 - Nicole Jacquelyn)
 - Tarryn Fisher)
I don't think I ever spent an entire book hating on the protagonist with so much passion as I hate Leah - and yet I loved every damn page of this book.Thief, here I come :)
 - Tarryn Fisher)
 - Tarryn Fisher)
DNF at page 172Alright, I give up. This book irritates and frustrates me so unbelievably that I just can’t bring myself to read another page. I’m so sorry for bowing out of the BR early on, Foxy and Kris! I kept trying but uhh…
I really expected something completely different from the story but I could’ve dealt with that if it weren’t for the various plot holes. I’m not going to list them all but if there’s at least one in every chapter it gets tedious fast. In fact the whole story lacks in believability which already starts with Emily constantly calling Cameron (the 26 year old male lead) a boy - a boy that seems to be the leader of a gang nonetheless.
I wasn’t able to identify with a single character in this book. Emily was seriously on her best way to drive me to insanity. What is wrong with her? I have absolutely no issues with a captor/captive story but sweet god, she witnessed him doing something terrible the second time she ever saw him and instead of being afraid of him, she CRUSHES on him. So after talking to him like 5 times she’s completely over the moon and the place Cameron has come to occupy in her was wrenched by distance when he leaves for a bit – really?
And let’s not forget being a little proud of her brother for doing something highly illegal or her calling an mp3-player a music thingy because she doesn’t know its name despite living with her filthy rich parents for 18 years and it being 2011. So again, what the hell is wrong with that girl?
I’m going to save myself the time instead of ranting even more about all the other things I’ve disliked, I’ve already ranted enough in my status updates. So I’ll cut the chase: this book definitely wasn’t for me, it actually made me fall asleep 3 times which is something a book has never managed before. I didn’t like the story, I didn’t like the writing and I definitely didn’t like the characters. I have no desire to know what else happens in this book and thus I’ll move on to another book now.
Warning: there might be some mild spoilers. I’ll try to be as vague as possible though.I never quite know what to expect when I pick up one of Tiffany Reisz’s books but I can honestly say that she managed to capture BDSM in a nutshell with this series. She writes about the good and bad, the ugly, the painful and definitely the beauty of BDSM.
"Will these books be comedies or tragedies? – “Both. Just like life.”
Her words often resonate in me in the strangest way and I’m at a loss for words to explain that exact feeling. My expectations are continuously exceeded and the stories stay with me for a very long time - I simply could start reading the series all over again even though I just finished with the Mistress.
"It's a tightrope walk, a balancing act."
Every single character is completely fleshed out so that I have absolutely no troubles imagining them as real people. People whom I wish I could meet and hang out with. And there’s truly a magnificent amount of characters that you can love, hate or crush on. It’s a rare gift to read a book where so many characters work together in such a beautiful way and I think that’s what makes this series so special.
"- you are like a fabric all woven together. I want to pull one thread and see you all unravel."
I have many favorite characters but Nora will probably always hold the top spot. I never read about a character like her, she is completely unique in my eyes and I absolutely adore her.
"You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve lived your life without fear and without regrets and without giving a damn what anyone thought of you."
Her snarky humor is definitely one of her best qualities but so is her ability to love others so effortlessly and considering the men in her life, that’s definitely saying a lot about her. There’s simply no other way but to love her, honestly, not loving Nora is a concept my brain doesn’t understand.
"And she would be my heart. And she would be my penance.”
Søren is a good man, I never doubted that but no matter how hard I try, I can’t overcome my issues with him. I can easily see why so many people love him, his portrayal in The Mistress made that abundantly clear. And while many of his choices speak about a strong, loyal character, I just can’t overlook that one little piece of information that will keep me from loving him like many others do.
" Søren isn’t nice. But he’s good.” […]”He’s the best man of earth.”
Priesthood is an essential part of him, a part that makes Søren the person he is but he took his vows and broke them. People make mistakes and so does the church, I will probably never agree with the churches view but Søren knew all that beforehand and it didn’t stop him from becoming a Priest. I’m simply not able overlook that but fortunately, it doesn’t take away from the story at all. The opposite actually – it makes me pause and think and even consider other views.
"Jeg elsker deg, min lille en, he breathed into her skin. “Du tilhører mig.”"
Kingsley is the hardest and at the same time easiest character for me to understand. I make no damn sense but I think that’s just what makes him Kingsley. There are so many contradictions about him and yet at the same time, it’s the simply things in life he wants – like spending time with his loved ones. When it comes to Nora though, his feelings are like a rollercoaster; sometimes understandably so. I was very happy to see the direction his story took.
"I would have done the same for you.”
Wesley. Sigh. That boy definitely stole my heart. He cares so deeply and even if it’s not always for the right reasons, I can’t help but stand in his corner. He is definitely naïve at times, especially when it comes to Nora’s life but that’s just part of his charm. And just like with Kingsley – I’m glad how his story played out and that he found his queen.
"He had no idea that the suits and the ties and the beige pumps and navy slacks her people wore during the day were the real costumes that they shed when they came out after dark."
And then there are Grace, Laila, Griffin, Michael and all the other minor characters. Grace was definitely the biggest surprise – I never would’ve guessed she’d play such a part in this story and yet I enjoyed every second of it. Laila’s purpose in this story was not quite as surprising but very welcome nonetheless. She definitely knew what she wanted and just like her Tante Elle, she went after it. I’m still amazed how even the smallest part of these characters can move me in such a way.
"But I promise you this...I will give you the last laugh."
The end…what can I say? Despite what many people say, there was no cliffhanger for me. It was pretty clear what had happened and neatly tied up. I may have rooted for different men over the course of this series but there was never a doubt in my mind about how this would end – at least not about the most essential part of it. The ending felt absolutely right though and that’s why I love this series so much – no matter how conflicted I feel about this or that, Tiffany Reisz makes it right.
"Søren laughed."
And so did I.
ARC provided by Harlequin via NetGalley.
I really enjoyed Lisa Renee Jones’s Inside Out Trilogy, so seeing this title on NetGalley, I was quick to request it and more that glad that I was approved.Had I known before that I would encounter another millionaire/billionaire story, I probably would have thought twice. I readily admit that it was my own fault for not reading the synopsis and while this isn’t quite your typical storyline of the genre, I still think that there are already more than enough books with a similar theme going.
I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the female main character. She acted completely different than I would’ve expected for someone in her situation. For one she trusted Liam very fast and even though she thought a couple of times that something was wrong, she never truly explored that feeling of ‘wrongness’ – she was easily distracted by the males around her and then forgot about her troubles again until she was alone. There were so many things that should’ve raised her attention in a much stronger fashion.
Liam Stone was definitely a fine piece of alpha maleness and again I have to admit that I was blindsided by him as well. I have absolutely no idea what his game is but the chemistry between him and Amy was amazing.
The story sucked me right in and I had a hard time putting the book down at all but somehow I read a complete book and didn’t get a single answer – NOT ONE. Instead I got left with a cliffhanger.
All in all, my feelings towards this book are pretty mixed and that’s why I can go with 3 stars max. I enjoyed the story but I also expected at least a few answers, instead I was left completely hanging and that has me unbelievably frustrated.
ARC provided by Julie Patra Publishing via NetGalley.
3.5 starsReview will follow closer to the publication date.
ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell
First things first, this book reminded me in many aspects about another series I’ve read. It’s hard for me to stop comparing the two concerning characters and setup of the story - that made for an awkward start as it took me a little while to concentrate solely on this story.Don’t get me wrong please, I’m not saying any part of this story is copied but especially the male characters are eerily similar in their basics. It’s my personal opinion and you just might not have that problem at all. Maybe it’s also a bit my fault as I haven’t read the synopsis very carefully (I like to go into a book blindly) – the cover draw me in the moment I spotted it on NetGalley.
While I liked Dmitri’s characters, I had much more trouble with Presley. She’s not the typical character I like to read about – submissive or not, I like my characters to have some spunk. But I liked the way Dmitri and Presley were portrayed as a couple.
The reasoning behind Presley’s behavior was rather intriguing and probably a part why she and Dmitri worked great as couple. By accepting her submissive nature, she was able to change her behavior as well – she didn’t try to please everyone anymore but instead focused that part of her on Dmitri. I have to say that I liked her much more towards the end of the book – she still was little timid but much better from the beginning.
The BDSM aspects – there was nothing horrifying there and this is probably a good book for everyone that likes the softer, tamer side of BDSM. Many of fetishes that might intimidate people (e.g. cutting, fire play, watersports and the likes) aren’t allowed in Club Sin and thus won’t probably won’t be much of an issue in the further installments as well.
The writing wasn’t exactly my cup of tea either, it was rather cheesy and just too much at times. In my opinion, the characters portrayal lacked integrity and the dialogues felt a little stilted. The sex/BDSM scenes didn’t have the chemistry I would’ve wished for which is a rather important aspects of a BDSM novel.
All in all, this was a quick read which gave me a lot of trouble to get into and that’s why I can’t go with more than 2 stars.
ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley.
 - Stacey Kennedy)
Love, love, LOVE.Really, what’s left to say? I can only continue to applaud the utter brilliance that is Tiffany Reisz.
In Nora she created my absolute favorite female character, there’s no other female character that comes even close. She’s definitely one of those characters that you wish would actually exist so that you can be her friend. She’s snarky, sarcastic, utterly perverted and funny as hell – really why wouldn’t you want her as friend? I can’t think of a single reason.
I really enjoyed the glimpses in her sessions which ranged from heartwarming to weird to extremely hot to terrifying. I have to say though that Kingsley was my favorite, especially with what we know about his background. We know why he craves the pain, even though if he probably wished someone else would deliver it and it broke my heart a little.
Robert and Cara’s session come as a close second though – such an easy solution for such a huge problem. And once more I saw how easy Tiffany Reisz made it for me to feel along with every character she introduces to me.
I’m honestly not sure how I’ll survive till 30th July to read the Mistress.
3.5 starsWarning: mild spoilers ahead.
I wasn’t quite sure how to rate this because I was expecting something completely different, to be honest. After arguing with myself back and forward I finally decided to settle with 3.5 stars.
The chemistry between Nikki and Damien was, like always, extremely well written and I can’t read enough about that. In fact, I enjoyed everything I read by J. Kenner so far, she always manages to reel me in. The third installment of this trilogy had quite a few clichés when it came to the story line though and that made it rather transparent at times.
At first I was a bit confused by how the whole lawsuit business was handled but I could’ve easily overlooked that – it was a great opportunity for the relationship between Damien and Nikki to develop but instead Damien fell back into old character traits and I rather disliked that. I really love Damien and still I wanted to beat him once around the world for his stupidity. Honestly, how long does it take for one person to stop repeating the same mistakes?
Nikki didn’t fare better in that department though. In the previous books I admired her strength and that she fought for what she wanted. This time around though she tugs her tail and runs which really disappointed me.
Together though, they are one of my favorite couples in this genre. They simply fit together like two puzzle pieces despite their differences. In the end, they work hard to overcome their demons and come out of their trials victoriously. Which brings me to my last point of criticism: the end felt a bit sudden and hurried. I would’ve liked to see them truly work it out but I suppose one can’t have everything they wish for.
So despite all the minor disappointments in the third book, I still loved the world J. Kenner created, my interest never waned and I’m sad to see it end. I definitely look forward to the author’s next projects!
ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Del via NetGalley.
