Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Reads

Hey guys!

It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! This week's topic is summer/beach type reads. For me, that means funny, fast, and sexy. ;) Let's jump right in!

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Top Ten Tuesday: What Makes Me One-Click

Hey guys!

It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! Today's topic is ten things that will make you instantly want to read a book (trope, covers, recommendations, ect). I'm doing a mix of things, all of my go-to guilty pleasures, so let's jump right in!

10. Friends to lovers

My #1 trope.

9. Pretty covers

Because I'm shallow. So shallow. 

8. Hot guys with dogs

Because again, shallow. And a dog lover. And a hot guy lover. ;)

7. Douchebags that really just have no filter and are actually sweet

I find them absolutely hilarious and endearing.

6. Any kind of travel

It's my favorite!

5. Hockey players

I've never played or watched hockey, and I have no idea how it's played. That said, it's my favorite type of sports romance!

4. Irritation Sparking Romance

I love when one or both people is annoyed by the other but they still have an attraction. That tension!

3. Road trips

I personally hate driving, but I love reading road trip stories!

2. Vampires

Blame it on Twilight really sparking my reading obsession.

1. Mountain Men

Rugged, outdoorsy men are so enjoyable. ;)

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{Book Review} Monster in His Eyes by J.M. Darhower

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man.

I suspect it, the first time I see him, sense the air of danger that surrounds the man. He has a way of commanding attention, of taking control, of knowing what I'm thinking before I even do.

It's alarming and alluring. It's dark and deadly. It's everything I've ever wanted but the last thing I truly need. Obsession.

It doesn't take him long to draw me into his web, charming me into his bed and trapping me in his life, a life I know nothing about until it's too late. He has secrets, secrets I can't fathom, secrets that make it so I can't walk away, no matter how much I beg him to let me go. I see it sometimes in his eyes, a darkness that's both terrifying and thrilling. He's a monster, wrapped up in a pretty package, and what I find when I unmask him changes everything.

I want to hate him.

Sometimes, I do.

But it doesn't stop me from loving him, too.

4 "What a Ride!" Stars!

This book has been on my TBR for ages, and when I found it on Audible, I knew I had to dive right in. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this one!

The prologue gives you a snippet of about 70-80% into the story, not enough to spoil anything (at least, nothing more than the synopsis gives), but enough to pique curiosity. I'm not normally a big fan of that kind of intro, but it worked flawlessly with this story. It set me on edge and made it so I wouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security. I never once forgot that Ignazio was not a normal man, never forgot how much darkness was in him, and that added such a layer to the story.

Speaking of Ignazio, I...kinda love him. I'm always a fan of the anti-hero, and boy, was he ever something. Well crafted, dimensional, and intriguing. Smooth and cunning, ruthless when it came down to it, yet oddly tender and romantic. Needless to say, I can't wait to read the second book, which is in his POV.

The heroine, Karissa, is a young college student, a seemingly average girl, and the type of character I don't usually mesh with. I initially brushed her off as the typical naive girl, but as the story went on, I found myself liking her more and more. Is she naive, idealistic, and sheltered? Yes, quite a bit. However... that worked for her here. Despite her initial state, she was smart and enjoyable as the story went on. It was an interesting process to see her eyes open to the world around her, both the good and the bad. 

There were a few times where I found myself thinking "my god, why did you do that?!", but I was quickly reminded of just how young and inexperienced this girl was. With that in mind, my thoughts ended up being sympathetic towards her, and liking her more for making mistakes. I had to remember that Karissa didn't get the prologue I read, and she didn't have that foreshadowing influencing every interaction.

Ignazio and Karissa had fantastic chemistry, despite a big age gap. It was easy to see how their relationship became so all consuming, and that worked well for the story.

My one complaint was that the chapters often ended abruptly, creating jolts in the story and interrupting the flow.

However, the plot kept me riveted and constantly on the edge of my seat. Never a dull moment!

The narrator did a great job, too!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. :)

{Book Review} Big Rock by Lauren Blakely

From Goodreads

It's not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It's definitely the SIZE of the boat too. 

And I've got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c*&k.

You might think I'm an a*&hole. I sound like one, don’t I? I'm hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse.

Guess what? You haven't heard my story before. Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind. 

The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels. So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock.

And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets.

But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?

BIG ROCK is a standalone, dirty romance novel written from the guy’s POV by NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely…

My Thoughts 

4.5 "Sinfully Sexy and Sweet" Stars

I tell myself not to panic prematurely. This is what friends do for each other. They pretend they're going to marry you when you need them to. Right?

I bought this book because I thought it said "big cock" at first glance, and that, combined with the cover hunk, set my inner pervert all aflutter. 

Okay, and the ratings for it were really highly. But mostly for the first thing.

I've been in the mood for light, funny, sexy times lately, and this book was exactly what I wanted. It was the perfect mix of hilarity, smut, and plenty of sizzling chemistry. I was giggling throughout the whole story, and fanning myself during the epic sex scenes. 

"How do you get yourself into these situations?"

"I like to think it's my wit and charm, but in this case, it might have been my big mouth.

The all guy POV was something I haven't read in quite a while, and it was very well executed! Our protagonist, Spencer, was a refreshing take on the typical hero: rather than a brooding, using manslut, he's a happy and gentlemanly (sort of...he's still a delightfully dirty bastard ;)) manslut. 

Much to my happy surprise, his whorish ways are really only mentioned in passing and as backstory, and we don't see any of his slutty ways aside from a few of his comments. That was a pleasant change!

This is the end to my Saturday night. My cat has watched me whack off to a vision of my best friend. 

"Don't say a word," I hiss.

He looks away, lifting his chin haughtily. But he'll keep my secret.

I'll keep his too, the fucking little voyeur. 

The chemistry between Spencer and Charlotte was off the charts. I'm a sucker for a good friends to lovers story, and Big Rock is pulled it off flawlessly. There's history and familiarity between the two, with the sort of easy back and forth banter that kept me smiling and rooting for them over the course of the story. 

The sex is smokin' hot. The story was fun and funny, but the sex was the icing on the cake!

I burn up all over as I watch her. I am comprised of nothing but heat. Her lips. Her eyes. Everything. She is my fucking everything. 

The book is a bit predictable and straightforward, but it worked for it. These kinds of rom-coms don't really need an intricate plot with tons of twists and world building; it's dessert, not a nutritional meal. I want to just sink into fun, sexy times, and that's exactly what happened!

I've broken the biggest ground rule of all. I've fallen in love with my best friend. 

Big Rock moves along at a good clip and primarily spans a week's time. I was eager to get back to it when I was forced away, and it was a very quick and enjoyable read.

Overall, Big Rock is a delightfully fun and romantic story with a charming hero, a funny and relatable heroine, plenty of sex and banter, and zero angst. Highly recommend!

Add to Goodreads

*My own copy

- The Bibliophile Babe

{Book Review} Play (Stage Dive, #2) by Kylie Scott

From Goodreads

Kylie Scott returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to international bestseller Lick.

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast-at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn't plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn't count on finding the one right girl. 

Anne Rollins never thought she'd ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls-especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn't end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

Add to Goodreads

My Review

3 "It's Like Junk Food!" Stars

Anne Rollins returns home after a long work day to find her roommate gone and her apartment half empty. With rent due soon and not enough money to cover both her own half and her long-gone roomie, Anne is feeling pretty grim. With the coaxing of well connected her friend, Anne decides to put off sulking for one night and head to a raucous party for the popular rock band, Stage Dive. 

There she meets her teenage wet dream: Stage Dive's drummer, Mal Ericson. The cocky, charismatic and slightly manic bad boy is instantly smitten with Anne. Anne, as you can imagine, is starstruck. 

After speaking together, the two quickly strike up a deal: move in together, and start up a fake relationship in the name of good PR. With Mal wanting to straightening his image up, and Anne strapped for cash, it seems like a win-win. 

Of course, things can never be that simple. As they get to know each other better, secrets crop up and feelings begin to creep in. A whirlwind romance with your teenage fantasy... what could go wrong?

I've been in a major rockstar/music industry kick the past few days (why, I don't know; it's not usually my thing!), and after scouring my Goodreads TBR for something to fulfill that craving, I settled on Play. Admittedly, the cover is what sold me on it. ;) I have a thing tattoos and muscles. Who doesn't?

It was far from a perfect book, but I enjoyed it! Sometimes you just want a book where everything is straightforward, funny, and fast paced. Literary junk food is the best way to describe it. I breezed through Play, and while I shook my head at the characters more often than not, it was a very satisfying read.

First, the not so great:

- Mal. I'm really not sure what the intent was with his character, but half the time he came across as a complete idiot, and the rest of the time he seemed like an oblivious ass. His brand of humor was so egotistical. 24/7, around the clock self flattery. Sometimes it was funny, and a well few well placed doses of some of his banter could've made the book, but it was so extreme it bordered on aggravating. 

- Anne was a complete doormat. She was quintessential people-pleaser: falling over herself in order to make others more comfortable, making herself miserable so others can be happy, and all that jazz. The chick couldn't say no, and had zero backbone.She didn't even protest when Mal moved himself into her apartment without her consent, or any of the countless other times people walked all over her.

- Anne has some parental issues that didn't add much to the story and never really went anywhere. It felt like her problems were there solely because you can't have a stable family in the fictional world, because everyone loves drama.

- A second love interest that isn't a big enough play to make it a love triangle, but is prominent enough to be annoying. Enough said. 

- It needed some proof reading. I'm often forgiving of grammatical issues and typos as I read a good bit of self-published work, but these things were basic. Boy's when it should have been boys', a when there should be an an, and the like. 

We could deal with things alone. Of course we could. But it was so much better together. 

And the things I did enjoy!

- Despite my aforementioned issues with their individual characters, Mal and Anne had fantastic chemistry. Their romance is a bit (okay, a lot) insta-love, but it worked for them.

- Smokin' hot sex scenes, for all my fellow smut sluts.

- The side characters. This is book 2 in an interconnected series, and I was so intrigued by some of the other band members, especially the couple from book 1. I bought book 1 as soon as I finished this one! 

(They don't need to be read in order)

- A fast paced, absorbing storyline. This was a super quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

- I snorted with laugher on more than one occasion. Mal had some good banter going on with his bandmates, and even he and Anne had a few conversations that were hilarious.

- I'm not a rock star romance fan, but I loved the tone of the story. That's a winner in my book!

- Tattoos. 

- Mostly angst-free! 

"You're that good, huh?"

"Miss Rollins, you have no idea."

"You know, I honestly can't tell if your ego is repulsive or just impressive."

Overall, I'd recommend Play if you're looking for a fun, junk food read that you'll breeze right through. It was highly enjoyable, funny, sexy, romantic, and engaging. 3 stars!

"Whatever you're imagining, it's bigger."

"I'm not imagining anything."

"I'm serious, it's basically a monster. I cannot control it."

"Malcom..."

"You're pretty much going to need a whip and a chair to tame it, Anne."

"Stop it."

Stats:

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: New adult, contemporary romance

Series: Stage Dive, #2 (can be read as standalones)

POV: 1st person, single perspective

Warnings: Sex, swearing, very mild violence and drinking

Cliffhanger: No

HEA: Yes

On My Goodreads Shelves: 2015, Guilty Pleasures, Looking Forward to The Squeal, Fun and Easy Reads, Enjoyed

Length: 304 pages

Published: March 25th, 2014

My own copy

- The Bibliophile Babe