CRAVE ME by M. Robinson - REVIEW

SYNOPSIS:

They say in order to find yourself you have to go home.
What if home was what you're running from?
Where did that leave you?
Always on the other side of the fence.
Always looking in.
Always wishing you were someone you couldn't be.
Until one day you meet her.
The one.
She was my high, but she was also...

My demise.

REVIEW:

YIKES! This is the first book I've read by this author. Talk about emotional turmoil. These characters really go through the ringer and from what I read in CRAVE ME, it seems like the same goes for the other couples in the first three books in the series. CRAVE ME is a standalone book so don't worry if you haven't read the others.

CRAVE ME is the story of Austin and Briggs. Austin grew up in Oak Island, NC. A friendly beach town filled with people that love him. He has a tight-knit group of friends that the adults call the Good Ol Boys. Austin is the youngest guy of the group (Alex is the youngest and only girl in the group). He's always felt like he had something to prove - never really felt like he fit in. He loves all of the guys and Alex and knows they'd always have his back, but as the years passed and they started growing up, things changed. Hearts were broken, friendship tested, and secrets were kept. After a terrible accident left him damaged and full of guilt, Austin takes off and drifts from place to place. Never wanting to go back home where all his pain is wrapped up in the people he should be closest to.

Briggs lost her parents in a car accident when she was six-years-old. With no other family, she is taken to live with an Uncle she never met. An Uncle that doesn't know how to raise a child and tends to paint her a realistic picture of life. He doesn't show affection, frequently moves her from school to school, and keeps a close eye on her all the time - to the extent of giving her a driver/bodyguard that eventually becomes her only friend. After a particularly bad fifteenth birthday, Briggs makes a hasty decision that leads to devastating consequences. The consequences pull her further into her Uncle's world - a world of illegal activity.

One night at a party, Austin and Briggs see each other across the room. They have an intense interaction that leaves a BIG impression on both of them. Unfortunately, the only see each other that night. Fate brings them together again after a year or more and soon they begin a relationship. They start out as friends and progress to lovers after a couple of years learning each others secrets.

As the years go by, Austin becomes more involved in Briggs' work, going so far as taking the lead in the drug transactions. Unfortunately, this is the beginning of the downward spiral in their relationship.

The obstacles these two face seem insurmountable. The heartbreaks and deceptions keep piling on and on and on. Soon neither of them recognize the person they fell in love with.

Be prepared to hurt when you read this. I mean, really, you'll wonder how Austin and Briggs will survive in tact. At times you'll wonder if they'll survive at all. Your heart will ache as they work their way through their troubles.

I have one teeny tiny issues with the book. THE ENDING. I won't give anything away, but....I would have liked it to be a little tidier. Although the ending is the lead in to a spin-off series that focuses on Briggs' Uncle. Hmmm. Anyone else feel this way?

 If you want to grab the other three, here are the links:

A FIELD GUIDE TO CATCHING CRICKETS by A. Wilding Wells - REVIEW

SYNOPSIS:

The soul is not where it lives, but where it loves.

A countryside ranch, naughty notes and a neighbor boy. Kissing in silos and skinny dipping under a full moon. Ten years gone. An ocean, a tragedy...secrets and buried things. Letting go and hanging on. Remembering to forget.

My reality became his nightmare, but then my nightmare became reality.

Hawke Slater was not only my brothers’ best friend, he was a tender, sweet country boy. I never wanted to leave, but there was no choice for me at fifteen. Two things kept my soul alive, and I’m hanging onto hope that one might be an option for my future.

I wish none of it had been my fault, but it was.

Sloan Story McQueen has returned. Why would I hold out an ounce of hope that she’d want me once she finds out what I do for a living. Some call it obscene, but I’m just chasing storms and rainbows.

She’s holding onto something big. If only it were me.

This novel contains copious amounts of sex, harsh language and other grown up topics.


REVIEW:

Hawke became an unofficial part of Sloan's family since he started playing with her and her brothers when he was ten and she was seven. At first, he treated her just like her brothers, but as they grew up, feelings started to change. Sloan and Hawke spent most of their childhood playing on the family farm, skinny dipping in the lake, and learning the art of flirting with each other.  One way Hawke flirts is by leaving dirty notes for Sloan in very unexpected places. One day she'd find a note in her tampon box, another day one would be wrapped around her curling iron. The notes started out silly, but eventually became more serious.

The book opens on a scene when Sloan is fifteen and Hawke is eighteen. They are in the middle of a goodbye because Sloan is going to Amsterdam to stay with her grandmother. Both are heartbroken, but Sloan knows she is doing the right thing. We don't know exactly what the problem is (but a skilled reader will have a guess), but Sloan is determined not to ruin Hawke's future by derailing his plans to be a filmmaker.

Hawke is beside himself when he can't get any information about Sloan once she leaves. While he is still best friends with her brothers, no one in the family will give him any updates. Soon, Hawke comes to terms with the fact that Sloan is lost to him and moves on with his life. He ends up making movies, just not the kind he intended.

Ten years later, on the eve of Sloan's brother's wedding, Sloan comes home. Hawke is filled with many emotions. He's excited, he's nervous, he's angry. In order to calm down he goes to the place that is filled with happy memories, the lake. Turns out when he gets there, Sloan is already out on the floating raft - naked. Seems she needed to calm down, too.

Soon, Hawke and Sloan are reacquainted. It is almost like she never left, except Hawke can tell there are things she is keeping from him. Big things. He has a big secret of his own, but he knows he'll share it with her because he doesn't want anything to stand in the way of them being together. He loves Sloan. Always has and always will. He just doesn't know if Sloan feels the same way. Where was she for ten years? Why did she stop all contact with him and ask her family not to share anything with him?

Hawke and Sloan's second chance is so sweet. Sloan suffered more than he could ever understand. She's embarrassed and ashamed of what she did and what happened to her as a result. Can he ever forgive her? Will he think less of her?

Hawke is determined to get HIS Sloan back. The problem is, Sloan doesn't know if she exists anymore. Will Hawke have the patience to stay around to find out?

A FIELD GUIDE TO CATCHING CRICKETS is amazing. It is a book that I couldn't put down. The story is filled with joy, sadness, and hope. Hawke is a fantastic man. His devotion to Sloan, even after all the years apart, makes you melt. UGH! If only all women had a Hawke of their own.

A. Wilding Wells has a knack for writing a sweet romance that is smoking hot at the same time. If you aren't familiar with her, check out her other books. I loved HOW TO TAME BEASTS AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS, but haven't read A MESS OF REASON. I just ordered it though.
Check out my post about HOW TO TAME BEASTS.



This book isn't available for preorder yet, but be looking for it soon.

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DIRTY SEXY INKED by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde - REVIEW

Dirty Sexy Inked (Dirty Sexy Series Book 2) by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

Date of Publication: April 5, 2016

Blurb

Breaking hearts is what wild and rebellious Mason Kincaid does best. Hit it and quit it is his motto, and with his bad boy reputation and tattoos, he doesn't lack for female companionship. Until one hot night with the one woman he swore he'd never touch becomes an all consuming addiction he can't kick. Katrina Sands has been his best friend for years, but now that he knows what she feels like, and tastes like, there is no going back to being just friends. Hot, dirty sex has never felt so good...or so right.

REVIEW

It isn't easy falling in love with your best friend. Especially when you have to watch him mess around with anything of the female persuasion. Katrina has loved Mason for years. Ever since he came to her rescue when they were children. She's watched him grow into an amazingly sexy man and can't imagine her life without him, but it's getting harder and harder to watch him take others to bed - a place where she'd like to be.

Mason needs Katrina. She's been his rock for years. That's why he has fought his feelings for her. She deserves so much more than him. She deserves someone who will give her the life, devotion, and love that he just doesn't think he is capable of, but when they attend the wedding of another of their friends in Las Vegas, everything changes. 

Katrina is sick of seeing him pick up strangers in bars. She decides to give Mason a taste of his own medicine. At a night out at Coyote Ugly, Katrina lets loose and dances on the bar. Mason can't stand to see men staring at her and cheering for her. He loses his mind. It's the only thing he can think of that explains what he does. He jumps up on the bar and throws Katrina over his shoulder and takes her to his room.  He intends to talk some sense into her. This isn't the Katrina he knows. But, once he gets her alone, he can't help but take what he wants and what he wants is Katrina in his bed.

So, can Mason and Katrina navigate the changes in their relationship or will they be too afraid to try? Is it worth risking what they have for something that could be even better, but could also turn out to be something that destroys them both?

DIRTY SEXY INKED was a one-sitting read for me. I loved both of the characters and rooted for them through the whole book. Phillips and Wilde created characters that the readers can identify with. You can feel Katrina's jealousy. You can feel Mason's desire. 

This is the first in the series that I've read. I didn't feel like I missed anything by skipping the first book, DIRTY SEXY SAINT. But, I definitely want to go back and read it.  Also, I can't wait for the third book, DIRTY SEXY CUFFED. It is the story of their cop friend. YAY! Links are below to order.

Available From

Amazon (Kindle) iBooks BN Kobo Google Play

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About Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

***About Carly Phillips***
Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.

***About Erika Wilde***
Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she's not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at www.erikawilde.com.

Find Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde Online

https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage

https://www.facebook.com/ErikaWildeAuthorFanPage

Teaser

"WE'RE OFF TO Las Vegas, Kitty-Kat," Mason Kincaid said as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Sin City is the perfect place to get down and dirty and have some fun. What kind of trouble do you think we can get into while we're there?"
Katrina Sands buckled her seat belt and settled more comfortably in the first-class leather seat next to Masonóher best friend since they were fourteen and freshmen in high school. She wasn't at all surprised that he was already making a mental list of all the wild and reckless adventures that awaited him in a no-holds-barred place like Las Vegas. Mason Kincaid was a rule breaker, a thrill seeker, and a self-indulgent bad boy who was all about pleasure and instant gratification. From everything she'd heard about the city that never slept, he'd be right in his element. 

Oh, joy, she thought with a resigned sigh. It wasn't as though she was a prude. Far from it. She just wasn't thrilled about watching her best friend's man-whoring ways in action in Vegas. She spent enough time seeing it up close and personal on a day-to-day basis.
She turned her head and met Mason's bright blue gaze. "You do realize that this trip isn't all about you and your dick, right? That we're heading to Vegas because your brother Clay is marrying Samantha?" she asked, reminding him of that one important detail.
The corners of his mouth curved with an indulgent grin. "Of course I realize my brother is strapping on the old ball and chain tomorrow afternoon. But that doesn't mean the entire weekend is going to be all wedding, all the time. In fact, tonight Levi and I plan to take Clay out to make sure he spends his last evening as a bachelor in style."
Which gave Mason the perfect opportunity to carouse for a willing female to take back to his hotel room for the night. It's what Mason did. For as long as she'd known him, he'd had a hit-it-and-quit-it motto when it came to women, and he always made sure they knew the score up front. He didn't make promises or do commitment or anything longer than a one-time fling. 

And each time Katrina watched it happen, a little bit of hope died inside of her. The hope that one day Mason would see her as more than just a best friend and the woman who managed to keep his personal and professional shit together. But the man was oblivious to her deeper feelings for him, and she wasn't willing to tell him and risk certain painful rejection. It was much easier, and safer, keeping them both squarely in the friend zone.
She'd known him for twelve years, and had truly come to believe that Mason Kincaid didn't have the ability to commit to any single woman. And it really wasn't hard for her to figure out why considering the kind of childhood he'd hadóno father figure to speak of and a mother who cared more about her next fix than her own kids. Mason might be a master at giving off a carefree, I-don't-give-a-crap attitude, but Katrina was one of the few people who knew just how much pain and resentment that laid-back demeanor really masked. 

The commercial plane they were taking to Las Vegas finished the boarding process, and one of the cabin crew started closing the overhead luggage bins, while another made an announcement to set all electronic devices to airplane mode. A pretty brunette flight attendant stopped next to Mason's aisle seat and set her hand on his shoulder.
He glanced up at her, and the woman smiled, her complexion flushing a bit as he turned all that potent male sex appeal her way. Yeah, Mason had that kind of breathtaking effect on women. Between his gorgeous features, that sexy, panty-dropping smile, and his sleeves of bad boy tattoos that wrapped around both muscled arms, he was an irresistible force to the female gender. 

And the jerk knew it, too, and didn't hesitate to use that charm to his advantage.

Download the series:



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ROCK by J.A. Huss

Book Synopsis:

My American Dream just shattered and they think I did it on purpose. They have sentenced me to hell by sending me back to the last place I want to be. They have people watching me twenty-four-seven. They want the truth about how my band mates died, and they’re going to get it, no matter what. 

No matter how hard I fight. No matter how many times I deny it. No matter what it takes, the truth is going to catch up with me. 

I am Rowan Kyle Saber. I am RK. I am Rock. Ex-lead-singer for Son of a Jack. Ex-addict, ex-friend, ex-boyfriend, ex-brother… and presently in denial. 

Welcome to Grand Lake, Colorado, where all my nightmares started. Welcome to the past. Welcome to the present. Welcome to RK’s fucked up life.
The only thing holding me together is her. But even that might be a lie.

Poor RK. He's lost everything - is band mates and his one true love. Now he finds himself in his hometown where he never wanted to return in order to recuperate. 

He's immediately confronted with the past when the identical twin of his one true love confronts him in his childhood home. Or is it the twin? The one that tricked him over and over again, pretending to be the one he loved.  Soon he doesn't know what to believe? Could it be that Melissa is really alive? 

The mystery and suspense in ROCK is great. The mystery of Melissa and Melanie really makes you think. I went back and forth several times on what I thought. In addition to the Melissa/Melanie plot there is the mystery of what really happened to his band mates. Could his memory of that night be wrong? Why has he been blacking out?

Lucky for RK he has many people in his life and hometown that care about him. They work to keep him safe and help him heal. Finally, he starts to make headway as he begins to let music back into his life and he's open to remembering what really happened. 

I've enjoyed all of J.A. Huss' books, but this one seemed to have a lot more suspense than the other ones. I loved it.

Check out J.A. Huss' other books: