Book Review -- Hush Hush by Lucia Franco

Lucia Franco is the Queen of controversial reads! Despite its taboo aspects, Hush Hush, ended up being sweeter than I thought it would be. 

Aubrey/Valentina is an interesting complex heroine just like I like them, she's sexually liberated and is ok with having one night stands and having sex just for the pleasure. And no friend is there to call her a slut or to be the judge counterpart I found that really refreshing. 

I loved how she found love when she really didn't expect it or even looked for it. The age gap and the twist really added to it, I really wondered how it could work out until the very end. Very stressful !

Some things made me uncomfortable at first, there's drug use and there is a theme of sex work but honestly it's just because I'm not used to this in this genre and i'm not gonna lie I wish authors would be more daring. It doesn't hurt to step out of our reading zone from time to time. 

Also the H James was very sexy, I loved his connection with the heroine, their chemistry was amazing from their first moment I knew they would be super hot together.

Hush, Hush so far is one of my favorite 2019, I didn't read many books this year not as much as in 2018 and I missed that feeling when you anticipate a book release and can't stop reading and steal some moment at work to do it. 

5 stars

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44166765-hush-hush


PURCHASE LINKS 

US: https://amzn.to/30TH0af
UK: https://amzn.to/2Y55CzP
CA: https://amzn.to/32QTp0l
AU: https://amzn.to/2K1SYIa

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Book Review -- Forbidden by Time by Negeen Papehn

I can't believe this is the end. This series is so important to me, I remember when I couldn't stop reading the first book even to sleep, and when I was in a major book slump and the second book got me out of it. 

This one follows Bita story, it's funny because I usually dread when a character I disliked in a series end up getting their books. Bita frustrated me so much in Forbidden by Faith when she didn't support Maziar and Sara that I thought it would be hard to get into her book. I was so wrong !

Bita and Ramtin are so good together, their chemistry,their passion and their connection is EVERYTHING I wish it would be when I read the blurb. Everything happened organically between them, they felt good together, couldn't help but be around each other and it deepened their connection until it became impossible to deny their powerful attraction. I love that even though I knew they would happened i felt every single thing, it was like I was Bita and i couldn't help but feel frustrated when Ramtin took a step back, her joy everytime she felt that something was happening between them. Until their very first kiss I could feel the uncertainty. 

With age gap in relationships the difficulty is to not feel the bittersweetness because the older person has more experience and in this case Ramtin is divorced and has two daughters and a very present ex-wife. It's not the same feeling when you have a young couple that get to live their firsts together but Ramtin and Bita's love never felt tainted by their age difference or by the obstacles they had to face. 
I felt the excitation of their blossoming love even if they were hiding; and when their secret was discovered I firmly believed they could overcome her family's disapproval. When the topic of children came I felt Ramtin's conflicted stance it didn't cheapen his love for Bita.

I can't believe it's over, I'm certainly not ready to say goodbye to these characters. You won't regret reading this series, love stories are universal but reading about other cultures and perspective is definitely important. I may not be from Iran but the topic addressed, the sense of community and the cultural and generational clash is something I could totally relate to and it felt GREAT to be able to connect more with the characters. 

FIVE STARS !

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Review - Forbidden by Destiny by Negeen Papehn

Nothing is better than this feeling, when you read the first pages of a book and you just know it will consume you. 

I don't want to give anything away, because this book can stand alone but it's still part of a bigger arc. I think you won't be able to appreciate the depth of this story unless you've read the first book. You need to experience the love triangle between Sara, Maziar and Ben to truly get what is at stake when Leyla, Sara's best friend and Ben Sara's ex-boyfriend fall for each other. 

I for example felt my heart breaking for both Sara and Leyla because the author did an amazing job at portraying a meaningful, solid friendship between two girls in their twenties. I also could understand how conflicting the situation was for Leyla because of Negeen Papehn stellar character development. In theory the choice between a man and your closest girlfriend is easily made but I got Leyla, this was not just lust it was a once in a lifetime love, a love she never felt, a love she never dreamed of feeling. 

What I love the most about Papehn is the fact that you can tell that each of the books of this series is written with passion and that it's not just another book to sell to eager readers.He stories are never predictable, she writes about heavy subjects and it's not always easy to read but it's also never gratuitous, everything on her characters journeys happen for a reason. 

As a french girl whose parents are first generation of immigrants I felt truly connected to this cast of characters and their family dynamic. I'm not Iranian but I felt the story was authentic and resonated with my own experience. 

When I finished reading Forbidden by Destiny I became a fan of her work, I can't wait to get my copy of Forbidden by Time, the next book of the Forbidden Love series.

This is an arc I was generously offered in exchanged of a honest review but I want you guys to know that I loved it so much that I'm gonna buy my own copy on February 19th. 

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Review — The Coppersmith Farmhouse ( Jamison Valley #1) by Devney Perry

One old farmhouse brought them together. It could also tear them apart.

Gigi has just uprooted her whole world to start a new life. The unexpected gift of a farmhouse in small-town Montana is just what she and her daughter need to escape big-city loneliness. The last thing she needs is attitude from the town’s sheriff, the most perfectly attractive and ruggedly handsome man she’s ever laid eyes on—and a complete jerk.

Jess knows all about women like Gigi. Beautiful. Sexy. Scheming. She’s stolen his sanctuary, the farmhouse that should have been his. But along with a face full of freckles, she’s got a sharp wit and a backbone of steel—something he doesn’t discover until after making a complete fool of himself. If he can earn back her trust and win her heart, he might just find the home he’s always needed.

I am legit ADDICTED to Devney Perry's books! They're SOOOOO good! I'm living in fear of finishing the Jamison Valley series because the hangover will be CRAZY and at the same time I love these characters so much! I can't wait to read their books and get even more attached to them. I love that about book series but it's been such a long time since I've felt like reading an entire series especially with interconnected standalones.

I have to admit that I would have read this book sooner if I didn't let some of the negative reviews influence me. I could have easily skipped it, it wouldn't have been the first time I've skipped a book in a series of standalones but I don't know, it felt SO wrong. That's how I realized how much book covers matter, these are so gorgeous you feel like you're disrespecting the author by not reading in order. They're really, really important that's why I don't care for book covers with sexy men, I can't believe I'm saying this but yeah I don't like them. I get the appeal but I'd rather see a beautiful shot of a couple ( the latest Kandi Steiner duet or A princess in theory by Alyssa Cole for example) or something more artistic that represent the book.  I'm a dreamer and book covers with sexy shirtless men are hot but they don't make me dream. They don't invite me in the characters' world and that's exactly what I love about these. Bloggers are raving about Perry's covers and I'm SURE it made a difference in term of paperback sales. I feel the same about music album covers and everything artistic. It matters, every detail matter and I can't wait to discover the cover art for her next book, Tattered, which will be unveiled at the end of this month!

So let's talk about the negative reviews and more precisely about Jess. Our hero has been criticized because of his behavior at the beginning of the book and because of his alpha tendencies. I cannot say that he didn't piss me off sometimes but i'm not gonna lie, I fell in love with him and I found him super endearing. Once he explained why he couldn't help but take care of everything, I just got it, it was a reasonable explanation. I never felt like he didn't respect Gigi, he never gave me the impression that her opinion didn't matter to him, just that when there was an issue he automatically took care of it because that's what he has been doing his entire life.

 I understood and I trusted him but most of all I trusted Gigi because she wasn't a pushover, she questioned his behavior and told him that it bothered her and it made me believe in their relationship and ultimately their HEA.

I adored Gigi, she was such a GREAT heroine, such a good mom. Her relationship with Rowen was so realistic and precious ! Rowen reminded me of my niece of the same age, I honest to god think she's the best written kid I've ever read. I love how important it was for Gigi to give her the best education. She reminded me of all of the single moms in my life, that put their kids first but still try to live their life as women and still believe in love.  I honestly enjoyed Gigi and Rowen's relationship as much as the romance between Jess and Gigi.

Jess had to earn their trust and when Gigi told him that Rowen was her life omg it was so sweet! Her unconditional love for her baby! I know that it's normal but it was beautiful.

I honestly don't know what's happening to me, I was craving dark, angsty books, I was looking for them and I found these instead and wow I think she's becoming a favorite author, I'm super excited to read more of her work.  Devney Perry has a way of writing things that's so simple and authentic. Her style is pure heart, there's no other way to describe it. She's so easy to read because she knows where she want to take her characters and she believes in them enough to communicate it to her readers. Her men are alpha but believe me when I say that they're NOT jerks. They're good men who love their heroines fiercely and most of all don't take them for granted. When Gigi told Jess she had worries about being the sheriff's girlfriend, Jess worked twice has hard because he didn't want his unsolved cases to ruin the foundation of their relationship. He was there, he was involved, he was committed and I loved it. This books is all i've been needing for MONTHS I can't believe I wasted so much time because of the criticism I've read. I respect the other reviewers and opinions but I'm glad it didn't keep me from reading this book and  forming my own.

These books are standalones even if they're interconnected so yes, technically, you could skip one or read them out of order. However, I don't recommend it because The Coppersmith Farmhouse is not just the first book, it really lays the foundation of the series, you meet the town's sheriff which is in my opinion an important figure and you kind of discover this town and the people through Gigi's eyes. You also get to meet other important characters that got their own book. I think this storyline is kind of continued in book three and the transition between the books is made at the end with the first appearance of the main characters of book 3.  I really doubt you'd have trouble following the story  if you don't read it in order though,  you would JUST miss the heart and magic of the series in my opinion but who cares about heart and magic ? hahaha

Just put some RESPECK on Perry's name and join me in my book marathon! I'm already halfway through The Clover Chapel and I am LOVING it so far!

5 stars!

You can buy a signed paperback and shop the series merchandise and book sleeves on the author's website : https://devneyperry.com/shop/

Buy The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Kindle) 

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Review— Only You by Melanie Harlow

I really took my time with this one. I thought that meant that it was more of a 4 stars read because I didn’t felt that I had to devour it but Only You was really the perfect romance novel. 

I’ve read several books by this author and I always always enjoy them. They’re not life changing epic love stories but I realized that sometimes you need less intensity and more of a warm beautiful feel good read and she’s perfect at this. This book reminded me of a Nora Ephron movie, it’s set Detroit and it’s really a part of the story. You feel right there with the characters, all of the places mentioned are real. It’s definitely one of the reasons I found this book so charming! 

Emme and Nate had this great connection you feel right from the start. They’ve been sort of friends for three years when the story begins and I really liked the fact that their friendship was sort of recent. It has many advantages for us readers : they care for each other when they get together but they still have things to learn about the other so we sort of get to see their relationship develop, their friendship is kind of unlikely because they’re so different, Emme is bubbly, she’s romantic and fundamentally enthusiastic while Nate is trying very hard at this alpha male thing, he doesn’t believe in relationship, and wants to preserve his bachelor lifestyle at all cost. Despite those fundamental differences they have fun together, they really like each other but there’s still this delicious banter we so enjoy from our beloved romance novel couples. When they get together we don’t have to deal with the usual friends to lover angst, they don’t spend the entire book feeling bad about it or fearing that it might end their lifelong friendship because even though they’re really good friends it’s nothing sacred for them .
I liked that because the story we get instead is much more interesting : Nate has to deal with the changes in his life since he found out that he’s a father, his relationship with Emme is a big deal but because of this life changing matter he kind of doesn’t see it coming and it’s the same for Emme she’s helping him so she gets to work on herself and live in the moment instead wondering about the future, marriage and kids and all of the things that ruined her previous relationships. 
This is the reason this book is perfect, the relationship just work, the romance is delicious with just the right amount of angst. The pace and the structure are perfect, I had to DNF a pretty good book because of the dreadful structure so it felt great to read a book with a perfectly fleshed out story. 

So ok this book might not have dragons and angst lava but it still deserves 5 Only you Always you stars!

5 stars 

Amazon Global

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Review — Modern Love by Beau North

I'm so shocked ! This book was only 132pages and yet the characters were so well developed. I usually don't read short books because I think that it's impossible to write a good character driven story under 200 pages and wow this book convinced me that I was SO WRONG. 

Will and Allie became an instant favorite couple from the first pages ! I found Will so intense, so sexy but so different than the heroes i'm used to. He was so open about his feelings! Sometimes having both pov can ruin a story but here it was perfect and the voices were so distinct, it was a delight to read both characters! 

Allie !I have so much love for her and her amazing relationship with her sister Emma ! I loved how close they were and that deep, unconditional love they had for each other.

Modern Love is such a gem! I HAVE to check Beau North's bibliography now !

Get it on Kindle Unlimited !

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Review — The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

I LOVED this book ! What an inspiring journey!

I really struggled with the rating though: I wanted to give it 4 stars because of Stacia. I wish she was a more fleshed out character, she felt like a prop until the very last pages and it kept me from fully enjoying the story. There's nothing wrong with being obsessed with fashion and being feminine I wish authors would stop using this as a flaw. She just had different interests. Also there's nothing wrong with falling out of love when you're like 19/20, cheating is awful even if the gf is evil but there's also nothing wrong with what any of these characters did because they're so youuuung no need to use the evil gf trope we ain't dumb don't manipulate us. It's one of the things I find annoying in love triangles involving two women and a man.

The reason why I changed my mind and gave it 5 stars anyway was because even though I didn't enjoy this part I think The Year we fell Down qualities outweigh its flaws AND at the end of the day it's Corey's story .

I love everything about Corey Callahan the heroine, except maybe her name because I have to specify that it's the heroine i'm talking about and it was confusing for me at the beginning. I wished she picked a different name until I read THAT part (you'll know when you'll reach it). Corey could have easily been a mary sue, she could have easily been written as a perfect, innocent, fragile blonde, the opposite of Stacia that made Hartley feel like a white knight and I would have hated it because I hate a hero with a savior complex. This kind of heroes hinder the heroine character's growth, they can be so controlling and I hate that they're partly attracted to the heroine because she's vulnerable. 
ANYWAY that's so not the case here, everything about Corey is so well-thought-out, I felt right there with her, she felt REAL. I really learned from her, or I should say WITH her that's what's great about her journey. She learned to love and accept herself as the story progressed and it happened naturally, there was no epic realization no epiphany, she had her lazy moments like all of us when she didn't want to do anything but complain or play video games with her crush and I loved that about her. I loved the fact that even playing video games was progress, I think if there's any message to get from this book it's to be kind to ourselves. We're so focused on being good people for others but we tend to be so harsh when it comes to ourselves, this book is about self love and self care more than anything. It's about acceptance for both Hartley and Callahan.

Each step Corey made towards accepting herself the way she was and towards acceptance and happiness made me so happy! 

I felt the same about Hartley, I love how they connected because of his temporary injury, his admiration for her and the fact that he saw her strength made me root for them. I'm ngl at some point in the middle of the story I felt very frustrated with him but during the last chapters he honestly came alive as a character and he won me over in the best way! Another thing I really liked about him other than his cute dimples is the fact that he was a really really good lover,their sex scenes are a great example of positive consent. I honestly cried because I thought about a younger girl reading it and realizing that yes you can enjoy sex with a boy that ask you several time if you're ok and if that's really what you want (not a mood killer guys!!!) . Obtaining consent is sexy and apparently it also makes me cry lmao

The Year We Fell Down is everything a new adult romance should be. It's everything I wanted to read when I was 20 and there was no romance books set in college, with younger adults living like younger adults. I can't wait to read more from Sarina!

5 Stars 

Amazon Global

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Blog Tour + Review — Waiting for the Sun (Waiting for the sun, #1) by Robin Hill

5 LOVE HER MADLY Stars




Title: Waiting for the Sun
Series: Waiting for the Sun #1
Author: Robin Hill
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release: January 16, 2018

2018 is the year of amazing first books ! Waiting for the sunis the first part of a duet. The sequel, RIDERS ON THE STORM, will be released soon ( I crave death tbh, I want it NOW.). It's an exhilarating ride, contemporary romance perfection! 

I felt right there with the characters and that's my favorite thing about this book it really seemed like an authentic experience even though I've never been to South by. The perfect playlist curated by Robin Hill herself certainly helped, I can't stop listening to Circles by MachineHeart, such a happy song!

Frankie and Darian were delightful together! Some people prefer the love/hate trope but there's nothing I enjoy more than reading about couples having the time of their lives together, enjoying each other's company and having a hard time being apart. That honeymoon phase is my favorite kind of romance! If it's there, I can handle any kind of angst, yep even the stab me with a fork type of angst.
I could handle my frustration with Darian, who was afraid to let go and fall for Frankie after losing his entire family tragically, because I never doubted that in the end he could make her happy, because together they had intoxicating FUN. At moments, I really wanted to smack them both, Frankie for allowing him to hurt her and Darian for being so confusing about his feelings for her but as I said I was CONVINCED. This couple honestly had me at hello, with their natural chemistry and their deep understanding of each other. 

This is how I felt about this book in general, everything felt easy: the dialogs, the romance, the friendships with the great secondary characters (I loved the texts with Jane and Drew their respective BFFs), it was an effortless read that I couldn't put down! If you're looking for the perfect blend of humor, sexy and angsty this book is for you! So don't hesitate, grab a copy and maybe we'll meet at South by one day ! 

Buy Links (Kindle Unlimited)
➾Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2Fyp1wl
➾Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2EE8NAr
➾Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2r08iyw
➾Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2EGlSJq

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Review— The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

FAKE DATING WITH A TWIST!

I loved this cute romance novel! Jasmine Guillory took one of the most overused romance trope and wrote a unique and realistic story. 

THE MOST NATURAL, LOVELY CHEMISTRY!
Alexa and Drew were delightful together. They had one of the best meet cute EVER, once I finished that scene I just knew they were IT for each other. It was the most natural, lovely chemistry. You could just tell that they had FUN together and I loved that. So much fun that it made total sense for them to try a long distance relationship. It's probably this aspect of the story that kept me invested . So often when a romance novelist use the fake dating trope it last for the entire book and imo it's not the most interesting choice, when the book is over i'm never totally convinced by the HEA unless they're a big fat epilogue to make up for it. Here you get the comedy of a fake wedding date but you also get to experience what happens after it, when they're back to reality and in their case reality means self-doubt, flying every week end, missing each other, falling in love, fighting and REALLY getting to know the other. 


They were much more than a sexy pairing, Drew and Alexa really cared about each other. They were interested in each other beyond sex and even when they were struggling to define their relationship you could feel that what they had was special. One of my favorite thing was how supportive they were when it came to their respective careers. They're both passionate about their work and it was nice that even though they worked in totally different environment they both cared enough to ask how the other was doing, to ask about specific projects or patients in Drew's case.

A RELATABLE COUPLE !
Jasmine Guillory said that she wanted to write a romance with characters that look like her friends, live in big cities, had careers they're really invested in and all of this trully made the book for me. Alexa work for her city and she had a particular project that she was passionate about, I don't want to reveal it because it's one of my favorite storyline in this book, but the fact that Drew kept asking her about it really solidified their relationship for me.

Some people prefer when fictional interracial couple don't talk about race and don't make a big deal of it I personally don't agree, I think it's great that Alexa was scared to ruin everything by talking about their relationship status but never compromised when it came to this. She was NOT afraid to confront him about his privilege as a white man, she didn't hesitate to ask him if there would be any black or poc guests at the wedding and Drew was never defensive or made her feel like he wanted to avoid the topic or like he had nothing to learn from her. I think it SUPER important to represent that kind of healthy dynamic in an interracial because it's cool to be attracted and fall in love with a black/poc but some people don't want to deal with our struggle or hear about it and that's just toxic imo especially when these people end up with black kids and refuse to hear that they'll experience things differently and that at some point they WILL have to have THE talk.

The Wedding Date is an absolute GEM, I just know that it'll be one of the best books of this year. Even though i'm unapologetic about my preference for this genre, this book is much more than a romance, it's a love story, it has an amazing cast of secondary characters and compelling relevant storylines. I'm gonna campain HARD for the Choice Awards this year, move over Colleen Hoover!

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Review — Crack duet by L.H. Cosway

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light get in." Leonard Cohen What a wonderful duet ! Ev is probably the most relatable heroine I've ever read. It's been so long since I've read a book that actually put my feelings into words. It reminded me why I love reading books so much. And Dylan, omg Dylan! This is textbook how you should write a HERO. I'm stunned by the character development, you can really tell that there's 11 years between the two books because the characters really evolved and I loved what time did to Dylan. He realized all of his dreams, but still had Evelyn in his heart and never looked down on her. Not only was he supportive but he also really understood Evelyn's situation and he never judged her. I am not gonna lie sometimes I did judge Ev probably because I saw so much of myself in her and often throughout the book he reminded me of what she went through and how selfless and strong she was. He never made her feel guilty for her choices and wow that's powerful, this is what I call a hero ! The Cracks duet is an epic unconditional love story, that I HIGHLY recommend. There's so much more I want to say but I also really want readers to know as little as possible to savor this beautiful story. 5 stars A Crack In Everything How The Light Get In

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Review — Bad For You by J. Daniels

AMAZING BOOK! 

I rarely cry when I read but wow I literally WEPT reading this one! Sean and Shayla's love moved me so much ! Sean Molina ! It was the sweetest slow burn, so intense, so passionate. I loved this couple ! 
You finish this book completely convinced that they're MFEO. You just know that Sean will spend his life adoring this woman and wow that's ... brb i'm too emo.

I highly recommend the audiobook too! It's the first audiobook that I finished usually I switch to the ebook version at some point.

5 stars

Amazon Global

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