Journey with Books

Sep 29, 2014

Book Review: All In by Ann Garner

Unknown September 29, 2014 0 Comments

Title: All In (Cedar Mountain University series, Book 2)
Author: Ann Garner
Publication Date: June 2, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Blurb:

For Grace Marsh there had never been a doubt that she was meant to be with Grant Michaels. From the moment she had met her brothers' best friend, she had known he was the one for her, and after two years together it seemed he felt the same.

Until the night he knocks on her door and sends her entire world into a tailspin when he breaks her heart.

Jacob Ross was the American dream. The son of a football legend who was well on his way to a place by his father's side in the NFL hall of fame. Until the day he walked away from it all without looking back.

A chance meeting between the two finally puts Grace on the path toward putting her heart back together. But can she make a future with Jacob when she keeps getting pulled back into the past? Can she prove to him that she's All In, or will she lose it all before it even really begins?

Kayla's Thoughts:

I absolutely LURV the character Grace in this book. I mean seriously, I think the author may have telepathy, or at least visited the depths of my brain, because she is basically me, but book size. Okay, so I don't have short hair, or any of Grace's physical characteristics, or even a man like Jacob, or two brothers, I think it was two anyway, but I kind of do not have a filter from my brain to my mouth, just like her. I tend to say everything that comes to mind, or at least most things, and sometimes I tend to tell the harsh truth, even though no one wants to hear it, but then I never follow my own advice to others, so that kind of makes me a hypocrite, and I also like pumpkin spice lattes, if they're not scalding hot enough to basically make my tongue go all tingly and numb.

I adore how she and Jacob interact throughout this entire book. They just have this natural rhythm, and I could not get over how amazingly cute some of the dialogue between the two was. They have a true connection, and I absolutely loved how Grace was able to get Jacob to open up about his past and the accident which made him give up football. I also loved how Jacob made Grace feel so loved and makes her want to be better than herself just for his sake. Both of them just complement one another so perfectly, that when they begin to drift apart (over a d-bag like Grant, by the way, okay so maybe it is a tad bit Grace's fault too, and maybe just a small part Jacob's) it just made me ache inside.

*sniff sniff*

And Del... That poor girl. Her story is told in this one, enough that you know what went on, but not so much that reading the first book, which is her story in its full form, is completely disregardable. She just seems so sweet, and her experience and the aftermath of it influences and is important to Jacob and Grace's relationship. It basically starts the incident that causes the downfall of the couple. And without it, I do not think Grace and Jacob would have truly appreciated the connection they share.

Verdict:

Anyway, this story was really good. I laughed, cringed, almost yelled in anger during certain parts involving a certain someone named Grant (sorry, but he frustrated me) and just wanted to encourage the relationship of these two characters so much. It was nice to see Grace's transition from pining over her ex to suddenly falling for this amazing guy who saw her for her. Who even called her a punch of sunshine during a very difficult time in his life. It was very sweet and, ugh, I just completely couldn't keep a smile off my face when it ended.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble

Author's Bio:

Garner's first book in the Cedar Mountain University series, Pieces of Me, was released January 17, 2014, and currently she is working on future installments.

Links for Author:

Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Sep 26, 2014

Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway: Part-time Princess by Pamela DuMond

Unknown September 26, 2014 2 Comments

Title: Part-time Princess (Ladies in Waiting #1)
Author: Pamela DuMond
Publication Date: Spring 2014
Genre: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

Blurb:

Two Princes are in love with her. Too bad she's an imposter...

Hold tight to your tiara, grab your scepter and be prepared for the New Adult hilarious, modern-day romantic-comedy ride of your life!

Rated PG-13 and mildly R for:
Sexual innuendo.
Hot Guys.
Hot Guys who are Princes.
Flirting.
Romance.
The occasional naughty word.
The occasional naughty royal fantasy.
The occasional naughty deed.
Romance.
Castles.
Ladies-in-Waiting.
Parties!
Cocktails.
A puppy.
Gowns.
Intrigue.
Chocolate.
Champagne.
A Royal Wedding!
Comedy.
Sexiness.
More Romance.
And -- a Happily-Ever-After Ending (Just not the way you expected it!)

Lucy Trabbicio's a down-on-her-luck, young, American, former biker-bar cocktail waitress desperate to find a job. Lady Elizabeth Billingsley hires Lucy to travel to Fredonia, the tiny jewel of a country in the Alps, for ten days 'tops' to impersonate her.

Say what? How the heck is that going to happen?

In the mother of all makeovers, Elizabeth's people teach Lucy how to dress, walk, talk, eat, be coiffed and even get naked like a European Lady.

The goal?

To keep Crown Prince Cristoph Timmel interested in Elizabeth until she finishes her unexpected, pressing personal business in the States.

But fate intervenes... Lucy meets and is wildly attracted to sexy, bad-boy Nick on the oh-so-long flights to Fredonia. Unfortunately for Lucy -- Nick and Elizabeth have a hot sexual history, which Nick wants to immediately resume.

Prince Cristoph proposes marriage. What's an imposter girl to do? Elizabeth insists that she'll make it back home in time for the wedding. Lucy accepts Cristoph's proposal and is on the fast track to becoming a Princess but continues to fall for the wrong Prince of Fredonia -- Nick. When another tiny glitch arises -- someone's trying to kill her.

The only folks helping Lucy are her wild, party hard, take-no-prisoners Ladies-in-Waiting.

When the real Lady Elizabeth decides she's not marrying Cristoph and never returning to Fredonia, Lucy's faced with an uncomfortable decision -- continue her deception, marry the prince she's not in love with and live a dream life albeit without Nick, her dream guy? Or tell the truth and return to poverty and oblivion?

Part-time Princess is a modern day sexy fairy tale with romance, twists and turns, LOL moments, a few tears and an empowering ending.

Kayla's Thoughts:

I must start my review by mentioning that this book has the longest blurb I have ever encountered. This is of the reasons, or at least the main reason, I decided to read it. I don't know, I just found the list of things the book entails intriguing. I mean, it was comedic and slightly endearing and just warranted to give this book a chance. Boy am I glad I did.

Honestly, I don't have a clue where to start. The story matches its blurb perfectly. It's spastic, in a good way, random at times, and just downright funny. But more than that, the main character, Lucy, is so real. She's down on her luck and out of work when, after a seemingly unsuccessful part-time job interview with a gentleman named Phillip Phillips, suddenly a woman by the name of Elizabeth is telling she has got the job, much to Mr. Phillips' chagrin. Lucy is then thrust into a crash course of proper behavior and whisked off to a place called Fredonia.

Lucy will definitely earn every cent of her pay, because it seems impersonating Elizabeth will not be as easy a task as she originally thought. A surprise proposal, attempted murder, obnoxious but amazingly loyal bridesmaids, and royal wedding preparations are just the tip of the iceberg for what she must deal with. Not to mention the guilt of fooling people she soon begins to care about over the course of her stay and falling in love with a man she knows she cannot be with.

While there were grammatical errors in the book, ones I could not overlook, it mostly does not take away from the wonderfully romantic, funny, witty, and all-around beautiful story.

AND THE ENDING! Ugh, the ending had me smiling and laughing so hard I ended up with tears in my eyes.

Verdict:

Just read it. That's all I can say. Because it will touch your heart in ways you never thought possible. This book is proof that happy endings can be truly magical, especially when the song "Wild Thang" is playing in the background.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Kobo / Barnes and Noble

Author's Bio:

Pamela DuMond is the author who discovered Erin Brockovich's life story, thought it would make a great movie and pitched it to 'Hollywood'.

She writes romantic comedic mysteries, romantic YA time travel and New Adult romance.

Her book The Story of You and Me was a Quarterfinalist in the Amazon Breakout Novel Award (ABNA) 2014 in Romance.

Cupcakes, Pies, and Hot Guys was a Quarterfinalist in ABNA 2013 in Mystery.

She's addicted to TV shows -- The Voice and Reign. The movies Love Actually and The Bourne trilogy (with Matt Damon -- not that other actor guy) make her cry every time she watches them. (Like -- a thousand.)

When she's not writing Pamela's also a chiropractor and cat wrangler. She loves reading, the beach, working out, movies, TV, animals, her family and friends. She lives in Venice, California, with her fur-babies.

She likes her coffee strong, her cabernet hearty, her chocolate dark, her foods non-GMO and she lives for a good giggle.

Links for Author:

Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

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Click here to check out all the other amazing blogs and bloggers who are participating in this tour.

Sep 25, 2014

Blog Tour: Giveaway and Review: Raven by Stacey Rourke

Unknown September 25, 2014 1 Comments

Title: Raven (Book 2 in the Legends Saga)
Author: Stacey Rourke
Publication Date: September 21, 2014
Genre: New Adult Paranormal

Blurb:

An infamous love, destined nevermore.
For death could not claim, the enchanting Lenore.

Cursed by the malevolent spirit of the Headless Horseman, Ireland Crane ventures to Manhattan in search of a way to break her soul crushing bond. Instead, she discovers the lines between fact and fiction are blurring once more. Croaking ravens. Telltale hearts. Could the works of Poe be coming to pass with handsome Wall Street Midas Ridley Peolte as their unwilling target?

She walks the Earth, a plague on mankind,
searching for he, her rotted heart doth pine.

Together, the two unknowingly release a dark force death itself could not tame. Surrounded by the unrelenting violence and mayhem they've unleashed, Ireland feels her control over the Horseman slipping. Before the beast within consumes her, she and her crew must follow the clues of the dead to right a centuries' old wrong. But will it be enough to sate the Horseman's appetite?

Hell hath no fury like a ghoul scorned.

Kayla's Thoughts:

After reading the first book in this series, Crane, I knew immediately that I had to read this one. I mean, the segue between books is so perfect that I could not resist. And boy was I definitely not disappointed with this continuation of the Legends Saga.

The beginning of this novel is met with a bit more humor than we saw in the first book. With Rip learning a new word that we can blame Noah for, the Horseman basically being forced into submission because of country music, and a situation involving art, an asian family, and stress-induced narcolepsy, this book's beginning is a bit of a bright start compared to the darkness of the ending to its predecessor. I absolutely love that. Because the humor is sorely needed. It creates a glimmer of hope that makes all the darkness worthwhile. To the characters, it allows them a small sense of normalcy in a journey sure to be filled with great sorrow and pain.

This book focuses on the story of Edgar Allen Poe. And like the first in this series, the author switches between past and present. Cursed by his maternal grandmother, Poe grows up knowing the world of the dead. Anything beautiful in the world is tainted by his forced perception of dark things. I say forced perception, because who would want to witness the things he has even once in their lifetime, let alone throughout their childhood years and all the way into adulthood. So it is with no surprise that he becomes a drunk. The numbness it seems to cause allows him at least some respite from the demons, or should I say ghouls, which haunt the very depths of his mind.

But! Luckily a light appears in his world in the form of a beautiful young woman named Lenore. He is immediately smitten and life appears a bit clearer whenever she is near. Alas, tragedy seems to strike in the most sudden of ways, and it is Ireland and her group of heroes, I guess we could call them, along with a new player in this cursed game who seems to have been given the same fateful powers as Poe, who suffer the consequences of the events that snowball from one single, and quite terrible, unkindness of ravens.

Add to that Ireland's weakening attempts to keep the Horseman at bay inside her, and clues throughout the story allowing us to get one step closer to who ultimately did this to her, and you've got yourself a dilemma that will keep you reading for more.

Verdict:

There are some beautiful scenes in this book, just as there were in the first, along with some wonderfully frightening ones. I love the haunting aspect of Poe's particular story and the fact that parts from the stories we know and love of his fit so perfectly together that the whole past part of this book just makes sense. The way the author writes this story is just exquisite, and the ending just brings me to a point of satisfaction and aggravation because I want to know more. Will Ireland be freed from her plight? Will she stay the way she is even when the saga ends? I DON'T KNOW!!! This fact just kills me, but the anticipation is completely worth it. This author is a true light in a wonderful genre, and someone whose books and stories I will not soon forget. Keep an eye out for her, folks. For she is a true star as a writer.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble

Author's Bio:

RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel

Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012

Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA Book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013

Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. Crane, book 1 in the Legends Saga, was released on May 26, 2014. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this thrilling saga, as well as other literary projects.

Links for Author:

Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here to check out the amazing bloggers and blogs that are a part of this tour.

___________________

I find it only appropriate due to the amazingness that is this series and the fact that this tour coincides perfectly with the premier week of the second season of ABC's Sleepy Hollow to post the links for the first book in the Legends Saga, Crane. Here they are!

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble

Happy Reading!

Sep 22, 2014

Blog Tour: Giveaway and Series Review: The Neumarian Chronicles by Ciara Knight

Unknown September 22, 2014 3 Comments

This is a very auspicious day, everyone, because it is my first time doing an entire series review!! YAY! I am pretty stoked with this and was excited for the challenge when I signed up for this tour, so without further ado, here I go.

Title: Escapement (Book 1, The Neumarian Chronicles)
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Blurb:

Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen's reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother's empire. When my own erratic powers surface I'm captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Goodreads

Title: Pendulum (Book 2, The Neumarian Chronicles)
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication Date: December 2, 2013
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Blurb:

Haunting memories.

Terrifying dreams.

Crippling lies.

Trapped in a world of deception, my sanity rests with the love of Ryder Arteres and our renegade friends. Six months of scouring the ocean floor in a rebel ship fleeing our homeland delivers us to a possible alliance with the opportunistic European Council. Our only hope is to utilize our forbidden gifts to free our people from slavery, proving our worth. But when a trusted ally turns traitor and a new breed of the queen's weaponry is revealed, I'm forced to face the terror of my past to save our crumbling future.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Goodreads

Title: Balance (Book 3, The Neumarian Chronicles)
Author: Ciara Knight
Publication Date: April 28, 2014
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Blurb:

Life on a war-ravaged Earth is a dying experience. Finally, after years of tyranny, the rebellion rises. Once I rescue my fiance Ryder Arteres, I, and the rebel general, will fight to free our people. In a war where alliances shift and friends betray one another, will the final battle prove the truth of the prophecy the queen has so feared -- her death -- or will I lose everyone I love?

Links for Book:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Goodreads

Kayla's Thoughts:

I actually am quite glad I decided to review this entire series, as opposed to just the first book, because I would not have been able to adequately review it otherwise. You see, the first book of this series started off a bit rocky for me. In fact, quite rocky, to the point where I probably would have opted for an excerpt from the book instead of a review so as to still promote the book while not putting a preconceived okay review into readers' minds right out of the starting gate. I absolutely believe that people should read this, and I so wanted it to be good. Thankfully, the last two books, while not exceptional or phenomenal, were immensely good. In fact, they made up for my thoughts on the first book.

As each book delves deeper and deeper into the story, getting closer and closer to the ultimate battle that will decide whether good or evil wins, the separate installments become darker and darker in subject matter. Book 1 mainly focuses on the journey to find the rebellion set on destroying the queen, book 2 focuses more on Semara finding herself and searching for allies to aid in the fight, and book 3...well, this is where we get to the heart of the war.

Semara and her friends, who we get to know throughout the entirety of the series, seem to get stronger with each passing paragraph, sentence, and word. They truly do find what they are capable of as each book finishes, especially one of my favorite characters, Raeth. She finds that she is stronger than her disability of only having one leg. She gains so much confidence as the series progresses that her stutter is almost incomprehensible. I am reminded of a sentence in the third book where it is the first she actually says something clear and perfect. I just adored her, and throughout the series wanted her to find the happiness she so deserved. Whether or not she found it you will have to find out.

The storyline was really good once I got past the choppiness of the first book. I truly did suck me in and make me want to read more with every passing page. My only critique concerning book 2 and book 3, mainly book 2, is that sometimes there were conflicting statements in the story. A bit of character amnesia, if that makes sense. Someone would find out information, and then later on they would basically act as if they never had learned it at all. It was a bit off-putting at times, but since it happened very few and far between, it luckily was not too big of a problem.

This world was very interesting and I loved the visual aspects of the books. I also loved that there are definitely some twists and turns as the story moves along, most of which have to do with Semara's true identity and the life she remembers as a child. It just truly impressed me near the end.

Verdict:

Overall this series was surprisingly a wonderful read. I found myself quite thoroughly enjoying it once I finally got into it, and as time went on, I became invested heavily in the lives of these main characters and even some of the minor ones. I was fearing for their lives at every turn and basically had to contain myself from peeking at the end of the third book to see if anyone I knew would survive or if the queen would win. *Spoiler Alert* I'm not telling. Anyway, I have definitely decided to check out more of this author's works, because I truly am now a fan of her writing and I want to see what else she can whip up.

Author's Bio:

Ciara Knight writes to 'Defy the Dark' with her young adult speculative fiction books. Her most recent Amazon best-seller, Escapement, book 1 of The Neumarian Chronicles, released to acclaimed reviews, securing a Night Owl Top Pick and five stars from InD'Tale Magazine.

When not writing, she enjoys reading all types of fiction. Some great literary influences in her life include Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Francine Rivers and J K Rowling.

Her first love, besides her family, reading, and writing, is travel. She's backpacked through Europe, visited orphanages in China, and landed in a helicopter on a glacier in Alaska.

Links for Author:

Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here to check out all the other awesome blogs and bloggers who are participating in this tour!

Sep 19, 2014

Blog Tour: Review: The Violet Fox by Clare C. Marshall

Unknown September 19, 2014 1 Comments

Title: The Violet Fox
Author: Clare C. Marshall
Publication Date: October 13, 2012
Publisher: Faery Ink Press
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Blurb:

There are two kinds of people in the land of Marlenia.

The Marlenians, who live on the surface,

and the Freetors, who are forced to live underground.

The war between them ended two hundred years ago, but the Freetors still fight for the right to live under the sun. Fifteen-year-old Kiera Driscoll embodies the Freetors' hopes as the Violet Fox. In a violet cape and mask, she sneaks around Marlenia City stealing food and freeing her people from slavery.

Then the Elders task her with a secret mission: retrieve a stolen tome that contains the secrets of Freetor magic, something the Marlenians both fear and covet. Kiera must disguise herself as a noblewoman and infiltrate the Marlenian castle before the Freetor-hating Advisor finds out her real identity, before her brother is imprisoned because of the secrets he hides, and before she falls any more in love with the prince she's supposed to hate.

More is happening in the castle than she realizes, and Kiera is faced with a difficult choice. Will she be loyal to her people and their fight for freedom, or will she be loyal to her heart?

Kayla's Thoughts:

I have been having withdrawal symptoms from fantasy novels lately. I absolutely love the worlds that authors can create in this genre and am slightly obsessed with the fighting and warrior-ness and magic that goes on in a fantasy novel. So it was with great surprise that I started reading this book and found that it was indeed a fantasy novel. I really have no idea what I originally thought this was going to be about, but I was completely stoked that this would sate my imagination.

Because I am picky about fantasy novels, it takes certain qualities to make one amazing in my eyes. I mean, I will always like them, but for a book to be phenomenal in this genre, I have to immediately feel a part of the world and characters that have been created. I always talk about a feeling of regalness when I read fantasy novels. My back becomes straighter, thoughts of honour enter my mind, and I instantly become a warrior. When that happens, I know I have hit the jackpot book-wise. And here, I definitely hit the jackpot.

What to say... This book immediately sucked me in. I felt so close to the main character, Kiera. She reminded me of myself. And while her recklessness as the Violet Fox is quite dangerous and stupid at times, I...just...I loved her enthusiasm. I loved that she gets this indescribable rush when being chased by guards. Living underground in a world of uncertainty whether or not you will be alive to see the next day, her heart is what keeps her sane. I have no words right now for how amazing I think this character is.

And her brother... He keeps her in line, whether or not she likes it. He would give his life to protect her, and she his. They are just the perfect team. And while things may become disagreeable between the two, no matter what, each has the other's back. And I, for one, having a brother myself, would not want it any other way in a story.

And Kiera's friend, Laoise. I cannot wait to see what is in store for this girl. She is so sweet, but I can see a fire burning inside her that has yet to be revealed. I just have this inkling that we have not heard the last of her. She is a fighter, just like Kiera, albeit maybe not so obviously, and I just know in my heart that she will do something amazing in the story or stories to come.

I think that I am slightly obsessed with the North's accent now. You see, I have been saying dialogue in books out loud since the Harry Potter books at the age of 11. I love how it transforms me into the characters, and I especially love to do accents. So it made my day when Kiera first talks to the woman she must portray for her mission for the Elders. When the noblewoman started to speak I was like "YES! FINALLY!", because usually, unless an author writes how a character speaks his or her words, such as in this case, I have to make up my own way of speech. I loved it!! I hope more of that is portrayed in the coming novels, because it was fun to say.

Verdict:

This world of Freetors and Marlenians, of free men and servants, of deceit and love, is just so infinitely worth every page, sentence, paragraph, and word. It was...it took my breath away, and I have already donated to the Indiegogo campaign to help fund the second book, The Silver Spear. I believe in this project so wholeheartedly and still cannot believe how much I enjoyed this first book. There is definitely more to come, and I cannot wait until I can indulge in more of this outstanding tale.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Faery Ink Press / Kobo / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords

Author's Bio:

Clare C. Marshall grew up in rural Nova Scotia with very little television and dial-up internet, and yet she turned out okay. She has a combined Honours degree in journalism and psychology from the University of King's College, and is a graduate from Humber College's Creative Book Publishing Program. She is a full-time freelance editor, book designer, and web manager. She enjoys publishing books through her publishing imprint, Faery Ink Press. When she's not writing, she enjoys playing the fiddle and making silly noises at cats.

Links for Author:

Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

The second book in this series, The Silver Spear, is currently being crowdfunded at Indiegogo.com for the next 60 days. Please click here for more information and the chance to donate to make this book happen.
RAISE THE SILVER SPEAR!

Sep 16, 2014

Book Review: Conflict of Interest by Allyson Lindt

Unknown September 16, 2014 0 Comments

Title: Conflict of Interest (Bits & Bytes Book 1)
Author: Allyson Lindt
Publication Date: April 28, 2013
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Fun, games, and business are a dangerous mix when a PR manager finds herself face to face with her new client who is determined to convince her letting loose is better than a tight rein on control. Book 1 in Allyson Lindt's new series, Bits & Bytes, is a sizzling romance from beginning to end.

Kenzie propositions a sexy stranger in a coffee shop to prove to herself she's capable of taking a risk. She doesn't expect him to be sitting across from her the following Monday as her newest client. Even worse, she can't stop thinking about what might have happened between them on a personal level if it weren't for their professional relationship. He knows how to push her buttons, and she doesn't want him to stop.

Scott has built his software company from the ground up to escape things like stuffy old men telling him how to behave, so he loathes his board of directors ordering him to make the public forget he doesn't have a verbal filter. When his new publicity manager is the almost-fling he never expected to see again, he seizes the opportunity to have fun and still pretend he's complying with the board's edict.

Giving in to desire could mean both their jobs, but each "one last time" always leads to another. Now they have to decide what they're willing to sacrifice to indulge this conflict of interest.

Content Notes: Sexy, Heat Level 2

Kayla's Thoughts:

So for me this was one of those books that I really couldn't judge based on the cover. At first glance I wasn't even sure if I would even like the book and had basically passed it off. But after a couple of days and quite a bit of deliberation over the blurb itself, I jumped in and took a chance.

Now, I usually am not a big fan of characters who are "undecided." What that basically means to me is that they say one thing while hoping the character they say it to does another thing completely. Normally and predictably the undecided character tends to get mad when what they think should happen doesn't and what they say should happen does. Because this is in fact a real trait in people, I tend to try to stay away from it in stories. And when it came up in this one, I was a bit tentative. But because of this book I have found out that I have not been reading the right ones. This author's characters, or at least the one doing the undeciding, actually admitted that is what they were doing. They felt guilty because of this and knew that if they didn't stop they would lose the love of a lifetime. YAY! I was quite relieved when the remorse set in. All I could think was "Finally!" I had never seen that before in any book with the undecided trait.

Story-wise I didn't really get into the book until about halfway through. It wasn't until the relationship between Scott and Kenzie began to get a little rocky that I realized I was completely invested. I mean, I thought nothing of it when they began their little off work, and sometimes on work, rendezvous, but when uncertainty began to dissolve that, I was like "Come on! You can't do this now! You had such a good thing going!" It wasn't until then that I actually started cheering every time the two got together once again. I just really wanted them to end up as a couple.

Throughout the book, both characters taught each other something. Kenzie taught Scott that his past shouldn't affect his present. In fact, he should take the past and make his present better using what he has learned from his experiences. And Scott taught Kenzie that sometimes the rulebook needs to be thrown out the window. Caring what people think about you all the time can be exhausting and, frankly, cause you to lose the things you love most. He brought out a side to her that I do not think anyone had seen in a long time. And vice-versa. They just both clicked. In all the right ways.

And what about Riley, Kenzie's sister? She seems like an absolute mess in the love department, but she is phenomenal at giving advice. Near the end, when she is basically telling Kenzie like it is, she is so spot on! Kenzie wasn't willing to admit it to herself, but in the end, Riley gave her the best love advice to get back her man. Whether or not Kenzie took it is quite another story.

Verdict:

This book left me wanting so much more. I have wish-listed the rest in this series! I just want to know if Kenzie's boss could be a character in a future book. *Cross fingers* Hey, a girl can dream can't she? I just...ugh...I ended up absolutely adoring this book. I am totally fangirling right now over Kenzie and Scott's relationship so much it is not even funny. Seriously...I don't normally fangirl. I don't so much, in fact, that I didn't even know what fangirling was until this year. Or maybe last year. Anyway, kudos to this author for bringing that out in me. I tip my imaginary hat to you.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Liquid Silver Books / Kobo / Barnes and Noble

Author's Bio:

Allyson Lindt is a part-time gamer, a full-time database developer, and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She was lucky enough to marry her muse and soul mate. Their cats are their children, and when they're not spending way too much time gaming, they're building new worlds together.

Her sexy, hot Bits & Bytes series began hitting booksellers in 2013. Each book features a geek hero with a dash of alpha, and a heroine who can hold her own in a boardroom. She loves a steamy happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures together.

Links for Author:

Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Website / Goodreads