Stealing Our Hearts

He leans toward me, eyes fierce. “Because I want you, Amber. And I protect those that I want.”

Amber meets Brent, her Physiatrist, after she breaks her leg in a supposed car accident. Their connection is instantaneous. And along with that connection, comes an intuition for Brent. He senses that something is off with Amber’s story, but can’t pinpoint where. He reviews her scans and comes to the conclusion that her break isn’t concurrent with a car accident. With ethics out the window, Amber and Brent start texting each other. At first it’s innocent, but all too quickly it gets out of hand, and Amber’s dad discovers the texts. That’s when it’s bad news for everyone.

Apparently, Amber’s father was trying to marry her off to the son of a man who owned some land that he wanted to purchase. You see, Amber’s father was an oil man and he wanted to drill for more. When Amber refused the arrangement, he pushed her down the stairs of their home and broke her leg. Amber shares all of this with Brent over lunch one day and nothing is ever the same. Brent whisks her away to his family home in Tennessee where he believes he can keep her safe. Of course he can’t. Amber’s father puts out a missing persons ad and offers a million dollars to whoever brings Amber home. That bring alllll types of people out of the woodwork. It’s dangerous and scary and nothing Amber should have ever had to deal with. I will say this, I think Amber relied too heavily on Brent. She needed to stand up for herself more, it was slightly irritating how she let him control everything about her in the name of safety. Brent was beautiful and so sexy, but it definitely seemed like he was only with Amber for the sex. He used sex as a means to distract her from what was going on. Like he believed keeping her the dark would make things easier. Their relationship was quick and passionate, but I think they needed more time to get to know each other before they dove in head first. It all seemed a little too fast. 

In the end, Amber and Brent did finally get their happily ever after. Brent used his influence and his parents money to save Amber from a life she never wanted to live. It was sweet and definitely showed his devotion to her. Amber graciously accepted his help and support and they ended with a gorgeous HEA. This book was short and sweet. I enjoyed it and read the entire thing, but it wasn’t my favorite. There was a lot lacking. It was missing that “it” factor. 3 stars. 

“You’re my future.” I put my hands around her face. “With you in my life, I don’t need a backup plan. I don’t want one.”

This novel is yet another great example of why I love Odette Stone so much. Boy, does this woman know how to write a damn good book! She’s also got a thing for Russian men 😉 not that I’m complaining. I’m a huge fan of mafia romances and this book hits the nail on the head. You get everything from kidnapping and assault to murder and gunfights. It’s incredible and absolutely worth all of your time.

Andrusha, our heroic male lead, is the leader of a Russian gang (maybe?), it’s a little unclear on what his group is. Anyway, they do a bunch of illegal stuff. So it turns out there’s another gang leader who is super dangerous and ruthless and is killing people and trying to take over and rule Vancouver. Andrusha is not about to let that happen. On the flip side of this, Olivia, our sweet, sassy heroine, witnesses a murder done by the evil gang leader, who is trying to take over Vancouver, and she suddenly becomes a target because she’s a loose end. Andrusha finds her safe house and witnesses her almost die, so he saves her, naturally. Then our story really takes off. 

It’s lust at first sight for Andrusha. He hasn’t been interested in many women, and it takes someone very special to catch his eye, which is why it’s so important that he’s into Olivia from the beginning. He loves the fight she has in her. He loves her persistence and her drive. And it’s not too bad that she was a stripper, either. She used to be a professional dancer until she blew out her knee and became a stripper to make ends meet. As our story progresses, things get more dangerous with the evil gang leader trying to take out Olivia, all while Olivia and Andrusha get closer and closer. It all explodes and you think everything is going to fall apart, but then…they finally get their HEA and it’s better than I could have ever wished for. Their HEA is what romance books are written about. Like no joke, it’s a perfect happily ever after and I’ve never been more satisfied. 

The thing I love most about Andrusha is his ability to stay calm even in the worst situations. He is the calm to Olivia’s storm which is why they are so perfect together. They compliment each other in the best of ways. Where Olivia is naive, Andrusha has almost seen too much of life. Where Olivia is more spontaneous, Andrusha likes structure and order. These two are a timeless kind of love, especially after seeing everything that Andrusha will do for Olivia. This book was another 5 star read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment ,and hope that Odette Stone comes out with a new book soon because I’m impatiently waiting! The quote below is between Andrusha and Mica (the hero in one of Odette’s other books), they are speaking about Olivia. 

“How can one person change everything?” “That’s usually a sign.” “What kind of sign?” “That you should probably marry her.” 

So I’m going to start off by saying how much I enjoyed the length of this novel. It wasn’t too long, but it also wasn’t too short. There was enough time for the author to give us an adequate back story and for our characters to grow in their relationship. What I didn’t like was how abruptly it ended…with a cliffhanger. And I’m telling you…it came out of nowhere, like I wasn’t ready for it AT ALL. It’s a brilliant ending, for sure, but it still leaves you wanting and I don’t like being left wanting.  

The plot was well-crafted. The characters were charming and relatable. The only thing missing was the fire! The sex was good, although we had to wait until the very end of the book for it, which was a bit of a let down because it wasn’t anything special. I wanted Ricardo to be a bit more forward with Angie once they crossed the line. The scene in the restaurant was delicious, but when when they went back home, it’s like they lost the spark. Ricardo is a man who has never been in love. He only believes in one night stands. When he happens upon his childhood crush, he convinces her to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month (maybe?) we don’t really get a timeline on it. That’s the title of the book though, so a month is what I would assume, right? We also never actually see Angie pretend to be Ricardo’s girlfriend because we never get that far before the story is over. Angie never saw Ricardo as anything more than her childhood friend until now, when she lays her eyes on him after years apart, and there’s a spark inside her. She’s desperate for him, but then when he doesn’t make any moves, she pouts like a child. It seems a bit out of character for her. There is a lot of really great potential in this book, I just think it needs to be executed a little better. And also, there doesn’t need to be a cliffhanger. You could simply finish the story in one book and make it a bit longer. 3 stars. 

“Thank you for not giving up on me.” “I’m a SEAL, angel. We don’t give up on anyone.”

This is the second book I’ve read in the Away From Keyboard series, and boy do I love me some Patricia D Eddy. She is a fantastic writer. She writes beautifully broken characters in very unique situations. These books are really something special.

This novel revolves around the growing relationship between Cam, a quirky, professional coder, and West, an ex-Navy SEAL turned gym owner. They meet online, in a support group for ex-military and their relationship blossoms from there. They play video games together, watch tv shows, and spend hours talking…all over the internet. Finally, West gets up the courage to ask Cam out for coffee. They met and sparks immediately fly.  These two experience so much together, good and bad. They both come from an intense background and experienced very traumatic things in the military, but they are better together. 

What I loved most about this book wasn’t the chemistry or the love scenes or even West’s internally monologues (a usual favorite of mine), it was getting to witness Cam grow. Her character arc was magnificent. She started out as this broken, bitter, tired person who desperately deserved to be loved and grew into this confident, open woman who wasn’t afraid to ask for help. She started out keeping everything inside, she was afraid to be open with people about her past. For instance, why she isn’t close with her family anymore. But, through allowing herself to be vulnerable with West, she discovered that life is better with love in it. This book was interesting, captivating, and real. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and (as soon as they are free or on KU) I plan to read the rest of the series! 4 stars!

“When I’m with you, nothing else matters.”

“I’ll always come for you. You’re mine.”

This book was unlike anything I’ve read before. Talk about a dark romance. Oh my god it was such an emotional roller coast, but I was HERE FOR IT. Our authors did a brilliant job of making me equally love and hate Grayson. He is ruthless and mentally unstable and cruel, but he’s also insanely protective and caring. We get tossed back and forth between him doing brutal things and hurting Abby, our heroine, to him loving her in his own f*cked up way. Abby, in her own way, is super volatile. She is tossed back and forth just like us, between feeling safe and wanting him and hating him and wishing he would die. Like I said…emotional roller coaster. But ooooh did I enjoy the ride.

Abby is a college student, given a project to put together a book of memoirs from prisoners. The first day she arrives at the prison, she sees Grayson and she’s completely taken with him. He scares her, but he also excites her. She can’t help but feel drawn to him for reasons unknown. Grayson decides to join her memoirs class, so that his story will be published, and he can get his message out to his guys (his escape plan). He manages to escape the prison, but runs into Abby on his way out and takes her captive. He can’t resist her. For the first thirty percent of this book, Abby hates Grayson. She tries to escape him multiple times, and without fail, he catches her and brings her back. He realizes that she needs to be protected by him. As time goes on, Abby starts to warm up to him. He lets her in on little secrets about himself and shows her some of his real side. Abby is all about truth and being vulnerable, so when he does this, she becomes more comfortable around him. She ends up opening up to him about her childhood. That only makes Grayson’s need for her grow. He becomes almost obsessed with her, but in a gentle way. Abby’s life is threatened so much during the duration of this novel, it’s impossible not to see how much Grayson cares for and loves her when he’s constantly putting his life on the line. 

This was my first Skye Warren and Annika Martin book. It surly won’t be my last. I am completely awestruck. I never thought a book could make me feel the things that this book made me feel. I never thought I’d love a character like Grayson but I can’t get him out of my head. And Abby, her strength is impenetrable. You won’t meet characters like these two in any other books that you read. I’m totally and completely devoted to this story and these people, to this world. 5 stars. I can’t wait to start on Stone’s book. 

“She’s my sky.”

I am more than who owns me. I am more than the sum of my belongings or the people who surround me. And I am more than the scars on my body say I am.

Well that was a very interesting story. I wanted something dark and that’s exactly what I got! With a few extra twists. I’m honestly not sure how I feel right now. With the cliffhanger (you guys know how I feel about those), and everything laid bare at the very end…I can’t decide who I’m rooting for. Honestly, I think I’m rooting for Noah? That feels strange to admit since he’s the one who abducted Natalie and forced her into this cult.  Natalie is kind of irritating. For the entire book, she is fighting everyone and everything at every turn. You want to root for her and you want her to “win” but at the same time, you can’t help but hope that Noah “wins” too. I’m so torn right now that it’s actually difficult for me to write this review. 

Natalie is drawn to a man she sees on television who is a part of a cult called The Family. She goes to a meeting where she is then abducted and taken back to the “holy land”. She is chosen by Noah, a patriarch of the Family. Basically, there’s a bunch of really weird stuff that goes on (like what you would imagine a cult to be) and Natalie is thrown into the middle of it all. Noah is in love with Natalie and later we figure out why she’s so drawn to him in return. I feel like I can’t say very much about this story without giving away a lot of the important details. I would highly recommend reading it if you’re into dark romance. Natalie never fully submits to Noah in this book, which is honestly a huge letdown. The entire time you’re hoping she breaks and gives into her deepest desires to be with him. Their chemistry is delicious. Natalie can’t help but let herself feel when she’s around Noah. She craves him, his sweet words, and his soft touches, after being deprived of human connection for so long. Noah obsesses over Natalie. Needs to know where she is always and won’t let anyone hurt her. He’s fiercely protective and we never find out why in this book. It’s another negative. I’m really not a fan of cliffhangers, so knowing that this book doesn’t tie up any loose ends for me was really disappointing. 

All in all, I really just wanted a little bit MORE. I can’t explain what I needed more of, I just needed more. I didn’t feel that Natalie and Noah had enough time together to really form any kind of bond, and we didn’t get enough information about the President or the other patriarchs. Also, who is Patrick and why does he seem like he’s going to play a really big role in the next book? I don’t know guys…there were just a lot of questions left on my mind when I ended on the cliffhanger, but I’m not sure if I want to delve into another full book in order to get those questions answered. We’ll see, I suppose. For now, 4 stars. 

“She’s the one. The girl who’s going to change everything.”

“You’re not the jumping off point. You’re the destination. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not a one-night stand. You’ve got that wifey vibe.”

This is best friends-to-lovers at its finest. I’ve never been a huge fan of that subtrope, but after reading this, I’m definitely looking forward to discovering more! This is one of those stories that will stick with you long after you’ve finished the book. On top of that, the secondary characters in this were so lovable that I’m dying to pick up the next book in this series. As a matter of fact, I’m pre-ordering it on my kindle right now. Gimme gimme!

Kaylee and Noah have been best friends since they were babies…like no joke. They grew up together and have been inseparable since. Noah grew into himself and became a fantastic hockey player.  He is on their college hockey team and is definitely going to be drafted to go pro. Kaylee is a total nerd. She loves books and studying and staying home by herself.  The only problem is…she desperately wants to lose her virginity. She eventually asks Noah if he will help her, and he agrees (because DUH). Oh, an important thing to note is Noah’s nickname: Player. The title of our book. He sleeps with every girl he comes into contact with, pretty much. That is…until he starts sleeping with Kaylee. They can’t get enough of each other and he realizes that he’s falling in love with her. She also discovers that she’s been in love with him for quite a while. It’s a perfectly sweet and slow burn type of book. It’s takes a few chapters to really get into the meat of the story, but once you’re there, you’re in it. You can’t get out. It’s addictive. 

I absolutely LOVED this book. Sports romance is my favorite subtrope and this had a friends-to-lovers twist added to it that made it even more enjoyable. This was my first book by E Cleveland, but it most definitely will not be my last! 5 stars!

“Because when I was ten years old, I met a boy. I hated him. But I needed him like my veins needed blood. He broke my leg. He broke my patience. And eventually he broke my heart.  But there hasn’t been a minute that’s passed that I haven’t loved him with every single broken shard.”

I’m so so sad. I’ve been crying for a solid hour. I finished this book and all I could do was lay in my bed and sob. There’s something to be said about a book that can evoke that kind of emotion from its reader. Brilliance, pure mastery.

Let’s start from the beginning with this one. I can’t really wrap my head around what I want to say because I’m in such shock right now. So, this is a story about a boy and a girl who fall in love. They fall in love slowly, over the years, as their friendship morphs itself into attraction. They are both broken, abandoned children who desire companionship, which they find in one another. But then…they realize there’s so much more. As the reader, you get to experience everything with them. Their first kiss, Ramsey graduating 5th grade, Thea’s first period, their first time together. You get attached, it’s easy. And then it’s all ripped out from under you. Cue the waterworks AND the trigger warnings. Thea is brutally raped by a classmate and Ramsey loses it. Their classmate ends up dead and Ramsey ends up with a prison sentence. Twelve years later…our story begins. I don’t want to say much more about the story itself because there’s a lot of twists and turns that I don’t want to ruin for you. It’s safe the say that this one surprised me as much as it tore me apart. Ramsey and Thea are what dreams are made of. This story is nothing short of a fairytale…if you can call it that. The writing was beautiful, the imagery was sublime, and the narrative itself was unmatched in brilliance. I’ve never been so taken from the first page, this had me addicted immediately. I will admit that I stopped halfway through for fear that I might lose my heart. I set the book down and grabbed a glass of water, but that was as long as I could stand. I picked the book right back up and kept chugging along. 

“There was never a day when I didn’t want you to be mine, Sparrow. I just loved you enough to hope you wouldn’t have to be.”

You know you’re reading a brilliant book when your journal is overflowing with quotes from said book. I can’t gush enough about the level of “quotableness” of this story. There’s something highlighted, like, every three pages. It’s not always easy to find gold between the pages of a book, but every once in a while, you find a gem. That’s what this novel was to me, a treasure. Something to be cherished. 

This is not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. When you read this, take your time, take breaks if you need to, it’ll be well worth it in the end. But you have to get there first. This novel will rip your heart out and present it to you on a silver platter. I’m still crying, btw. I don’t know what to say except sometimes life isn’t fair? That’s been a constant though running through my head after finishing this. My heart is weeping as I finish this review. Aly Martinez is a goddess. Thank you for sharing this story with the world. You are an angel. 5 stars. 

“Sometimes you have to let go of the life you planned in order to live the one you’re given.”

“It’s this song about birds, and how they’re made to fly. They’re not made for the earth, just for the sky. The only time a bird comes down is when its wings can’t hold it up anymore. So hey, maybe you and me, broken people like us…maybe we were meant to soar.”

Okay, so I thought that No Perfect Hero was Nicole’s best work but WOWZA, this one knocked that out of the park. Nicole Snow slays with this book. I’ve gotta be honest with you guys, I legit cried real tears for the villain of our story. Snow is THAT good. 

Okay let’s start out with the fact that this is an age-gap romance that comes out of nowhere. Everything is cool and then BAM, Blake is in his early forties and Peace is twenty five. It shouldn’t come as a shock to you guys that this tidbit of info makes absolutely no difference in our story, but I know the age-gap trope really gets people going sometimes. Anywhooo, yes there’s about a fifteen year age difference between our lovers but you know what’s awesome? Neither one of them is really bothered by it. Peace messes with Blake a bit at the beginning by calling him old, but it’s all done playfully. So yes, large age difference. Oh! Also, Blake has a sixteen year old daughter. So it’s even more interesting because the dynamic between the three of them is so unique. Peace is more of a close friend to Andrea, Blake’s daughter, because at sixteen she doesn’t really need a stepmom anymore, she really just needs someone she can trust and confide in. The way Andrea takes to Peace from the get-go is so sweet. I loved the chemistry between those two. They fit together perfectly, both of them with their dyed hair and funky styles. 

Peace is a massage therapist who rolls into town as her van breaks down on the side of the road. Blake is the fire chief, and he comes to her rescue. He’s really just a grumpy man in pain, who snaps at people when they least deserve it. People being Peace. As time goes by, Peace helps Blake with his pain management. Blake was in the military and was shot in the leg and is living with residual pain and trauma from that time. His leg seizes up often and he takes Vicodin to help combat it. It isn’t until he meets Peace that he realizes he might actually be able to manage the pain in another way. Peace works on his leg and, in turn, he opens up to her about his past and his relationship with his daughter. Peace was attracted to Blake from the moment she heard his voice and it only builds her attraction as she gets to know him. Blake is curious about Peace but afraid to let himself feel anything for fear that she will leave him. He lost his wife to a brain aneurysm a few years back, and even though their marriage was going down the drain, it still haunts him. Peace helps Blake find peace with his past and Blake helps Peace find a real home.

This is a beautiful story and I’m annoyed with myself that it took me so long to read it. Nicole Snow continues to blow me away with her work. I can’t wait to see what she’s got for us next! 5 stars!

“I love you like everything I’ve ever needed, and I love her because she’s everything sweet and bright and free. I love you, Blake, even if you don’t love me.”

I’m going to start out by saying that this review is going to be rather short because I didn’t finish the book. I got about 70% of the way through and couldn’t finish it. It’s not that it wasn’t a fascinating story, because it was. It had a lot of potential (similar to what my fellow reviewers have been saying) but the execution was poor. I don’t think the story was fleshed out enough. I wanted to know and understand what was going on inside our heroine’s head, but nothing was clear. Did she love Raoul or did she love Dominique? Was this supposed to be a love triangle? It’s all very confusing. She was stolen away three different times and told she was being saved twice. A lot happened in a short amount of time but there was no character development and I think that’s what bothered me most. I’m hopeful for the future books, which seem to have better ratings, that they are less confusing and the characters are a little more solidified. I have to give this one 3 stars. This author reached out to me and asked me to read and review for her.