I confess that I had my eye on this ever since it was announced, and Alessandra Torre just blew me away with this wonderful Book. Hidden Seams has a magnificent original story that I devoured in less than 5 hours because I couldn’t let it go without getting to the end. The book is really well written and shows us the glamorous world of fashion and its downsides, it has a web of lies but is also quirky and fun with tons of awkward situations and sarcasm. Is it to early to say it’s on my top 3 of 2018? I think not!

I’m in love. I’m in fucking love with this woman. She has the blood of a Horace, the temperament of a lion, and the sexual proclivities of every fantasy I’ve ever had.

I feel totally played right now. I Just finished The Cruel Prince and the first thing that comes to my mind is that The Cruel Prince is not so cruel, Jude is. And if that is not one hell of a plot twist I don’t know what is! And i loved every second of it...

Bold, that’s what I need to be. Like I own the place. Like I am the general’s daughter. Like I can really pull this off.

What a clever story this was. I am truly impressed by the cleverness of the author in coming up with a story that can not only change in a blink of an eye but is also so very cunning that you never know who to trust. The Cruel Prince just entered in my top 2018 favorites and it’s staying there for good. The writing is super detailed but sharp and cunning, the chapters can be either 10 pages long or just one. It’s a book full of surprises. It’s filled with deceit and revenge, cute boys that like to push people around and two brothers hungry for power. 

Jude, the protagonist, as human is powerless, but as the book goes on she starts to see that her human side can be an advantage. For she can lie. And they can’t. For she was raised by a master of swords, so nobody can best her in a fight. She has all this advantages that she doesn’t realize but will end up using. She was great, asides from a curve ball at the end (WHERE SHE WAS INCREDIBLY SMART), she was a character I loved reading about and understood her motivations and goals. I was ready to support her to the very end. Go, Jude!

To our Cruel Prince that got played at the end…. I hated you. At the beginning that is. After a couple of chapters I fell madly in love with this character, that is so cruel but also so caring. Prince Cardan was a great surprise. He went from being this nasty bully to a somewhat decent person, to be an ass again. I’m not even mad, that’s impressive.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest, with black hair as iridescent as a raven’s wing and cheekbones sharp enough to cut out a girl’s heart. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

I loved the descriptions about the faerie world, the gowns, the balls and the unique kind that they are. It was what made me really enjoy the book as much as I did.  Holly Black did an amazing job including us into this different new world that lives side by side with our own. Each description was more enchanting than the other. The folk had hair the color of every tone possible. Blue, pink, green moss and even white. Their features changed from pointy ears to large mouths and eyes of charcoal black. But all of them in their opulence were so beautiful. They contributed to a world building so well done that all I can do is congratulate the author.

"You know the charms. Salt our food and you destroy any ensorcellment on it. Turn your stockings inside out and you will never find yourself led astray. Keep your pockets full of dried rowan berries and your mind won’t be influenced.”

Cruel Prince did not disappoint whatsoever, and I’ll be keeping my eye for more books by Holly Black because her writing style is super entertaining and crazy unpredictable. 2018 is so far a great year of books! 

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings Abby isn’t going to take any chances.

Which is where the list comes in.

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being. But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems… and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

Review:

Love, Life and the List is a book about self-discovery and transformation. It’s a cute book that’s going to steal your breath away and warm your heart. The story is funny, quirky, charming and all kinds of romantic, perfect if you’re looking for a warm summer read in this cold days.  

I freed my mouth and laughed, even though the “just friends” part was not by choice. I had, in fact, professed my love to Cooper Wells exactly one year ago that very month. It had been more than obvious by his reaction that the feelings were not reciprocated. So I had to play it off like some joke. Some joke he had been more than willing to go along with. And I let him, because I didn’t want to lose him as a friend. He was the best friend in the world.

Abby was a pleasant surprise as a protagonist. I liked her sarcasm and how she was quick on her feet when she needed to give a smartass answer or even a funny one. I laughed a lot thanks to her. I also though it was well built her relationship with her grandfather. They bickered the whole book, but you could feel the love. I liked how her art was described and the whole creative process she went through, and it was a learning experience for me seeing her overcome her fears because of that list. I might just make one for myself because it really helped her and her art.

Cooper was a big teddy bear, I admit. He was introduced as this playful guy with a constant smile on his face, that was clueless about how Abby felt about him. NOT. He was a little snake in a hot guy’s body. Because he played with Abby’s feelings the whole book. But he manages to redeem himself in the end and I forgave him, but just because he’s cute and he cried.

And as the illegal sky rockets lit up the sky with their loud bangs of color, I noticed Cooper looking at me. He averted his gaze. Maybe things could change.

The couple itself was super cute. They were best friends up until the last ten pages of the book and I should totally be mad at that. But I’m not. It worked. We got to know them as friends first and see how they interact with each other and THEN we saw them as a couple. But I must admit, for a couple of seconds I was afraid they weren’t going to make it. But they did, and they have a happy ending. Don’t worry people!

The only thing I expected more out of this book is the secondary characters. Even though the main story is not about them, the secondary characters make or break a book. I have to highlight her Grandfather though, because he was a terrific character. I felt like I read about people that were supposed to be important but only showed up for two pages at the end. Cooper’s parents also didn’t really like Abby and it was explained why, but it didn’t convince me at all because that specific subject was almost never addressed or dealt with. It was brushed under the carpet. I would also have liked to read more about Abby’s dad and even her mom and Elliot. All of this, in my opinion could have been addressed with more detail because it’s important things that matter to the protagonists but are missing.

But overall, it was a simple yet sweet book that takes you back to your first crush and your first heartbreak. It’s cute and quirky and oh so adorable. The characters are well written and well thought out. Kasie West wrote a delightful book. 

4/5 Stars

I’m so glad I found this book I really am. It’s not only entertaining and super awkward at times (which I loved) but it has a captivating romance that gives you plenty of butterflies!

She trusted him that completely. And no one else. She’d never given that to anyone else. But he had that from the beginning.

The story brings us Eliza that just moved into a new town and happened to have a one-night stand with a super-hot, super-nice, super-rich and super-friendly guy called Johnny. One thing leads to the other and they both start having feelings for each other. But there is a catch, Johnny already gave his heart out to another woman and now it’s up to Eliza to get it back.

If this synopsis doesn’t lure you in, I don’t know what will. Reading this, I already knew it was going to be a rocky road until the main couple ended together. And so, it was! Johnny and Eliza went trough a crazy rollercoaster the entire book. There was always something or someone coming up that kept them for being together. And I, as a romance junkie, was going crazy! But they were so sweet. Their romance was so pure, and it wasn’t instant at all. They took their time getting to know each other and getting to know their backgrounds, and life story. I loved every bit of it. The romance happened very naturally which I always appreciate! So, you can read and feel the affection between them growing.

Eliza was the most awkward character ever, but she was so genuine and likeable. I loved her! She has extremely long monologues, though. But she never gets boring, in fact when she rambles and rambles for pages at a time, it made me laugh and cry, but it never bored me. She’s unique let’s say. Her personality makes her talk all the time about completely random things… . She’s an adorable dork. Her background story was super interesting as well. 

I started it and waved at him and didn’t worry that I looked like a dork. I was his dork. Johnny Gamble’s dork. His sex kitten. His woman. So I could wave like a dork if I wanted to.

I must say it took me a while to like Johnny. I though that because he had another woman in his heart he wouldn’t even let Eliza have a chance. But no, the big boy was strong enough to open his heart to her. And the way the author wrote about him, made him into a true gentleman. He was kind and smart and hardworking. And hot. HOT! SO HOT!

“That’s the guy I am. Yours . Simple. That’s it. And you’re mine. Mine , Iz. And we take care of each other. And we look after those in our hearts and lives. So the Forrester Girls Club has a new member, baby. And he’s got a dick"

The secondary characters were also so well written. They let the couple be the main focus but when they were needed they only complemented the storyline. And all of them had distinct personalities that were so much fun. You had, the sassy friend, the hot brother, the stupid ex, the tortured sister and so much more.

The book itself is quite long but I didn’t feel like it was hard to read at all. In fact, I was surprised by how fast I read it because I couldn’t put it down.  The writing is concise and straight to the point. The story is sweet and romantic with the right amount of danger. Kristen Ashley did a wonderful job!

Paperback, 256 pages

Kindle Edition, 140 pages

Published August 23rd 2016 by Evernight Publishing

ASIN B01KR0A69W

Abel Denton loves to fuck, loves to kill—and now he has found the woman destined to be his. The only problem? She thinks he’s a creep. Okay, he did go and snatch her off the dance-floor, and he may have felt her ass, and pretty much told her that she belonged to him, but what’s the problem? 

Harper cannot believe that Abel will not take no for an answer. He has all the stalker tendencies, not good even in a book boyfriend, and she knows all about them. But then, Abel turns out to be really good company, and she likes him. 

On the spur of the moment, Harper finds herself married to Abel Denton, more to prove to herself she’s fun than for any other reason. But when she is with him, everything else fades away. Can this attraction become love? 

Review:

Shattered Vows is the second book in the Denton Family Legacy Series and it was okay. I really liked the previous book Broken Promise but thought it rushed a lot in the end… This one did exactly that again but in a subtler way. So, I wasn’t too mad at it. 

             

In this installment we have Abel and Harper… And it’s quite different their relationship especially since they get married after the second date... First off Abel when he first sees Harper, tries to grab her ass immediately and still expect her to not think he’s a creeper. Seriously dude? So, Abel is kind of a prick. All the brothers are, to be honest.

I didn’t really connect with Harper in this book. I think she didn’t have any outstanding personality to stand out as a main character and for someone so indecisive she decided to marry a man she didn’t know all to easily and then regretted it 24 hours later. At least don’t regret it. It’s done. Suck it up. I really wanted to slap her a couple of times. 

She was more of a stay at home, study, and think about the future person. Gambling, partying, they damaged brain cells, and drinking, too. Alcohol was not good for the system. It made women lower their inhibitions, and teenage pregnancy was a huge issue. She wasn’t a teenager, but she also wasn’t twenty-one, either.

Abel was someone I really enjoyed reading about. He went from a Casanova to a family man in less than 24 hours, and he tried damned hard to make Harper happy the whole book and to challenge her. Even if it was by lying and pretending to be someone he isn’t… I dig that. But if you compare him with Jacob… Jacob is way better.

“Tell me one thing, Abel,”

 Damian said as he made to turn away.

 “What?” 

“Is it as intense as they say?” 

Abel knew what he was asking. Glancing toward Harper, he nodded. “The world falls away, and you know without a shadow a doubt that she will be yours for the rest of your life.”

But if I didn’t really connect with the main couple why do I still like this book? Well, because we got POV from a lot of different people. Mom, Dad and Landon were characters that I liked but because the previous book almost ignored them I didn’t get the chance to meet them. But now with these POV’s it was truly amazing to get inside their heads… And those characters alone made the book good.

Also, we see the continuation of Lou and Jacob and their adorable little child. And, as usually, we have serious business underneath all this love stuff. So, the mob part was there, less than in the previous book, but it was there. 

Kindle Edition, 136 pages

Published March 29th 2016 by Evernight Publishing

ASIN B01DH1Y22U

The Dentons are the ultimate crime family, involved in drugs, sex, illegal fights, gambling, and much more. They’re vicious, but yet there is a rumor that whispers of a deeper legacy than that of their crime heritage. It is said that a Denton will only fall for a woman once, and he will fall hard. They will not settle for any other woman, and those that do, end up breaking hearts. 

Jacob never believed the family stories, but the moment he sees Louisa Moore, he knows the tales are all true. He falls for her instantly, but there’s a problem—she wants nothing to do with him. 

Lou is shocked when Jacob Denton takes notice of her. No matter how many times Lou tries to push him away, Jacob will not stop. He wants her, and he will do whatever he can to get her. With her twin brother, Riley, on his side, Jacob knows he will win Lou’s heart. 

Review: 

Okay so i need a couple of minutes to take this book in because I just finished it and I’m still feeling all the loss and the happiness that happened in the last chapters. Seriously, everything happened in the last few pages. People died, got married and lived happily ever after in 20 pages. That’s too much to take in in such a short notice!!! I was WTF'ing the whole time! 

Sam Crescent really did a beautiful job with this storyline. It’s not very unique meaning that we all read books about Mafia guys that love one woman only, but this one is special. The whole book you can easily read in a couple of hours because it never gets boring. The author does not sneak in unnecessary things and keeps on giving us surprises throughout the whole story, so when you think you know what’s about to happen, YOU DON’T.

""I told all of you boys that you would find a woman for yourself, a woman you’re not going to be able to walk away from. Once you find her, and you will, the woman you’re with, she’s going to end up hurt. It’s not going to be something you can control. It’s just the way it works.”"

The love story. Oh man, what can I say… Jacob and Lou were extraordinary. It didn’t follow the traditional “I looked at you and fell in love straight away” kind of thing. Well, for Jacob the men in his family tend to fall in love at first sight for one woman only. And Lou is THE woman for Jacob, the thing is that she didn’t fell in love the second she saw him. In fact, she ran away as fast as she could. And all I could say was: YOU GET IT GIRL… RESIST THAT MAN! So, the “curse” is kind of one way. Which is awesome because we get to see a “player” having to chase his woman and making her fall in love with him. It’s great.

"“I’ve not said I’d fuck you.”

 “You will. It’s inevitable.”

 “Are you really that good?”

 “I’m the best.” 

“Wow, you really have an ego, don’t you?”

 “It’s one I’ve earned, baby.”"

The secondary characters we didn’t get a lot of which I regretted... I whished we got to see more of his brothers and even from the mob side of business. So, if your looking for a book that has a lot of fighting scenes and gunshots and such… maybe this is not for you. This is more for the hopeless romantic that likes a thrill. Me in this case.

Also, I feel like Lou’s parents were a subject that would be great to this story, but we never got to see them for real. Lou spoke about them a lot but when I came to creating problems… there was nothing there. In my opinion it was something the author could have explored a lot and wasted that opportunity and then decided to sneak them in two minutes before the end for the big surprise. No good in my opinion.

One last thing I must mention, and I know it’s not the author’s fault, is the cover. This cover is being used on another book already and I hate when that happens… The editor should have been more careful…

But, putting that all aside, if you’re into sweet love stories that will make your heart race and leave you laughing whilst dealing with a few corrupt people… then you may just love this one. 

EBOOK

ISBN13: 9781370810291

Published January 19th 2017 by Cora Reilly

Growl
He’d never had something to himself, never even dared to dream about owning something so precious. He was the unwanted bastard son who’d always had to content himself with the leftovers of others. And now they’d given him what only a few weeks ago had been out of his reach, someone he wasn’t even allowed to admire from afar, one of their most prized possessions. Thrown at his feet because he was who he was, because they were certain he would break her. He was her punishment, a fate worse than death, a way to deliver the ultimate punishment to her father who had displeased them so greatly.

Cara
She had always been the good girl. It didn’t protect her.
She didn’t know his real name. People called him Growl to his face, and the Bastard behind his back. Both were names he couldn’t possibly have chosen for himself. His eyes were empty, a mirror to throw back her own fear at her. He was a brutal hand of the Las Vegas Camorra.
And now she was at his mercy

Review:

We waited for sooooo long for this and finally we got it. It was so worth the wait you wouldn’t believe it. I thought i wouldn't be up for this book because it's the story of someone we don't know. But like... it's so awesome. 

“A princess and a monster, that's what they were.” 

We have a Guy everyone Is afraid of. Even his boss. And that's saying something because Mobs bosses are like super scary in the books. But Growl manages to upstage him easily. Why? Because he doesn't give a shit about who he kills, and he enjoys it. Ya, strange. So, from the beginning we think he’s going to be a bad guy, and he is. But not as bad as we though and he has his reasons.

Cara is the daughter of a guy that tries to outsmart the boss and he must pay for it. Therefore, his daughter is given to Growl. A bit of a Cliché but I was into it. So, she goes to his house by force, of course, and basically stays trapped there for a long time. Not giving Growl the change he needs to show that he’s good to her. So, most of the time we have a girl that will not cooperate and refuses to accept him. Which is understandable.

Good thing she changes her mind. After living with him for a while they start to get accustomed to each other and magic happens, and they get closer. Let me tell you, it was great seeing Growls walls crumbling down for Cora and seeing that perfect girl stepping up and defending what its hers was great as well.

Their story is filled with up and downs and because they are a couple that was thrown together out of the blue, their personalities really do compliment each other. And it was awesome to see that happen.

Also, this couple makes the best sex scenes ever. They have a chemistry you cannot deny, and Cora portrayed that chemistry super well.

“...his mouth was unbelievably hot, everything about him was.” 

For a mob book I feel like this one was one of the bests. Specially because all the drama and all the strategy game you knew was going on beneath all of it. So, you have a tamed love story but an exciting mob business. 5 Stars for sure. 

Kindle Edition, 298 pages

Published February 28th 2017

ASIN B01NBVOYKN

In Minatsol, being a dweller means that you are literally no better than dirt. In fact, dirt might actually be more useful than Willa. Her life will be one of servitude to the sols, the magic-blessed beings who could one day be chosen to become gods. 

At least her outer village is far removed from the cities of the sols, and she won’t ever be forced to present herself to them... Until one small mistake changes everything, and Willa is awarded a position to serve at Blesswood, the top sol academy in the world—a position that she definitely did not earn. 

Under the sudden, watchful eye of the gods, she will be tasked to serve the Abcurse brothers, five sols built of arrogance, perfection and power. They are almost gods themselves, and under their service she is either going to end up sentenced to death, or else they are going to ruin her so badly that she will wish for it. 

Either way, she is in trouble.

Review:

Okay so if this synopsis does not drawn you in, the cover should. Look at that beautiful purple and that beautiful dress and all of that. It's perfect!

So I must say I love me some YA. It's fun and flirty. Easy to read and you always get some good laughs while you're at it. And this book delivered all of that, and then some more! It's perfect. The story is unique, the characters are super funny and laidback and the main girl Willa is just way too precious for me. She's amazing. Not boring at all...

“Where’s the creativity, gods? I didn’t see why Death couldn’t have pink. Or purple. What if he liked sparkles?”

Willa is a Dweller. That being said she is not lucky at all and she is treated like trash, until she is offered a position at Blesswood. Blesswood is an academy for Sols (yup, you know it's about to get good) and All of them are beautiful Sols. Seriously, there is not one ugly person at this school. And all of the guys are tall and handsome and shit. I'd love to go there.

I didn't think I would like Willa at all. First of all she is really clumsy. Like, she gets hurt like no one and she gets herself into situations you wouldn't think could happen at all. But she is so much fun. Now she's my girl and I'm cheering for her so bad! Go, Willa!

“It’s your own fault, Will. What did I tell you about walking?” “That I should leave it to the experts,” 

Willa as you may notice is a kind of name that could be of a guy or a girl. You can't really tell. So she is mistaken for a boy right at the start. So she has to clean the men's ward at the school. Which BTW is like sooooo funny... And because of that she meets the most powerful Sols there are. The ABCURSE Brothers.... YES!

The brothers are all Sols, but really powerful ones. They are also really intense and really funny. And they're all beautiful and each has their own power... Like I was obsessed with them. At first I didn't think that having five guys and one girl was really going to work but I loved Willa so much that I gave the rest of the characters a change and I do not regret it at all. They all blended so nice and the brothers made the story ten times better. And when you add a clumsy girl named Willa with five Powerful beautiful Sols with five different personalities... It's just great. And I giggled the whole time. It's that good.

“They moved as a single unit of zero-fucks-given through the crowd.” 

The story itself was really well written. The whole book is not big at all and it took me like four hours to finish it all because I loved it so much. It has funny moments. A dramatic story where you'll be at the edge of your seat and a fantastic world of the gods where Willa has to survive and barely makes it out alive several times.

Also, there are going to be five books in total and each of the books are named after a power of one of the brothers. That's genius and just makes me want to read all of them even more. And if the covers are as god as this one and if the story maintains it's uniqueness, I can already tell it's one of my favorite series of this whole year.

Now I'm going to read Persuasion and keep on laughing like a crazy woman...