#BookReview A Love Thing Anthology by Laura Kaye & More!

For today, I’ve included a short little review about an excellent anthology! Almost all of these books have been featured on my blog and they are all on my Goodreads! But, I did want to include a little info about this fabulous collection if you were looking for a romance anthology!

 

This anthology has taken me forever to read, but boy was it worth it!

A Love Thing has an excellent collection of sexy reads for those romance readers who want a great selection! There’s cute romances, sexy reads and steamy affairs that will set your heart on fire! Each story definitely brings the heat!

My ratings were as followed (in no particular order);

The Prince and the Player by Tia Louise – 2.5 stars
Masterings her Senses by Laura Kaye – 5 stars
The Pawn by Skye Warren – 3 stars
Willing Victim by Cara McKenna – 5 stars
Spin by C.D. Reiss – 4 stars
Filthy Wicked Love by Lili Valente – 4 stars
Diamonds by K.A. Linde – 5 stars
A Week in New York by Louise Bay – 5 stars
Assumption by Aurora Rose Reynolds – 3 stars
Personal Geography by Tamsen Parker – 5 stars

I’ve put a review on each individual book from this collection, so if you’re eager to find out my thoughts then venture to each individual review (keep your eyes out on my blog, they’ll be coming or they’ve already appeared!).

As for my overall review – this anthology is seriously worth every penny! There’s a wide selection of books that are uber sexy and you are bound to like at least one! I have found a few new fave authors in this collection that I will be definitely looking out for!

Five out of five stars!

 

Here are just some of my reviews for the book in this collection:

#BookReview Assumption by Aurora Rose Reynolds

#BookReview A Week In New York by Louise Bay

#BookReview Spin by C.D. Reiss

#BookReview Mastering Her Senses by Laura Kaye

Quick Review – Personal Geography by Tamsen Parker

#BookReview Willing Victim by Cara McKenna

#BookReview The Pawn by Skye Warren

 

If you enjoyed this review, give me a shout out on Twitter @ReviewAlholic or give me a like on Facebook @BriarsReviews

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#BookReview Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

 

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors, and not just because she’s Canadian! Her Women of the Otherworld series has always and will always knock my socks off!

This novel follows Elena yet again, but as the title suggests – this time she is “Stolen”. This book amps up the action, making it equal (if not better) to the original “Bitten” novel. I found this book so strong as a sequel, that it was really hard not picking up the third book immediately after this one! Elena and her pack, as well as the rest of the ladies that eventually lead this series, are a force to be reckoned with! Kelley knows how to write her characters strong and passionate!

This series is definitely for adults (although, there is a YA series if you’re interested…), due to some of the brutality the story can get into. It’s not an R rated novel, but the themes are better suited for adults (some mature YA audiences could easily read it, I know I originally read these as a teenager).

I also really enjoy Elena and Clay together. Their relationship isn’t the smoothest, and it has it’s rocky moments, but they work really well together. Knowing that their relationship builds well over multiple books, I can look back and be impressed with how Kelley built them over time. The other characters and their relationships are also very strong, but these two really shine in the Elena books.

Kelley will pull you in and have you hooked almost instantly. If you haven’t read anything by her, get on it! I love this author, and she always meets my expectations and surpasses them!

If there was one series I’d highly recommend, it’s this series! It has drama, action, adventure, romance and comedy all packaged into a fantastic Canadian series! It’s well worth the read, and worth every penny I’ve spent on this series (even when I accidentally bought doubles and triples of the books, because I forgot the order…whoops!). If I did have one recommendation, try not to read this series far apart from each other. I find it’s a great binge read, because the story is so full of lore and excitement!

And if you couldn’t get enough of this series, there’s a television show based off of the book (it’s pretty close for first season, but second and third are loosely based – but it’s still incredble!).

Five out of five stars! Can I make that six out of five? No? Darn. I guess it’ll stick to five!

 

Check out this book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11922.Stolen

Or purchase this book on: Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

 

If you enjoyed this review, why not check out another book you might enjoy? Quick Book Reviews: Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

And while you’re at it, follow me on Twitter to stay up to date with my latest reading antics! @ReviewAlholic

#BookReview Diamonds by K.A. Linde

 

Oh. Hot. Damn.

This book is ridiculously sexy, super hot, and HAS A FREAKING CLIFFHANGER THAT KILLED ME.

I’ve been putting off reading this book (it’s in A Love Thing anthology that I bought months ago), mainly because the device I was reading it on kept dying before I could open the app. I finally put enough charge on it to get to this story, and it was the best one so far!

Diamonds is a tale of a young high-schooler falling for for an older (30-something) year old man. Right off the bat we have a juicy story that is all about forbidden love!

This book gets hot and steamy – R-rated steamy. It’s a mix of dominance, crazy hot sex, and sexual exploration. Throw in a romantic story line, an evil step-brother and the rich and famous and you’ve got yourself a home run!

I did really enjoy this book. It was the perfect mix of drama and sexiness that it somehow worked. Was it slightly creepy? Yeah, the age gap was a little much, BUT…I simply wrapped my mind around her being a tiny bit older (like, college age) and I was able to accept that this book can be just as sexy. It does cross the line a little bit, which is where readers might step back from this story, but it’s still awesome! I 100% want more K.A. Linde in my life now as soon as possible!

The one interesting part of this story was it felt like a YA story/author (due to the way Bryna’s mind was working in the book) but with a Fifty Shades of Grey-esque plot line thrown in. Honestly, it’s the Fifty Shades of Grey book I wanted in my life, because it’s WAY better and seems way more realistic. It was so addicting I finished it in a couple hours and I’m now clammering for the next book. Seriously. I need this book. If K.A. Linde wants, I’ll read every single book she has on catalogue just to get this next book.

Overall, this book is HOT HOT HOT! If you’re looking for a forbidden love with lots of angst, this is the book for you!

Five out of five stars!

 

Check out this book on:

Kobo

Chapters/Cole/Indigo #1 / Chapters/Coles/Indigo #2

Barnes & Nobles

Amazon.com

Amazon.ca

 

Find out more about K.A. Linde on:

http://www.kalinde.com/

Goodreads – K.A. Linde

Twitter – @authorkalinde

 

If you enjoyed this review, give me a shout out on my Twitter @ReviewAlholic or give me a shout out on my Facebook page @BriarsReviews or comment below!

And if you liked this book or review, check out another book you might enjoy! #BookReview A Week In New York by Louise Bay

#BookReview A Cinderella for the Greek by Julia James

 

A Cinderella for the Greek by Julia James was an interesting take on the classic tale “Cinderella”.

This book didn’t sit well with me even though I really wanted to like it. The story itself is a classic that I love (who doesn’t love a Cinderella/Princess tale?) but what lies within the story is what bothered me. The big problem with this book for me is the comments about Ellen (our Cinderella’s) weight. She isn’t as thin as her step sister Chloe, and our male counterpart Max points that out a few times. The comments weren’t healthy criticism’s either, but he gets over her “ugliness” to be able to fall in love with her. It’s that part of the story that turns my thoughts sour on this book. Everything else within the novel is quite lovely – the tale, the romance, the plot lines – it’s all great but that little part. At first, Max does not describe Ellen as beautiful, but slowly he begins to love the way she looks. It felt kind of silly in my mind, since the description of her sounded to be nice (but comparing her to the thin step-sister…).

I liked that Max wasn’t forceful as many male leads are these days. He’s caring and tries his best (even if at times it seems a little forced). I liked that he was interested in Ellen’s charity and that he seemed to be overall a good guy. The other characters (like the Evil Step-Mother and Evil Step-Sister) were perfectly evil in every way. The plot line followed the narrative it should have as well.

I felt this book got a lot better once it moved forward and continued to grow the relationship between Max and Ellen. That adds an extra star in for me as a reader. I think there was lots of potential here, to be honest! I’d like to read more by Julia James because I’m sure she has gotten better as her writing has continued.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! It is a really good book, it’s just not for me! It is a lovely Harlequin Romance that should definitely be picked up if you love an ooey, gooey romance or a retelling of Cinderella!

Two out of five stars.

 

Find this book on:

Goodreads

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

 

If you enjoyed this review or book, why not check out another you might enjoy? #BookReview Always Been You by Sadie Allen

Give me a shout out on Twitter with your recommended reads! I’d love to hear them! @ReviewAlholic

 

 

 

Photo via Goodreads.

 

#BookReview Gun Kiss by Khaled Talib

Gun Kiss is a riveting read full of action, crime and suspense!

I’m not gonna lie, this book impressed me! I hadn’t picked up a really good crime novel in a while, so reading this book was a nice change in flow. Following Blake and Goldie was a unique thrill that was well worth the time.

Goldie is an actress and Blake is a writer/crime fighter/Ethan Hunt-esque man. When a drug lord tries to steal Goldie, Blake comes to the rescue! Of course, along the way there is some romance and suspense (because you can’t get two good looking people in a room and NOT expect them to hook up).

Along the way this ex-military hunk deals with lots of high energy level action. There are hit men after him, his girl is almost always getting abducted and he just can’t seem to catch a break. Even with their bodyguards around, there are constantly bullets flying their way. Throw in trafficking, insane Russians and a famous gun and you’ve got one wild ride!

This book walked a fine line between thriller and suspenseful crime novel. I think it mixed in just a perfect amount of romance and mystery to fulfill all of my wishes for the book. There is even some history thrown into the mix just to spice it up. If anything, I feel like this book would do better in a series than as a stand alone. There were moments that I wished the book would have been split up into numerous novels because there was so many great plot lines and opportunities to take. For me, that would be my only downfall of the novel – there was so much good content it could have been a couple of books.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced and fun thrill ride. It’s not a book for younger readers due to the blood shed, death, and R rated sequences sprinkled throughout the novel. I think an older teen would easily be able to pick this up (because, let’s be honest, most television now can be pretty gore-y).

Overall, this book is a smash hit in my opinion! It was fast enough to keep me hooked, it had just enough romance to make me sigh and the action felt like Mission Impossible styled fun!

Four out of five stars!

I received this book for free from the author Khaled Talib.

 

You can locate this book on:

Goodreads

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Kobo

Barnes and Nobles

Gun Kiss

And give me a shout out on Twitter if you read this review! #briarsreviews @ReviewAlholic

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#BookReview Bloody Valentine by Melissa De La Cruz

Bloody Valentine is a little book full of short stories relating to romance in the Blue Bloods universe.

I meant to read this years ago, but it disappeared into the depths of my book shelf. I finally found it the other day, and I decided I might as well read it. I’m sure, somewhere, I have the remaining books of the Blue Bloods I meant to years…half a decade ago…

The short stories were cute, but I don’t remember half of what happened in the Blue Bloods universe. With that being said, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book outside of the series. Make sure you are reading the series so you understand everything that is happening. I did a little research on Goodreads to review what had been happening in the series so far, but it would make way more sense to read it within the series.

Oliver, Allegra and Schuyler’s stories were adorable and sweet, and I think this is a great addition to the series. I’d like more sweet stories like this for other series as well!!

Overall, it was cute and I enjoyed it. It’s definitely just some YA side stories so it’s not a must read for me by any means. If you’re into the Blue Bloods, this is for you. It’s vampires, ooey gooey romance, excessive drama, and lots of gossip! What else can you ask for from a YA board school-esque story? It’s like Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries had a baby.

Three out of five stars.

 

Did you enjoy this review? Check out another you might enjoy! #BookReview The Coffin Club by Ellen Schreiber

Use the hashtag #briarsreviews to give me a shout out on Twitter if you read my review! @ReviewAlholic

Comment below – what is your fave YA novel?

#BookReview Tempting Faith by Susan Mallery

 

This novel by Susan Mallery seems to be a hidden treasure! Most of Susan Mallery’s books have thousands of reviews on them, and this one has barely been touched on most platforms!

Tempting Faith is an absolutely adorable story about Faith and Cort. Faith runs a sanctuary for large cats (which is the BEST job I’ve ever heard in any book I’ve ever read) and Cort is an ex-agent who has memory loss about his last mission. These two fall for each other over the length of the novel, all the while Cort is protecting Faith and her sanctuary from some evil men who want her super cute, white tiger cubs.

This book is super sweet and hits all of my musts for romances. Sexy characters, awesome side characters (who doesn’t want a giant cat as their house cat?) and a demanding plot. Sure, Faith and Cort had some moments where they complained a fair bit about how their lives weren’t fair, but they were still fun characters! I think they were meant for each other, in some strange way. I did think some decisions were changed rather rapidly, and without explanation, but I liked how it all turned out.

I think this book is more of a binge-worthy book. It’s fast paced and relatively short. I’d definitely recommend this book if you like romance or a unique spin on the genre! I haven’t read many books regarding big cats and taking care of them, so I really liked that aspect of it! That being said, it’s not very complex so if you want a big, demanding plot full of mystery and expansive plots then this book won’t be for you!

Overall, I loved this book! I want to read more by Susan Mallery and I’m glad I found this book first. It’s a hidden gem that most readers don’t seem to realize exists!

Five out of five stars!

 

Find this book on Goodreads.

Purchase this book on: Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.

Find out more about this author on the Goodreads Author Page for Susan Mallery. Or on her website, http://www.susanmallery.com/ , or on Twitter @SusanMallery.

 

If you read this review, give me a shout out on Twitter! @ReviewAlholic

And if you liked this review, check out another you might enjoy! #BookReview Saving the CEO by Jenny Holiday