Showing posts with label Favorites List 2021. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Favorites List 2021. Show all posts

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Book Review and Giveaway for Vicious Little Snakes by Trilina Pucci



VICIOUS LITTLE SNAKES
by TRILINA PUCCI

Caroline Whitmore is cunning, inconsiderate, and ruthless.

Despite that, I can't recall a day when I haven't thought about her at least once. On paper, we're a perfect match--Only on paper.

In real life, we're a disaster.
She hates me. Hates the way I dress--everything I say.
My basic existence.

But what I hate is more complicated.
Because I'm a moth to a gorgeous, petite, brunette flame.

I hate that I still remember what she wore the day we sat together in sixth grade.
And that I would move mountains for her smile.

I hate every guy that gets too close.
And that one of them gets to stay.

I hate that I want her so bad that I used my best friend to make her jealous.
But most of all, I hate that Caroline Whitmore is the one that got away


REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
"Riling that girl up should count as a hobby, considering how much I do it."

One of my favorite things is getting caught up in a book or a world; one where I can block out the gibberish floating around me and fall in love with some characters that I wasn't entirely sure I would truthfully enjoy. Well, one character in particular. Namely Caroline. I’m pretty sure I was the Queen Director in charge of the Caroline Hate Committee. But Caroline was a force to be reckoned with....not one to be brushed off, because she’s not for the faint of heart. I spared no feelings when I said how much I hated her after reading Filthy Little Pretties, but I am also here to tell you that after hating her as much as I did, it takes a good storyline and an amazing author to make me fall in love with the sworn enemy. Trilina Pucci expertly set me up in this new world full of spoiled brats, scandal, and intrigue, and she delivered a story with depth, emotions, and heartache. And I loved it.

You know, a book is supposed to be FUN to read - at least that's what I'm always searching for. When I’m looking forward to turning the pages, I know it’s a book that’s going to make me smile. This one was that book. This is what I've been missing over the last several weeks because I couldn't wait to turn each page - to engage more with the characters and their drama, but by the time the pages started dwindling, I was very hesitant to continue because I didn't want to leave this world. I truly enjoyed the craziness because it offered a perfect escape and a deep dive into a culture shock of epic proportions. 

"Because I crave her more than I hate her."

Liam and Caroline's animosity could have easily been used interchangeably with lust and that was palpable from the get-go. Sex was weaponized and emotions were scrutinized. Communication lacked heavily in this very desperate teenaged crowd, but it all worked and twisted me up within their world. I could literally hear her say, “I smite thee” on so many occasions. She had no chill and she never gave a fuck. She had such an arrogance to her that I couldn't help but gawk at some of her actions. I literally dropped my jaw a few times and laughed out loud. She was cruel!! But, she also had a side that I don’t think I really would have seen had I not read this one. I was not too sure I could empathize with Caroline after that first book, but I got a different look into her thought processes with this one, and that opened my eyes to her and who she really was deep down. Without giving away too much, I will say that there was a deeper pain than the surface allowed me to see Filthy Little Pretties. Does it excuse her behavior? Probably not, but coping mechanisms reveal themselves in many different ways. 

I definitely feel like I painted Caroline with a broader stroke after Filthy Little Pretties, but this one broke down who she was and why she was the way she was....it made her a little more human, in turn allowing me to feel her and fall in love with her and her demons. Her fears manifested as angry rants disguising themselves as nonchalance and the lack of caring about anyone else’s feelings. But there was a deeper side to her bitterness and it was perfectly written by Pucci, to the point of me being quite shocked. It’s not pity. It’s understanding. 

Discovering Caroline's personal truth was what I needed in order to feel any sort of sympathy for her or her plight. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Pucci gave me a side that worked so exceptionally well with the first book, but showed the truth behind the perception we were originally introduced to - and that is what made me sing a different tune. The fact that she perpetuated this sort of facade to hide behind - my heart hurt for her. That’s something I never thought I’d say.....

There are certain stories you just want to live in....a world full of characters and friendships that make you smile, and absorb your worries. This world is one I want to be a fly on the wall of, knowing I wouldn’t survive in a world with Caroline, but I’d sure love to visit it. This little rich prep school vibe was amazing to be immersed in for a few days, across three books. I LOVE this world. I mean, it's easy to dismiss teens because they are young and immature - but, c'mon. We've all been there. Naughty, dirty, teenaged drama is sometimes the best drama - especially when their problems are far beyond my realm of understanding. I loved every minute of it. A world I’d never know anything about, but it never abated my curiosity... I feel like I got to live it within the pages of this book. This one made me feel a part of their journey.

"How is it that I can love you and hate you with the same heart?"

This was an engaging read. It’s my favorite when I’m able to discuss a book while reading it and not losing a step in time. The volatility that is shared between Liam and Caroline is the kind of drama and tension I love seeing in a YA book. This is mature YA, but it's still teenagers so their drama isn't always palatable. I loved their love/hate relationship and I really liked the heaviness of this book. I have to admit, though - the amount of hilarity spread between these two had me laughing quite a bit while reading this. Their chemistry was seriously industrial strength - they had all the lust, all the draw, all the intensity you could ask for in a YA story. Again, mature YA, but YA nonetheless. But, you miss out on NOTHING. So so good. I think Pucci nailed the angsty side of young love here. Anger, raw undeniable emotion, perseverance. It’s all in there. It is the quintessential convoluted thinking of teenagers - and how off they can be sometimes, how stubborn they always are. It was suuuch a good story.

Pucci's words are always in motion. She’s fluid on the page and I love that it’s constantly moving in a forward fashion - it never stalls. It’s busy, and that’s just the way I like it. It never stops evolving and that push to get there is never lost in translation. I think what this all comes down to is that I have a serious blogger-author crush on Trilina Pucci and her writing style. It's witty. It's fun. It's mean. It's real. But it's so emotional and sexy in just the right context and I couldn't get enough of them. Their world. Their reality. I'm looking forward to Kai's story - Corrupt Little Bastards - but I'm also dreading it because that means I'm leaving Hillcrest and can't visit them anymore. That'll by a happy-sad day. I preordered that one super quick!

"The last thing I want anyone to know is that Liam makes me feel."
~BEE

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April 20, 2021



~MEET TRILINA PUCCI~

It all started when…

Trilina decided, 3 years ago, that between making grilled cheese sandwiches and running carpool she was going to write saucy novels for readers to titillate and excite them. She hasn't slowed down since!

Trilina has always had a love of writing; as a child she would journal and typically change the ending of whatever she was writing to suit her daydream. A knack for storytelling has translated into her debut, as an author, being met with rave reviews.

She lives in California where she multitasks the roles of wifey, mama and author. She hopes you enjoy her words and keep coming back for more!

Read Sexy, Stay Sexy!

xoxo, Trilina

~CONNECT WITH TRILINA~

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Thursday, January 28, 2021

Book Review and SIGNED PAPERBACK Giveaway for The Finish Line by Kate Stewart


THE FINISH LINE

Secrets and Lies...
I’ve lived the entirety of my life wrapped up in subterfuge for one purpose—revenge.

Through the years, I lived more as an enigma than a man.

For so long, I denied I had a beating heart of my own.

Until her. Until she unearthed the starving vessel inside, forced me to acknowledge it, forced me to understand that
I’m capable of bleeding the same as any other.

For that, we paid. We're still paying.

Yet, she demands it still, the useless heart of the ruthless thief and shameless villain she fell for. My fear is, I’m no
longer that man.

With the lies I’ve told, the life I’ve led, my mistakes are beginning to catch up with me, day by day, one by one.

This is my last chance, and I have no intention of losing her again, but as the deception of my past starts to unravel
and close in, shedding my humanity may be the only thing that can save us both.

Maybe it’s already too late.

REVIEW: 5 STARS
"Fate threw me the cards while Karma had its wicked way with me."

I think the truest test of wonder and amazement that comes with finding a book that kidnaps you emotionally and possesses you mentally is the kind that you become infatuated with. The kind you are thinking about days, weeks, even months after you've finished - to the point of shutting out the world around you just to revel in it. This book was that one for me. 

Stewart proved just how fluent in lust, desire, and craving she is when it came to His love for her. He wouldn't walk away, but I also don't think he could have walked away. Cecilia was his world, the very breath he needed in order to survive. I loved the heaviness of his devotion to her because you could feel it with every turn of the page. I honestly don't think he would have made it without her.... the all consuming, clawing need he had for her was undeniable. But I also know that she had to weigh the drama he was going to cause vs the problems he was going to fix. That juxtaposition alone gave me pause for thought, so I can only imagine the turmoil he caused Cecilia to ponder. 

This book had the type of drama that provided character growth and realization, not just story building and recovery. There were a whole bunch of backstories that were clarified and given the closure they needed.....or more specifically, I needed. I really liked that side of this one. A lot of thought provoking decisions and actions were made showing the natural progression and growth of not only the characters themselves, but the instrumental understanding of the plot that played out in the background of the first two books. It felt seamless jumping from the first two books into this one - that was just supposed to be an extended epilogue. All of the sudden I found myself caught up in their world all over again, reliving the emotions of the past while trying to lay the framework for the future. 

"You always did love the taste of the tears you cause."

He was nothing but strength and conviction personified....He was all man and that gave me the chills. His love was never tested to the point of walking away. He knew his truth and maintained it throughout the last two books and I never once saw it waver. The grit. The reason. The unfathomable need to possess another's heart was something beyond compare and HE did that. HE showed that. HE proved that. 

"Trying to reason with love is fucking pointless."

I loved that we were mostly in his head. This was His admission. His realization. And with that, literally everything and everyone - every scenario was tied together. This was nothing short of brilliant. This is the kind of book you finish and then close it only to stare at the wall, trying to make sense of everything you just read. While Stewart broke things down and cleared things up, the enormity of the confessions encompassed within these pages was outright mind numbing. The fact that we saw vulnerability on both sides of the spectrum alone allows for much needed discussion. Of which, I cannot wait to have.

"No matter how we came to be, we were and still are."

At the end of the day, the best part is, this was all extra. It was a book that was a filling-in-the-blanks kind of read with insight into a past that determined the man I fell in love with throughout these last two books. This last book was the literal icing on the cake. The perfect topper for the series - an unexpected yet delicious ending. Kate Stewart provided an intricate world full of intrigue and mystery with plenty of twists to keep my head spinning and my heart lurching. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

This series will sit on my signed shelf. 
This series will forever sit on my favorites list. 
This series will not leave me for quite some time, if ever. 

It's going to hurt walking away from these characters and this world - I think that's why I haven't yet said goodbye in my heart. I'm not sure I'll recover...

"Faite pour moi." Made for me.
~BEE


"Her pleasure is mine, and without it, I'm not the same man."







"Maybe for now, I should just listen to the voice of reason in my head, instead of the addict in my heart."
 


My review: https://bit.ly/33QR4Wv

"I don't know how to measure love in totality."


~MEET KATE STEWART~

Kate Stewart lives in Charleston, S.C. with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. A native of Dallas, Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring it her creative muse. Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it's what she loves as a reader. A lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap, she dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity only and does a horrible job of playing the ukulele. Aside from running a mile without collapsing, traveling is the only other must on her bucket list. On occasion, she does very well at vodka.

~CONNECT WITH KATE~

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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Book Review and Giveaway for Wrecked Palace by Catherine Cowles



One night was all it took for everything to change.
From college student to guardian in a single breath.
My siblings became my world.

No time for date nights or romantic dreams.
I traded quiet weekends for sleepless nights.
Giving my all to make sure they were cared for.

But Griffin had a brokenness that called to me—one that mirrored my own.
Gruff and just a little bit reckless.
He was the last thing I needed. But everything I wanted.

Only someone isn’t happy about this new life I’m building.
Deciding to set fire to everything I hold close.
And when the smoke clears, there might be only ashes left behind…



REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
"Tell me the good things."

There’s something to be said about the first book of the year to give you the butterflies and the giggly smiles. That one that pulls at your heartstrings because you can only imagine the pain the characters have been through, only to be rewarded with a book-worthy HEA sent by Catherine Cowles. Cheesy? Maybe, but this girl can write! This book was that book for me. I honestly needed this book. I had wanted it for so long, but I didn't realize how badly I needed it, so by the time I settled into it - it did wonders for my mental self. I'm always inside my own head, so escaping into a book has always been a nice getaway for me. This one provided all that and more.

Cowles is a real energizing writer. She's proven time and again her ability to not only facilitate a great storyline, but emote it exceptionally well. I got caught up - completely enamored with her characters, her plot, and even the drama. It all meshed well for me in this one, working in tandem with each factor. After meeting Griffin at the end of PERFECT WRECKAGE and how he entered the storyline, I knew this book was going to have me on the edge of my seat while I read it. 

I know I’m always screaming about the love a man has for his woman being my favorite part or reading romance. A good love story cannot be a true love story without a man that makes me weak in the knees. Griffin was all that and more. He was protective and a perfect gentleman, standing up when needed and providing a silent strength when warranted. He was literally perfect. I fell hard in love with him. The realization of the true feelings these two had for one another was a slow process, but an emotional one. When I can feel the emotions I’m reading, that’s the best part. That’s an author that’s really in touch with their story - so much so that they’re bleeding those emotions directly onto the page. Cowles delivered that effortlessly, yet again.

Griffin and Caelyn's gradual wander through their friendship and the actual culmination of their relationship was uncovered organically. This was the perfect example of a slow burn. I liked the way they tip-toed around everything and almost reluctantly but enthusiastically made their way towards each other. It was a slow dance, for sure. It wasn't forced by any means, given the time this book traversed, so it flowed really well and accounted for the drive of their feelings and how it affected their decisions. 

ONE struggle: I did feel like I struggled somewhat with Caelyn's jealousy for what she longed for in regards to her relationship. I know that sounds harsh to say but as much as she talked about it, it was bothersome for me. I think mainly because in setting up her desires, it felt repetitive and unnecessary, but also that she almost held it against the ones she loved - but I know she wasn't really. I don't know. I know she wasn't....but it felt like she was. *wrings hands* I struggled. Ugh. I'm sorry. Sorry. *hides* We knew her end goal. We knew where her loyalty lay. She had an amazing amount of responsibility, so looking forward to the one true love she knew was out there was the entire goal of the book. And Griffin answered that call so amazingly well. They suited each other. They were ideal for each other. Their need to take things at their own pace set the tone for the book perfectly well.

The characters were so good, and so well written. The kids were super cute. The plot played out and was easily followed. I mean, the story is still sitting with me and I'm still smiling thinking about it - and that is what drives my excitement most of all.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I LOVED GRIFFIN SO SO MUCH. I LOVED CAELYN AND THE KIDS. I LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO SO MUCH!! Yes, I am shouting. Yes, I am excited. Yes, I can't wait for everyone to read this. Such a great, feel-good, smile inducing book - it check all the boxes for me. SO good.

Catherine Cowles is a must read - a guaranteed great read. She incorporates love, life and laughter into every book with a good dose of emotions and suspense. I really enjoy her writing and have read every single one of her books, but this one has to be my favorite one so far. Favorite. I am looking forward to Shay's story in RECKLESS REFUGE, her next release in this standalone series. 

"Everything I see in you challenges me to do better."
~BEE




Check out the entire series:

Book 1 in The Wrecked Series
 
My review: https://bit.ly/3d2ZBXQ
 
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Book 2 in The Wrecked Series


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Book 3 in The Wrecked Series
 
 
READ an Excerpt: https://bit.ly/35WgvGc

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Book 4 in The Wrecked Series

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Book 5 in The Wrecked Series

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~MEET CATHERINE COWLES~
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.

~FOLLOW CATHERINE~

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