Stealing Our Hearts

“How do you think we’ll know when we’ve found it? When we’ve found love? When we’ve found the one we love?” Sophie shrugged, finger tracing the lip of her now empty wine glass. “I think we tend to complicate that answer,” she said. “But I think it’s really quite simple.” I practically leaned in closer to her, heart beating rapidly as I clung to her every word. “You’ll know you’ve found love because whoever it may be, she’ll give you the courage to face that fear you’ve only ever run from. That’s how you’ll know.”

I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for a new Sienna Blake book even though it truly hasn’t been that long. Her books are absolutely addictive and I devour them in a single sitting, I need more! Truthfully, no one writes like Sienna does. She has a gorgeous way with words and crafts incredible characters that keep you fully engaged and engrossed in the plot. Darren and Kayleigh are no different. These two lovebirds have the most addicting chemistry. It melts off the page; you won’t be able to get enough of them.

This story is exactly what you might imagine as far as the title is concerned. This is a story about Darren falling in love with his brother’s girlfriend. It gets a little more complex as the story evolves, but that’s the gist. The first time Darren and Kayleigh meet, he accidentally walks in on her getting out of the shower. It’s love at first sight. I’m not kidding, Darren says to Kayleigh towards to end of our story, “I fell in love before we’d even ever kissed.” So yes, love at first sight for both of them, but Kayleigh is dating Darren’s brother, Eoin. Eoin is a big oaf, he reminds me of a teddy bear, but he’d got the body of a rugby player. I’m sure I’ll fall in love with him in his book, but he wasn’t what Kayleigh needed in this story. She needed tall, dark, mysterious Darren. Kayleigh goes to work for Darren as a receptionist at his mechanic shop because she needs a job. It’s a bad idea from the start, but they both keep their feelings locked down as long as they can. Things start to heat up between them after Kayleigh asks Darren to teach her a bit about working on cars. She’s passionate about what he’s passionate about and it brings them together. 

Of course everything comes to a head when the affair finally comes out, but honestly, it was way more painful than I could have ever imagined. Kayleigh makes some really tough decisions, during this story, out of fear. Fear that has been bred into her, that she’s become accustomed to. Her father was abusive and her mother was silent. Kayleigh’s need to speak out for what she wants and fight for what’s right is constantly compromised by this fear that she has.  It causes a TON of issues for her and Darren. This novel is dark and deep, there’s a lot going on under the surface. Darren has wounds from his past that he can’t let go of, also. Both of these characters grow tremendously during the duration of this novel. They overcome their fears and insecurities and past traumas and are able to move forward. It’s beautiful.

You’re going to cry, you’re going to get angry, and you’re most likely going to want to scream some times. I know I did, but it was the best emotional rollercoaster EVER. Seriously, I think this is my favorite of Sienna Blake’s work. She just continues to impress me with every new novel. 5 stars!

“My forever was with him.”

The first book I read by Jiffy Kate was Watch and See, and I honestly didn’t think it could get any better than that. But I was wrong. This novel was fantastic. Definitely a 5 star read.

We start out at a sex club. Our leading man, Jude, is a total adrenaline junkie. He will try anything once. He’s been sky diving, cliff diving, bungee jumping, mountain biking, and anything else you can imagine. That’s why he ends up at this sex club with his best friend, Sebastian.  The premise of this specific part of the club is that the men are blindfolded and bid on by women. Then the woman takes you to a room and you have sex without ever seeing her. You’re allowed to take the blindfold off at the end of the night, but you cannot ask for a name or a number. Jude is bid on and has the best sex of his life. Afterwards, we can’t stop thinking about the woman. He continues to go to the club in hopes of seeing her. He even speaks to her on multiple occasions and she tells him to leave her alone. One mountain biking accident and a coincidental meeting at a dog park later, these two have become friends. They agree to a “no strings attached” relationship where they meet up to have sex in a hotel every few days. This works for a while until Jude starts developing feelings.

I think that’s what made Jude such a likable character. He was upfront with himself about these feelings that he had for Quinn. She brought out so much good in him. He didn’t enjoy life without her after they started seeing each other. Quinn was so closed off for most of the book that it’s difficult to decide if I really liked her or not. She’s just trying to do what’s best for the people in her life, but it makes it very difficult to get to know her. When she finally lets down her walls and asks Jude to be exclusive it was like fireworks went off in my heart. I was so ecstatic – thinking that things were finally looking up! Of course, what goes up must come down, right? The climax of this novel was devastating. After everything that these two went through together, for it to end that way, it was heartbreaking. But then…the ending. The brilliant, sweet finale of this book. It was epic. Truly such a perfect way to finish off this novel and give our characters their well-deserved HEA. Truly a great job, Jiffy Kate! I LOVED this book! Can’t wait to read more of your work! 5 stars!

“Promise me you’ll still jump…when the time comes…still jump.”

“Remember when I told you what happened during the accident? That there was something missing in my life? It’s you. You’re the missing piece. You light my entire universe. You’re not my reason to live, but my reason to want to live.”

This novel was something else. Truly. At the beginning I felt lost and confused and couldn’t figure out the dynamic of our lovers relationship. It seemed chaotic and brutal, but it was supposed to. These two characters hated each other but loved each other just the same. Hannah was angrier than Alex most times, if we’re being honest, but that’s because she was hurt by him. Every time she got close, he would push her away. He loved sleeping with her and being around her, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is one of the most important qualities in a relationship.

To quote Alex, the first time he ever saw Hannah, “The world stops spinning. Everyone around disappears.”  That sounds like love at first sight to me. Alex was a professional snowboarder, the best in the world, but he got into a car accident that ended in career.  That accident ended life as he knew it. He wasn’t ever supposed to walk again, but he did. The problem is, because of the accident, he hides his pain behind strings of one night stands. Fluff. Until he meets Hannah. Hannah experienced some major childhood trauma that has been following her around, hanging over her head her entire life. She decides, spontaneously, to take a year long trip to “find herself”. Alex writes her letters while she’s traveling the world. They stay in contact and get to know each other more and more as the months pass. The form a deep and meaningful connection, so when Hannah gets back from her trip, Alex is ready to take it to the next level. Hannah is skeptical. She still doesn’t know if she can trust him. I mean, can you really blame her?

They fall in love. Alex sweeps her off her feet. Literally, he flies her around in his private jet. Oh yes, he’s a billionaire. This story is romantic and magical and seriously sweet. I got alllllll the feels. It truly took my breath away. Alex is definitely one of my all-time favorite book boyfriends now. His swoon factor is through the roof. I loved everything about this story and these incredible characters. I cant wait to read more of Claudia Burgoa’s work! 5 stars!

The doctors saved my body. Hannah saved my heart and my soul. That’s all I know.

This will be a pretty short review because there isn’t too much I have to say about this book. First thing’s first: WOW. This was a sexy re-telling of Beauty and the Beast set in our current time. It tells the story of a war hero, Grady, who risked his life to save his marine buddies by laying on top of a grenade. He’s severely scarred and suffers from PTSD. Grady meets Isa at a college party one night and they share a sizzling, passionate night together. Isa leaves him and thinks she will never see him again. As fate would have it, Isa’s father is in money trouble, so Isa convinces Grady to let her father write his memoir for him, in hopes that the money from that will save their family home. Grady agrees as long as Isa pretends to be his girlfriend at the Marine Corps Ball that is a little over a month away. They agree to these terms and the romance begins.

Grady takes Isa away to a private cabin for a week and they share everything together while they are there, falling in love almost over night. Isa is a dancer, she used to be on a famous reality TV show, which she won 2 seasons of. She is phenomenal, so she convinces Grady to let her teach him how to dance. It’s so sweet and sentimental. There’s a lot going on underneath the surface with these two. Isa is still grieving her mother’s death from a few years prior and Grady is still suffering from not only his physical, but his psychological issues. They fight a lot and they make up a lot, but there is always underlying passion. These two are electric when they are together, they make the perfect team. There is a little bit of suspense in this book too, which just adds to the appeal, in my opinion. This was a perfect afternoon read. 4 stars!

I never believed in soulmates. But after this? After him? After everything the universe put us through to be together? How can I not? He was made for me.

Winter Renshaw has done is again, folks. Another brilliant work of art in the books. Her novels just keep getting better and better. Each one I love more than the last. I can’t get enough of Renshaw’s talent!

This is a magical story. Our two leads, Brielle and Cainan meet at a bar one night and share an electric bond, but do not take it any farther than drinks. Then Cainan ends up in a catastrophic car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma for a month. Brielle was the one to see the car crash, call 9-1-1, and stay by his side until the paramedics got him to the hospital. At the time, she had no idea he was the same man she met in the bar. She rushed to the hospital to check on him and ends up meeting his best friend, Grant, in the waiting room. They hit it off and after 5 months of dating…they get engaged. Meanwhile, after a month of being in a coma, Cainan wakes up believing that he has a wife and two kids. He knows all these facts about his wife…everything but her name. He searches for her everywhere, in every face he sees, and he doesn’t find her…until he meets Grant’s fiancé. 

Cainan is in love with Brielle before he truly even knows her in this lifetime. They have an undeniable connection. But what is he supposed to do when Brielle is about to marry his best friend? You’ve got to read the book to find out *wink wink*. God this book was fantastic. Cainan is every woman’s dream. He’s quiet and pensive, and he loves books and thoughtful conversations. Brielle even comments at one point about how she never has deep, meaningful conversations with Grant, the man she is supposed to marry. She doesn’t feel love for Grant, not the kind of love she feels for Cainan.  

It’s important to note that there is no cheating in this book. I know that might be a concern for some readers, it is for me. Renshaw saves us from that, thankfully. She gifts us with treasured quotes from The Alchemist, beautiful french phrases, and tons of thoughtful dialogue. I’ll say it again: I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can’t wait for whatever Renshaw releases next! To say I’m excited is an understatement. 5 stars!

“It’s like the man I was before her no longer exists. All I am, I’ll ever be…is hers.”

“Where have you been?” comes a shockingly girlish, almost whiny voice that I do not want to accept as mine. “All over and never where I wanted to be, which is wherever you are.”

Kayley Loring has done it again folks. Another child character that I’m completely in love with. Although Tate is not the most important part of this book, he is still instrumental in how our two lovers get together and ultimately achieve their happily ever after. He is a sweet, stubborn boy with a big brain and a smart mouth. Tate is the son of Kat, our leading lady. Kat is a single mother working nights as a waitress and is a photographer/videographer on the side. She went to film school, and her ultimate goal is to take pictures and do film work as a full time job. She meets Nico, a musician, at the restaurant where she works. He ends up coming back almost every night to see her. He’s obsessed with her. She becomes his muse. He sits and drinks coffee and writes lyrics that are inspired by her. She feels the same attraction, the same pull, as he does, but she’s more cautious because of her son. Nico doesn’t find out that Kat has a son until he accidentally runs into them in the grocery store one day. After that, all bets are off. He desperately craves her. One night Kat texts him and they end up at the same bar and share their first, soul-shattering kiss. Nico asks Kat to come on tour with him and be his photographer/videographer. After some discussion, she agrees as long as she can bring Tate, her son, and his grandmother to care for him when she’s working. 

Everything goes pretty smoothly, except for the fact that Kat doesn’t want to get romantically involved with Nico since she’s now technically employed by him. Well THAT notion lasts for about 2 seconds before they are ripping each other’s clothes off. Kat then suggests that they causally see each other while on tour and then end it when it’s over. Nico absolutely hates that idea. He’s already in it. He’s already completely devoted to her, she just can’t see it. She’s so afraid that he will leave her that she’s incapable of opening up her heart to him. The tension continues as their feelings grow; it’s not until the big “I love you” that things finally fall into place. And boy, let me tell you, that profession of love was SPOT ON. I was here for it 100%. You can feel the naivety and innocence pouring out of Nico when he says those words to Kat. He’s never loved anyone before, not in this way, and it’s beautiful to watch him come into that realization. 

This story doesn’t have a huge, catastrophic climax or anything, which I actually found quite refreshing. There are a few issues that Tate has along the way which ultimately end up cutting the tour short for Kat and her family, but it doesn’t destroy anything. It was so nice to read about the makings of a family. A man who never thought he would have a serious girlfriend, let alone a child, decides that he’s found his match in a talent, spunky, single mother. I am obsessed with Kayley Loring and her writing. She is so freaking talented!! I cannot WAIT for another one of her books to release. 5 stars!

“I’m taking you on a real date, Katherine Dempsey.” “How many seconds will this one last?” He raises my hand to his lips to kiss it. “Infinity.”

What to say about this one…hmm. Well, it’s definitely Cinderella meets 50 Shades of Grey, but it’s maybe even a little darker than that. This story is not for the faint of heart. It’s not just a sexy take on Cinderella. It brings to life some big issues, so you should be prepared. One of those is child abuse. Thor, our Prince Charming, was abused profusely by his tutor when he was a child. He went to his father, the King, for help, and was turned away. He grew up experiencing this abuse and developed OCD coupled with suicidal thoughts. Years before our story takes place, he was burned by a woman he thought he was in love with, so he’s sworn off women completely. He believes they are all alike, hateful and conniving. Thor goes to a ball in England, with his brother, and that’s where he meets Ella. 

Ella is desperately seeking an investor for the animal sanctuary she volunteers at. She goes to the ball in hopes of speaking with the Prince of England, but because it’s a masquerade, she ends up speaking with prince Thor instead, the Prince of Norway. He is rude and thoughtless towards her in their first encounter and she takes none of it. She puts him in his place and from that moment on, he can’t stop thinking about her. He craves her. So…he kidnaps her and convinces her to give herself to him for two months in exchange for investing in the animal sanctuary. She agrees because that sanctuary is her home, the only place she feels truly safe in the world. As their affair begins, they struggle with their feelings towards one another. Ella knows she’s only there for 2 months, but she can’t help this love she’s beginning to feel towards Thor. Thor never desired human affection until he met Ella and now he can’t get enough of it. He’s falling in love with her and it angers him. He can’t figure out what’s going on inside him. 

Another big issue that this book covers is mental illness. Thor is suicidal, he also has OCD but that’s not touched on as much. He is planning to commit suicide after he sends Ella back home when the two months are up. He sees a therapist throughout this novel but he isn’t taking his medication like he should be. It shines a light on the importance of medicine and mental health awareness. Ella doesn’t see Theo any differently after he admits to his trauma or even after he shares his suicide plan with her. She just loves him. Thor, with Ella’s love, begins taking his medication again and it turns his life around. He continues to see his therapist, but now he feels like he has reasons to live. The shift is gigantic and so so important to note. This was a stunning novel. 4 stars.

“Ella.” He holds me in a bruising grip. “Don’t ever leave me.” “Don’t make me,” I whisper.

“I’m completely and utterly hypnotized by her. I’m owned by her. The man I was before I met her seems like a different person. I never want anyone in my life but this woman. I want her when I’m old. I want babies with her. I want to fight with her and, fuck, I really, really want to make it up with her. I want her face to be the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up.”

This is a sports romance and the sport of choice: golf. Never in my life did I think that I would enjoy reading a book about a playboy golfer (Tiger Woods vibes, you feel me?), but boy was I wrong. This novel was so much fun!

Our leading lady, Claudia (or CC), is a mechanic. Yeah, she’s badass. She owns her own shop in a small town and enjoys her work and her friends. Every once in a while she will venture out to the city for a weekend away. On one particular weekend she meets Gray and they spend two glorious nights together. Gray ends up accidentally in CC’s small town when his car breaks down. He doesn’t know that CC is a mechanic and he doesn’t recognize her when he first sees her, but once he does, all bets are off. He is completely smitten with her, begging her for dates and not leaving her alone until she gives into his desires. He’s a little pushy sometimes, I will admit, but what’s a little persistence between lovers? Eventually these two fall for each other. CC has some major commitment and abandonment issues that keep her from sharing her true feelings for Gray until the very end. Gray is content to keep reeling her in and proving himself to her, no matter the cost.  It’s really a very sweet story. 

There is a lot of drama in this novel though, don’t get me wrong. CC is a blue collar worker and she grew up living that way. Her mother abandoned her to live with her stepfather at a very young age. He took care of her until he died of cancer when she was nineteen. There is a lot of tension between the working class and the upper class groups in this novel, and it’s very interesting to see where Gray falls. He is a millionaire, but after meeting CC, he doesn’t care if he loses it all. He will sacrifice everything to be with her. This story is sweet and hot and so enjoyable. I can’t wait to read more of Jordan Marie’s books! 4 stars!

“Since the moment I met you, Claudia Cooper, other women ceased to exist for me.”

Okay, well I’m ugly crying right now. 

Top 3 things I adored about this book:

1. Hortencia

3. Doc

“You already have my heart, Griff. If you leave without me, you’ll just be taking it with you, and I’ll be empty inside.”

This story revolves around a woman who suffers from a major anxiety disorder which also makes her agoraphobic. This is the fear of crowds and can sometimes result in fearing leaving one’s house. Luca, our leading lady, has struggled for the last eight years as a result of a fire at a concert venue she was visiting. Her best friend died that night and she lived. She deals with survivors guilt and PTSD as well as many other things. Luca lives alone and has a pet pig named Hortencia. Our leading man, Griffin, is a famous musician. He and Luca were pen pals starting in the second grade and continued until Luca abruptly stopped answering Griffin eight years prior to our story. The fire occurred eight years ago…so you can put two and two together. 

When our story begins, Griffin has written Luca a letter basically telling her how much she sucks as a person for never responding to him eight years ago. Luca is helpless. She can’t stop thinking about Griffin after she reads the letter, so she responds to him. They begin a cute dialogue that soon enough turns pretty dirty! With the urging of her therapist, Doc Chester, Luca travels via RV to California to introduce herself to Griffin. Griffin is beside himself when he sees Luca’s RV parked outside his home, he invites her in for dinner (she doesn’t realize that he knows who she is). After the dinner goes awry, Griffin pulls Luca to him and calls her “my beautiful Luca”, he also asks her “how did you find me, my impulsive girl?”. GAH. THAT IS THE BEST PART OF THE BOOK. HANDS DOWN. That small reveal made my heart sing. I was absolutely taken with this novel after that moment. It didn’t matter where it went from there, it was going to be a 5 star review for me. So well written, such a gorgeous scene. Omg, I’m crying again. 

So then our lovers try to make things work between them. Luca can’t go out in public, so they do a bunch of private, solitary things together. Once Luca goes back home, Griffin misses her too much and decides to go visit her. Then, when he realizes he can’t get enough of her, he decides to create a way for her to travel with him for 2 weeks. That’s when shit goes down. She freaks out after one night when there is a mishap with a fire alarm and she doesn’t recover. For weeks. She dumps Griffin, claiming that she’s holding him back. Guys, it was too much to bear. Witnessing how much Griffin and Luca loved each other and watching Luca’s illness destroy that…that was heartbreaking. But I think it’s so important that these types of illnesses are being talked about, written about. There’s so much we don’t understand about the mind and how it works, this was just a great representation of how truly powerful it is. 

Everything is okay in the end, so don’t worry too much about that. It’s the journey that really puts you through the ringer, but BOY is it worth it. This was a 5 star read for me. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry, it really just brought out every emotion. I’m so glad I took the time to read it. I wish I could start fresh all over again! Read this book!!!

“In case I wasn’t clear, love is enough for me, Luca. But you have to let me love you.”

Gage and Bailey’s story hits the ground running from page one. I really liked that about this book. There was no extra fluff, everything had purpose. Our story begins when Bailey moves into Gage’s home. She is the nanny for his daughter, Lettie, and they decided it would be easiest to have her living with them. Gage and Bailey have been best friends since childhood, so it doesn’t feel weird to be living in the same house. Now, Lettie’s mother, Helen, left when she was two so she doesn’t have any memories of her. Lettie isn’t bothered by it, but Gage has some major commitment issues due to Helen’s abandonment. He sleeps around with puck bunnies, but never takes the same woman home twice. And yeah, he takes them home. So Lettie sees these women…definitely not cool.  Both Gage and Bailey are fighting their attraction to each other from the very beginning. Bailey is the one who decides to do something about it. 

Eventually these two *finally* fall into bed together and it’s like magic. They both know they’ve met the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their lives with. There’s just one problem, Bailey’s biggest dream in life is to be a mom…and Gage doesn’t want any more kids because of his trauma from the whole Helen thing. This is the big climax in our story. Gage and Bailey fight and fight about this and eventually neither of them gives in. It’s catastrophic and heartbreaking. I think you, as the reader, will tend to take Bailey’s side on this – I know I did. Gage has a hard time listening to anyone, he’s very hardheaded. Bailey takes the time to consider living a life without having a child, and she can’t do it. Gage doesn’t even consider the idea of having another child. It gets difficult to read at times because he’s so frustrating. 

I can’t forget to mention my favorite character, Lettie. This girl. She is explosive. She’s a little firecracker and I couldn’t get enough of her. At one point in the story, Helen, her mother, shows up to her birthday party and tries to introduce herself as her mother. Lettie tells her that she doesn’t have a mother and she doesn’t want Helen there anymore because she’s mean and her face doesn’t move when she speaks (botox). I mean, I LOST IT. I was laughing so hard. Helen deserved it. Lettie is a spitfire and she’s absolutely perfect in every way. She’s obsessed with The Sound of Music, which was one of my favorite movies growing up too. She’s just the sweetest, quirkiest, most adorable little girl and definitely the best part about this book. 

This was a 5 star read for me. It was fast paced and kept me interesting and entertained the entire time. I really can’t wait to continue this series, especially if they are all this fast paced. As you can see, that’s really important to me 🙂 Wonderful work, Samantha Whiskey! You rock!

“I want to know what it’s like to kiss you, even if it’s only this once.”