REVIEW: The Ex Games (The Ex Games #1) – J.S. Cooper & Helen Cooper

Released: December 25th, 2013

This is part one of a three part erotic romance novella series.

***Warning Sexual Content***
Handsome billionaire, Brandon Hastings was Katie Raymond's first love. They had a whirlwind romance that captivated her heart and took her on a sexual journey she never wanted to end. Their future together looked bright until Brandon found out that Katie was keeping a huge secret from him. Once he realized the truth, he broke her heart and she never saw him again.

Seven years later, Katie has finally moved on and accepts the position of her dreams at Marathon Corporation as an executive manager. The only problem is, Brandon Hastings bought the business a month after she started working there.

Now Katie has to fly to San Francisco to attend a company-wide orientation and she is scared that Brandon is going to fire her on sight. Little does she know that Brandon has lot more planned for her and this time he's the one keeping a secret.

This is part one of a three part erotic romance novella series. Part two will be released on January 2nd and part three will be released on January 9th.

"I did love you and you were supposed to love me. You were supposed to forgive me."

A super short novella that's super steamy. I loved the sex. I loved the chemistry. I loved that little cliffy that left us hanging in the end. I loved the structure of the book. The perfect start to a series! I can't wait for more.

This book actually started out pretty well. Katie is this strong, independent woman who made a huge mistake back in her freshmen years. Well, now she's paying the price.

I was caught by surprise when I found out about the "secret" and how big an impact it left on them. And wow, I was just… wow. 

Anyways, so it's a pretty short book so I don't have much to say about it.

But I really did enjoy it for the most part! ;)

MY RATING:

4 APPLES!!!!!

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

   

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

♕ The Ex Games (The Ex Games #1) ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

♕ The Ex Games 2 (The Ex Games #2) ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

♕ The Ex Games 3 (The Ex Games #3) ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

J.S. Cooper

J. S. Cooper was born in London, England and moved to Florida her last year of high school. After completing law school at the University of Iowa (from the sunshine to cold) she moved to Los Angeles to work for a Literacy non profit as an Americorp Vista. She then moved to New York to study the History of Education at Columbia University and took a job at a workers rights non profit upon graduation.

She enjoys long walks on the beach (or short), hot musicians, dogs, reading (duh) and lots of drama filled TV Shows.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

- - -

Helen Cooper

Helen Cooper is a writer who her early 30's who enjoys reading, writing, trashy TV shows and tennis.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

 ✻ ✻ ✻

REVIEW: Before You (Sex on the Beach Series) – Jenna Bennett

Released: March 4th, 2014

It’s all fun and games

I had a simple plan for spring break.

Sun, sand, and a hot guy. Sex on the beach, with no strings attached.

A chance to get rid of this pesky virginity once and for all.

And when I met Tyler McKenna, I thought I had it made.

Until someone gets hurt

But then girls started turning up at Key West landmarks. Girls who looked like me, but with one crucial difference: They’d all been drugged and relieved of their virginity.

The virginity I still have. The virginity Ty refuses to take.

And now I’ve begun to wonder whether there isn’t more to him than meets the eye.

Suddenly, sex on the beach doesn’t sound so good anymore…

"Don't try to be somebody you're not. Who you are is fine."

**ARC PROVIDED BY AUTHOR**

The first book I read off the series and W-O-W!!! The perfect blend of suspense, heart-racing romance and excitement. I loved the characters and despite the fast-paced trait of the novella, I loved the story itself and how it oozed mystery. Suspense and romance? Sign me up!

Wow, this short story was wow. I loved it! The thrill of the mystery and the lovely romance as well as the excellent characters. The setting itself added to the aura of mystery and horror. I honestly got so creeped out by some of the historical sites and stories [shudders]

Anyways, I really liked the characters.

Cassie was this innocent, quiet girl. But she was smart, which I really liked, and she wasn't that reckless. She wasn't selfish or self-absorbed. And she's pretty cute honestly because all she wants is to lose her virginity to this one freaking guy! I love how she isn't the type who just falls into someone's bed for the sake of losing her virginity.

Then there's the schmexy Ty McKenna who seems to harbor darker and deeper secrets of his own. Ty is sexy and careful. He's a complete gentleman with Cassie and he's super sweet! When I learned his secrets towards the end, I was like, "What? Seriously?" in a good way.

Aside from their brewing romance, we have the mystery that's going on in the novel. Girls were getting drugged and raped and they appeared all over town. What's even weirder? They all seem to look like Cassie and link to her. Where she's been, that's where they were found. What she was wearing, that's what they were found in — or at least what they were wearing before.

And the culprit? TOTALLY EXPECTED IT!!! Well, I had my doubts but still.

This is such a great read, I loved it! Definitely a recommendation.

MY RATING:

4 - 4.25 APPLES!!!!!

I had a character interview with Ty and Cassie during the blog tour, so you can check it out here!

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

  

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

The Sex on the Beach series:
♕ Between Us by Jen McLaughlin ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | My Review

♕ Beyond Me by Jennifer Probst ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

♕ Before You by Jenna Bennett ♕

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | BT: Character Interview

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. For more information, please visit her website, www.jennabennett.com

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

 ✻ ✻ ✻

REVIEW: Uncovering You: The Contract – Scarlett Edwards

Released: March 27th, 2014

When I wake up in a dark, unfamiliar room, I have no idea what's waiting for me in the shadows. My imagination conjures up demons of the worst kind.

Reality is much worse:

A collar with no leash. A prison with no walls. And a life stripped of meaning.

I am presented with a vile contract and asked to sign. It outlines the terms of my servitude. The only information I have about my captor are the two small letters inked at the bottom:

J.S.

Armed with only my memories, I must do everything I can to avoid becoming ensnared in his twisted mind games. But in the end, it all comes down to one choice:

Resist and die.

Or submit, and sign my life away.

"Despair is what whoever brought me here wants me to feel."

**ARC PROVIDED BY AUTHOR FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

A short, gritty read introduction to a dark series. Uncovering You was a pretty good read and an excellent start to a book. I looked forward to each chapter, to each page of the novella. It was confusing and a complete what-the-fuck kind of situation for me. Nevertheless, I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Wow, I can't really say much about this book since it was only 104 pages on my iPad wow. I thought that it was going to be longer and more detailed. But the author creates this intricate ambiguity that makes us crave more and more. We end up looking forward to each chapter because we just can't wait for this mysterious captor to show up. 

The heroine, Lilly, wakes up in this empty room with nothing but a pillar in the middle, a string tied to her foot and a collar around her neck. 

She's always been an intelligent and careful woman and yet, the one time she lets her guard down is the one time that she will regret it. 

This is Lilly at the beginning:

And this is her when she realizes all her attempts are futile:

Damnnn. This book was actually pretty good but I WANT MOREEEE!!! 

So I loved how the book kept alternating between the past and the present and places everything into context. LOVED IT! I loved the structure of the book and the suspense that just makes me beg for the next book ;)

Basically, a pretty damn good read but I really need the second one (APRIL 20TH, 2014).

MY RATING:

3.5 — 4 APPLES!!!!!

✭ BOOK LINKS ✭

(Click book cover for Goodreads link)

♕ Uncovering You: The Contract (Uncovering You #1) ♕

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes&Noble

I wrote my first book as a college sophomore in February 2013. I haven't stopped since.

If you want to get in touch, post on my Facebook wall or email me. I get a thrill every time I see a new message from a reader, so don't be shy! I always message back.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Facebook

 ✻ ✻ ✻

COVER REVEAL: Pieces of Olivia – Melissa West + Excerpt!

Whew, what a gorgeous cover! And this book sounds fantastic! 

Pieces of Olivia

By Melissa West

New Adult Contemporary Romance
Date to be Published: July 15th, 2014

Olivia Warren used to be a normal girl with a bright future. But on one fated night, everything changed.

Hiding the scars of her past up her sleeves, Olivia transfers her enrollment from Columbia University to The College of Charleston, determined to pursue her own dreams for the first time in her life. 

She intends to allow herself a bit of alone time to heal... that is, until she meets Preston. 

Preston is best friends with her roommate, completely hot, and off-limits.  But the chemistry between them is instantaneous—and as the pair begins to spend more time with one another, their feelings for each other build into something undeniable, something powerful enough to heal Olivia’s deepest scars.

Olivia tries to put her own past behind her and trust Preston, but she discovers that his past might be more present than she ever bargained for…

His eyes swept over my face, and I knew what was about to happen. I could see the resolve in his face. Feel the swift change in the air as the charge between us sparked. He leaned toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. 

“I’m not going to kiss you,” I whispered. 

“I didn’t ask.” 

“Preston, we…”

He tucked my hair behind my ear and moved still closer. “I can’t promise anything. I have nothing in me to promise, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try.”

I swallowed, feeling the walls around me crumbling down. 

“Let me be what you need.”

My breath caught, the fight in me diminishing with each spoken word. What was I so afraid of? I reached out, gliding my fingertips over his face and into his hair. Briefly, I thought of how often I’d dreamt of touching his hair, and then his mouth was on mine, and all thought was gone, except him and us and this moment. His lips took control, first soft and careful, and then full of urgency and need. Every unspoken word, every missed opportunity, was pushed into that single kiss. 

Preston laid me back on the sofa, his body warm and inviting. My fingers gripped his hair, pulling him closer, and he left my lips, kissing a trail down my chin to my neck. A soft moan of pleasure escaped my lips, and he thrust his hips against mine in answer to my ache. Our bodies moved together, our clothes the only thing keeping us from taking this further. 

I tugged his chin up so his lips were back on mine, the kiss growing to a frenzy of passion. His hand slid under the edge of my shirt, gliding over my stomach, before finding my breast. He groaned with pleasure, and I reached down to take his shirt off, eager to touch his impeccably toned chest and stomach. Preston slipped his shirt off and gripped mine, his intentions clear, when reality yanked me from pleasure and threw me into a sea of painful thoughts. I remembered my scars, Preston’s expression when he’d gotten a glimpse of them through my shirt at the pier. I shook my head, feeling myself tumbling deeper into sadness and farther from the moment. 

Preston glanced down at me. “We can stop.”

“No.”

“Olivia, you don’t have to—”

I bit my lip, forcing myself to push away the fear and sadness and guilt that riddled my mind and peered back at him. “I don’t want to take my shirt off.”

“Okay,” he whispered. 

“And I don’t want you judging that I don’t want to take my shirt off.”

“Okay,” he repeated. I felt his heart beat against my chest, fast and sure and strong. A part of me wanted to disappear, embarrassed and ashamed that I’d yet again shown Preston Riggs just how crazy I was deep inside. But another part, a greater part, felt a surge of happiness that he’d stayed. He knew that I was broken and scarred and more than a little crazy, yet still, he didn’t run. He stayed.

Comment: Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart breaking — Sam

Melissa West writes young adult and new adult novels for Entangled Teen and Embrace and Penguin/InterMix. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction. 

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange. 

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

AND HERE'S THE NEW COVER!!!

This reveal was brought to you by InkSlingerPr.

WoW: Beyond Jealousy – Kit Rocha

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine to spotlight releases that we're looking forward to! Here is my choice this week...

Beyond Jealousy

Title: Beyond Jealousy

Author: Kit Rocha

Is it a sequel? Yes, book #4 of the Beyond series

Release Date: March 17th, 2014

She’s been looking for the perfect man. She found two. 

When Rachel Riley sacrificed a life in Eden to protect the O’Kanes, she earned her place in the powerful Sector Four gang. But the former crime princess is tired of being everyone’s sweet little sister . It’s time for her to get wild, to embrace her fantasies as only an O’Kane can—with a delicious exiled soldier and the gang’s wickedly sinful tattoo artist.

A saint... 

Lorenzo Cruz is a warrior, taught by his commanding officers in Eden that involvement equals distraction. Emotion is a liability, and desire a sin. In Sector Four, he finds decadence, shameless sex—and his own dark urges. No battle strategy prepared him for how Rachel makes his heart race…or the way his rival for her affections sets his blood on fire.

...and a sinner. 

Ace Santana has a dirty reputation and a mind to match, especially where his new lovers are concerned. He’s eager to help Cruz embrace his dominant side, and to explore the lines between pleasure and pain with Rachel. But corrupting them quickly becomes an obsession, a need he can’t deny—and a love he never imagined.

Three hearts on the line means a hundred ways their ménage a trois could go wrong. After all, even O’Kanes do forever two-by-two. One of them could be the missing piece that makes them all whole…or a temporary diversion destined for a broken heart.

My Comments:

HOLY FUCK!!! I haven't read the first three books but this has definitely given me the incentive. I MEAN LOOK AT THAT BLURB!!! Jesus Christ, it sounds so fucking good, I can't. The girl sounds badass, the two guys sound super smoking. OHMYGOD I JUST CAN'T WAIT!

What are YOUR choices this week? Let me know in the comments below!