishing company. Yada, Yada, Yada. Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer. ON TO THE REVIEW!

If you have been keeping up with any of my reviews this year, then you know that I have been absolutely loving and raving about this series and BETHANY KRIS! Honestly, this has been one of my favorite trilogies/series of 2016. It is so different from the other trilogies that have come out this year and recently. Unlike other series that feature the first book, a filler second book, and the final book that wraps up the series, the Donati Bloodlines Trilogy has a first book that completely hooks you, a second book that makes you craving for more, and a final book that fulfills everything that you wanted in the series. This series does not have anything that I would change, complain, or criticize, which is really rare for a book series to achieve from me. So I will definitely applaud and hail Bethany Kris! She has definitely made it to my current list of favorite authors. She is up there with Alice Clayton and Penny Reid in terms of who I am really actively reading and loving at the moment. 

On the note of Bethany Kris, I have read all of the Filthy Marcellos series, minus Dante's story and I still think that the Donati Bloodlines Trilogy is better overall as a series. I believe that I find this storyline more appealing, captivating, gritty, and the characters in the story contain much more depth. You really believe Emma and Calisto, their feelings, and you connect with them. This is something that I felt was lacking a little bit in the Filthy Marcellos series. 

In terms of the Thin Lives novel, the novel continued where the second book left off with Calisto still not remembering Emma. I actually liked that Kris didn't immediately have Calisto remember Emma. The reader spent a good portion of the book with Calisto as he struggled to regain his memories. This was a journey that I wanted to take with Calisto as a reader. It wasn't rushed along for the sake of moving forward with the plot. At the same time, we were able to experience Emma's struggle with not being able to interact or reveal her history with Calisto. This was such a difficult predicament to read for the both of them, but I'm still glad that, as a reader, it was included in the book. 

As I stated in the previous novel, Alfonso is still a large factor and source of struggle for the couple. This was to be expected seeing as he is the big bad guy in the first two books. I do not want to reveal too much that happens with his character, because I do not want to give away any spoilers. But I will say that I am glad with the way that Kris ended his storyline in the book. It was a prefect conclusion for his character. I do not want to say too much more about the book, because I do not want to give anything away.

Do Emma and Calisto get their HEA? You will have to read the book to find out! ;)

Lastly, would I recommend this book to others? Definitely! I would definitely recommend the entire series. Especially to those that love Mafioso Romances. This would be right up your alley. It really is a great trilogy. Please do not take my lack of a review in terms of the book as a reflection of how amazing the series is. It is because I love the book so much that I am not writing/saying more of what occurs in the plot. 

Review: Now That It's You by Tawna Fenske

3 STARS FOR A GOOD ROM-COM & HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!

Talented chef Meg Delaney hasn’t spoken to her cheating ex-fiancé, Matt Midland, for two years. Ditching him at the altar after blurting out “I can’t” instead of “I do” would sour any relationship. But now, just as Meg is finally ready to bury the hatchet, she learns closure is permanently off the menu. And the kicker? Matt’s brother, Kyle, is back in her life, stirring up feelings that are equal parts guilt and lust.

Meg was the best thing that never happened to Kyle. He couldn’t make a move on his brother’s girlfriend—even if Matt didn’t value her nearly enough. The situation is even more complicated now that Meg’s bestselling aphrodisiac cookbook has spawned a legal battle with the Midlands. Maybe he should stay away. But love, like family, plays by its own rules. And the one woman he shouldn’t want might be the only one who’s perfect for him.

Now That It's You by Tawna Fenske is like one of those good Rom-Com movies that you can always put on and rely on it to make you feel good. It's like "Just Friends" with Ryan Reynolds. (It's one of my sister's favorite movies, so I have been exposed to the movie more times than I would have probably expected.) You know that when you put on "Just Friends" that it will make you laugh, but ultimately it is about the heart-wrenching HEA. Everyone always has a HEA movie that they put on, just because they need that little bit of reassurance and pick-me-up. This book reminded me of just that. 

Now That It's You has all of the key ingredients of a good Rom-Com/HEA. First, boy and girl first meet when they were young, but due to circumstances they were unable to form a romantic relationship. *Cough* Friends Zone *Cough*

Meg first met Kyle when Meg dated Kyle's brother, Matt. Meg and Matt dated for a significant amount of time before they became engaged, but Meg left him at the alter due to his infidelity. Leaving Kyle at the alter caused Meg and Kyle to not see each other ever again until Meg decided to go visit Kyle and get some closure on their relationship. This leads to the next part of a good Rom-Com/HEA. The reunited moment.

Meg and Kyle are both reintroduced into each other lives. It becomes new again. As if they are meeting each other for the first time, but not necessarily. There is a past between them, but now they can form a relationship that is not connected to their past. It can be based on the present. BUT......

Life happens and things get in their way, like every good Rom-Com. There has to be that little bit of conflict. And overall, I did like the conflict that Fenske provided. I definitely sided with Meg on some of the issues. I felt like Kyle was a little stupid, well in my opinion, in some of his decisions and some of the things that he said. Especially with some of the decisions that he made while Meg and Matt were still together. I like to think that it was because of Kyle's idiocy and inability to really commit to fighting for something that led to their "falling out". Yes, the good ol' falling out part of the Rom-Com movie where the director attempts to make you think that the couple is not going to be together, but YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS LIKE 20 MINUTES LEFT IN THE MOVIE!! THEY ARE SO GETTING BACK TOGETHER!

I will give Fenske credit with Meg and Kyle as a couple. I honestly really enjoyed them, because they were more mature about their relationship and feelings. They were actual adults.  The stupid moments with Kyle were genuine and believable in a way that a guy would be stupid. I didn't sit and scream at the book about how un-life-like it was. Many times, I read a Rom-Com book and will just roll my eyes at the characters, because it seems like they try to hard. The author just tries so hard to the make the characters or story like something that it comes across as just not believable. I'm just not convinced, but I didn't feel that way with Meg and Kyle. I think that my sister (a big Rom-Com fan) would enjoy this book. I would recommend it to her Dawson's Creek loving , Love Actually obsession, Just Friends loving heart. I think that it would be right up her alley. 

He's so cute! :D

Until the next review, which I'm hoping to start on right away. Like I said in my previous blog, I have some catching up to do.

Review: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

3 STARS FOR A CURVY, CONFIDENT WOMAN!!


Manhattan’s It Girl, Natalie Grayson, has it all: she’s a hot exec at a leading advertising firm, known industry-wide for her challenging and edgy campaigns. She’s got a large circle of friends, a family that loves her dearly, and her dance card is always full with handsome eligible bachelors. What else could a modern gal-about-town wish for? The answer, of course, is...cheese.

Natalie’s favorite part of each week is spending Saturday morning at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, where she indulges her love of all things triple cream. Her favorite booth also indulges her love of all things handsome. Oscar Mendoza, owner of the Bailey Falls Creamery and purveyor of the finest artisanal cheeses the Hudson Valley has to offer, is tall, dark, mysterious, and a bit oblivious. Or so she thinks. But that doesn’t stop Natalie from fantasizing about the size of his, ahem, milk can.

Romance is churning, passion is burning, and something incredible is rising to the top. Could it be...love?

*CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION*

This blog entry and countless others have been sitting here on my laptop for a while now waiting for the reviews to be written, but I just haven't had the moment in my life to put everything else on pause and write all of the reviews that are pilling up. So there isn't a better day, then Labor Day to take advantage of the time off from work to provide some reviews for all of you.

First things first, Alice Clayton's Cream of the Crop. Alice Clayton is one of my favorite authors. I love her series Wallbanger and the first novel in The Hudson Valley series, Nuts.

Cream of the Crop focuses on the story of Natalie Grayson. Natalie and Clara were first introduced as Roxie Callahan's best friends in Nuts and I'm interested to see how Clara's story plays out in the next novel. Clayton has not released the name or date for the third book in the series yet, but I am hopeful that it will come out in 2017.

I like Natalie's story when I solely focus just on her past, how she came to where she is currently, and who she is as an individual. I think Natalie's voice as a character is unique and funny. She is like so many of us with secret desires of a life that we are afraid to voice. Afraid that if we speak them out loud or share them with others then that will make the dreams real and us vulnerable.

Natalie is also relatable as a protagonist in her appearance. She is not a perfect Barbie cut woman. She is larger and curvaceous and totally owns it! She wears stilettos and the current fashion trends. She doesn't allow a number on the scale to dictate how she feels about herself or the confidence that she exudes.

Natalie is awesome and like I mentioned, I enjoy her back history, everything overall about Natalie, and her story.  BUT...... I felt like there were things lacking with Cream of the Crop and they lie more with the development of Oscar as a character, the plot with his ex-wife, and the pace of the ending of the novel.

I understand the appeal of Oscar as a character. He is a quiet, mysterious, sexy farmer, BUT I wish there was a little bit more developing of Oscar as a character. I wanted more depth and dialogue. Once I finished the novel, it hit me that Oscar didn't really say a whole lot. I didn't feel like I really knew Oscar. Oscar was almost more of a concept of a man. So when some of the more serious scenes and interactions did occur, I completely sided with Natalie and didn't understand why Oscar was behaving the way that he was. It was really frustrating.

The best way I can describe it is when you are dating someone and you know them as the person that you have been dating. You know their name, occupation, and what you have gathered from experiences together, but something occurs and all of a sudden it makes you realize that you don't really know them at all. You thought that you did, because you had the basic information and everything else you filled in with your mind. And it is all of those empty spaces that you filled in that turned out to be completely wrong and now it makes you question who it is that you have been dating and seeing. Now, I'm not saying that Oscar is exactly like this scenario, but this is what comes to mind when I think of how I felt about Oscar at the end of the book. Plus, the epilogue from his point of view was kind of odd.

Now, in terms of the plot with Missy. Missy and her relationship with Oscar completely frustrated me, and I completely agreed with Natalie's feelings and sentiments. Of course, some of you will think that I am only siding with Natalie because she is the protagonist and that I wanted her to be with Oscar, but even if Oscar and Natalie did not end up together I would have still thought that Missy and Oscar's relationship was not healthy and weird. I hated that Clayton made Natalie look like a bully/villain/bad guy for calling out Missy and Oscar on their friendly relationship. I do not believe that Oscar could have a healthy relationship with any woman while Missy was still a large part of his life. It is not to say that two ex-spouses could not be on good terms, but there is a difference between being on good terms and baking muffins for your ex-spouse every week and texting them anytime that you need something. VERY BIG DIFFERENCE! And there is nothing wrong with a woman beginning a relationship with a guy and wanting to be the main woman in his life, wanting his focus and attention. There is nothing wrong with that. I think that most would expect it.

Lastly, is the pace of the book at the end. The beginning and middle had great pace with moving the plot along, but the ending felt completely rushed. I felt like there was really great content at the end of the book that given the opportunity to flesh out and really dive into could have brought a lot of development to Natalie and Oscar as a couple. One example, Natalie had a whole scene where she spoke to Chad and Logan about her previous relationship. This was a really big, important moment for Natalie in the book. It really revealed a lot of information about Natalie as a character. Yet, this type of moment never occurred for Natalie with Oscar, instead it was a short, brief moment. I would think that Clayton and Natalie would want Oscar to have the same, if not, more time and treatment of the topic. It came across to me, as a reader, that Natalie didn't really want to tell Oscar the full story. Like she just glazed over it and how much it impacted her. Another example, Natalie ran into her ex and it did affect her emotionally, but Clayton just grazed the surface with the scene. This was a moment that I wish Clayton would have taken the time and added the extra pages to provide more depth and details, because Clayton did already write the scene. I wish that she would have just really gone for it and written a full blown interaction or discussion between Natalie and Oscar about her ex or even a full discussion between Natalie and her ex. Yet, this never occurred. These are just two examples of content that occurred at the end of the book, but was rushed.

Overall, I really enjoy Natalie and Alice Clayton's works. Sure, there are some things lacking with the book that I personally think would have enhanced the story, but I still feel like the story is worth 3 stars. I still like the book, but I would have really enjoyed the book and would be raving about it if it had these changes.