Grey by EL James (spoiler at the end)

See the world of Fifty Shades of Grey anew through the eyes of Christian Grey.

In Christian's own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the world.

Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty—until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him—past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian’s cold, wounded heart.  

Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?-Grey summary on Goodreads.
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Obviously I loved the 50 Shades series, so it would literally be impossible for me hate this book but...


Holy crap it was rushed. Instead of the book reading like Christian was living his life and we were going through the experiences with him, it felt like I was looking back an old journal of his. In 50 Shades of Grey, Ana had a life around her, she had things going on besides Christian, it just made the story more real, ergo made their romance seem more real. As mundane as it seems, I would have liked to read more about his regular life, and more about his relationships with family members etc. (Although there was a little more play with Taylor and some of his other staff) The extra story line would have made the book longer, and built the tension while waiting for his next Ana encounter.

This book cast Christian in a different light for me. I still really enjoyed his character, but if I ever had a question about how dark he was before, I know now. There were small bits of memory from his childhood and ex subs, that helped unwrap the mystery that is Christian Grey, and that was exciting, and a tad disturbing.

Even though I felt like this book was thrown together, I would be lying if I said I didn't want her to write his POV for the other two books.

SPOILER:
I am really happy that the book didn't end when Ana left! It's honestly what saved the book for me. I loved watching what Christian did in-between her walking out and when he saw her again.


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Fighting for Forever by JB Salsbury

Slut. Hooker. Whore. 

The taunts never bothered me. They only see what I allow them to see, and a Las Vegas stripper is the perfect cover. 
My life had direction. I had a mission—until the man I needed vanished and is presumed dead. 
It’s time to move on—give up the dream for revenge—and no one shows me that more than the mop-headed fighter with eyes the color of the ocean. 
If anyone can teach me just how sweet life can be, it’s him. But first, I’d have to let go. 

Mase. Baywatch. Mayhem. 
I’m known by many names, but there’s only one that stirs panic and worry in my gut every time I’m called it. 
Brother. 
I’ve bailed him out of trouble for years, so when he turns up in Vegas and asks for me, I’m prepared for the worst. And the worst is exactly what I get in the form of a lilac-eyed beauty named Trix. 
She’s everything I hate about Vegas: a stripper, loose with her body and her morals. But there’s something about her, a complexity that she buries deep, and I’m determined to uncover it. 
The deeper I go, the less I understand. When I finally learn the truth, we engage in a battle where life and death hang in the balance. 
Fighting could kill us both, but if we win, forever is the prize. -Fighting for Forever summary on Goodreads

OH MY SWEET GOD, I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was just so.. ohhhhh... yep, I need help, someone catch my ass, before I hit the ground, please.

This booked was packed with lots of sweetness and plenty of action. Good Ol JB knows how to pack some serious drama into her romance novels, turning them into something so much more. Fighting for Forever, had some intense, chest gripping moments that sent my heart pounding, chapters filled with plenty of action that kept the book at such a fast pace I couldn't put it down, and moments filled with such an over whelming sense of sweetness, that I just wanted to curl up in the corner and read certain parts over and over. The characters obviously had fantastic chemistry (as always) but Mason and Trix were so wonderfully complex, so multifaceted, and their story raised the bar so damn high, I have no clue how it could get much better.


Mason, you sexy son of a.. NO! bad Erica, I should be more respectful of my book husband, I should not objectify him.... OH look! Him running around OUR house, buck naked.... I am a lucky lucky woman.

(Kelly Slater one of the inspirations for Mason. I like to picture his body with young Paul Walkers face. Oh man, I love google so hard right now)

Sorry I got side tracked there (look at that booty), Mason was amazingly perfect. I loved him in previous books, and obviously I was pretty damn excited that he was getting his own, but after finally reading his story, now I know he was/is just too impossible to resist. He was beyond caring when it came to the ones he loved, even when they didn't deserve it, and they had wronged him over and over again, he still proved that HE would always have their backs. There was also something about him that screamed stable and Forever love, it made him so rock solid, so real, and beyond sexy as hell. I also enjoyed his attempt at being an asshole, as futile as it was. He totally had some grade A, douche moments when he was hurt and wanted to lash out, but he couldn't keep that persona up even when he wanted to. 

Trix! Holy crap was I surprised how at much I loved her! She is with out a doubt my new favorite. I honestly wasn't too sure how much I was going to identify with her based on the little synopsis the book gave, and even though she had been nothing but a good friend in Forget, I was seriously wondering how she was going to be a character I could root for, how well could Trix really blend into the group of past FG's? Well, JB did it again, I should honestly know by now that her characters are never what they seem, and Trix is the ultimate example of that. From the second I read the prologue I was on her side, cheering her on, and never not once did she fail to impress. There were several times I kept waiting for her to make some stupid decision that would have me screaming at the book, but it never came. HANDS DOWN Trix is the baddest ass Fighting girl of the series.

(You go girl)

This book was written so damn well, I received the ARC version, but beyond some grammatical errors that will probably be fixed before it goes live, absolutely nothing else should be changed!

Meeting new characters also really pushed this book over the top for me, and I'm hoping that these sexy newbies get their own books soon. (i.e. WADE cough cough)

I honestly couldn't give this book anything other than 5 keos. It had everything I wanted and so much more. When I read the first book Fighting for Flight, (Jonah and Ravens story) I fell so completely and totally in love with the book, it became and instant and forever favorite. I really really liked/ loved the other books in the series, don't get me wrong, but as I was reading Forever, I felt that same sense of perfection that I got while reading Flight. This book was just so amazingly well done and I loved BOTH the characters so damn much. I would recommend reading this whole damn series to anyone (and I have, a lot) just so eventually they would get to Forever with Mason and Trix.

PS. JB SALSBURY, IF YOU ARE READING THIS, THERE BETTER BE A DAMN REX AND GIA NOVELLA COMING SOON! OR I WILL HAVE SOME VERY....NOT SO NICE WORDS FOR YOU, AT YOUR NEXT SIGNING!

(seriously I know people.. who will also be mad if you don't do it!)

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Love Crushed by Toshia Slade

.5

Career driven, Focused and Sensible.

Josh Murphy’s life is mapped out. Twenty-five and co-owner of a construction company, he’s ready to obtain his next goal. A wife by his side and babies to fill his house. He’s always had his eyes set on the wild and fiery Tiffany, but knew she wasn’t ready for the life he wanted. Until one drunk party snaps his restraint. It’s time to make his move and finally claim his girl.

Unbound, Wild, and Free.

Tiffany Johnson wants to fly through life. She can’t decide on a college major, so Josh, Mr. Has Life Planned Perfectly, isn’t an option. Even if she wants him. But she’s not ready for that kind of commitment or to be tied down. All she’s willing to give is a little fun and adventure.

Secrets, Lies and Deceit.

Everyone deserves to have a happily ever after, or so Tiffany thought. She was ready to give in, take the leap into forever with Josh. Until one soul crushing phone call ruined it all. 

What happens when everything you thought about love and life is crushed? Will Josh be able to fight and bring Tiffany back to the girl he fell in love with? Can he save the one girl he can’t live without, or has Tiffany been broken beyond repair, claiming his feisty Kitten forever? - Love Crushed summary on Goodreads

GAHH I was so happy that Josh and Tiff's book finally came out! As soon as I read about them in Ten Year Crush, I couldn't wait to read their story!

It was soooo worth the wait. The main characters had amazing chemistry, and their story was laid out really well. It was filled with angst, waiting for the characters to finally get together, and plenty of  sweetness, with all that they shared. I also loved seeing Cam and Gabby from Ten Year crush! It's always great when you can get a peak at the beloved characters from books past.

Now getting to the most important thing... Josh was oohh sooo yummy. Probably one of the more  romantic male characters I've read lately. He was totally swoon worthy, sweet and caring, mature and I loved that he knew what he wanted and didn't get side tracked by something easy. Combine all of that, with the sexy southern accent I heard in my head when I read his words and... YUM!

(Dan Osborne, the inspiration for Josh)

Tiffany, good lord did she drive me up a wall. I just wanted to scream at her and force the two of them to kiss and make up.... but on the other side of that coin, her issue wasn't that unbelievable or hard to understand. I really identified with what she had going on, and how she felt. So in the end I really liked her, but I wanted to shake her just a little.

This was such a steamy read. Right off the bat too, there was no holding back this couple and all the chemistry they had going on. I loved their romance, and as spicy as it was, it didn't come off cheesy or erotica-ish. Just a good ol' dose of sexy with some sweet to keep it classy.

The only reason I couldn't give it a perfect five, is because some parts of the story were a little confusing. I really can't give an example with out spoiling some amazing scenes and it only occurred a few times. It was sort of like everything was moving at a normal pace, and then BAM! Something huge would happen out of no where without any build up, and it had me flipping back pages cause I thought I missed something important. It threw me out of the story just a little bit, but it wasn't hard to get back in.

In the end, I loved this book. I highly recommend it. I would also suggest, that even though this is a stand alone book, read Ten Year Crush as well. It was Cam and Gabby's story, but you get a little taste of Josh and Tiffany before they took the leap, plus it also was fantastic!!

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The Other Man by RK Lilley

.5

“How rough can you take it?

LOURDES
He was brazen as hell from the moment I laid eyes on him. He was aggressive, and dominant, with Mack truck arms, and a bar brawler voice.
He was too good looking for his own good, with a hard jaw, and harder eyes.
I’d always led a fairly peaceful life, but even I could tell at a glance that this man was dangerous. For so many reasons.
Not the least of which being that rough, dirty, sheet-clawing sex fairly radiated off him.
I’d thought I’d known how to handle every kind of man, but this one left me baffled.
To say he wasn’t my type was putting it lightly.
But you couldn’t tell that to my libido.
Not even when I found out the truth.
My lover had lied to me from the very start.
Nothing about our meeting was a coincidence. - The Other Man summary on Goodreads


Steamy, super steamy. It started off hot and heavy and stayed that way through out the book. It was pretty intense, something that I've heard a lot about this author, and now I know.

The book also moved really fast, the characters met, slept together, never really got to know each other, but fell head over heels. As the story progressed we got a glimpse at Heaths life but he maintained an air of mystery that never really got solved. As much as I loved it, I wish there would have been some more time to get to know him and read about what connected him and Lourdes together besides wanting to bone. I would have liked it to slow down a bit.

It had a great twist, again it's kind of thrown at you, but it was still a really good plot.

Lourdes was interesting, I had a hard time relating to her but I liked her. I loved how kind she was, I also really liked how she was so strong through everything she faced (especially at the end).

Heath, yum! He was very dangerous sexy. Like I said earlier a total mystery, and a little scary. The ultimate bad boy who will do anything to protect the woman he loves. The second I read his description, I pictured Kellan Lutz. And look I found the perfect gif of him!!

This wasn't a traditional read that's for sure, and it definitely wasn't a swoon your pants off romance, but it was very sexy and it will definitely stick with you.

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