Tag: New Adult

Shameless (Playboys in Love: Book 1) by Gina L. Maxwell

On By JolieIn ARC, book review, Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: ScorchedLeave a comment
Shameless (Playboys in Love Book 1) by [Maxwell, Gina L.]

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Scorched

Date of publication: May 30, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Erotic Romance, New Adult, BDSM, M/F Romance, Fiction

Series: Playboys In Love

Shameless—Book 1

Ruthless—Book 2

Merciless—Book 3

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | B&N | Indigo | Kobo | Apple Books

Goodreads Synopsis:

People say I’m shameless. They’re right.

I like my sex dirty. It takes a hell of a lot to tilt my moral compass, and I always follow when it’s pointing at something I want. That goes double when it points straight at the one girl in all of Chicago who’s not dying for a piece of me.

She’s all I can think about, and that’s a problem, because she wants nothing to do with me. But I’ve seen her deepest secrets, her darkest fantasies, and they match mine to a fucking T.

I want her. Bad.

Now I need to show her how good it can feel…to be shameless.

3 Things I liked about Shameless:

  1. The storyline. One of the rare few times I would like the storyline of erotica, but I loved this one. I mean, sex aside, it was a solid story about 2 people falling in love. And since we are on the subject of sex, the sex scenes were wow!! Except for 1 scene, I liked them.
  2. Jane. She is a character that I could relate to. I mean, she works 2 jobs, had to fix stuff herself via Google and YouTube, and is down to earth. I could see her being BFF with me if she was a real-life person. I was also very jealous that she ended up hooking up with a Chris Hemsworth lookalike.
  3. Chase towards the middle and end. I felt that Jane had changed him. It might have started as sex, but it evolved quickly, and I liked seeing it. Gave me the warm fuzzies.

3 Things that I disliked about Shameless:

  1. Chase at the beginning of the book. To be blunt, he came across as an asshole. A huge, sex-obsessed asshole and I wanted to choke him.
  2. Addison. Jane’s best friend. I would have killed someone if they had hired a stripper to come to my house under the guise of a handyman. Sorry, but that would have been a friendship ender-for me. But Jane had the last laugh.
  3. The anal sex scene. I am OK with anal sex and light bondage, and I am OK reading it. But when it crosses over into the gross category, I draw the line. And this was gross.

I would recommend Shameless to anyone over 21. There is explicit sex, language, and mild violence

If you enjoyed reading Shameless, you will enjoy reading these books:

The Flame and The Arrow (Annika Brisby: Book 1) by Emigh Cannaday

On By JolieIn ARC, Black Feather Publishing, book review12 Comments
The Flame and the Arrow: Fantasy Paranormal Romance (The Annika Brisby Series Book 1) by [Cannaday, Emigh]

Publisher: Black Feather Publishing

Date of publication: November 11, 2010

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Fae, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Magic, New Adult, Fairies

Series: The Annika Brisby Series

The Flame and The Arrow—Book 1

The Silver Thread—Book 2 (review here)

The Scarlet Tanager—Book 3 (review here)

The Darkest of Dreams—Book 4 (review here)

Song of the Samodiva—Book 5 (review here)

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | Abebooks

Goodreads synopsis:

“Don’t do it, Annika,” he taunted. His eyes were no longer bright and charming but dark and intense, yet they still twinkled. He was tempting, but was he harmful?

Aspiring rock star Annika Brisby thinks she knows where her life is going until she steps through a broken portal that leaves her stranded in a realm of fairies, vampires, and other mythical beings. Unable to return until it’s repaired, she’s rescued by wood nymphs who believe her sudden arrival is no accident. After being taken in by a prominent family of elves, Annika finds herself struggling to resist the seductive spell of their youngest son, Talvi. Equal parts arrogant and alluring, the notorious heartbreaker seems like the perfect distraction for her homesickness. Her new friends warn her that she’ll probably regret ever laying eyes on him, and what begins as a casual fling quickly burns too hot to handle. By the time Annika learns the consequences of their forbidden trysts, Talvi’s already under her skin and dangerously close to her heart. But on the journey home, she discovers that there’s a mountain of secrets that he’s not telling her, and Annika can’t help wondering who’s really in danger.

I can’t say this enough…I love fantasy of all types. When I was approached with the opportunity to review The Flame and The Arrow, I jumped.

I wasn’t let down.

This book takes you on a journey through a parallel universe where you meet ogres, fairies, elves, vampires, wood nymphs, and druids. Annika herself finds out some very interesting information about herself during this journey.

I loved the love story between herself and Talvi. At some points very sexual and, at some points, sweet; I thought it was interesting to see their relationship evolve to where it did.

The other storylines were fun to read and added to the plot instead of taking away. Plus, there’s the matter of Talvi’s secrets. The author didn’t reveal them all at once. Instead, she dragged them all out throughout the book, which made it very, very, very interesting to read.

The ending was very bittersweet and was written exactly as I imagined it. I won’t say that I wasn’t surprised by it, though.

If you enjoyed reading The Flame and the Arrow, you will enjoy reading these books:

Five (Elemental Enmity: Book 1) by Christie Rich

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARCLeave a comment
Book Cover
Alternative cover here

Publisher:

Publication date: August 10th, 2011

Genre: Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal, Fae, Romance, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

Series: Elemental Enmity Series

Fae Trials—Book 0

Five—Book 1

Dark Matter—Book 2

Genesis—Book 3

Horizon—Book 4

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Rayla Tate dreams of escaping her ordinary world for a bright future in the art world. Throw in an overbearing aunt who is keeping major secrets, a disgruntled best friend tagging along to college, and a bunch of fae warriors waiting in the wings to claim her the minute she leaves her sleepy little town, and Rayla’s dreams are about to shatter.

She soon discovers she is a coveted Elemental with power she never knew she possessed–a power that could change the world. Everywhere she turns another man tries to woo her. The weird part is she’s drawn to each one of them. Who are these strange men, and what dark power do they hold over her? Rayla must quickly learn to fend off these beautiful and seductive pursuers using any means necessary or find herself lost to the fae world forever.

What I liked about Five:

  1. That was about the Fae. I love stories involving them. Don’t know why I do (it must be the Irish in me). The Fae in this book were written differently than in other Fae stories. It was darker and edgier, and I liked that.
  2. The Fae Lords. At first, they came across as seductive/power-hungry, but the more you read, the more you get attached to them. Zach and Luke were my personal favorites.
  3. That there was a pegasus!!!!! Even if it was a demon, it was cool to have one in the book.

What I disliked about Five:

  1. Nicole, Cassie, and Jennifer. The new friend, the best friend, and the girl in the same dorm. I thought Nicole came across as very shallow, Cassie as needy/boy crazy/insane, and Jennifer as a bitch.
  2. Rayla’s attitude at first. She was such a brat!!!! Sometimes, I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good hard slap.

If you liked Five, you will like these books.