Cold Hearted Rake, Heats Up The Pages! #LisaKleypas #HistoricalRomance

Devon’s head lowered, and he kissed the side of her throat. “I want you in my bed again,” he whispered. Working his way along her neck, he found a sensitive place that made her shiver and arch, the tip of his tongue stroking a soft pulse…(Cold Hearted Rake, Klepas, Lisa: pg. 192 2016)

I had to go back to one of my first loves…

Historical!

I used to go crazy and giddy with bookwormery when I would see a title like Rake, or Pirate, or Damsel, I love it.

This book did not disappoint, read the short snippet in the box below and then my reaction afterward.

A twist of fate . . .

Devon Ravenel, London’s most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities . . . and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl’s three innocent sisters are still occupying the house . . . along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon’s own.

A clash of wills . . .

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny—and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains:

Can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she’s ever known?– Blurb from Amazon.com

To be completely fair, Devon did not seem that cold-hearted to me, maybe except when he threw acidic words at Kathleen, perhaps once or twice. Maybe in his former life he may have been more of a cold-hearted rake but with Kathleen even when they butt heads or banter and it can turn fiery and passionate with a few charming, heart melting words from Devon. Kathleen was more coldhearted with her actions and her words. Given her familial background, it is somewhat understandable.

However, I had heart palpitations during the sex scenes…My God!

The book earns five stars for an amazingly tight plot, wonderful characters to revisit and amazing passion.

To learn more about the Ravenel series please go to Amazon and then learn more about Lisa Kleypas herself and other amazing stories from this author!

Body By Night, Perfect Summer Read!

Body By Night is that summer read that will inspire you to get your body goals in order, your friendships in order and your love life together. I was quite surprised with this book and although there were one or two minor bumps in the road, I do recommend the story to you.

So here is the snippet from Amazon.com:

Zuri Day sizzles with a seductive story of one woman’s quest to take control of her life.  .  .while experiencing an attraction too explosive to resist.

D’Andra Smalls has had enough. She’s tired of being overweight, she’s had it with her overbearing family, and she’s fed up with settling for any guy who’ll have her–especially since she caught her boyfriend cheating with her best friend.

But working out and avoiding delicious food is easy compared to resist the charms of Los Angeles’ hottest personal trainer, JaJuan “Night” Simmons. Six feet of chiseled muscle and fine chocolate, he’s challenging her body in all the right ways–and proving there’s a sensitive, caring guy under the good looks. Their shared career goals of promoting health and fitness bring them even closer together. But D’Andra feels it may be too much of a good thing. After succeeding in taking command of her life, can she risk losing control of her heart?

I wish that Night and D’Andra could have had more conversations and time with each other. Many times she was dealing with her hectic home life, the job- and then when she and Night do come together it is during sex or is mentioned in chunks of paragraphs. The sex scenes were off the charts though 🙂

Again, this should have made the overall experience kind of odd, but the storyline is really good and the message in the book is even better.

To find more stories by Zuri Day, find her online on her Amazon Page.

Embracing the New Writing Apps

Keeping the Old Ways, Embracing the New

I have not retired my journals. I have plenty. Fresh paper and pens will always be my go to when it comes to writing in its purest form. This is not to crap on those who prefer the typewriter, computers and other “older” methods.

But when I have my phone handy and out in the open and I am inspired on the spot, I need to jot down that inspiration right then, and more than enough times my pen has ran out of ink or my small notebook is too far down in my bag.

Here is a very brief list of apps I use on my phone(all have 4.5 and higher rating!), that are perfect for poets, screenwriters, and writers of anything, along with my honest rating/opinion:

Poet Assistant

This is a lovely app I downloaded on the Google Play Appstore last year. I rarely use it, choosing to rely on my own wits for rhyme, but when you are in a bind and want the synonyms, definitions and need help finding words that rhyme with one of your choosing, this is an excellent app to have. I guarantee it. It is super easy to use and should be considered a go-to reference.

Mirakee

I just downloaded this app a few days ago, and let me tell you, if you love to post quotes, poetry, and tell stories and want feedback and followers, this is definitely the app for you.

Here’s how it works: You write your poem/quote/story, change the background, upload pics, change fonts, etc..

Then you post.

Then you wait for the ratings on your writings. It is another super easy app to use if you are looking for immediate feedback on your work and join a wonderful community of other writers wanting to be heard as well.

JotterPad

With JotterPd, you..jot.  Designed with the writers and novelists in mind, the app is useful all day long.

The awesome part is that you connect it to whatever cloud storage you have -that way you never lose your writings.

I used it to save most of my poetic thoughts and uploaded them to my cloud. It has a clean , easy to use writing page.  Just start writing.

Like with most apps, upgrading to Pro will give you ad-free features, unlimited cloud accounts and more “Get Creative features” with huge discounts. The free version is perfectly fine for me, no problems so far.

As with any app you’ll find that you want to upgrade, or it may crash. So far I haven’t had any problems with these apps. The Poet Assistant I’ve had over a year now and it is perfect.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these apps.

Happy Writing!

~The Write Web

Fight For Love by Delaney Diamond(a review)

Fight For Love by Delaney Diamond(Latin Men Book 2)

“Let’s get one thing straight,” he said. His calm voice held a threatening undertone. “There will be no ‘affairs’. While you’re my wife, no one comes near you.” (Fight For Love, 2011)

Want jealous alpha males? Sexy, Latin men, a wonderfully good romantic plot that takes at least 2 good hours to finish?

Try Delaney Diamond’s Fight For Love.

9 years ago Rebekah Jamison was married to the “Sexiest Wrestler Alive” Rafael Lopez. Their relationship did not work, but she does have a son with him. A son he does not know exist; so when Rafael shows up on her doorstep and sees a miniature version of himself, Rafael wants to pick up where they left off, but with so much past hurt and secrets will they ever rekindle the love they once had?

Rafael will try everything in his power to win his ex-wife back, and he is not above seducing her to give him a second chance…

My Reaction:

A very quick, yet satisfying read. I literally had no problems with it. I could be biased because I was in the mood for a “quick bang with happy-romance-forever whatchamacallit type story so yeah, this had it all.

First off I like how Rafael “bulldozed” his way back into Rebekah’s life. He took one look at her and realized that this was his forever girl and he will do anything to win her back. They’ve both made bad decisions in the past which led to their divorce but then again they did meet when they were nineteen,  and to be fair when I was nineteen I knew no better either. At that age, we make hasty decisions based off of anger and lust and not in that order, then pay for it later in life.

I enjoyed this one so very much and I know you will too.

Let me know if you’d enjoy more reviews like this one and stay tuned for more posts on writing and other stuff.

XOXO,

~The Write Web

‘A Girl Like Her’ An Honest Review

I had the pleasure of reading a book taking place in the U.K. written by English author Talia Hibbert. Here is the blurb from Amazon and my honest review of the work!

Everyone has secrets. He wants all of hers. Meet the man next door….

After years of military service, Evan Miller wants a quiet life. The small town of Ravenswood seems perfect – until he stumbles upon a vicious web of lies with his new neighbor at its center.

Ruth Kabbah is rude, awkward, and – according to everyone in town – bad news. Thing is, no one will tell Evan why. Does she perform ritual sacrifices? Howl at the moon? Pour the milk before the tea? He has no clue. But he desperately wants to find out. Because Ruth doesn’t seem evil to him; she seems lonely. And funny, and clumsy, and secretly quite sweet, and really f–king beautiful….

The more Evan’s isolated, eccentric neighbor pushes him away, the more he wants her. Her – and all her secrets. Because there’s no way a girl like Ruth truly deserves the town’s scorn.

Is there?”

Find on Amazon

 

My Reaction:

The good thing about reading ebooks, is having a wikepedia or dictionary built in for highlighted words. I am not familiar with “knickers” , “pyjamas” and “tarmac” so it helped tremendously while reading the story and just let me say-

Evan is such a scrumptious character. I loved how he cooked for Ruth without really knowing her. He has a heart of gold but when you disrespect people particularly women in his presence- Oh Boy!

He looked up, his gaze heavy. “Would you take advantage of me if I ask nicely?”

She smiled. “I think I respect you too much.”

That’s funny because I respect you a lot but I still want to rip your clothes off.”- (A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert, pg. 143, 2018)

I connected well with Ruth because I prefer to text or email people than speak with them face and to face and being out in public causes anxiety. Her reasons are slightly different from mine but I was able to understand her. Even down to her preferring big shirts and leggings(Evan loved those leggings!)

The book was well written with heart and warmth with nice sexual tension and even steamier bedroom scenes. This book is definitely a winner and I am sure the next one will be too.

P.S. Daniel Burne was a douche bag.

That’s all.

~The Write Web

‘The Sun is Also a Star’ An Honest Review

“But here is a true thing: Almost everything in the night sky gives off light. Even if we can’t see it, the light is still there.”- (The Sun is Also a Star, Yoon, N. pg.336, 2016)

The Sun is Also a Star is out in theaters May 17^th, and when I realized I had the book on my Kindle shelf for almost a year, I jumped right on to reading it so I can get an idea of what this writer is all about and also to have some mental notes to compare to the movie. (You know that has to happen)

The Sun is Also a Star is a tale of two people who meet each other one day while going in opposite directions of expectations. Natasha and her family are about to be deported back to Jamaica in 12 hours and Daniel’s on his way to a college interview(he does not want to have); he finds himself drawn to the girl(Natasha) with the big pink headphones and bigger hair.

They meet.

They fall in love.

But will the universe grant them their one wish?

My Reaction:

I’ll be honest here. The concept of the book and the characters kept me reading. Surprisingly I am a fan of Daniel and Natasha’s father. Daniel is a hopeless romantic, a poet. Natasha’s father wants to accomplish at least one dream before he dies. I completely get it.

Natasha is a stars, moon, and hardcore facts girl. She does not believe in love. I get that too. She is about to be deported and her mom and dad’s relationship is terribly strained.

What I did not enjoy too much, was the “flip flop”. I feel bad even saying this because the few snippets from other minor characters’ point of view REALLY interrupted the flow of my reading. Clerks, paralegals, people’s histories and yada yada yada. I just…did not like it. It served its purpose, but maybe another time I’ll be ready for that.

This does not mean the writing is bad, or that story was bad. Quite the contrary, it was good.

Very good.

Very, very good.

Again, this is because of Natasha and Daniel. There were scenes where Daniel made me swoon and then there were hilarious, embarrassing moments that left my mouth agape.

I definitely want to see the movie just to see it on screen and say , “Hey, I actually saw a love movie!” Which I rarely do. I prefer to read romance than watch it.

The Sun is Also a Star is so much more than a love book. It is a story about following your passion, wherever it leads you and not giving up.

Comments? Thoughts?

Post them below!

~The Write Web

Sin Bin is 800+ Pages of Delicious Heat

 

I’ve just finished one of the most scrumptious, delicious series ever.

Should you read these books in order?

God. Yes.  It will pack more punch..

Denver Rebels Order of Books:

#1 Wicked Games

#2 The Swede

#3 Sin Bin

 

I know Summer is soon on our heels, but these hockey players are hitting the ice and blazing the pages with romance in Maureen Smith’s Denver Rebels series. I read the first two already and you can view my review of them on my Amazon Page.

Right now, I want to review Sin Bin..

In Sin Bin(Book 3 in Denver Rebels), we meet Logan “The Bruiser” Brassard the tough, sexy sinfully hot hockey player for the Denver Rebels- and certified “manwhore”. With a past that left emotional scars that runs deep as his soul, Brassard constantly finds himself in the “Sin Bin”, constantly called out for fights on the ice. But then, he was always a fighter, especially back when he was a kid protecting Jupiter, the nickname for the little girl who was constantly bullied.

The Swede Book 2 in Denver Rebels

Fast forward about fifteen years later, and the “little girl” Meadow Ryan is all curvy and beautiful; she finds herself leaving Sin City to find work in Denver. When she runs into her foster friend Logan, she can’t deny her attraction to him. He still calls her Jupiter because of her love of astronomy(so sweet!). Even though Meadow is attracted to him and it is obvious he wants her bad, she does not want to get hurt again and Logan’s reputation does precede him…

My Thoughts

First, this was 800+ pages of slow burn deliciousness and I am here for it. I tried to read it slower as advised by the author herself but darn it how can I?  Each one broken inside because of their past: Logan was abused and so was Meadow and now they’ve found each other. The book was well paced, even with their sex scenes. It was more than sex whatever Logan was doing to her, letting me as the reader know Meadow was definitely treasured higher than any “puck bunny” he’d lain with.

Secondly, I like how the author introduces social commentary while keeping the juice of the story flavorful. The mentioning of “pro black women”, sexual abuse, black men who don’t date black women comes up in a few conversations and it did not distract but added to the book.

I definitely can’t wait for Hunter and Cynara’s story. I know that one will be beyond explosive. It would be nuclear.

Check out the Denver Rebel Series for more information and purchasing options.