Beautiful Broken Promises by Kimberly Lauren

I must admit that I am fangirling on Kimberly Lauren right now. Every time she publishes a book I make sure I buy it and read it within 24 hours. I loved both of the previous novels to Beautiful Broken Promises and could not wait to see what Lane was hiding. I was not prepared for this story, so yes tears were shed but it still made my night.

I want to avoid giving too much away about the story because I enjoyed being surprised to discover the source of Lane's heartache. In Beautiful Broken Mess, Lane is portrayed as this giant who protects Aubrey, physically and emotionally. So when we discover that the reason he is so distant and secretive is because he feels like a failure for not protecting someone he loved we better understand the depths of his pain and his affection for his friend. He possessed a maturity that the other characters are lacking in the previous book but here we see that he is not infallible and he allows the weight of his burdens to hinder his good judgment. In spite of that, Lane is still the more systematic and calculating member of his new found family. Although there is a moment when Jaxon has the cooler head and gets Lane out of trouble that I found endearing.

Lane's story continues after Aubrey and Jace have had their baby. The novel moves away from the college romance and focuses on how this group is maturing and embracing adulthood. There is still a silliness to the story and some comic relief, largely thanks to my girl Emerson, who is now begging her husband for a family. The beginning of the story focuses on what Lane has lost, the extent to which he has gone to regain it, what happens when he finds it, and what he gains in his discovery. There is the road trip element in this story which I always enjoy because the characters are faced with new challenges in each setting. Lane travels from Texas, to Mexico, to California, then New York.

We get to meet Lane's parents and a new interest, Raegan. She is young, disoriented, naive and riddled with guilt and self-doubt. She is driven by a singular focus that Lane threatens. Facing this challenge, Lane and Raegan connect; he with her because she returns what he lost, and she with him because she is unwilling and unable to give up what has been hers to protect. Their union is built on sacrifice and compassion. At one point he tells her, "I wish I had found you sooner so I could love you longer." Kimberly Lauren weaves a beautiful love story for Lane, which he deserves.

Rusty Nailed (The Cocktail Series) by Alice Clayton

Ladies and Gentlemen...the Wallbanger is back. I was so pleased to receive my ARC for Rusty Nailed and even more pleased after I read how Simon Parker continues to rock Caroline's world...and bed. As much as I loathed having to wait for more of Simon and Caroline's wickedly exciting romance to fill my fantasies, I must admit that Rusty Nailed is definitely worth the wait and should be added to your summer reading list.

When I first introduced Wallbanger to my romance novel enthusiast friends I got the same reactions from all of them, they couldn't stop laughing at the antics of these people and Clive the cat. I think that is a testament to Alice Clayton's style, she celebrates the embarrassing and graceless moments that most people feel when in a new relationship. She glorifies the senseless but familiar interactions that we have with our friends. In Wallbanger, we laughed when Caroline and her friends jumped up and down on the bed and had a shouting match with Simon and his friends through the thin walls separating their apartments. In Rusty Nailed, we get to laugh at the disparate nuances of conversations between female friends and male friends: a woman can touch her belly and smile then both women start squealing about due dates, gender and names; a man says "dude" and his buddy responds with "dude" and it's as though an entire discourse has been exchanged.

What I love most about Rusty Nailed (besides the hot sex scenes) is that Caroline discovers more about Simon, how his past has shaped him and how he envisions their future. Both of their lives are shaken by change and while Caroline seems to want to run in the opposite direction, Simon surprises her by embracing and creating changes of his own. The renovations Simon is making to their home parallel the changes going in their relationship, it's not just hot sex and baked good anymore (although I must admit that I still muse over the detailed description of exactly how a man removes a woman's panties with just his teeth), Simon and Caroline are growing up in this book. Don’t think this means they are completely mature adults, that would bore me to tears. No, in this story they are moving forward and looking at what they want their relationship to be. 

One of the reasons Wallbanger is so appealing is how Alice Clayton writes her story as though the heroine is having a conversation with the reader. We are listening as Caroline narrates her story and that means we get her immediate reaction to the crazy that is her life, like watching her friend make out with a giraffe (you have to read it to understand it). Rusty Nailed continues in this same style and we are back to chatting up our favorite girlfriend, Caroline. We are listening to her boyfriend woes, work troubles, and friend drama coupled with the locker room talk about her amazing sex life, specifically how Simon truly knows how to use the “P-word”. I will let that marinate on your tongue and finish with this: Read Rusty Nailed.