DARK NOTES by Pam Godwin - REVIEW

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If you've ever read a book by Pam Godwin you might expect this to be a dark and sexy read and you'd be right. This is dark, but it is also so sweet and hopeful.

Ivory has a terrible home life. Her mother is a druggie that stays away from home more often than not. Her older brother is a deadbeat druggie that physically abuses her at the drop of a hat and her brother's army friend that abuses her in terrible and cruel ways. The only thing that gets her through is the love for her cat and her dreams of attending a prestigious music university so she can study with the best of the best. She has spent the last four years of her life attending an exclusive music school thanks to her late fathers sacrifice. A sacrifice that has made her mother and brother very bitter.

Ivory hasn't had it easy at school because she doesn't have money like the other students. Like seriously! No money. Her tuition was paid in advance thanks to her father, but she is still responsible for everyday bills and her own needs like clothes and school supplies. She has had to device a plan to survive no matter how much she hates what she has to do. In addition to the abuse she is subjected to at home, she suffers at the hands of many of the boys at school. She's come to expect it since men take, take, and take.

Her life changes on the first day of her senior year. It's the day the new piano teacher starts at her school. Emeric Marceaux is a virtuoso and has a passion for teaching and when he finds out that he is going to be Ivory's teacher every afternoon for the entire school year he doesn't know if he'll be able to control himself. Emeric has a need to control. A need to claim Ivory and take care of her. When he finds out the kind of life Ivory endures he decides he'll do whatever it takes to make her safe and loved. Even though it risks his career and her education.

DARK NOTES is amazingly beautiful. You can feel the love between the two throughout the length of the novel. Even though there are obstacles (sometimes really BIG obstacles) Emeric and Ivory keep communication open and remain honesty with each other. They love each other in spite of their flaws and together they build a life. Ivory just has to decide what that life will be like. Does she really want the symphony or does she want something more?

BOUND FOR PLEASURE series by Ashley Black

V (Victor Trentham), the lead singer for the wildly popular rock band Distortion is a complex man. He values nothing more than his creativity and is willing to go through anything to get the results he wants. He's a perfectionist. He's demanding. He's temperamental. He's the sexiest man Gwen has ever seen. 
Gwen gets hooked up with V because of her graphic design background. She's hired to design Distortions next album which requires them to spend a lot of time together. It doesn't take long for the sparks to fly as their attraction becomes unavoidable. Their connection is explosive, but something about V makes starting a relationship with him difficult. 
V has very specific sexual needs. In order to be satisfied he needs to be humiliated, bound, gagged, controlled. He craves submission and needs a women willing to dominate him. He wants Gwen to be his Dom. She can't deny that she wants V, but she isn't sure she can say the things he wants. Hurt him the way he needs. If she wants a relationship with him she knows she has to try. 
V's needs aren't the only thing making a relationship difficult. Apparently, Raven, V's crazy, ex-wife is determined to take V down. She doesn't care who gets in the way either. Both Gwen and V get in her crosshairs with disastrous results. 
Suspense and mystery surround V and Gwen as they attempt to find their way as a couple. Things are rocky from the get go and everyone around them has an opinion. Gwen's dads don't want her in a relationship with V and neither does one of her best friends, Brendan. Ben, one of V's bandmates wants better for Gwen - meaning he wants her for himself. All of the turmoil wears on Gwen, but she is determined to love V. She is convinced they are meant to be. She just has to make V believe he deserves better than what he expects. She need him to believe his creativity comes from inside with or without the dangerous stunts he pulls. 
Each of these books are fast paced and end with a bang. You'll want to go straight into the next installment as soon as you get to the last page. 
Books 1 - 3 are already available. Book 4 will be released in a couple of months. Check out the links below to order.

UNLEASHED by Callie Harper

Declan Hunt has had a tough life. His father left before he was even born and his mother was more concerned with her next drug fix than making sure he had things he needed. He and his mother were never in one place too long. When he mother was put in jail he was sent to the foster care system and bounced from home to home - none very pleasant. After spending time in a juvenile detention center and finally aging out of the foster care system, Declan realized that he wanted more out of life. Working as a ranch hand would end up being the start of his new life and the first step of making his dreams come true.

When he winds up at Harlan Brooks' ranch he's looking for a summer job. What he ends up getting is much more intense and life changing. The first time he see Kara, Harlan's daughter, he is captivated. Her beauty makes it hard for him to focus, but Harlan quickly puts things in perspective when he makes it clear that Kara is off limits. Declan is determined to keep is hands off because he doesn't want anything to mess up his chances for his next job in the fall. He knows Harlan could ruin his future if he wanted to. Staying away from Kara turns out to be extremely hard. Especially when Kara is determined to make Declan hers.

Kara is 18, getting ready to graduate high school, and loves living on her family's ranch. The minute she sees Declan she feels something she's never felt before - a connection like no other. She does everything she can to get his attention, but he maintains a distance from her that is frustrating. Over the course of the summer tension only increases until it finally breaks, but the consequences are great and break both of their hearts. 

After her father's death, the ranch goes into bankruptcy and Kara is left with very few options. So, after six of not seeing him, Kara is forced to go see Declan to ask for help.  Declan has made a big name for himself in the business world in the time he's been gone, but since Kara doesn't even know why Declan disappeared from her life without a word, she doesn't know if he'll be willing to give her the money she needs to keep the ranch. 

Declan has always wanted Kara. He considers her the one that got away and now he realizes that he has a chance to get her right where he wants her. He's willing to help her. He could write a check as soon as she walks through the door, but he wants her. He wants her to submit to him. Declan makes Kara an offer. If she spends one week with him and is willing to do everything he wants he'll give her the money she needs to keep the ranch. It doesn't take very long for Kara to decide. She's always wanted Declan and now she gets the chance. What she doesn't know is if she'll survive leaving at the end of the week. Why did Declan leave in the first place? Does he just want a sexual plaything for the week or does he feel something for her? 

Soon Declan and Kara are deeply involved in a emotional struggle. Neither knowing how the person really feels, but too afraid to bring it up. Will they finally realize they belong together or has too much time passed?

BUY THEM NOW

Check out the next in the BEG FOR IT series. Check out this blog post to read more about it.

UNDONE by Callie Harper

A children's librarian and a rock star. At first glance it doesn't seem like a likely match, but once you take a closer look, you see they fit together like the pieces of a puzzle.

Anika (Ana) Ivanov young woman living on her own in New York City. She comes from a very protected life - her parents still worry over her being away from home, but she is determined to live her life as she sees fit. While her parents hoped for her to become a concert pianist, Ana's didn't the drive for that life and instead went to school to obtain a Master of Library Science and become a children's librarian. [SIDENOTE: I also have a MLS and am a librarian. I was a school librarian and worked with elementary and middle school kids until I finished my Ph.D. and started working at a university teaching in a MLS program.] 

Ash Black is a ROCK GOD. He's the lead singer of wildly popular band and in a bit of a pickle in regards to his public image. His ex-girlfriend set him up. She recorded their very public break-up that she staged which made him look like a giant ass. Now, he's known as the guy who broke the heart of American's sweetheart. His publicity team comes up with a plan. He needs to find a nice girl to have a fake relationship with for a month. During that time they'll be sure to stage photo ops to make it look like he's a great guy and falling in love. He'll ask this girl to marry him during his scheduled Superbowl Halftime performance to the delight of the fans. Then, a couple of weeks later, the fake girlfriend will break up with him, which will in turn get him public sympathy.

Even going out for a simple cup of coffee isn't possible anymore. While being chased by the paparazzi, Ash ducks into the first building he can find and hides behind a desk. It turns out he ran into Ana's library branch. As any good children's librarian can, she handles the craziness with calm and grace. She sends the rude photographers out of the library and give Ash refuge. Of course, Ana realizes who Ash is once she gets a good look at him. She's been a fan of the band for ages and listens to their music all the time. She considers this her one brush with celebrity as she takes Ash to the back entrance to leave.

But, Ash has a proposition for her. He wants Ana to be his fake girlfriend for the month. He's willing to pay her just about anything she wants and it turns out that Ana needs something very important. Her library branch is about to be shut down due to lack of funding. In exchange for her services, she asks Ash to agree to fund her branch for twenty years. He gladly accepts her condition and get his lawyers on it. Soon Ana is flooded with non-disclosure agreements and contracts to sign. She is whisked away for shopping and beauty treatments. Her first thoughts are, What did I get myself into?

UNDONE is told in three parts and the second story in the BEG FOR IT series. Ana and Ash are so hot together that there is sexual and emotional tension throughout every part of the story. At times it's also heartbreaking because you see how things are going wrong and you want to yell at them to open their eyes and see what's happening right in front of them. Ash is surrounded by the wild life and finds it hard to break away from his bandmate and best friend who isn't taking well to Ash's growing feelings toward Ana. Ash finds himself torn - does he follow his heart or stay loyal to his band?

Volumes 1 and 2 are available RIGHT NOW. AND as an added bonus, Volume 1 is FREE. Volume 3 will be released on March 28th and is available for preorder.  If you haven't read anything by Callie Harper yet, this is the time to start. It doesn't matter if you haven't read the first story in the BEG FOR IT series because UNDONE stands alone just fine. I'm just now going back to read UNLEASHED, the first in the series. UNTAMED will be the third and I'm dying to read it. I can't wait to see Heath's story. 

The first in the BEG FOR IT series is UNLEASHED.

Callie Harper writes contemporary romances so hot they may melt your ebook. You’ve been warned.

She is powered by coffee, wickedly sexy bad boys, and all things funny, intentional or otherwise. She is the author of OFF LIMITS to be released 12/15 and the BEG FOR IT series which will start being released in January 2016.

She lives in the gorgeous Bay Area with her family.

Connect with Callie at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/callieharperbooks

Twitter: @CallieHarperBks

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/callieharper