Read and Review #22 - Kiss The Sky (Krista & Becca Ritchie)

Title: Kiss the Sky

Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Publication date: 22 January 2014

Publisher: K.B. Ritchie (Independent Book Publishers Association)

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Synopsis:

Virgin. Sex addict. Daredevil. Alcoholic. Smartass … Jackass. Her five friends are about to be filmed. Reality TV, be prepared.

Rose Calloway thought she had everything under control. At twenty-three, she’s a Princeton graduate, an Academic Bowl champion, a fashion designer and the daughter of a Fortune 500 mogul. But with a sex addict as a sister and roommate, nothing comes easy.

After accepting help from a producer, Rose agrees to have her life filmed for a reality television show. The Hollywood exec is her last chance to revive her struggling fashion line, and boundaries begin to blur as she’s forced to make nice with a man who always has his way.

Twenty-four-year-old Connor Cobalt is a guy who bulldozes weak men. He’s confident, smart-as-hell and lives with his equally ambitious girlfriend, Rose Calloway. Connor has to find a way to protect Rose without ruining the show. Or else the producer will get what Connor has always wanted—Rose’s virginity.

This New Adult Standalone Romance can be described as Friends meets The Real World. Expect fist fights, drugs, sex of varying degrees, crude humor and competitive alpha males. Definitely for mature readers audiences only.

My rating:
5 / 5

My review:
A very concupiscent read!

Kiss the Sky is a spin off from the Addicted series written by the Ritchie twins. It is a standalone but please, PLEASE read the Addicted series. You'll get to know more about Rose and Connor and the history of their relationship. Not only that, you'll also fall in love with Lily, Lo, Ryke and Daisy as well. It's a rarity to fall in love with all the major couples at the same time but Krista and Becca manage to do that without taking the limelight out of the couple in focus. Each character development is parallel with the storyline, maintaining the focus of the story while getting to know them more in the process. 

When Rose was introduced in Addicted to You, I didn't really have a high opinion of her. She came across as frigid, strict and always try to inject herself in Lily's life. That was before I knew how important her presence is in her sister's life. Rose is the mother Lily desperately needed and from there I began to build my respect towards her.

I was very wary of Connor at first because of his tendency to hang out with people who benefits him. His confidence is his most prominent feature and I was reassured by his calm demeanour whenever Loren or Lily started to crack. To me, Connor has all the qualities of a leader and without a doubt I saw him as the leader of the group soon after. His famous bromance with Loren was a result of constant rebuttals from Loren's sharp tongue in his drinking days. And yes, I do ship them together. 

This book is so much different than the Addicted series. We get to see Rose and Connor as individuals who were affected by the scandal surrounding Lily and Loren. As a sister. As a friend. They are the adults that kept their little group of six together. And Rose wanted to show the world that they were in fact normal people with problems, not spoiled rich kids who lounge around spending their parents' money. And so Princesses of Philly was born.

Now, I watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I sometimes love it, sometimes I don't. Reality television opens a new channel for ordinary people like myself to see into the lives of celebrities. How many of it can you really trust? Do they really act that way in real life? Are any of it staged? Almost everything is real. It only takes good editing (good for production, not necessarily for the cast) to turn something trivial into a big deal, a good thing into bad. Krista and Becca definitely captured that in this book. 

About 61% of the book I was like this:

The other 36% like this:

And the rest:

I take back everything I ever said about Rose when it comes to her being so frigid. I can relate to her, about wanting to lose her virginity to a guy who would stick around. But I didn't expect for her to be a submissive in bed. She's a very fierce and strong woman and I thought that it would translate into her sex life.

"She didn't wish to rule a man in bed. She wanted to be ruled. But she didn't know how to ask without feeling weak. So she thought being alone, unfulfilled sexually was the better option. I'm here to tell her it should have never been a fucking solution in the first place."

 And trust me when I say Connor and Rose are amazing together as lovers. 

Connor is a perfect fit for Rose. The yin to her yang. The Clyde to her Bonnie. They are not very different from each other but the more I get to know them, I feel that they complement each other more rather than these two people who are together because they are alike. Not to mention the way they were so in sync with one another most of the time.

"That's the thing about being fucking smart—I  understand her better than she understands herself."

In a word, I guess towards the ending, it was really unpredictable. I was flummoxed by the change in the wedding plans but after two minutes I started screaming internally because I did not see it coming. And I liked it. LOVED IT.

Kiss the Sky is a story of a sister's sacrifice for her family. A son's desire for a family he never had. A woman's struggle with intimacy. And a man's search for the most important things in life.

Congratulations on your achievement at haunting me for months to come. Now I will cry in a corner because Connor just basically made me rethink of my choices in men.

Read and Review #21 - Reviving Izabel (J.A. Redmerski)

Title: Reviving Izabel (In the Company of Killers #2)

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Publication date: 6 December 2013

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
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Synopsis:

Determined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned.

Sarai’s reckless choices send her on a path she knows she can never turn back from and so she presents Victor with an ultimatum: help her become more like him and give her a fighting chance, or she’ll do it alone no matter the consequences. Knowing that Sarai cannot become what she wants to be overnight, Victor begins to train her and inevitably their complicated relationship heats up.

As Arthur Hamburg’s right-hand man, Willem Stephens, closes in on his crusade to destroy Sarai, she is left with the crushing realization that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But Sarai, taking on the new and improved role of Izabel Seyfried, still has a set of deadly skills of her own that will prove to be all she needs to secure her place beside Victor.

But there is one test that Izabel must face that has the potential to destroy everything she is working so hard to achieve. One final test that will not only make her question her decision to want this dangerous life, but will make her question everything she has come to trust about Victor Faust.

My rating:
5 / 5

My review:

The story left off at Victor leaving Sarai under the care of Dina Gregory, the woman who truly cared about her. Sarai continued life in Arizona, with a false story of why she left and an excuse behind the gunshot wound she got from Nicolas. But during the eight months since he left, not a day goes by without her thinking about Victor. About their time together. About her first kill.

And Sarai was not done. With a failed attempt at murdering Hamburg, she was then rescued by Victor. The man who she had been dreaming of. Victor had been monitoring her for all those months and after the events of her failed murder attempt, they were forced to go into hiding. And damn if he didn't take the rescuing part into a whole new level. Even in that very short kiss, I can feel the pent up sexual frustration between them.

The thing that I love about this book is the alternating point of view between Sarai and Victor. And a little flashback from Fredrik but I'll get back to him later. We get to see inside the head of Victor Faust and what he really felt for Sarai. He's fiercely protective of her and I am happy to report that he's not as lustful as most male leads where he thinks of fucking her every single time he sees her. No, Victor cares more about Sarai's safety than sex. It also has to do with the fact that he's an assassin and is always wary of his surrounding.

Now, in this book we get to learn more about Fredrik. His past, his job, his relationship with Victor. Before, he's known as Victor's colleague but in this book, he's Victor's subordinate. As for his job? Let's just say I had to grit my teeth when I read about his style of execution. It's so vivid in my head and I can still imagine it long after I'm done with the book. 

Strange and sadistic as it is, I kinda like Fredrik more after reading this book. And I sure am NOT DONE with him. He has a story and I want to know it!

This book has a lot of pain, like the previous. Everything was written in details such that I can imagine it so clearly in my head. It's as gruesome as it was cruel. I expected that when I started reading this book but I was still not prepared for the amount of violence in certain scenes. Like Sarai's training. Fredrik's execution style. Sarai's test. It will put you at the edge of your seat, or the edge of your bed if you're reading it while lying down. A very good sequel to the first book. Highly recommended for those who love this series.

Read and Review #18 - The Do-Over (M.K. Schiller)

Title: The Do-Over

Author: M.K. Schiller
Publication date: 7 October 2013
Publisher: Loose Id
Get a copy! Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Arrogant womanizer Kyle Manchester hates blind dates; however, when best friend, Brad calls in a favor, insisting Kyle take out his girlfriend’s sister, Kyle reluctantly agrees. Attorney Lanie Carmichael’s appearance is no surprise. She is dowdy, awkward, and dressed in so many layers she resembles a wedding cake, but not in an edible way. Her brazen attitude though, astonishes him, especially when she explains she has no interest in gorgeous Kyle. Lanie Carmichael is in love with Brad, and wants Kyle’s assistance in winning his best friend’s heart.

Kyle gradually accepts, justifying that the mystery of Lanie has sparked his natural, thirsty curiosity. As an ambitious journalist, he also can’t resist the Pulitzer worthy scoop she offers him. However, as Lanie sheds more layers, both emotionally and physically, Kyle begins to examine his life choices, and his true feelings for this enigmatic girl. With Kyle’s support, Lanie begins to unravel the secrets of her past, and the deep pain that has quietly defined her life. As they each learn more about themselves and each other, both question how a relationship built on fraudulent lies between two broken people could ever survive.

My rating:

5 / 5

My review:

My first erotica of the year! And it's fantabulous!

I was expecting tons of kinky sex with mediocre emotional attachment but this book has more emotional attachment than sex scenes. I immediately fell for Kyle despite his arrogance and shallow thinking of women. I mean, he's the typical arrogant, womanizing hero. But Lanie, now she's one of those rare heroines. She didn't fall for Kyle immediately. She didn't even try to act all pretentious around him. Their first encounter spoke nothing but intelligence and I am glad to have read that so early on in the book. No 'He's so fucking hot' and 'His biceps are amazing and his eyes are a beautiful shade of the fucking ocean'. I am so done with those shit. Best of all? No beating around the bush. No sugarcoating anything. 

At first, I didn't understand the way Lanie kept hiding herself under thick layer of clothings and became such a pushover around others except for Kyle. She was a fierce woman who knows what she wants and wouldn't hesitate to ask for it. And she wanted Brad. Brad, her colleague, a nice, charming guy and also, her sister Cassie's boyfriend. And to get Brad, she needed Kyle's help.

Now, having read tons of books like this I already expected what's going to happen and I thought, 'Well here goes the same ol' story again'. And I wasn't wrong. However, I was expecting it to be accompanied by hot sex and all that kinky-ness. 

But each sex scenes were so tender and full of emotion, mainly in Kyle's part. I mean, the man told her that they would be friends with benefits but it seems that he had been too involved earlier than her. Lanie kept her distance although I have an idea when she actually fell for him. Took him a while to coax her out of her shell that was built from self-preservation.

They have similar reasons for acting the way they did and as their secrets were unravelled, I began to understand them more. I like Lanie who was fierce without being annoying or bossy and Kyle, whose faux arrogance hid a sweet, sensitive guy.

You know who I definitely despise though? Cassie and her mother. They were so pretentious and the way they treated Lanie as if she's a disappointment made me want to punch some sense into them. I get the reason why but they were so enmeshed with their past and really, they don't deserve Lanie's love for them. When Lanie had enough of them and decided to cut them loose, I felt like it wasn't satisfying enough. I just wished someone punched Cassie at least. (I do realize that my name is also Casey))

Great read. I can't believe I finished it in one sitting. I always thought that erotica had this bunch of sex scenes in various positions, involving toys and maybe a little BDSM but this is definitely just purely emotional sex. If there are erotica written this way, I wouldn't mind venturing into this genre more.

Read and Review #4 - Addicted to You (Krista & Becca Ritchie)

Title: Addicted to You (Addicted #1)

Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Publication date: 22 August 2013

Publisher: K.B. Ritchie (Independent Book Publishers Association)

Get a copy! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

She’s addicted to sex. He’s addicted to booze…the only way out is rock bottom. 

 No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own. 

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment. 

But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex. 

Their real vice may be each other.

My rating:
5 out 5 recommend this without alcohol consumption

My review:

*A copy was given to me generously by the authors via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to one of my friends on Goodreads (Jennifer) for the status updates while reading this book that made me curious out of my mind that I finally cave in and decided to read this book. I knew about this book the day it was published (because I stalk Goodreads every day) and when I read the synopsis I was a little interested but the idea of a sex addict is sort of a turn off because I thought it would lead to sex after sex and eventually turn this new adult book into an erotica. Again, I was wrong for my judgement in books.

The opening scene didn't hold back. No sugarcoating it with happy college experience like first day of school, meeting new friends etc No, it started by introducing us to Lily's addiction, then Loren's. And what better way to introduce them than a frat row?

A sex addict is not the same as someone who likes to have sex. Constantly horny =/= addicted to sex. It's a disease, something you can't get out of. Like drug addiction. A sex addict needs relief not just for fun, but because without it they'll start to feel the withdrawal, the shaking, the anxiety, basically losing their mind if they don't get their fix. That's how Lily is. She has one night stands with numerous guys every day just to get her fix, so she could function well and act like a normal person. She's so accustomed to having sex that she goes to a bar every night to get her daily dose of sex with an anonymous guy.

Unlike most characters in books, Lily doesn't have one night stands because she's suffering from some sort of abuse or is emotionally crippled. Strangely but understandably enough, her addiction just sort of started and she hadn't stopped since.

Most people don't realize they're alcoholics until they stopped drinking. In Loren's case, he's in denial. And like anyone in denial, he gets angry when being confronted of his problem. He acknowledged it but he refuses to accept it. 

The part where Lily was trying so hard to make him drink less broke my heart because he refuses to listen which made her use her addiction to distract him from his addiction. 

"We should talk, but what do I say? Lo, I wish you would stop drinking. And he'd say, Lily, I wish you'd stop having so much sex. And then we'd look at each other and wait for the other to say okay, I'll change for you. But there'd be silence so deep and cutting that I'd feel ripped open and bare."

They feed off each other's understanding with their addiction, which made their whole relationship convenient. It wasn't until they started being together for real that their convenience was shattered. He drinks more because she started to panic over being monogamous and he doesn't want her to suffer from withdrawals. She has sex with him more to distract him from drinking more. I mean, they care for each other so much but they are feeding their own addiction trying to cure the other.

This book has three prominent side characters; Rose, Connor and Ryke. All three play major part in both Lily and Loren's life. I thought Ryke was the most interesting the moment he was introduced into the story. All I could think of was, Lily must be salivating over him. Because he sounded exactly like the guy I thought she would end up with.

The ending was bittersweet. I don't know how the book could end better than the ending that it has. When I'm done, I felt so bereft that I wasn't sure what I was doing and the time and everything around me. All I can say is that it's a good read and it's hardly erotica.  

And now I'm off to the next book in the series!

Read and Review #3 - Where I End And You Begin (Andra Brynn)

Title: Where I End And You Begin

Author: Andra Brynn

Publication date: 13 August 2013

Publisher: House of the Moon Publishing

Get a copy! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

In Japan, they say there’s a red thread of fate that binds people who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. It may tangle, it may knot, it may stretch or fray, but it will never break. It is a future as indelible as the past. I hope that isn't true. I pity anyone destined to meet me.

For Bianca Ray, the past is always catching up, one way or another. Now in her third semester at college, it's doing it again. Too much drinking has led to plummeting grades and rising absences, putting her scholarships in peril. When she makes it clear that she needs help—all over the floor of her history class—she’s given one last chance to shape up: seek therapy and bring her grades up by the end of the semester, or she’s out.

Enter Catholic seminarian Daniel McGuire. The last thing Bianca wants is an aspiring priest to counsel her on how to live her life, but the handsome graduate student is different from the holy rollers she fled from at home. Gentle and unobtrusive, he helps her pick up the pieces and find a new way to live: not running from the past, but facing it head on.

But opening up her heart to release the pain means that something else can come in. As Bianca and Daniel grow closer, their relationship moves onto dangerous ground and the fragile courage Bianca has built up threatens to fail her. Can she exorcise the ghosts of her past, or will they catch hold and drag her down where not even Daniel can reach her?

My rating:

4 out 5 suggests reading in with the lights on

My review:

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review* 

This book was like a breath of fresh air after reading one new adult book after another etched with the same theme in the plot. I believe this is the second book I've ever read that involves a priest/minister/pastor falling in love with a fallen (or something like that) woman/girl. But then again, Daniel didn't even make any vows to be a priest, he was just studying to be one.

We have Bianca Ray; party girl, drunk every night, fucks every night, has an obsession with ghost stories and still somehow managed to maintain her GPA. I like Bianca, however, I felt like there's something off up till the end. Something in me kept saying, 'Bianca doesn't sound right'. But I kept going up till I reach this little part towards the end.

"There's a pause. "Bianca." I hear him say.

 "Wait," Tanya says. "Who?"

 I have to get out of here.

"Who?" Tanya says again.

"Your roommate?" he says as though she's an idiot.

"Oh,"Tanya says. Then, "Oh. You mean Annie.""

I shit you not when my eyes instantly widen and I started choking. It was one of those moment where it felt like 'Holy shit what!' and 'I KNEW IT!' came together and I wasn't sure which one to attend to first. But it felt right, like something just clicked right into place. 

"I have to smile a bit. "Did you think I was a ghost? Just for a second?"

To my surprise, he laughs. "Yeah," he says."

Exactly.

Next, we have Daniel McGuire; studying to be a priest, wears prim clothes, hardly swears and is sweet, kind and innocent through and through. I'll put Daniel in the beta-heroes type because that is exactly what he is. The kindness he shows towards Bianca makes me feel warmth all over, despite the chilly feeling I get from their surroundings.

This book was well-written, albeit most of it revolving ghost stories and the afterlife. Growing up in a religious household, I can understand both Daniel and Bianca's point of views in religion. And to quote the words of comedian Steve Harvey, 'Everyone is on the borderline.', where he says that no one is really a shoe-in into heaven.

However, I didn't understand the whole thing with Bianca's running away from her past. What was she running away from exactly? There were two possibilities and I was not sure which was the stronger factor. It wasn't tackled in the end and it sort of didn't explain why she started drinking and all.

I picked up this book thinking 'Hey, must be one of those forbidden love stories.' Boy was I wrong. Yes, there was romance brewing in the air, but it wasn't explored as much as I hoped it would. But it was kind (that's the word I can describe it in) until the end where I was like, 'Wait what? I want more!'. 

It's a good book if you can muster enough courage for a few ghost stories. If you're not into a book that's dark, you might not want to pick this up. I give this a 4 star because of the excellent writing and storytelling. And maybe because of Daniel too. I wish there's a continuity to this story where Daniel and Bianca get to explore their relationship more. If there isn't, then it's still a good finish nevertheless.