And why did I find it so crazy addictive, unputdownable, and entertaining?!? This book is not PC or a sugarcoated depiction of a motorcycle club, but that’s probably part of what makes it so gripping. As I said in my Undeniable review, maybe I shouldn’t have enjoyed this so much, but shamelessly, I did. And I can’t wait for Cage and Tegen’s book!(less)
This is a total train wreck (or horrific motorcycle accident), but it’s also wildly, chocolate coated crack addictive! I...more5 stars – Contemporary Romance
This is a total train wreck (or horrific motorcycle accident), but it’s also wildly, chocolate coated crack addictive! It has a somewhat Kristen Ashley vibe but ramped up about 500% in the crazy department. Seriously, the characters in this story make the people on Jerry Springer seem tame and normal.
It’s no holds barred rough, raw, crude, brutal, and violent with crazy characters, cheating galore, a hero who gives new meaning and an A+ distinction to uber A+lpha and A+sshat, and a heroine who makes ridiculously, repeatedly stupid choices. I wanted to smack them both silly several times. (view spoiler)[Deuce’s random whore banging and the way he treated Eva when she was pregnant was appallingly, unforgivably awful. And Eva’s pathological love, forgiveness, and codependency for Frankie was creepy and disturbing, not to mention the twisted, sexual mess she got herself into with Chase. (hide spoiler)] These people should be on posters for STD screening.
Yet despite all the vulgarity and wacky chaos, I was absolutely absorbed from beginning to end and exhaustively entertained. And even though the H/h drove me batty with all their insane drama, I was still captivated and rooting for their HEA. Perhaps I shouldn’t have enjoyed this so much, but surprisingly, shamelessly, I did.
Kristen Ashley has without a doubt earned the best/most of everything for 2012 (addictive stories, unforgettable...more5 stars – Contemporary Erotic Romance
Kristen Ashley has without a doubt earned the best/most of everything for 2012 (addictive stories, unforgettable heroes, and moving epilogues) and is easily one of my all-time favorite authors. Her books completely beguile me every single time and this was certainly no exception. Never mind that I had boxes to unpack or a gazillion other things to do because Creed simply demanded my full attention...and boy howdy, he got it! I simply couldn’t put it down!
This actually started off a little bit rocky and I wasn’t quite sure what to think. But then around the 28% mark, everything started falling into place and I ended up loving it! Creed and Sylvie are both broken and battered with horribly tragic pasts, but they find healing and forgiveness through their resilient, enduring, and unconquerable love for each other. They’re memorable, unique characters, and I adored them together.
I loved Knight and Creed, and it’s hard to decide which I liked better. Both have compelling, strong, albeit very distinctive, heroes, and although related, they’re still very different books; so it’s probably best not to compare the two. Having said that, this definitely left me more emotionally satisfied than Knight, probably because there’s a definitive, more traditional, hard-won HEA.
Bottom line, Kristen Ashley is an author goddess and she’s once again made me a very happy romance reader! Big 5 stars!
The epilogue...of course. KA is the queen of heartwarming, mushy, gushy, and can’t-get-enough-of-it epilogues, and Creed left me smiling and wiping away tears.
Minor criticisms:
Creed naming his kids (view spoiler)[with another woman the same names that he and Sylvie had planned on (hide spoiler)] made my heart break. Talk about a hot poker to the chest! His reasoning was awful, twisted, beautiful, and tragic, and although things eventually worked out, it was still hard to take.
After waiting so long for the flashback scene to reveal the moment that Sylvie (view spoiler)[finally lost her virginity to Creed (hide spoiler)], I was very disappointed that it faded to black.
I think it’s a bit misleading that this series falls in the Unfinished Hero series that’s described as erotic romances with anti-heroes because Creed is without a doubt an honorable man and a full-fledged hero, and it’s really not all that erotic.
This is Kristen Ashley’s first venture into the “erotic” romance genre, and I loved it! Knight Sebring is a serio...more5 stars – Contemporary Erotic Romance
This is Kristen Ashley’s first venture into the “erotic” romance genre, and I loved it! Knight Sebring is a seriously sexy, magnetic, dark anti-hero and all kinds of yummy “Dom”ineering alpha hotness. Anya Gage is very likeable and genuine and one of my favorite KA heroines. I really enjoyed their captivating, intense connection, dynamic relationship, emotional progression, and explosive bedroom scenes! YOWZA!
Ms. Ashley took a gamble with this, and I imagine some readers/fans will be put off by certain aspects, like the BDSM (D/s) elements and Knight’s dark side. He’s definitely an enigmatic, powerful “anti-hero”, but that’s one of the things I loved most about it. And I’ve read quite a bit of erotic and BDSM romances, so for me, this is actually on the somewhat lite/mild side, but it’s still gratifyingly steamy!
Controversy and Quibbles:
1) Spank Me Daddy
Knight had Anya answer/call him “Daddy” instead of “Master” or “Sir” in their sex play, which usually sets off my ick factor alert, but it really didn’t bother me in this. Somehow Knight mastered it, and I actually found this “Daddy” more smokin’ hot than creepy. “Come to/for Daddy?” If/when it’s Knight Sebring demanding it? Oh Hell Yeah!
2) I’m No Mr. Nice Guy...aka...Knight’s Big Secret
(view spoiler)[Knight is a pimp. WTF?!?! But hey, he treats his stable of women much better than his smarmy predecessor and he once covered Anya with a blanket while she was napping, so it’s okay. *dramatic eye roll* It just didn’t seem right to me that he would continue to profit from the world’s oldest profession, despite his reasoning and assurances that his girls are well treated and protected, especially considering his mother’s tragic past as a prostitute and how it impacted him when he was a little boy. And not to mention the fact that he’s already filthy rich. (hide spoiler)]
3) HEA But Knight Isn’t Traditional
(view spoiler)[Knight wouldn’t “officially” marry Anya or give her his last name because it’s just not him (too white picket fence and traditional). Yet he gave her a ring and very reception-like party and was excited and enthusiastic about having kids. Hmmm...isn’t that a bit ironic? (hide spoiler)]
Overall, I’m a very satisfied Kristen Ashley fangirl and sincerely hope she pens more erotic romances! 5 stars!
Favorite Knight quotes:
“Wars fought over a face like this,” he murmured like he was talking to himself, my heart stopped beating and his thumbs moved lightly across my cheeks. “A man would work himself into the ground for it, go down to his knees to beg to keep it, endure torture to protect it, take a bullet for it,” his eyes came to mine, “poison his brother to possess a face like this.”
“And I wake up happy, baby, because I possess beauty and I own that beauty in all the forms it can take and the least important of those are physical.”
“Who’s Your Daddy?”
Knight’s Hot in a Suit, Sophisticated Style:
‘Cause every girl crazy ‘bout a Sharp Dressed Man!
If I rated this based on the heroine it would get 1 star because Ava topped the annoying b*t...more4 stars – Chick lit/Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
If I rated this based on the heroine it would get 1 star because Ava topped the annoying b*tchometer until around the 65% mark and even after that was still ungrateful and somewhat irritating. Without a doubt, yummalicious, handcuff wielding, uber alpha badass Luke Stark made and saved this book.
‘Nough said.
Peace Out and Rock On!
*****Edited from original rating/review*****
I bumped this from a somewhat lackluster 4 stars to a stronger, more solid 4+ after finishing Rock Chick Regret, loving the series, and eventually growing to like Ava. Besides, Luke Stark is one of the most badass, studtastic members of the Hot Bunch!
This is my favorite in the fun, ridiculously zany, wild ride Rock Chick series so far. V...more4 ½-5 stars – Chick lit/Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
This is my favorite in the fun, ridiculously zany, wild ride Rock Chick series so far. Vance is another yummy, KAmazing alpha hero, and he and Jules were smokin’ hot together!
I liked Jules and found her far less irritating than previous Rock Chicks, Indy, Jet, and Roxie, but she definitely had numerous aggravating moments. Her inner Rottweiler, constant threats about breaking up with Vance, and routinely bragging about being such a kickass “The Law” mamma jamma were really annoying. As far as I’m concerned, Vance has the patience of a saint.
The love triangle went a bit too far for my taste, so I’m knocking off half a star for that and some Jules irritation. Otherwise, it’s a highly entertaining read with some emotional moments that made me tear up a few times. 4 ½-5 stars!
Although his hair isn’t quite long enough, this is definitely my Vance Ouray Crowe.
There’s no possible way I can adequately express my feelings about this book or gush enough over how much I admire Kris...more5+ stars – Contemporary Romance
There’s no possible way I can adequately express my feelings about this book or gush enough over how much I admire Kristen Ashley’s writing brilliance. So I’ll keep things simple and just say that I loved, loved, loved this!
Ms. Ashley is the reigning queen of smokin’ hot, badass uber alpha heroes, addictive, sigh-worthy romance, and dreamy, gratifying epilogues, and Heaven and Hell is certainly no exception. It’s one of my very favorite KA reads to date! Huge, heavenly 5 stars!
Sam in all his sexy, swoonalicious glory:
Kia in casual glamour mode:
Kia lounging around Sam’s beach house in North Carolina:
Memphis going for a walk on the beach:
On a side note...I’ve been to Lake Como in Italy and it’s without a doubt one of the most beautiful, heavenly places I’ve seen. So I especially loved all the Lake Como scenes.
Lago di Como è bellissima!
This emotional, heartfelt scene pretty much sums up the book.
**********spoiler warning**********
(view spoiler)[“You walked into that dining room, baby, and you know, the minute I saw you, I wanted to fuck you. Two days later, I saw you outside havin’ a drink and even before you looked at me with tears in your eyes, just when I saw you sittin’ there, I was annoyed, thought you were playin’ games, and I didn’t care. Just you sittin’ there I knew it was you.” He knew it was me. Me I closed my eyes. “Look at me,” Sam ordered quietly and I opened them. “Weeks after that, Kia, I saw you standing in my kitchen writing a grocery list, doing nothing, just writing a grocery list. But you’d just made me laugh and, just like you, you made me do it hard. That shit with Gordo, with Luci, losin’ Ben, Felicia tryin’ to off herself, that shit’s too much, it wears you down. I hadn’t laughed like that in months, not since Gordo died and in that moment, you in the kitchen, I realized I did it all the time with you. There were times before, a lot of them, I’d look at you and feel your pull, so strong. I wanted to fight it, deny it but I couldn’t, you wouldn’t let me and I didn’t get it. But seein’ you standing in my kitchen, effortlessly beautiful, writing a fuckin’ grocery list after you made me laugh like that, I knew what it was. I got it. I knew it was more. I knew that wasn’t an offer. That was a promise. Even with all the shit goin’ down with you, shit that would wear any other woman down, it didn’t with you and you gave me that from the beginning. And it hit me then that was what my life would be like if I lived the whole of it with you. And I knew I couldn’t live without you.” Oh. My. God. He couldn’t live without me. His face got close. “You cannot leave me. You can’t. I can’t live without you.” He couldn’t live without me. He was in hell, just like me. And just like he did for me, I showed him heaven.(hide spoiler)]
My favorite badass alpha, yowza dirty talkin’ Sam quote:
**********explicit language and spoiler warning**********
(view spoiler)[“Kia, eyes on me,” Sam ordered gently and my eyes slid back to him to see he wasn’t smiling anymore and there was no trace of hilarity. He was focused, intent and serious but all of that in a tender way that made something important shift inside of me. “Makin’ you melt for me then makin’ you light up for me, listening to you get excited, feeling it, tasting it, eating it.” His words made me shiver and it helped that his hand was gliding up my back, my neck and into my hair then he pulled my head down so my face was an inch from his and he continued on a whisper, “Feelin’ you come against my mouth, watchin’ you drive yourself down on my dick, listening to you moan as your pussy clenched around my cock when you came, baby, yeah, that was all okay, that was all better than fuckin’ okay. It was fuckin’ beautiful.”(hide spoiler)]
3 ½ stars – Chick lit/Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
I was initially worried that this might be too chick lit for my taste, but I figured I cou...more3 ½ stars – Chick lit/Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
I was initially worried that this might be too chick lit for my taste, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with it being Kristen Ashley. Rock Chick is definitely a wild ride with a weird mix of self-indulgent, silly chick lit, zany mystery, wacky humor, movie style action, madcap suspense, and steamy romance that’s overall entertaining.
I especially liked enigmatic, badass alpha male Liam “Lee” Nightingale, but self-proclaimed rock chick and annoying TSTL poster girl Indy Savage nearly ruined this for me. Gawd I wanted to b*tch slap her sooo many times! And she had all these hot men fighting for her and falling all over themselves to rescue her ass. Seriously?!?! Do men really want such high maintenance, ungrateful, shrill b*tches? Sadly, I think the answer to that is probably...oh hell yes. After all, knights love to save damsels in distress, right? But I’m hoping the other Rock Chick heroines won’t be so infuriating or make my palm itch for a smackdown like Indy.
*****Edited from original rating/review*****
I bumped this from a low 3.5 to a higher 3.5 (closer to 4 stars) after finishing Rock Chick Regret, loving the series, and eventually growing to like Indy!
Another Kristen Ashley winner! Do I even need to say anything more than that? Probably not, so ins...more4 ½-5 stars – Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Another Kristen Ashley winner! Do I even need to say anything more than that? Probably not, so instead of a typical review, I’m going to do some general rambling.
What I Loved:
#1 -- It’s told entirely from the hero’s POV, which is A+wesome!
That brings me to item #2, which is the hero, Tanner Layne. He’s a badass PI, a tough alpha male, and a devoted lover and father struggling to reconcile with his past, one and only, true love and make amends with his teen boys while also trying to teach them how to be men.
And this takes me to favorite things about the book #3 and #4 -- Layne’s teen sons, Jasper and Tripp. They’re KA heartthrobs and heroes in their own right and made me feel a little bit dirty and cougar-ish for seriously crushing on teenagers. (view spoiler)[Jasper and Keira and Trip and Giselle seemed to get their own HEAs, (hide spoiler)]but I really hope we haven’t seen the last of them. In fact, I’d love for Jasper and Tripp to be featured as main (legal and guilt free) heroes in future KA books. LOL!
#5 -- A great secondary cast of characters, especially mysterious badass, Ryker. I’m also looking forward to Garrett Merrick’s story.
#6 -- The To Kill a Mockingbird reference and how it’s an allegory for the story.
#7 -- The sweet and gratifying epilogue that’s worthy of 10+ stars!
Wacky But Whatever, It Still Worked Somehow:
Parenting 101 -- I’m not a parent so I can’t rightfully judge someone’s child rearing skills, but that doesn’t mean I can’t shake my head a few times with a seriously?, huh?, or wtf? There were several characters (Layne, Gabby, Vera, Dave, etc.) who demonstrated questionable parenting. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about some of Layne’s parenting decisions and actions, like involving his teenage sons, ages 14 and 17, in an undercover operation of a shady youth group. I imagine he would probably raise the eyebrows of some parental experts. But raising teenagers to be compassionate, responsible adults who do the right thing isn’t easy. I liked his honesty and that he didn’t shield Jasper and Tripp from the harsh realities of life. And it seemed to all work out for the best.
Talk Show Worthy Family Drama -- I think several characters in this book needed some counseling. Seriously, Dr. Phil would have a freakin field day with these people.
Crazy Exes, Multiple Plots, and Uber Villains -- Layne’s b*tchy ex-wife Gabby and her loser, enforcer boyfriend, Rocky’s cheating doctor ex and his shady financial and business dealings, and an undercover investigation of a sinister youth minister (view spoiler)[whose group is really a front for recruiting girls for a child pornography, underage sexual slavery/prostitution ring (hide spoiler)] run by a female mastermind villain who makes Cruella de Vil look like the Easter Bunny.
The Big Secret Reveal -- It was a heartbreaking scene, but also seemed very melodramatic and overly angsty.
Petty Grievances:
The Hero’s Name -- Layne is a nerdy programmer analyst with fancy pencils in his pocket and Tanner is a badass biker or cowboy (and Days of Our Lives soap opera bad boy from the early 90’s). So I would have preferred that the hero went by his first name, Tanner, instead of his last name, Layne.
The Heroine’s Name –- She has a beautiful name, Raquel, but everyone calls her Rocky?! Ugh!
Size Matters -- KA’s stories are characteristically detailed and lengthy, but this one felt looong. I think it could have used some trimming down.
But despite all the wackiness and some imperfections, I loved it! Nearly 5 stars!
Layne
Jasper (Now you can understand why I was crushing hard on a teenager!)
Wow! I loved this! Kristen Ashley is an amazing author warrior queen! Seriously! At Peace is the 8th...more5 stars – Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Wow! I loved this! Kristen Ashley is an amazing author warrior queen! Seriously! At Peace is the 8th book of hers that I’ve read and highly enjoyed and it’s one of my favorite KA reads. Although the Colorado Mountain series and my beloved Law Man still hold a definite edge.
Joe Callahan is another extremely domineering, uber alpha asshat and lordy have mercy did he piss me off...until around the 80% mark that is! There were times I swore that even if he got down on his hands and knees and crawled through broken glass to apologize, plead, and beg for forgiveness for being such an absolute d*ck that I wouldn’t have been swayed. I mean, I wanted him to execute some serious groveling. Alas, he never did. BUT, his way of making amends was much more subtle, genuine, powerful, and affecting and therefore all the more gratifying. And in the end, he totally won me over and had me sighing and swooning along with the Winters girls.
So Joe was an arrogant jerk and Violet could be a wishy-washy wimp at times, but boy were they explosive together! The sex scenes were rough and smokin’ hot! And I was anxious for them to find their HEA. The love triangle between Joe/Violet/Mike lasted far too long, and I missed Ashley’s staple, celebrated, detailed epilogue, but otherwise this is another fabulous KA winner!
I’m looking forward to reading Mike’s story, Games of the Heart, because he’s certainly due a much deserved HEA. And I read on the author’s website that she’s planning to write Frankie and Benny’s story in an upcoming ‘Burg release. Yay! Kristen Ashley has already solidified a position as one of my top favorite keeper authors of 2012. Big 5 stars!
I had a hard time finding my perfect Joe because he’s so enigmatically, broodingly sexy and all badass, rugged alpha male with some macho Italian mixed in, but I think Italian actor Raoul Bova could fit the bill.
All the single ladies, all the single ladies All the single ladies, all the single ladies All the single ladies...
Now pack your bags up!
Considering there’s not one but four yummy heroes introduced in this first book in the Dream Man series that’s set in Denver, Colorado (all of whom get their own book...YAY!), not to mention the smokin’ hot, badass alpha heroes from Ashley’s Colorado Mountain series, and it definitely wouldn’t be surprising if all the single ladies suddenly packed up and moved to Colorado.
Mystery Man is Cabe “Hawk” Delgado’s book. Initially, I was far more fascinated and smitten with Detective Mitch Lawson and biker badass Tack (two of the aforementioned yummy Dream Men who will have leading roles in Law Man and Motorcycle Man respectively). But of course Hawk soon won me over and left me panting, daydreaming, and swooning like all of KA’s heroes.
Hawk is a growly, bossy, arrogant, brooding, domineering, and possessive uber alpha commando who could teach Tate from Sweet Dreams a thing or two about being a badass, including the correct, standard rumbling response to anything and everything...“Babe”.
There were several times I wanted to smack both Hawk and Gwen, but they eventually got their sh*t together. Kristen Ashley is a master when it comes to dreamy, gratifying epilogues, and this time was certainly no exception...just heartwarming perfection. 5 stars!
There are a lot of reviews for this already, so here are some of my random thoughts.
The Bad and The U...more5+ stars – Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
There are a lot of reviews for this already, so here are some of my random thoughts.
The Bad and The Ugly:
•Yes, it’s an editing nightmare that at times made me want to whip out my red pen and go crazy with correcting remarks. •There is way too much (and occurring too often) inane detail, especially about the heroine’s wardrobe, outfits, hair, makeup, getting ready, routine, etc. I understand that her self-esteem and makeover were a significant component to the story, but I still think an easy 50+ pages of random “stuff” could have been trimmed. •It was annoying to me how the heroine constantly answered the hero with “Sorry?”, and also how she repeated Tate’s name over and over again like Kate Winslet’s Rose continually said “Jack”, “Jack”, “Jack”, “Jack” all throughout Titanic.
BUT, despite those annoyances, here’s why I still rated it 5 stars.
The Good:
•The story has a frenetic hodgepodge of themes: chick lit self-discovery, steamy contemporary romance, small town drama, family angst, crazy exes, serial killer suspense...you name it. But amazingly enough, it works. I was sucked in and thoroughly entertained. •The hero is an ex-football star, ex-cop, bounty hunting, bar-owning, tattooed badass, uber alpha biker. He’s growly, sometimes mean, often pissed off, possessive, and fond of saying (or perhaps I should say grunting) “Babe” and “Ace” to communicate a wealth of things, rather than expressing or explaining himself. There were times I wanted Lauren to smack him and send his ass packing to the curb. But DAYUM! Tate is f’n HOT! •The heroine is insecure, funny, flawed, sweet, sometimes cranky and bitchy, caring, and most of all, genuine and endearing. Laurie is easy to identify with because she’s so real. I could see myself laughing over manis and martinis with her. •Cute scenes with Buster the cat, aka, Princess Fancy Pants. •Tender, heartbreaking moments with Tate’s son, Jonas. *sigh* •An unforgettable, quirky cast of secondary characters. •Great dialogue, snappy banter, humor, and emotion. It made me laugh out loud at times and tear up in others. •And oh yeah, the steamy romance between Tate and Laurie is truly addictive.
So it’s not perfect, but I still loved it and will definitely read more by this author!
I had a hard time casting my perfect Tate, mainly because he’s so impossibly gruff, badass, and smokin’ hot. But I think Hugh Jackman could portray him fairly convincingly, especially if he acted all Wolverine broody, growly, alpha badass and got some sexy tats. He particularly looks the part in these pictures. YUMMY!
Addendum after further Internet exploration for the perfect Tate:
This is Tate in all his beautiful, badass, bounty hunter glory. *sigh*
Awesome read! Finally another ICE book and it delivered! With exotic locales, nonstop action, edge-of-your-seat danger, knu...more5 stars – Romantic Suspense
Awesome read! Finally another ICE book and it delivered! With exotic locales, nonstop action, edge-of-your-seat danger, knuckle-gripping suspense, uber nasty villains, an unforgettably sexy, ruthless Irish hero, a heroine who manages a minimal amount of whining for such extreme and violent situations, hot sexual tension, and steamy romance, On Thin Ice is definitely a must read for fans of Anne Stuart’s ICE series and dark romantic suspense! My only quibble is that there are quite a few editing errors, but those minor mistakes didn’t lessen my enjoyment, at all. 5 stars!(less)
A+mazing! Another dark, seductive installment in the addictive Lords of Deliverance series and perhaps the best yet. Thana...more5 stars – Paranormal Romance
A+mazing! Another dark, seductive installment in the addictive Lords of Deliverance series and perhaps the best yet. Thanatos, the Horseman of the Apocalypse known as Death, is a dangerous warrior who’s bearing of violence mixed with vulnerable longing makes for one lethally sexy hero. Larissa Ione has delivered once again! Big 5 stars!(less)
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