Zane ~ Nicole Edwards

Zane by Nicole Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4-4.5 holy hotness stars

If I have learned anything by reading the first two books in this series, it is that Nicole Edwards is pretty much untouchable when it comes to writing super scorchingly hot sex scenes.

I adored the first book, Kaleb, and loved that it was pretty straight-forward in it's storytelling. Very little angst and heavy on the smutty goodness while still telling a sweet love story. With Zane, Edwards has added a heavy dose of angst (not one of my favorite plot devices), and a bit of OTT melodrama into the mix. And it is because of those two things that I am unable to give this book a 5 star rating.

Don't get me wrong. I really, really enjoyed this book. I love spending time with these characters and I love the family dynamic among the Walker brothers. However, as is so often the case for me lately...my main problem was with the female lead, V. I liked her spunkiness in the first book. But, here she was much too...whiny i guess is the only way i can describe it. Yes, i understand her being traumatized by the attack on Zane at the beginning of the book. But for me, far too much time was spent rehashing that one event. I found myself relating to Zane's attitude of wanting to move past that one incident, so I continually I found myself skimming the sections where we had to listen to V's inner monologue where she obsessed over the attack. Frankly I didn't like anything about that part of the plot, and could have done without it all together.

Now, moving on to what this book gets right....the smutty goodness.



I had no clue going into this book that Edwards was going to be teasing me with a little bit of M/M action. All I can say is, I approve and I wanted more!!


When I saw that Edwards was planning on a releasing a Walker brothers Holiday novella, I joked that it was going to turn into one massive orgy. Well, after reading this book...I might not be so far off. And I am TOTALLY okay with that.



The fact that so many of the side characters are involved with each other...it might have become a bit overwhelming and complicated, but for me...I loved it. One of the strongest aspect to these books are the characters and how they interact, so the more we get to see of them all, the happier I am.

And let me just state for the record....the Zane/Beau/V hook up (heavy on the Zane/Beau) was hands down one of the hottest scenes I have ever read.

If i had anything to complain about regarding that particular aspect of the book? The way Zane kept insisting to himself that he was 'only doing it for Beau'. Seriously?!



I mean, if you're going to include a M/M aspect to the story (which, if you hadn't guessed by now - I am totally on board for), the least you can do is have the characters embrace it. I mean, a guy is not going to have sex with another guy just to make the other guy happy. That is absolutely ridiculous. Period. End of debate.



Despite my problems with the book, I really did enjoy the heck out of it. And I can't wait to see what's in store for Travis. ;)

The Gamble ~ Kristen Ashley

The Gamble by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6 stars!!!

It's rare that I finish a book and can't wait to write a review for it but at the same time I haven't a clue what I should say about something that touched me as deeply as this book touched me. Many others have given incredibly eloquent reviews for this book, so I will bypass trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about as far as story line and world building goes, and instead focus on talking about the many things I loved about this book and these characters.

Shortly after finishing this book tonight a song popped up on my iPod that pretty much captured my version of Max & Nina and their amazingly beautiful relationship.




I walked, through the thickness of your heart
Straight through the middle of your deepest, darkest dream
I wrote the melody that brought you back to life, love
Come hear it for yourself



Who says we're wrong for opening the wrong doors?
Lock up, swallow the key
You'll never replace me.
'Cause back then I told you, if you fall I'll fall too
Wake up and feel the breeze
You'll never replace me
~Replace Me by Andrew Belle

That's always been one of my favorite songs, but now it will forever have even deeper meaning for me.

Things I loved About The Gamble:

First and foremost?
**MAX!!!

"Yes, I was right. Max was becoming more wonderful and I was in trouble."

You and me both, sister! Holy....cow.
I recently wrote a review for another book where I mentioned that there was a difference between being a strong Alpha Male and being a bully. In my opinion...Max is the epitome of the perfect Alpha Male. Dominant? yes. Possessive? Hell yes. But mean and cruel? Never. Max literally adores Nina practically from the moment he first sees her, and he doesn't have any problem showing how he feels. Be it the fact that he is always touching her in some way, even in front of both their families. Or the way he remembers the small things, like how she likes her coffee, or if she drinks in the evening she'll be passed out dead asleep within a couple of hours. Or, most tellingly...and this comes at the very beginning of their relationship...the way he takes care of Nina when she is delirious with a fever. I mean, could there be a more perfect man?

"Found somethin' I want, don't tend to fuck around when that happens, Duchess. Ever."

"You think to slide back, settle for something that made you run away because you think it's safe, because it's familiar, because you're scared of taking a gamble on me. I'm warnin' you now, Duchess, I'm not gonna allow that."

Yeah...like I said...he's pretty much perfect. <3

**NINA

"Only Holden Maxwell would think my neurotic was cute."

God, I loved this woman! And I think part of the reason I did was because I could somewhat relate to her. We have similar insecurities and I understood why she warred with herself over letting herself get close to Max, expecting that she would always be 'second best' to him. Which made their HEA that much sweeter. <3

And speaking of that HEA...


**The Epilogue
Without giving anything away, all I can say is Swooooooooon!!!
It wrapped up Nina & Max's story perfectly and I have to say I adored getting a glimpse inside the mind of Max at the very end of the book. It just capped off what had already been one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I have had in a really long time.

Funny thing is, several months ago I attempted to read this book and gave up without even making it to the end of the first chapter. I'm not sure if i was just not in the mood for a romance, or hell...maybe i was just in a crappy mood that day. Whatever the case may be, I am so glad...so glad...that i decided to give this book another shot. Because I absolutely loved every minute of the ride this time. And I can't wait to dive into more books by this author!

Big Girls Do It Better ~ Jasinda Wilder

Big Girls Do It Better by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Considering this story was only 35 pages long, I will keep this review short and to the point.

For such a short novella, this book packed quite an emotional punch. It is so refreshing to read an erotic story that features a heroine who is not a stick figure, and a hero who adores her just as she is. This story actually made me a little teary eyed, with how sweet Chase was in trying to get Anna to see just how beautiful she really is.

This is the first 'episode' in a series, and I for one can not wait for the next installment!


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