Review of The Lonely By Tara Brown

The Lonely by Tara Brown

Genre: Dark, NA-College, Erotica, BDSM, Romance, Adult Fiction 18+.

Published: February 2013

Length: 356 pages

Book Format:  Amazon Kindle

4.5 out of 5 Stars (I loved everything about this one)

When I bought The Lonely, I thought I was going to read a book about a nice girl, who struggles with her OCD that goes away to college with her best friend.  At college, she was going to meet a hot guy, date him and fall in love with maybe a little bit of drama here and there.   Yeah, maybe it started that way, but it did not continue that way.  About 33%, the book took a 180 degree turn and my brain had to  “adjust” to what was happening.  How did we go from a nice contemporary romance to THIS?

That is what made this book awesome. The author did not wait until the typical 51% to get to the main plot of the story. It happens when you least expect it.

If you want to know what the story is about, here is what I think I can give you.

We meet Emalyn Spicer who lives with “the lonely.”

“It’s what I call the lonely. It creeps up whenever I’m uncomfortable. It freezes me up. I feel it enter new places with me, like it’s in the bag I packed.”

She wants to be “normal” and decides to go away to college with her best friend, Shell, for a New Leaf. Emalyn has a Mr. Uncle Daddy Benefactor that takes care of her. He pays for her school, he hires a driver to take her anywhere and everywhere, he texts and calls her anytime she makes a move without letting him know first. He knows where she is day and night, BUT she has never met him in person.

“Maybe he is Big Brother and I am in 1984.”

While at college, Emalyn meets Sebastian.  Sebastian is kind, loving and everything “normal” she is looking for. However, then all the darkness that she has been hiding inside her brain comes out to the surface and again the unthinkable happens to her.

“All of this has been planned to free you. You were never going to get better.”

FOUR words….this book was AWESOME!!!!!

I didn’t know what was going to happen even though I read several reviews. However, I was captured by Emalyn’s emotions and what she was going through.

“I can’t help but wonder if there was ever love and peace inside of me? Was I always so filled with fear and pain? Was there ever a time when someone held me in their arms and made me feel safe?”

I loved the writing style. I loved that even though it was written in first person, there was NO unnecessary inner dialogue.  There are so many wonderful quotes, I wish I could share more, but it would give away the story and I do not want to do that.

The author took me on an amazing ride.  I laughed, I cried, I held my breath.  Not a dull moment in this book.

To Tara Brown: Thank you for writing this amazing story and I cannot wait for the companion/sequel.

• Did I skim? No.  I took my time reading this book. I did not want to miss one word.
• Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes. Many times, my heart broke into a thousand pieces.
• Will I reread? Yes, probably before the sequel comes out.
• Pace of the story? Perfect.
• Positives: I did not know where the story was going.  With so many twists and turns, I had no idea how it was going to end. I love that in a book.
• Negatives: I didn’t understand why certain things happened the way they did, but I am hoping a lot will be answered in the sequel. I can’t say what they are since I do not want to give anything away. 
• Do I recommend?  Drop what you are reading and start reading this book!

The sequel, The Lost Boy, comes out this Summer 2013.  I. CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!!

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Tara Brown Website: http://tarbrow.wix.com/tara-brown-author

Tara Brown Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TaraBrownAuthor

Tara Brown Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TaraBrown22

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Comfort Food By Kitty Thomas

Comfort Food

Genre: Sociology/Abuse, Erotica, Adult Fiction, BDSM.

Published: March 2010

Length: 138 Pages

5 out of 5 Stars (I am still thinking about this story)

I can’t believe I almost did not read this book.  This was an amazing read.

Synopsis: Emily Vargas, who is a successful self-help author and speaker.  While on one of her speaking engagements, something is slipped into her drink and she wakes up in a small dark room, held captive.  Emily does not know why she was kidnapped.  She does not even know who her captor is. In this story, we go through this journey of mental “abuse” where her captor conditions her to be what he wants her to be.

“That’s the thing about conditioning. You can know it’s happening all you want; it doesn’t change the results.”

The minute you start reading, you are immediately involved in what is happening to Emily.

Is there an HEA? Is there romance? Is this a love story?  These are questions that you will ask yourself and answer when you finish reading this book.

I do not want to give away much more.  I do not want to spoil the story for you since I want you to experience the events with fresh eyes.

The ending left me speechless.  The epilogue was brilliant.  Many times when I read the ending of the book, I thought how I could have written that better or thought of a better ending.  This ending could NOT have been more perfect. It left me thinking and I love when a book does that.

The author, Kitty Thomas, did an amazing job.

• Did I skim? No.
• Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes
• Did I think about the book when I finished? Yes.  I finished the book at night and woke up in the morning thinking about the characters. This book has stuck with me.
• Will I reread?  Not sure if this is a story I will want to experience again. I think it was an excellent book. Maybe it is still too fresh in my mind to think if I will ever reread it.  I am still shaken by all the events.
• Positives: I wasn’t expecting a lot of what happened in the story and I love that in the book.  The writing was amazing.
• Negatives:  Don’t know.  Can’t think of any. I have seen reviews that said that the story was too short, but I disagree.  I think it ended at the right time.

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Review of Beneath This Man (This Man #1) By: Jodi Ellen Malpas

3 out 5 Stars (4 Stars for first ¾ and 2 Stars for the last ½)

‘ Beneath This Man’

Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Published: January 2013

Genre: Erotica, BDSM, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Length: 524 pages

Three…Two…One…Zero…

Did I hear retribution sex???

Let me first say, it is worth the read.

I am giving the first ¾ of this book 4 stars since I thought that the story was well written and interesting.  Then somewhere at 72%, I was like “what?”  No!!! My opinion changed simply since what happens, I did not see or feel the sex was hot anymore.

Jesse is so beautiful.  Yeah, I get it, he is hot.  Yeah, he is a rich, controlling, alpha male.  I know. While Jesse reminds us of all the type of controlling sex he is going to “give” Ava; Ava reminds us that he is a god and all she thinks about is sex when Jesse is near. But can the woman just step back, for one minute, and think about how dysfunctional this relationship is getting??? The pill, the BDSM club, the man making you say ‘yes’ to things that you do not want to agree to…you need to seek help!  At some point, it is not hot and sexy anymore.

Plot: Ava O’Shea knew she was heading towards disaster. Every instinct told her to run, but Jesse Ward was a hard man to escape.

It has been five days’ since Ava left Jesse drunk and raging at Lusso – left behind a man who drowned her in his intensity and blindsided her with his touch. Getting over this man was never going to be easy and now he’s back in her life.

She has questions she needs answering, but her determination to get these answers will give the pleasure-seeking playboy the power to destroy her again. She needs to keep her eyes wide open and caution at the forefront of her mind, an ambitious intention when Jesse Ward is within touching distance. And he plans to be.

He’s dark, he’s broken – Ava knows this, but the only way to find out how dark and how broken is to get beneath the steely exterior of this man.

I love a hot, wealthy, alpha, controlling male.  If you would look at my Kindle library, I think ½ of my books are stories about rich, controlling, alpha males.  I love them.

However, someone needs to talk to Ava.  There is a point when you are in a relationship and you think “yeah, that is not healthy” and you leave no matter how hot and crazy good the sex is.  When there is a lack of mutual respect in a relationship, it’s over. There was one scene with Jesse where he crossed the line that I know I would not be able to forgive no matter what.

In the end, no real answers, just more questions that I want answered.  And it was not hot and sexy for me.

 -Did I skim? No.  The writing is very good

-Do I recommend?  Yes.  I think that the author does a create job creating a story about a dysfunctional relationship.  However, at this point the relationship is making me sad.

-Did I think about the book after I was done?  Yes, thinking and praying “I hope my daughter never gets into a relationship with a man like Jesse.”

-Do I look forward to the sequel? Yes, I will read the sequel.  I have to know how it all ends. Plus, I want some answers!! I just don’t think the sex is hot anymore. 

Other Books: ‘This Man’ (This Man #1) – Published: October 2012

‘This Man Confessed’ (This Man #3) – Expected Publication: Spring 2013

 

Review of This Man (This Man #1) By Jodi Ellen Malpas

4 out of 5 Stars

This Man (This Man #1)

By: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Published: October 20, 2012 

I did not know how to rate this book when I first finished it, BUT I made up my mind! I loved the last 10% and because of that, I am rating it 4 stars. I am big on endings, cliffhangers and epilogues. If a book makes me want to read the sequel ASAP, it deserves the 4 stars. I need that book in my hands NOW. I have so many questions.

Jesse – I hated him and then liked him and then felt bad for the guy. I mean the last 2 pages, I wanted to hug the guy and make him feel better. But really, how old are you??? Read the book, you will get my curiosity!

Ava – I like you, but you can be a little dense. Like the clues weren’t right in front of you???? I guess AWESOME sex can do that to you…make you blind!!!! Oblivious much?! But I still like you…

Kate – We need to go out. I think we could be friends.

Read the book so you can meet them too.

Plot: Young interior designer Ava O’Shea has an appointment for a first consultation at The Manor with the owner, Mr. Jesse Ward. She is expecting nothing more than an overweight, well-to-do countryman, and on arrival, nothing would suggest otherwise. How wrong could she be? This Man is devastatingly handsome, charming and confident.  He is also a conceited, hedonistic playboy, who knows no boundaries. Ava desperately does not want to be attracted to him, but she can’t control the overwhelming affect he has on her. Every instinct is telling her to run, so she does, but Jesse Ward is not so willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her. She knows she is heading for heartbreak, but how can she run when he won’t let her?

Did I skim? Yeah, a little in the beginning, but not much. I think the author was trying to set up the characters. Therefore, the story lagged at times. Do not skim a word in the last 10%.

Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes

Did I think about this book after I finished it? Yes. I loved the cliffhanger!

Do I recommend? YES!

Sequel: Beneath this Man (This Man #2) – Published January 17, 2013

 

Review of The Fetish Box, Part 1:Open All Night (The Fetish Box #1) By Nicole Camden

1 out of 5 Stars

 Fetish Box, Part One: Open All Night (The Fetish Box #1)

Author: Nicole Camden

Expected Publication: February 11, 2013

I wanted this book to be good, but it was not.  So I apologize in advance to the author for my review. I hate writing a negative review.  I think if some changes were made the book would be wonderful. This book had potential to be good, but in my opinion it fell short.

Mary, the main character, inherits a sex shop from her deceased mother, who she never met. Having grown up with a conservative grandmother and father, she is innocent and knows little to nothing about sex.   As Mary comes to her mother’s town to take over her inheritance, she realizes that she not only inherited a fetish shop but all the extras.

The first chapter was great.  However, the story just turned and became unbelievable.  Even to the point of ridiculous.  The conversations were nonsense. Even the switch with the POVs did not help me feel connected.  I tried, really tried, but the story just went from bad to worse.

There interaction with one another did not feel like friendship, but something strange. These people were supposed to be a “family” of sorts, but it felt like they just used each other.

Did I skim?  No, but I rolled my eyes a lot.

Did I think about the book after I finished it? Yes, about all the ways I can make the story better.

Did I feel connected to the characters? No

Do I recommend?  No

*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher (and Net Galley) for an honest review.

 

Review of Release Me (Stark Trilogy #1) by J. Kenner

Release Me (Stark Trilogy #1)

Author: J. Kenner

Published January 1, 2013

 4 out of 5 Stars

“Let me show you how far I can take you.”

 Being a huge fan of both 50 Shades and Bared to You, I am always looking for my next “fix” of a book that fits into those categories.  Therefore when I read the description that Release would appeal to fans of 50 Shades, I said “sign me up!”   And let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

I would think that after awhile I would get bored of the whole 50 Shade genre, but no, not me.  I can’t get enough. Is 50 Shades considered a genre, yet? 🙂

“You’re mine,” he says.

“I know.”

In Release Me, we are introduced to Damien Stark, a controlling, rich, alpha male and Nikki, a smart, sexy female who catches Damien’s eye.  Nikki is afraid to “commit” to Damien so he offers her one million dollars to pose for a portrait so he can get to “know her better”.  Nikki considers the offer since she wants to start her own company, but she has some reservation about posing since it may expose some of her secrets.  What Nikki soon discovers is that Damien has his own secrets that he is not willing to share.   Both are haunted by their dark pasts, but can not resist the strong passion and attraction they have for each other.

 I loved the intensity. I loved the passion.  I loved the steam.

I was impressed with the writing.  There are a lot of books out now that try to compare themselves with 50 Shades and Bared to You, but they are not successful because the story and writing are not affective.  J. Kenner did a great job making a story interesting enough that I did not want to put my Kindle down and made me anticipate the release of the sequel. Job well done!

“Because now I have you and I can’t stand the thought of ever losing you.”

Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher Banton (by Net Galley) for a honest review. Thank you.

 Sequel: Claim Me (Stark Trilogy #2) Expected Release Date July 2, 2013