Monday 16 November 2015

Audiobook Review: The Vigilante's Lover, Vol. 1 by Annie Winters & Tony West, Read by Gordon Anthony Palagi & Samantha Mantin

Source: Received a code from the author to give an honest review.
Publisher: Casey Shay Press
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Format: Audible Audiobook


Description from Goodreads:
Spies, vengeance, and one seriously well-dressed man

"If Bourne dressed like Bond and acted like Grey, you'd have Jax De Luca."
An addictive new romantic suspense series from the desk of USA Today bestselling author Deanna Roy/JJ Knight

Mia trembles as she reads the letter that arrives from Ridley Prison.

Seduction. Bondage ropes. Descriptions of things Mia has never experienced or known.

The man’s words are desperately passionate. He longs for a woman who must have given him a fake address. Mia’s address.

She plans to send the letter back. He’s a convicted felon.

But his words gnaw at her. She’s never done anything dangerous. And no man has ever talked to her like this.

So Mia writes him, pretending to be the woman he desires.

It's her one dark thrill in her dull, solitary small-town life.

The man is in prison for another fifteen years.

It's harmless. She is safe enough.

Until he escapes.
 I'm a big fan of Deanna Roy, so I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook version of The Vigilante's Lover, Vol. 1, and I wasn't disappointed!!!! :D

The story starts with plans for a jailbreak and sexy letter...so it definitely packs a punch right from the start, and it only gets more and more intense! As soon as I started listening, I didn't want to stop⎯the story reeled me in and kept me eagerly awaiting what was going to happen next!

 I loved both Jax and Mia! Jax was a walking mystery, super duper sexy, and I loved learning about his past! Mia seemed like just an average girl, who somehow got mixed into the middle of a crazy scenario, but I think there's more to her than she knows herself...and I can't wait to find out more about her backstory!

Throughout the audiobook, I was riveted to the story! The Vigilantes' world is extremely intricate and secretive, so it was interesting trying to figure things out just like Mia was. They have crazy advanced technologies, secret headquarters, intricate databases, and a hierarchy that seems extremely complicated. I loved the mystery of it all, and it was definitely suspenseful trying to figure everything out...and to figure out who Mia could trust!

As far as the audiobook version goes, the story alternates between Mia's POV and Jax's POV, and it also alternates between a male and female narrator. I absolutely LOVED the male narrator, Gordon Anthony Palagi! His voice was AMAZING! It suited the story perfectly, and it was an absolute pleasure listening to him. I was actually a little disappointed when I checked Audible and didn't see any other titles narrated by him. I wasn't a big fan of the female narrator though. Her voice just didn't really work for me, but as I got into the story, I didn't mind it as much, and Gordon's/Jax's chapters more than made up for hers. :P

Overall, I absolutely loved the first part of The Vigilante's Lover...the only downside was waiting for the next volume, but thankfully it's out now!! I can't wait to get started on volume 2! ;) I'd recommend The Viligante's Lover, Vol. 1 to fans of suspenseful romances, especially if you like your leading men a little bit naughty and mysterious! And I'd definitely recommend the audiobook because I absolutely LOVED Jax's chapters! ;)

What do you think?
Does The Vigilante's Lover, Vol. 1 sound like a romance you'd enjoy?

Thursday 12 November 2015

Cover Reveal: Hooked by Love (Bellevue Bullies #3) by Toni Aleo

I have an awesome cover reveal for you today!

 I usually share cover reveals for Toni Aleo's Assassins series, but today, I have something a little bit different. It's the gorgeous cover for HOOKED ON LOVE, the third book in Toni's New Adult Bellevue Bullies series! :)

 So, here it is!

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY || SARA EIREW
COVER DESIGN || REGINA WAMBA
*****
HOOKED BY LOVE
by Toni Aleo
COMING 12.28.2015
Things are out of control for the Sinclair boys! With two already in the NHL, Jace Sinclair is ready to follow in his brothers’ HUGE skates in the last Bellevue Bullies novel…

Jace Sinclair here, and I’m amazing. There is no other way to describe me. I am the leading scorer for the Bellevue Bullies, I’m the captain, and people love me: my family, my teammates, my coach, and the NHL. I already have one foot in the draft and I’m ready. This is my last year in college–it’s basically a conditioning year to get me ready for the NHL, to further my game, and I have to be focused. But then, it’s also my last year to have fun and not give a damn before my life really starts. Which means I’m gonna run through every girl I meet. That’s my plan. Because my one and only love is hockey. It keeps me warm even when it’s freezing. It’s always there when nothing else is. And it pushes me to be the best I can be. It’s my love.

That is, until I see her against a tree with a guitar.

Avery.

The last thing I wanted was to meet anyone. My heart is on the bench because I’ve watched my mom get broken by the person I call my father, and I don’t want that for myself. I don’t want to be hurt by anyone. I can’t give them that power.

But my heart is begging for ice time, and I can’t control it around her.

* * *

I’ve always been in the background. No one has ever had time for me and that’s fine; I’ve learned to cope. Coming from a family where hockey is life, the last thing I want is some big, burly hockey player charging at me. I don’t have time for it, but Jace Sinclair isn’t one to be deked around. The thing is, I came to the University of Bellevue for one reason and one reason only. To make my dreams of being a singer/songwriter come true. To work in the industry and pay my dues. Become who I really want to be.

I didn’t want to meet anyone. I didn’t want to end up freezing the puck with him. It’s not what I want.

I have demons.

I have issues.

Living in the shadows, no one even knew until it was too late. But Jace wants to know.

He wants me.

And that scares me the living hell out of me.

We were so worried about what would happen if we fell, but we never thought what could happen in the process of falling. We never saw it coming. But it’s here, and the repercussions are not pretty. We should have known that there is no way out of the zone when you are being Hooked by Love.
Connect with Toni:  FACEBOOK | TWITTER| INSTAGRAM

Preorder Purchase Links




This cover is more couple-focused than Toni's adult covers have been lately, and I like it. I love her adult covers, too, but I'm definitely loving the scruff on the cover model...and that "almost" kiss, too. ;) I also LOVE the pink text!!!!

What do you think?
Do you like the cover for Hooked by Love?

Monday 9 November 2015

Review: Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling

Source: Received a copy from the publisher to give an honest review.
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Teen)
Release Date: November 2, 2015
Number of Pages: 350 (Kindle edition)

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
The world isn't just black or white. Sometimes it's red...

They think I'm next. That I'll be the seventh kid to step in front of a train and end my life. With the rash of suicides at my school, Mom's shipped me off to my dad's Wyoming ranch for “my own safety.” They think I’m just another depressed teenager whose blood will end up on the tracks. They don't know my secrets...or what I’ve done.

I wasn't expecting Dad to be so sick, for the ranch I loved to be falling to bits, or for Jake—the cute boy I knew years ago—to have grown into a full-fledged, hot-as-hell cowboy. Suddenly, I don't want to run anymore, but the secrets from home have found me...even here. And this time, it's up to me to face them—and myself—if I want to live...
I have loved Heidi R. Kling's writing ever since I first read Sea, so when I heard about Paint My Body Red, I was extremely excited!!! The description sounded dark and edgy, with the promise of some romance involving a swoon-worthy cowboy, which sounded pretty amazing to me. Sure enough, I started the book, and couldn't put it down!

Paint My Body Red is about Paige. When she was younger, her parents divorced, and her mom moved her to California, away from her family's ranch in Wyoming. She goes back years later, after a series of suicides takes place involving students from her school, and when she gets to the ranch, she sees just how much it has changed and how her father's health has declined due to ALS. While the circumstances of her return were sad, I loved seeing Paige make herself at home once again on the ranch. I loved seeing her get to know her father again, and their relationship was one of my favourite parts of the novel. I loved seeing her get to know the woman that her father loved, Anna. And I especially loved seeing her friendship with Jake evolve. I just really loved this story! The characters immediately pulled me in, and I genuinely cared for Paige. It was amazing to see how time on her father's ranch helped her overcome what she experienced back in Palo Alto.

While there is a romantic element to Paint My Body Red, I loved that the story wasn't defined by romance. Instead, the story was largely about Paige healing and growing stronger on the ranch. The story itself was told in an extremely interesting way. Paige narrates the entire book, but it alternates between her present and the events that happened to her back in California, which she records in her diary. Writing out what happened acts as a catharsis for Paige, and her time on the ranch helps her ground herself. She's able to find happiness and joy despite the people she lost, and the abuse that she suffered. I absolutely loved this method of revealing Paige's past—it was unique and engaging.

I also loved the romance in the story, and thoroughly enjoyed Jake and Paige together. I loved their banter, and they brought out the best in each other. They worked extremely well together, and it was fantastic to see their relationship evolve from friendship into something more, especially since it was founded on trust. I also really loved that Jake was a cowboy! There's something so attractive about a boy with the manners of a gentleman, who is still willing to kiss the crap out of a girl. ;) Even better that he never pressured Paige, and that their relationship was never rushed.

Overall, I absolutely loved Paint My Body Red. I loved that it was such a dynamic story, and that it covered such important topics. Suicide, rape, depression, and life-threatening illnesses should never be brushed aside, and I thought it was amazing that Heidi R. Kling approached all of those topics in Paint My Body Red. This story is so important, and it delivers such a powerful message about life, valuing the life you're given, and working to overcome the things that hold you back. I thought that it was a complex, mysterious, and captivating story, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone!

What do you think?
Does Paint My Body Red sound like something you want to read?

Thursday 5 November 2015

Review: Tides of Honour by Genevieve Graham

Source: Received a copy from the publisher to give an honest review.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
Release Date: Already released.
Number of Pages: 432 (Paperback)


Description from Goodreads:
A novel of love, loss, and honour amidst the horrors of war and its aftermath.

It’s 1916, and the last thing Nova Scotian soldier Danny Baker expects to find in war-torn France is the love of his life. Audrey Poulin is alone in the world, and struggling to survive the war in the French countryside. When Audrey and Danny meet and fall in love, it seems like the best version of fate.

But love is only the beginning, as Danny loses a leg in the Battle of the Somme, and returns home to Halifax with Audrey, only to discover that he’s unable to leave the war behind. Danny and Audrey struggle with their new life together, and must face not only their own internal demons, but a catastrophe that will soon rip apart everything they think they know about themselves and each other.

Genevieve Graham, author of Under the Same Sky and Sound of the Heart, brings her passion for weaving history and fiction together in a seamless tale that will capture and enthrall the reader.

*****

"Evocative of place and time, a novel blending tragedy and triumph in a poignant and uplifting tale that's sure to leave its mark upon your heart."
-SUSANNA KEARSLEY, New York Times & Globe and Mail bestselling author

“Travel back to 1917 and explore a world of suffragettes, Bolsheviks, and the Great War - and the love story that illuminates them all.”
- JON TATTRIE, author of Black Snow

I started reading TIDES OF HONOUR while preparing to move, so my reading was interrupted a little bit, but once I picked the book back up, I couldn't stop. I just had to know how Audrey and Danny's story ended! 

One of the things that I loved most about Tides of Honour was how quintessentially Canadian it was. I really enjoy historical romance, and this was the first time that I'd ever read one that was set in Canada...and it was fabulous!! Tides of Honour takes place during World War I, and also during one of the worst tragedies in Canada's history. I have to admit that prior to reading Tides of Honour...I had never heard of the Halifax explosion. I guess Canada's history curriculum could use some work since in Alberta we definitely didn't learn about it, but even though it wasn't something I was familiar with, I really enjoyed how Genevieve Graham wove the event into her story. She described it so vividly that I was able to imagine and picture just how horrible both the explosion and the aftermath were. It was also really amazing to see how people worked together after such a horrible event, especially when the country was already being ravaged by WWI.

With WWI and the Halifax explosion being a part of the story, there was no shortage of hardship in Tide of Honour, but even during the difficult times, there was also happiness and love. It was wonderful to see how Audrey and Danny's love started to grow after they met during the war, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way that their relationship evolved, even while they were separated. Both Audrey and Danny were wonderful characters, and I loved seeing them meet, reunite, and then overcome the obstacles and hardships that were in front of them. I loved how passionate they both were as individual characters, especially Audrey with her art. And Danny went through so much throughout the story. I just wanted to give him a big hug, and I was so proud of him by the end of the book. He changed a lot throughout the story, and during the last half, his parts were my favourite. :)

Tides of Honour was a fantastic story with great, dynamic characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The writing was wonderful, and it was a captivating story that made me desperate to see how it ended. I'd recommend Tides of Honour to historical romance fans, especially fans of romances set around WWI, and it'd be even better if they those fans also like Canadian history. :)

What do you think?
Does Tides of Honour sound like something you'd like to read?