Consumed (The Devoured Series Book 2.0) by Emily Snow

Disregard all of the entanglements that kept this book from the public eye for far too long and just let the conclusion to Lucas and Sienna’s story consume your world for a few hours. The story opens up in the exact moment that Sienna watches the music video and Lucas arrives to make amends. From there, after a two night sex fest tucked away in the Tennessee mountains, their story continues and Sienna joins Lucas on tour. The set up is rather obvious because Sienna is going to have to contend with Lucas’ demons and Lucas is going to have to reveal more to Sienna than he ever planned. However, the rest of the story is much more interesting and far more exciting. 

I read Devoured some time ago and became enamored with Lucas Wolfe, the sultry lead singer of Your Toxic Sequel in this story. He embodies the rock god persona mingled with the fantastical alpha male with a penchant for a little bondage and BDSM.  In Consumed, Lucas is full frontal (pun intended) and we see EVERYTHING! His big secret is revealed... he opens up and lets Sienna in... I mean this is book boyfriend ambrosia. Lucas is laid bare and you just want to touch all of him. He hasn’t lost any of his tendency to be a jerk that we read in All Over You or Devoured, but he is more open and ready to love Sienna. He recognizes that their relationship is better for him and its function is better for him, “...I turn my head and find her mouth. I devour her. And she consumes me. It’s the only way we will work.”

Sienna was the most surprising aspect of this book. That fiery red hair always matched her personality and she could give as good as she got, but in this story she changed her approach with Lucas. At first I worried she was being too compliant and letting him have his way too much (who wouldn’t?) but then I realized she was stroking his ego and allowing him to be the man he was telling her he was. The bonus to all of this was the unabashed pleasure he provided in exchange for her compliance. I also realized that by gentling her approach to him she was better able to get him to open up to her. In spite of his want for Sienna and promises to her, Lucas still remained guarded about his past. His defense proves problematic for Sienna throughout the story (great for the plot line, not so much for her overall health). 

Of course, Lucas’ sister, Kylie appears in the novel along with the rest of the band so there is plenty of good-natured jibing and comic relief. A few more details of Wyatt and Kylie’s story are revealed and we see the happily ever after is happening for the entire Your Toxic Sequel family. This book is going into my ‘will definitely read again” column.

Into the Deep by Samantha Young

I read On Dublin Street over a year ago and once finished I knew that I had to read any and everything that Samantha Young published. I am always a little on the fence about new adult romance because I prefer my book boyfriends to be established gentlemen (or hot, sexy, alpha male, badass bikers). Imagine my surprise at discovering Jake Caplin to be a rather mature and self-assured charmer. I have had Into the Deep in my cue to read for some time now and with the recent release of Out of the Shallows I figured now was as good a time as any other. 

Into the Deep is the story of Jake and Charley, a young couple who meet again at a study abroad in college after a heartbreaking separation that happened when they were teenagers. Jake is firmly attached to a new girlfriend and Charley is unable to trust Jake four years after their break up. Both Jake and Charley have best friends who are with them on this adventure in Edinburgh and they end up spending time together with their collective group. Somehow in the midst of all of this mingling, things get complicated: Jake wants to make amends with Charley without hurting his girlfriend and Charley wants closure with Jake but knows she could very well get hurt again in the process. In the meantime, Charley is quite fetching and manages to attract the attention of the lead singer of a band who also happens to be friends/roommates with Jake. See? Complicated.

Into the Deep is definitely a page-turner. Jake and Charley are a couple you want to know more about, you want to see what happens. In truth, I despise love triangles. I personally do not bother with the complicated. I am an all in or walk away type of girl. So I found myself urging Charley to not listen to her heart and walk away from Jake throughout the story. The wonderful thing about the structure of this story is that the reader does not immediately know how Jake hurt Charley, we just know that he did. The first two-thirds of the book alternates between the present day and four years ago. We toggle between their reconnection and their initial introduction and burgeoning romance. This configuration allows the reader to see how incredible Jake is without holding too strong a grudge against him. Charley often comments on his maturity and charm and all of the things about him that led her to give him her heart. So by the time we do discover the awful truth the hurt and heartbreak is felt from both parties. The scene encapsulates the hurt Charley feels at the words and actions Jake renders while also capturing how much pain he feels in giving them to her. It is harrowing and enchanting all at the same time.

Charley is a strong-willed heroine who unfortunately suffered heartbreak much too early. She is fortunate to have a close-knit family and group of friends that add a lot of body to this story. I found myself laughing out loud at a good deal of the banter between the friends. The secondary characters are really good at helping Charley and Jake come to terms with all that they are dealing with, placing a multitude of perspectives on what happened between them four years ago and what is happening with them in the present day. Top all of this off with the beautiful and always bewitching setting of Scotland and Into the Deep is a lovely story. QUOTABLE: "I knew after weeks of meeting you that I was never going to love another girl like I love you. You're it for me. They write books about what we have." Whew!

The Edge of Always by JA Redmerski 4/5 Stars

The irony of being single and reading books about hot, sexy, badass alpha males is that when reading about said man, he is everything you could possibly want. However, when said single girl comes across an actual man that personifies these qualities, he is the physical embodiment of every reason why she is still single. Occasionally, the book boyfriend comes along that is realistic and still hauntingly very appealing. Andrew Parrish is such a man. Is it possible that a young woman can find a man that is handsome and talented and restless? Absolutely.

The Edge of Always is the continuation of Andrew and Camryn’s story after they finish their first road trip. They find this happy groove where they are both waiting for something to happen but seem to be enjoying their time together until tragedy strikes and the restlessness becomes overwhelming to both of them. After several weeks of debating and doubting themselves they decide to go back out on the road to rediscover what brought them together in the first book.

I read The Edge of Never over a year ago and the end of the story was so emotionally charged that I felt incomplete and needed more; not in the sense that I felt the story was incomplete, but from the want to know more about the direction their HEA would take. In this book, the author includes a letter to her readers in which she explains why she did not add more to the original book. She talks about the heightened emotions the book conveys and how affecting their story is to the reader. I appreciated that she added this piece and included a little surprise for fans of the first book.

Since reading the first book, I’ve ventured into so many romance genres that it took me a while to get to a place where I could truly engage in Andrew and Camryn’s story again. I bought the book when it was first released and waited months to read it. Now that I’ve read it, I’m happy that I’m through it. The one downside to New Adult romance is the angst that goes along with young lovers. Not just angst but the feelings of self-doubt and insecurity and finding that sense of comfort and peace with the person that you know you belong to. JA Redmerski captures all of these emotions so incredibly well that when you get to the moments of passion between them it feels like someone released a pressure valve in your lungs. I found myself rereading these parts just so I could mentally prepare for what could come next. 

I am happy knowing more about Camryn and Andrew’s journey and how they found their comfort and peace with one another. I love that I feel complete after reading this story. More than that, I love that a writer can create a character that is not so detached from reality that a single girl can still hope to find an Andrew Parrish, just maybe not on a Greyhound bus.

Play by Kylie Scott 4/5 stars

I am the kind of person that enjoys organization to a fault which would explain why I find the categorical arrangement of romance novels so appealing. In the mood for something super- hot? Try erotica. You like your men buff and badass? Go with an MC story. Stressing over your unpaid bills and need a Cinderella fix? Billionaire romance is your ticket. Lately, I’ve been on the road with a few bikers but my smartphone alerted me that a very special book I have been looking forward to was available for download: Play by Kylie Scott. This is the story of Malcolm Ericson, the drummer for Stage Dive. I have been looking forward to this release for a few months now after reading Lick.

The appropriately named Play introduces us to Anne Rollins, a down on her luck bookstore cashier that lives in Portland, who is inextricably linked to the Stage Dive band through six degrees of separation (actually it is more like two but whatever). Anne meets Mal when she is in need of money and he is in need of a fake girlfriend. In Lick, we discover that Mal is playful, too playful to a fault. His antics can diffuse or incite any drama that ensues between his bandmates. In Play, Mal’s whimsy is endearing and frustrating. On the one hand, what woman wouldn’t want a very sexy and amusing man intruding on her life and taking away all of her financial problems in exchange for pretending to be his girlfriend? Sounds enticing but of course there are issues that plague these two. Although it is never directly stated, Mal is obviously suffering from manic depression which is a problem that Anne has faced with her mother. Mal is dealing with his own demons in a destructive manner and Anne is insistent on helping him (this is what Mal refers to as her being a doormat, which ironically is how he easily invades her life by moving in with her, unannounced).

Overall, I enjoyed reading this story. I am certain that I enjoyed Mal and Anne’s story more than David and Evelyn’s romance. I find Mal to be more appealing, he is imaginative and impulsive where David is too brooding and moody. Mal has the sexiest and funniest dialogue, at one point telling Anne “Whatever you’re imagining, it’s bigger.” This is a definitive quote of Mal’s personality; he is much bigger and better. Although at times he is childish, he is worth the read. Mal’s antics make me look forward to reading the next story in the series: Lead.

 

Weathering the Storm (The Storm Series) by Samantha Towle 3/5 Stars

Last summer I read The Mighty Storm and Jake Wethers became one of my favorite book boyfriends. I spent this past summer looking forward to this sequel. I began reading and quickly became entranced with Jake Wethers and the wicked web he weaves. First, let me say this: Jake in this novel is just as sexy as he is in the first novel. Still charming and completely sweet on Trudy. Now that I've shared that tidbit I need to express some concerns. This novel does not measure up to its predecessor. The Mighty Storm was about a rock star wooing a long lost love after suffering a tragedy. The courtship is always so enchanting in novels even when the characters suffer during their formulaic separation, we readers wait in angst and anticipation for the reconciliation. Unfortunately, the happily ever after is usually dull and doesn't involve as much excitement, both in real life and in this sequel. Samantha Towle does a good job of introducing some drama to Jake and Trudy's HEA to keep us engaged but the plot is not exciting. You know how you like to imagine the love life of Hollywood's most glamorous couple to be but if that couple allowed a camera crew to follow them around for 24 hours the exciting bits would be few and far in between. That's sort of what happens here. There were several points in the novel where Trudy is giving very specific details about her going about getting a drink in the kitchen or choosing an outfit. Frustrating!!! Of course you have the charming and touching components. Jake is still temperamental, endearing, possessive, and hung like an ox (lots of Jake the snake jokes). I did enjoy reading about the direction their love affair takes. I do recommend reading this novel for lovers of the first novel.

Lick: Stage Dive Book 1 by Kylie Scott 3.5/5 Stars

Sexy rock star. Curvy heroine. Campy storyline. Oh, and a sexy rock star. This is one for those who like it a little sappy but not too much. Like switching from glucose to saccharine. 

Evelyn wakes up on a bathroom floor in Vegas, after a little hard partying for her 21st birthday, next to a half-naked man that she does not remember marrying. This man turns out to be the lead singer of Stage Dive, a popular rock band. Evelyn freaks out and runs away only to find herself front page news and seeking solace with her new husband. The campy part of the story ends there and the rest is formulaic but still entertaining. All of the fun elements of New Adult romance that readers enjoy.

David Ferris is the emotionally damaged rock star who married a girl that was different from all of the other girls he entertains. He is hot and has hot bandmates who are whimsical and sensitive. Malcolm is the lovable bandmate that welcomes Evelyn into David’s world in a “yanking your balls” kind of way. Readers will enjoy his comments. David on the other hand is all lust and desire. His bedroom antics are creative. SWOON-WORTHY COMMENT: “Topless Cuddles!”Yummy! 

Evelyn is not the stereotypical hot chick that is clueless as to how hot she is. She is curvy in a way that garners some negative feedback. She gets picked on because of her curves. What makes her worth reading is how she handles the comments. Her asides are hilarious. Both characters have past demons they are trying to overcome and this does get in the way of their relationship but not with all of the angst that is typical of NA romance.  

Lick (such a great name for a book) is an entertaining and quick read. I do recommend this one but I did find a few of the sex scenes to be stale. I am looking forward to the next book.

Savor You by Emily Snow Book #1 in the Savor Us Series 3.5/5 Stars Rating

I was looking forward to Kylie and Wyatt’s story after reading Devoured with Sienna and Lucas. Emily Snow’s character struggles and relationship angst in her novels is captivating. They are fun to read because the reader gets lost in the whirlwind of who’s right and who’s wrong. The fact that she uses rock stars helps with imagining the sexy hero who has to capture the heart of a strong-willed heroine.

In Savor You I did not get as lost in the story as I feel that I should have. This story has an endearing premise. There are two characters that have been going back and forth with one another for years. They have beaten themselves up over their want and desire to be together but never finding the courage to really be together. The theme of the book is the old cliché ‘relationships are hard’. However, the focus of the book is around how Kylie and Wyatt have never been able to get past the hard part. I think this is part of the reason why I am not as enamored with this book as I want to be. The main characters are weak; they are mental midgets. Of course, this revelation conflicts with the development of these two characters in the novel as a whole. They both come across as strong-willed and rebellious but in truth they are incapable of dealing with the difficulties of life in a mature way.

It took quite some time to get through with reading this book. I do feel that the storyline is strong and the author incorporates the supporting characters from the Devoured series very well. There is a nice mingling of the two storylines but I wanted more from Kylie. I was pleasantly surprised with the few twists that were integrated into the story and I think readers will enjoy that much.