Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 36

Book Review: Black

Black (Black #1)
by T.L. Smith

I am loyal, but I will betray you.
I am strong, but I have scars.
I am an angel, but the devil.
I met her when I was sixteen, she was a breath of fresh air. She swooped in, making me smile. But then she left, taking my next breath with her.
Her smile could light up a room, making my black heart pitter patter.
I found her again ten years later, with a syringe in her arm.
Blood coming from her legs.
She was broken and I was glad she was broken. She wouldn't think less of me and my damaged ways.
TeriLyn's thoughts: **Black generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

This is a really hard book to review for me. Black, told from the first person points of view of both the hero and heroine, took me for a wild ride. Contemporary romance surrounded by dark subject matter, the story of Black and Rose is a complicated web of betrayals, depravity, and hard subject matter shrouded in mystery.

The two main characters of this book and their plights intrigued me throughout. Black himself is very cold, detached, and emotionless which I truly felt and even connected. His presence is consuming and while he has an air of danger surrounding him the promise of his protection wraps you in a net of safety. His warnings of the kind of man he is are as unheeded by the reader as they are to Rose. Rose is desperate, longing and in need of love and care which as the reader I also felt and connected with. Her life is not pretty, it's the most grotesque part of the book, in my opinion, yet without it we wouldn't feel as strongly about her. The meat of the plot, the complex history coupled with the present provides a great story-one in which you want to sit down and just absorb.

The problem for me is the execution of this complex plot and the style of writing. I often found myself very confused as to what was happening with the characters and how certain actions even come to fruition. A lack of clear transitions and underdeveloped tangents of plot were found throughout the story. Structurally the writing is quite different for me. At times where I think the story was supposed to be cloaked in mystery it came off as confusing. There are few spots where plot points were never finished or inconsistent with previous action.

Black overall was on OK read for me. I'm intrigued to the point that I want to know where the story will go and see how the characters find their way. It's for fans of darker subject matter.

Book Review: The Hurricane

The Hurricane (The Hurricane #1)
by R.J. Prescott

Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree.

Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.

Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the mis-fire. He’s never been knocked out before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met, she doesn’t want anything from him, but just being around her makes him want to be a better person.

They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.
TeriLyn's thoughts: This is my first title from R.J. Prescott, a fighter romance with a rough-around-the-edges, alpha hero and a lonely heroine camouflaging herself from the world. The story paces itself nicely as a contemporary romance, grasping the edges of friends-to-lovers tale. Told mostly from the heroine's point of view, the reader as well as Emily receive a big, warm, welcoming as this cast of characters opens their hearts to her.

Cormac O'Connell is a man laden with self-loathing, going through the motions of his life thinking he'll never amount to anything. His talent in the boxing ring speaks for itself, he has people literally in his corner believing in him but until he meets Emily he gives himself no reason to believe in himself. Emily is searching for an invisible existence as events of her past lead her to hiding yet wanting so much more. The cast she meets gives her a family unlike any other she's ever known. As her and O'Connell's trust in each other blossoms she really comes out of her shell and we can feel their connection.

The writing in The Hurricane kept me interested throughout the story. There were just a couple times when I thought the pacing could be a little faster and some aspects were a little cliche and overused but overall I felt for both of these characters and appreciated their story. I didn't feel an overwhelming epic feeling to the story of O'Connell and Emily but rather an enjoyable reading experience. Two friends of O'Connell's made me laugh out loud so many times and the sense of family portrayed by this band of misfits is great. The Hurricane is an enjoyable New Adult read great for a lazy weekend day afternoon.

Book Review: Some Sort of Love

Some Sort of Love (Happy Crazy Love #3)
by Melanie Harlow

From the outside looking in, I had it all—a career I loved, a supportive family, the Nixon metabolism but not the Nixon ears, and a salary that supported my lavish taste in designer shoes, fine wine, and lacy lingerie … but I had no one to share it with.

Until the day I ran into him—my one night stand from college with the crooked smile, let’s-get-out-of-here eyes, and dirty, dirty mouth.

Cute and cocky then, today Levi Brooks is six feet four inches of hot bearded fantasy. A sexy single dad with broad shoulders, strong hands, and a fantastically big … heart. (I mean, it’s massive. And generous. And it pumps so hard … um. Sorry. Lost my place.)

Being a good father means everything to him, but he's keeping me at a distance because he thinks I deserve someone better — a man who can give me more time, more attention, more of himself. He doesn’t believe he could ever be enough.

But he's wrong.

He’s everything.
TeriLyn's thoughts: **Some Sort of Love generously provided in exchange for an honest review.**

Melanie Harlow's Happy Crazy Love series is contemporary romance with a flair for fun drama, hilarious anecdotes, and sweet romances. The sisters Nixon are three formidable women who's honest, witty personality's capture the hearts of readers and their men who need a push in the sustainable relationship direction. Jillian Nixon, oldest of the Nixon women, is no different during her quest for a happily ever after. Levi Brooks hails as a man who knows what he wants but is unsure of how to let himself get to the other side.

Troubled and fearful because of rocky past and challenging yet rewarding present, Levi Brooks finds solace and comfort in Jillian's strong character. For Jill, there's never been such a fire in her life like the one Levi stokes. Through a series of scheduled romps, honest and heartfelt conversations about the state of play in their lives, Levi and Jillian form a bond you can't help but connect to as a reader.

These two characters coupled with Harlow's excellent, cohesive story telling make for a really fun romance story. The attraction is quick leading to a sudden need and how the two navigate these unfamiliar relationship waters will leave you laughing and reeling. The plot of the two's relationship is a truly honest portrayal of two people in the positions of Levi and Jillian. It makes you admire these two characters for who they are and what they give to others outside of themselves. The hardships in Some Sort of Love are understated but no less challenging and real as Harlow creates beauty out of hard situations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thanks to the easy flow of Harlow's writing and how fun she makes her stories I was able to finish the book in one afternoon. If you're a fan of the series, a lot of goodness comes from Skylar and Sebastion as well as Natalie and Miles in Jillian's. The Nixon sisters are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to their men. Levi and Jillian are up in a life-changing sort of way proving that Some Sort of Love does not disappoint.

Book Review: Dolce

Dolce (Love at Center Court #2)
by Rachel Blaufeld

“Who just stole my thunder across the Hafton airwaves, you ask? Right now, right this very second, listeners, I have Hafton’s one-and-only, the main man with the ball in hand, Blane Steele is in the studio. Mark my words—he’ll not only steal the ball, but your lady’s heart too. Watch out, gentlemen, the Stealer is in the house!”
— Sonny Be Knocking Boots, Hafton Radio 96.9

Coed antics.
Chaos.
Angst-ridden twists in fate.

Caterina is an intern. Sonny is her shock-jock boss. And Blane is a good-hearted baller…except when he steps on the court. Between on-air dares, an evil feminist professor, a straight-shooter of a coach, and rumors from the league surrounding Steele, these three are destined to screw it all up.

Rather than a love triangle, this is a friends-to-lovers story where the disc jockey acts as the catalyst, and a basketball player finds his life transformed when center court intersects with love.
TeriLyn's thoughts: **Dolce generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

Rachel Blaufeld continually impresses me with her stories about a precarious time in our lives when we're figuring out who exactly we are and what we want to achieve. Written with distinct honesty, a sweet hero and fiery heroine, Dolce once again delivers Blaufeld's signature style of story.

While Dolce is a standalone, new adult romance it journey's readers back to Hafton University the setting of Blaufeld's first book in the Love at Center Court series, Verite. Told from both first person points of view of Blaine and Cat, Blaufeld's writing captures perfectly a true love story between two very different souls destined to find each other. With a male protagonist destined for greatness on the court and a player around campus coupled with an uber-feminist, not-your-typical-heroine female sparks fly along with witty dialogue, forthright internal drama, and a whole lot of interesting plot.

I love how this author continually proves to me that her characters stay true to themselves while they grow and develop. The angst in Dolce isn't forced to conjured from somewhere dishonest making the maturing of both Blaine and Cat a natural transition. From fast friends to more, a cat and mouse game ensues where there's feelings neither are sure how to react to. The intrigue these two characters have for each other comes from a curious place and turns into much more. With a jerky radio DJ, Blaine's teammates, a sour professor, and an interesting twist these two must discover and decipher the feelings they hold for one another.

If you like sports romance of the new adult variety, the Love at Center Court series is definitely for you. Verite doesn't need to be read before Dolce although I highly recommend reading both.

Blog Tour & Book Review: Filthy Marcellos Complete Collection

FILTHY MARCELLOS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
by Bethany-Kris
Filthy Marcellos, #0.5-3
Publication Date: February 8, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Mafia


Purchase (#FREE with #KINDLEUNLIMITED): Amazon Synopsis: Filthy Marcellos: La Cosa Nostra is not just a choice of regime and routine, it’s a culture. Born as mafia royalty, the Marcello brothers were raised ingrained with the beliefs and rules of what it meant to be a Mafioso prince. It is for life. Their status is considered a given right. They will always be these people. They will always be Marcellos.Family first. God second.

From bosses and sons, to husbands and lovers. Made men, fathers, and killers. Life is a chess board in Cosa Nostra and these men are the kings.

You can’t be a Marcello if you’re not filthy.

The Complete Collection features the short novel Antony, and the three full length novels Lucian, Giovanni, and Dante. It also includes the 20k prequel to the Legacy series, featuring the Filthy Marcellos next generation.



TeriLyn's Review: 4.5 stars

**Filthy Marcellos: The Complete Collection generously provided in exchange for an honest review.**

Going into the Filthy Marcellos: The Complete Collection I hadn't read a book penned by author Bethany-Kris. After having read two of her novellas and three books I can definitely say I'll be reading more. Included in this collection is a prequel novella that tells the story of Anthony, Father to the three men highlighted in the main books of the Collection, Lucian, Giovanni, and Dante. Each man vastly different in their own rights for their own reasons yet each man still upholding the values and rules of the family they were born into and continue carrying the proud legacy of the Marcello Family name. 

Each book delves into the underground of the Mafia subculture. They are testaments to the strength of family, to the sanctity of marriage, and to the bond of brotherhood. While upholding these ideals we get many glimpses into the "filthy" side each Marcello has flowing through their blood. Rich in uniqueness every Marcello carries certain weights of their own world and each carries these weights as the move toward finding someone to spend their dirty lives with until the end. No easy feat considering the mafioso is their life. But each man first spots that dream girl it's no holds barred for all of them. Watching these made men wade through becoming a made man in love was highly enjoyable, passionate, and a great escape into the mafia world. There were a few times in the stories where I thought certain things wouldn't exactly fall into mafia rules, each brother stretches the boundaries and pushes the limits but these things never detracted me from the stories. It's Bethany-Kris's mafia and she can do with it what she pleases. And as she pleases led to very entertaining circumstances when all the Marcello men were brought to their knees by very capable, strong women. 

Also included in this Collection is a novella at the end aptly named Legacy. For me, this novella was an epilogue with good things to come type read. It shows where this family has gone and where it's going to go. Carrying through it the main theme of family like all of the previous books readers get a birds eye view into the future. Promising and forthcoming, Bethany-Kris gave readers a great gift with Legacy and I can't wait to learn more about this mafia family. 

While each book in this series could be read as a stand alone, I'd highly recommend reading in order and reading them all. If you like stories that continue on a with one family's drama and progression but each book portraying different main characters, the Filthy Marcellos is definitely for you. This Complete Collection definitely takes a bit of time to get through but for me thanks to the great story-telling and excellent third person POV writing of this author it wasn't a hardship at all to fall in love with each filthy Marcello man. FILTHY MARCELLOS PLAYLIST
FILTHY TEASERS#ANTONY
#LUCIAN
#GIOVANNI
#DANTE
ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
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Blog Tour: A Chosen Life

A Chosen Life
by K.A. ParkinsonRelease Date: March 16th 2016
Snowy Peaks Media

Summary from Goodreads:

When Macy was chosen to join an elite group of children responsible for protecting ignorant mankind from the monsters of the Dark, she understood there isn’t time for speed bumps, and the arrival of the Ninth Chosen ten years late is one big bump. The Ninth is to one day lead all the Chosen in a final battle between Light and Dark forces, but the legendary warrior turns out to be Tolen Parks, a clueless and reclusive seventeen year-old whom Macy fears will not be their captain but instead their downfall. In an action-packed entertainer, Tolen and Macy are swept down a dangerous path that tests everything that Macy is, and brings out everything that Tolen can be, as they discover the power of choice, true friendship, and the incredible influence a single person can have on the world. 
Add to Goodreads
Buy Links:
Amazon


K.A. is the mother of two incredible boys and has been married to her high school sweetheart for nineteen years. Writing and making up stories is something she has enjoyed doing for as long as she can remember.As a child, she spent summers borrowing books from the Book Mobile, and hiding under her bed with a bag of cookies and a flashlight to enjoy great literary adventures. Some of her all-time childhood favorite books are, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings. She has always been a huge fan of fantasy and science fiction.As an adult, she spends her days chauffeuring her boys between work, art and music lessons, running a household, and reading and writing every chance she gets.She has spent many wonderful years working with girls ages 12 to 18 through her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is because of the experiences with these amazing young women, and their love and support, that she finally decided to pursue her dream of publishing clean and entertaining books for young adult audiences.The novels in  A Chosen life  is her first full-length published work. She has many short stories, unrelated to The Chosen Chronicles, you can read on her blog.
Author Links:Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Book Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

Book Review: Happily Ever Now

Happily Ever Now (Happily Ever After 0.5)
by Jen Meyers

Wedding planner Everly Vaughn has three rules for a Happily Ever After:
1. Find a nice guy.
2. Make sure he passes the BFF test.
3. Never—no matter how much you like him—engage the Player (aka Austin, your best friend’s brother).

What happens if you don’t follow them? A Happily Ever Now. (Those don’t last.)

Too bad Ever doesn’t follow her own rules.

*This FREE prequel novella serves as an introduction to the full-length novel Happily Ever After, and is intended for mature readers.
TeriLyn's thoughts: **Happily Ever Now generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

What a fun little novella. Happily Ever Now starts the love story between Ever, a romantic wedding planner, and Austin, a life-time player/reality star. With an enthusiastically sweet cast of characters, a heroine who wants all her ducks in a row and the player who she won't admit she's attracted to this short story introducing us into their lives set up for a potentially great love story.

Jen Meyers writing is fast and fun with emphasis on friendships and the romanticized versions of happily ever afters. It was light, cute, and funny. Austin made me swoony several times and when Ever's life begins spinning out of control right into his arms well, I can't wait to see how their tale unravels.

Book Review: Magnate

Magnate (Acquisition #2)
by Celia Aaron

Lucius Vinemont has spirited me away to a world of sugar cane and sun. There is nothing he cannot give me on his lavish Cuban plantation. Each gift seduces me, each touch seals my fate. There is no more talk of depraved competitions or his older brother – the one who’d stolen me, claimed me, and made me feel things I never should have. Even as Lucius works to make me forget Sinclair, my thoughts stray back to him, to the dark blue eyes that haunt my sweetest dreams and bitterest nightmares. Just like every dream, this one must end. Christmas will soon be here, and with it, the second trial of the Acquisition.

Full disclosure: This book is a dark romance with elements of slavery, violence, BDSM, and super-hot sex. It is the second book of a trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger. If you're good with these caveats, enjoy.

Coming April 2016 -- Sovereign, Book 3 of the Acquisition Series
TeriLyn's thoughts: **Magnate generously provided by the author in an exchange for an honest review.**

First the essentials:
Yes, I freaking LOVE this book, this series.

Yes, the Acquisition series is dark Erotica.

Yes, it's told from the dual, first person points of view of the hero and heroine.

Yes, this is a series and you must read Counsellor first before starting Magnate. I'll tell you why you MUST read Counsellor here.

Yes, the ending makes you want more immediately. NO, this should ABSOLUTELY NOT deter one from reading the book.

If you want a wickedly depraved, thought-inducing, captivating plot and you enjoyed book one of this series don't stop there. Magnate once again captures the beauty of Celia Aaron's exquisitely dark, intelligent writing. I told my reading buddies that I'd love to be in the mind of this author for a day to see how it ticks and where this plot came from within the recesses of her psyche. I love a good romance especially those with unbelievably well-written prose and dark, twisty elements. So descriptive the writing painting a morbidly vivid picture always highlighting the depths of depravity encasing the story. The sordid, sick tale of Sinclair Vinemont and Stella Rousseau left me reeling page after page. A tortured, cold anti-hero paired with a fiery, bold, and brave heroine makes for a perfectly heart pumping read. Magnate checks all boxes from the writing, the plot, the characters, and the depth of emotion and passion.

Additionally, for me, it's a perfect showcase about the balance of control and what it means to give it up or have it taken from you. Dichotomies are rich in this book and all surround that balance of control. Interesting contradictions elevating the writing to a level of distinct brilliance. Explicit anguish heightening our awareness of rich vs. poor and good vs. evil. While equally both represent two halves of conflict being fought between Sinclair and Stella. Who has the control? And what does it mean to give it rather than having it stripped from you? What do the darker points of our sexual nature say about strength and control? And who gets to decide where the line is drawn? It's an intriguing and beautiful concept here between Master and slave. One in which we see both Sin and Stella suffer the consequences from time and again. The psychology of control and strength in this book is vast and beyond interesting to read. I'm joyful in the dark with how Celia Aaron presents this distinction of erotic writing with a story that shows both the beauty of relinquishing control and the ugly of having it taken away.

The love is in the pain - I kept thinking this line over and over while reading. I'm huge supporter of cliches such as nothing comes easy or you can't find light without experiencing the dark. I'm sure it's why I can get so deeply invested in dark romances. Celia Aaron illustrates romantic and dark with control looming about just perfectly.

From the beautifully, well-crafted plot, the secondary characters, the underlying themes, the psychology, the thought provoking prose, to the extreme shadows of Sinclair Vinemont's life that now shroud Stella's soul - Magnate will seduce and hypnotize you. I most assuredly cannot wait until the grand finale of the series. Bravo, Celia Aaron.

Blog Tour: Prescient

Prescient

by Derek Murphy

Genre: Time Travel/Dystopia

Release Date: March 21st 2016


Summary:



The first time I saw the future I lost hope.It wasn’t just that the future sucked; that civilization had gone and ruined itself; that we’d altered our own DNA and devolved into predatory monsters that fed on the few remaining survivors. That was all awful enough, but it was more than that. I remember being young and thinking, when I grow up, I’ll have a nice big house. I’ll get an exciting, interesting job. I’ll meet the man of my dreams and we’ll fall in love and stay together forever.
But that all disappeared the first time I tripped 20 years into the future and found the houses burned, the handsome boys dead, and the only jobs were the ones young girls gave hairy old survivors in tents in exchange for a little food and water. Nobody asked little girls what they wanted to be when they grew up anymore. Nobody wanted to draw attention to the fact that most of them wouldn’t live that long.
There was no hope, no peace for anyone. At least I had it better than they did. When my trip was over, I would get to go back. Back to the normalcy of 2015. Back to iPhones and Twitter and buying so much food it went bad before you could eat it. Back to laughing over foamy cappuccinos and iced lattes at the mall, window shopping and flirting with hot guys (not that I ever did that, mind you - but I always wanted to). And I still could. That was the point. Unlike everybody else, for whom 2015 was 20 years ago - long before humanity was destroyed - it was my reality. At least, it was some of the time.
But after seeing the future; after struggling to make it to the end of the day; after my first kill - none of those other things were the least bit enjoyable. All I could think when I got back to the real world, is how can I stop what’s coming?



Prescient
is a young adult time-travel dystopia, this is Part One of the first book in
the series. 


Buy Links:

Amazon


BEST SCIFI TIME TRAVEL BOOKS FOR TEENS 2016Here are some great young adult time travel books. If you think writing is hard, try writing time travel fiction – it’s so much more challenging! To honor these authors, and to launch the book I’m working on (Prescient), I’m giving away a package of time travel books, and a Harry Potter time turner. It’s the coolest time-travel related object I could find.I’ll choose 3 winners and give each winner ebook copies of each book, plus a time turner. Everybody who signs up to my list will get my book (Prescient) for free.(click on image for giveaway link)
If you don’t win, make sure to check out these books on Amazon! (Click the covers).


About the Author


I wrote my MA thesis on Harry Potter and am working on my PhD in literature, while secretly writing YA fantasy novels and designing book covers. I blog about self-publishing, book design and book marketing, and am renting a castle for Nanowrimo 2016. I hope you like my writing!




Author Links:      

Book Review: Love, Chloe

Love, Chloe
by Alessandra Torre

You know girls like me. You hate girls like me. The privileged blonde who skips her Ivy League classes when she's had too many Soho martinis. The one draped on the asshole's arm because he drives a Bugati and screws like a champ.

I was that girl. I loved being that girl.

Then, my door was broken in. Literally.

And in that moment? Everything changed.

WARNING: This sexy standalone has jaw-dropping moments, crazy sexual chemistry, and will make your cheeks hurt from smiling. Read at your own risk.
TeriLyn's thoughts: Alessandra Torre writes so eloquently. With each book from this author I have the privilege of reading I'm continually amazed at the breadth of her story-telling skills. For me, Love, Chloe is different than any other Torre title I've read. It's chick-lit and contemporary romance bundled together telling the self-discovery esque story of Chloe Madison. With a much slower build to the romance than I'm used to from Torre plus the real, meaningful changes in Chloe's life we see a new side to Alessandra Torre's writing that we've not seen before.

The book started out slow for me since it took me a while to really invest myself in Chloe's story. She's selfish and materialistic, a spoiled brat really. Her fall from "it" girl to "regular" girl was ungraceful at best and it showed. As the story progressed though I realized the point was absolutely to show Chloe's inelegant transition. The maturation and growth of this character only would come from seeing her at the bottom both literally and emotionally. So the beauty of the story really came from Chloe's discovery of her actual wants and needs not from what she born with and fortunate to always have. She makes honest mistakes, she begins understanding them as such while caring for others in an organic way she never has before, and she learns. Chloe Madison makes you fall hard for her in a way you wouldn't ever expect to fall. Once the romance begins to bloom there's a fun, quirky, charming side to Chloe that's expressed very honestly for Carter and it makes her that much more likeable. And while I LOVE Carter and his feelings for Chloe I really feel like this story is Chloe's. She doesn't become the woman she does because of her man, she's on that path and sees it through with his unwavering support and belief of her.

While Love, Chloe was a definite departure from the twisted tales I'm used to from Torre it was a very enjoyable story for me. This author's writing and penchant for story-telling always intrigues me. It's very interesting to see that intrigue be in a totally different realm from her usual with Love, Chloe. As a forever fan of Torre's I think in addition to the story itself, Love, Chloe shows her diversity as a writer quite keenly. She always does something just a little different setting her books apart from others in her class. If you love contemporary romantic comedies - books you can easily spend a day reading in your favorite chair - with a heroine for whom you'll feel a vast array of feelings for then you'll really like Love, Chloe. And just as an ending side-note, Torre included social media in her story in a very unique way; one that I really enjoyed the inclusion of as though it was an extra special glimpse into Chloe's life making her story all the more fun and real.