Carries Book Reviews

Hopechest
Kailee Reese Samuels
(The SOS, #4)
Publication date: July 4th 2017
Genres: Erotica, Romance

Kaci agreed to the most important question of her life.

And then she had her fiancé taken hostage.

He played her game and trained for battle.

And now he is completely unprepared to lose.

Loving her once, Sal fell for her eccentric, wild pixie. She used her abilities—aiming her target to get revenge—but Kaci stumbled into a dangerous love, putting Sal through a gut-wrenching hell.

Can Sal ever forgive her sins of the past?

With the questions on the table, one inescapable truth looms before their relationship. His calculating mind and intimidating body built for the greater good, leaving Sal changed. No longer the curious submissive boy of the past, his new outlook is one of defiance, kink, and control.

Will Kaci embrace the changes – or – is the end closer than she ever imagined?

There is nothing he can do—

No praying on his knees for forgiveness

No bargaining with the devil to save their relationship

In this heartbreaking battle, Sal will lose.

In the fourth and final book of The Story of Salvatore, Sal Raniero begs to reverse the clock as reality leaks into his perfect bubble. With his love of the fetish world shoved to the backburner, he learns not only the meaning of love, but how precious time is.

The war begins when Sal rages into Sugargrove—

Nothing safe from his wrath

Nothing sacred in his path

…including the Hope he longed to keep.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

Author Bio:

Embracing diversity. Coffee addict. Mango lover. Blueberry fetishist. Sweet peach tea crazy. Red wine devout. Whiskey deviant. Tattooed & pierced. Loves shoes. Collects rosaries. Fanatical organizer/cleaner/list-maker. Never sleeps. Hermit and recluse.

Storyteller.

KAILEE REESE SAMUELS has been spinning tales since she can remember. Her books are contemporary fiction with a no-holds-barred attitude. She adores listening to her characters ramble and putting them into situations that push the boundaries.

Creativity is the way to change.

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Dirty
R.L. Kenderson
Publication date: July 1st 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He’s a player. She’s too smart to let him in her pants. Until a night of drunken sex has her kicking herself and vowing she’ll never let it happen again. Or will she?

After returning home due to her father’s illness, Elise Phillips reunites with her college friends, including Luke Long. Luke was a player back then, and Elise had always prided herself on not being another notch on his bedpost.

Luke is still gorgeous though, and he knows it. And he checks all her boxes—intelligent and sexy with muscles and a hard body.

Following a night of beer and shots, her resistance runs out, and he finally does check her box. And Elise knows that it can never happen again.

Luke had always thought of Elise as the pretty girl that was friends with his roommate’s girlfriend, but now she’s all grown up. When their night of passion rocks Luke’s world he realizes he must have her again.

The two enter a friends-with-benefits relationship with the agreement that they’re just going to have fun. The only thing is, with mutual friends involved, they have to hide their indiscretion.

But what harm can come from a dirty little secret?

Dirty is the first contemporary romance from paranormal romance author R.L. Kenderson. If you like laughing out loud, sexy book boyfriends, playful couples, and dirty, dirty sex, then you’ll love this fun contemporary romance.

Get your copy of Dirty and start falling in love today!

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—

EXCERPT:

Elise sat in her office on Monday morning, going over her schedule. As a speech therapist, she saw all different kinds of patients—from young children to adults, from

those who had had traumatic brain injuries to those who had had strokes. But one of the nice things was that she saw her patients routinely. She really got to know them and could find out the best way to help because everyone was different, and what might work with one patient might not work with the next.

She was just finishing up some notes and had about fifteen minutes before her first patient arrived when her phone buzzed.

Unknown number: How was the rest of your weekend?

Elise frowned.

Elise: Who is this?

Unknown number: Sex God, giver of orgasms.

Elise rolled her eyes, laughed, and added the number to her Contacts.

Elise: Charlie Hunnam, you know who I am?

Luke: Ha-ha. You know this is Luke.

Elise: Oh, I do, huh?

Luke: Who else made you come multiple times this weekend?

She considered pretending like he wasn’t the only one she’d slept with just to tease him but went a different route instead.

Elise: Maybe I was faking it.

Luke: Bwahahahaha!

Elise frowned again.

Elise: What’s so funny about that?

Luke: Baby, there is *no way* you were faking it.

Elise: Maybe I’m that good of an actress.

Luke: Nobody’s that good. You might have pretended with other guys, but I know you didn’t with me. You can moan and throw your head back like a good actress would, but there is no faking the way your face flushed as you climaxed or the way you scrunched up your nose right before you came or how you were so wet that it coated your thighs. And there is definitely no faking the way your pussy milked my fucking cock like it was holding on for dear life. Nobody is that good.

Elise looked around her empty office, as if someone might see his text message. It was absurd because there was no one in the room, much less someone looking over her shoulder. Even though she was alone, her face flushed from his words, and she was squirming in her chair because, now, she was thoroughly aroused. At work, of all places.

Elise: I’m not sleeping with you again.

Luke: Ha-ha-ha. I don’t recall asking you.

Well, damn.

She’d just been put in her place. Just because he’d turned her on didn’t mean that he had meant to do it on purpose. And it didn’t mean he wanted to do anything about it.

Elise: You’re right. How did you get my number, btw?

Luke: I asked Sean. I told him I needed to get ahold of you because you left something behind on Friday.

He added a bikini emoji, which she took to stand for the underwear she’d lost at his house. Her face got warm again, but she ignored the missing panties situation.

If he didn’t want to sleep with her again, why had he texted her?

Elise: What did you need then?

Luke: Nothing.

Luke: I just wanted to see how you were doing after Friday night/Saturday morning?

Aw, that was kind of sweet of him.

Elise: I’m fine.

Luke: You don’t hate me?

Elise: No. I was just as much responsible as you were. I don’t blame you.

Elise: Plus, I went to church on Sunday and cleansed my soul.

Luke: Ha-ha. Good to know.

“Elise?”

She looked up to see her coworker Lora standing in her doorway. She quickly set her phone facedown on her desk. Lora wasn’t her boss—she was another speech therapist—but Elise was still new, and she didn’t want anyone to think she was slacking off when she should be working.

“Yes?”

“Your eight a.m. is here,” Lora said with a smile.

“Okay, thank you.”

Lora turned and walked away, and Elise picked up her phone. Luke had texted her while she wasn’t looking.

Luke: I’ll be sure to dirty it again.

She forgot what they’d been talking about. And, while she should be telling him she had to go, she was too curious not to ask. Thankfully, she still had seven minutes before it was actually eight o’clock.

Elise: Dirty what?

Luke: Your soul.

Luke: Oh, I have to run. Duty calls.

Wait! Elise thought.

Elise: Wait. I thought you didn’t want to sleep with me again?

Luke: When did I ever say that?

Luke: Now, I really gotta go, babe. We’ll finish this later.

Elise waited, but there were no more texts. Yes, he said he had to go, but that was before he left her with such an opened ended question. How could he leave her hanging like that?

She shouldn’t care because when she’d said she wasn’t sleeping with him again, she’d meant it. Yet she wanted him to text her again.

She sent a quick reply, threw her phone in her purse, and grabbed her first patient’s folder before heading for the waiting room. She loved her career and usually lost herself in her work.

But, today, she couldn’t help wondering if she wasn’t in just a fair bit of trouble where Luke was concerned.

—-

Luke finished up his last report before signing off the computer. It had been a long day at work. He was tired, and he couldn’t wait to go home. He knew he wasn’t original

in his pain, but he hated Mondays. Sundays were worse, but thankfully, he hadn’t worked the day before.

He packed up his things and got ready to leave for the rest of the afternoon. He shut his locker door and headed for the parking lot. As he walked, he pulled out his phone.

After texting back and forth that morning with Elise, he’d been so busy that he didn’t have time to check it all day. Not even at lunch, which had consisted of standing in the break room, shoveling as much food into his mouth as he could in less than ten minutes.

He was beat and hungry, but as soon as he pulled out his phone and saw what Elise had texted him after he had to go this morning, it made him smile.

Elise: Just like a man to start something and not finish it.

He hadn’t meant to start anything this a.m. when he sent her the first message. In fact, he hadn’t even meant to flirt. It’d just happened. When he was young, his mother repeatedly told him that he was a natural-born flirt, and he often thought she was onto something there. Besides, flirting was just flirting. It didn’t mean anything was going to go beyond that.

Luke: Ouch. My poor manly pride is ruined.

He didn’t think she’d reply right away, but she must be near her phone because, a minute later, his phone beeped.

Elise: “Ladies, if a man says he will fix it, he will. There’s no need to remind him every six months about it.”

If the meme fits…

He threw his head back and laughed.

Luke: Now, I’m offended for the whole male population.

Elise: Hey, there are a ton of those out there, so it must be true.

Luke got in his SUV but had to reply before he drove off.

Luke: You might think we’re lazy, but we’re actually smart. It’s called strategy, baby. If we pretend not to be able to do something, we know you women will get frustrated and do it for us.

Elise: I knew it! My college boyfriend was the worst when it came to doing the laundry. He even shrank my favorite sweater. I finally told him to stop and let me do it. I always suspected it was a ploy.

Luke remembered the guy Elise had dated in college. What a tool.

Luke: What a dick.

Elise: What can you do? Men suck.

Luke: We don’t suck; we lick. You’re the one who sucks.

As far as replies went, he knew it was pretty cheesy and immature, but he couldn’t resist. He’d been thinking about how Elise had sucked all weekend, and he couldn’t get it off his mind.

Elise: Real smooth, Lucas.

Luke: Had to be done.

Luke: Off work now. Have to drive home. Talk later?

Luke sat and stared at his phone, actually worried she’d say no.

Elise: Sure. Later.

Luke threw his phone on the passenger seat and shifted into drive, all the while grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t wait to see what she would have to say next.

Author Bio:

R.L. Kenderson is two best friends writing under one name. Renae has always loved reading and in third grade wrote her first poem where she learned she might have a knack for this writing thing. Lara remembers sneaking her grandmother’s Harlequin novels when she was probably too young to be reading them, and since then she knew she wanted to write her own.

When they met in college, they bonded over their love of reading and the TV show Charmed. What really spiced up their friendship was when Lara introduced Renae to romance novels. When they discovered their first vampire romance, they knew there would always be a special place in their hearts for paranormal romance. After being unable to find certain storylines and characteristics they wanted to read about in the hundreds of books they consumed, they decided to write their own.

They both live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area where they’re a sonographer/stay-at-home mom/wife and pharmacist/mother by day and a sexy author by night. You can find them at http://www.rlkenderson.com, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and Goodreads. Or you can email them at rlkenderson@rlkenderson.com. They always love hearing from their readers.

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People of the Sun by Jason Parent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A couple of local men find what appears to be an alien craft that has landed in what was the day before a lake but is now completely dry as the desert. The craft is radiating so much heat that it doesn’t seem possible to get close to it. While waiting for the authorities to show up the men stumble up four alien creatures and things get a little intense when they can’t communicate.

Soon it’s found that the alien group has escaped their planet in an attempt to save their on species from extinction. They find that here on Earth water seems to revitalize their species but with this discovery comes even more abilities they didn’t know were possible. Not only is the situation between the humans and the aliens but the small group of marooned visitors find themselves questioning each other.

People of the Sun is a science fiction fantasy read by Jason Parent. I was quite curious as to what the book would hold having read a few horror stories from this author and found this to be a quite creative take on a crash landing on our planet.

The story had some nice world building to it that gave the story of where the visitors had come from and what it was like for them. There was also some nice development to the plot that gave depth to the story of what would it be like if this type of thing actually happened. As with our own human race not everyone is the same and the group of aliens had their own personalities which progressed the story forward and made for interesting reading. Lots of action and adventure and a nice read overall.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Reckoning
Jena Leigh
(The Variant Series, #4)
Publication date: June 20th 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Alexandra Parker came home from the past only to find herself in the middle of an underground war—one that could affect the fate of Variants everywhere.

Fighting an all-powerful government agency is tough enough, but when a secret from John Grayson’s past comes back to haunt them all, the group’s united front begins to crumble. And when Alex’s own painful memories threaten to push her past her breaking point, the uprising stands to lose its most powerful weapon.

With their lives and their freedom on the line, can Declan, Nate, and the rest of the Grayson family hold it together long enough to bring down Director Carter and derail Brian’s apocalyptic visions?

As Alex struggles to master her most volatile ability yet, only one thing is certain: the uprising’s cold war with the Agency is about to turn red hot.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

“Would you like to continue?” Brandt asked, his tone mocking. “Or do you need a break?”

Alex wiped distractedly at her brow, straightened her posture, and gave a nod. “I’m ready. Let’s keep going.”

Brandt smiled. “As you wish, little girl.”

He split the fiery orb he held in two before allowing each of them to double in size—and then he lobbed one of them directly at her head.

Standing as they were, only a few yards apart, she barely had time to dive out of the way. The fireball hit the ground just behind her, singeing the earth to a blackened char before fizzling out.

Alex got back to her feet. Again, Brandt split the orb he held in two before sending one spiraling toward her face.

This time she was ready and managed to catch the blazing orb just a few fleeting inches from the tip of her nose. She shrank the ball little by little until she was able to force it to blink out entirely.

Distracted as she was by her efforts, she almost failed to notice the next orb hurtling her way. It took everything she had to react in time to catch that one, too, and dissolve it. This time, she glanced up to discover two fiery masses spiraling in her direction.

Again, Alex was forced to redouble her efforts in order to catch both simultaneously and dissipate them.

And then there were three.

Four.

Five.

Soon Alex’s world consisted only of the flames hurtling toward her and the effort it required to force each orb out of existence.

Within another two minutes, the number of orbs being launched simultaneously in her direction had hit double digits.

Drowning beneath the constant onslaught, Alex grew desperate.

“Brandt, stop!” she gasped out. “Please!”

Instead of slowing, the speed and strength of his volleys intensified.

“Stop?” he repeated, incredulous. “I thought you were here this morning to learn. To train. Are you really going to give up so easily, little girl?”

Exhaustion turned swiftly to rage. Alex growled as she countered orb after orb, dissolving each one with barely an instant remaining to prepare for the next explosive torrent.

“Stop calling me little girl,” she spat through clenched teeth, struggling to hold back the barrage.

“Then stop acting like one,” he replied. “If you just wait around for people to start taking you seriously, you’re never gonna get anywhere. You want to go toe-to-toe with the boys? You want to stand on an equal playing field? Newsflash, little girl. Such a field doesn’t exist. Not for you.”

She could feel the anger burning through her, hotter even than the fire she wielded.

“Don’t ask to be their equal,” Brandt said. “Demand it. Then ready yourself so that, when the time comes, you leave them all behind. Make certain that there will be no doubt that you’re so much more than they ever dreamed.”

Alex could feel her strength—and her ability to focus—waning. She had seconds at most before her concentration gave out and the hailstorm of orbs made contact.

Summoning the last of her willpower, Alex took hold of every lick of fire in the open field, including the ones Brandt still held. Ripping them away from his control, she stretched out her arms, drew the nearly two dozen orbs toward her, and formed a

veritable wall with them… and then she catapulted them all back toward her opponent.

Eyes widening in surprise behind his wire-rimmed glasses, Brandt stumbled backward, unable to stop the attack that was now heading straight for him.

Author Bio:

Jena Leigh is the author of the Variant Series novels REVIVAL, RESISTANCE, REDUX, and RECKONING. She’s currently hard at work on the fifth novel in the series. Born and raised in the lightning capital of North America, she eventually made her home in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. A shameless geek, she loves coffee, loud music, bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, and shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts.

To find out more about The Variant Series and author Jena Leigh, visit her online at http://www.jenaleighbooks.com or @jenaleighbooks.

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The Truth about Porn Star Boyfriends
Sunniva Dee
Publication date: August 15th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

I guess I just forgot.

To ask him what he did for a living, I mean.

And by the time I did, I was in—balls deep, as he’d call it.

He was the perfect boyfriend.

Attentive, gorgeous, guessing my every wish and fulfilling them.

The sex was earth-shattering.

He even dealt with my crazy mom the way no one else could.

He popped the question, God, such a perfect guy.

There was just one issue:

He f*cked other girls on camera for a living.

How the hell do you deal with that?

Add to Goodreads

—

EXCERPT:

I slept over at his house. I did. I just couldn’t go home after everything he told me. I didn’t accept the invite to come with him on the boat today though. I didn’t ask him if he was going without me either. If he is, wouldn’t he be inviting some “friends,” some Alicias or Silks? I don’t want to know.

It’s not difficult to get my shifts back at Mintrer’s. With Il Signore’s nonna at the hospital, the family spends as much time at her bedside as they can.

Mom calls.

She sounds okay.

I need to verify in person even though Paul is next door, hopefully keeping her busy with his garden statues and homemade fountains. He likes my quirky mother because he’s quirky himself. That’s my guess anyway. I don’t think I can handle any new rocks hurled at Status Quo at the moment, especially not from Mom.

The boat is ready.

I only returned to my house two hours again, and this is what Ciro texts me? I roll my eyes. Frieda lowers the bagel she held up for me—everything or just sesame seeds?—and says, “That isn’t the porn star, is it?”

“Yeah, it’s Drake Constantine.” I pull out the syllables mocking him even though each sound opens my chest again.

“Well, at least he’s got a nice artist name. He’s no Jake daBoner or Cassius Erectus.”

I snort.

“Drake Constantine boned me in the ass last night,” she quotes as if from Shakespeare. She gazes beyond the bagel she now holds up like a skull.

I chuckle a little bit, and Frieda smiles. Smiles so wide it makes me feel guilty over everything I’ve put her through. I know she suffers with me. She didn’t sleep last night knowing I was with Ciro.

“What’s he saying?”

“He tells me he’s got the boat ready.”

“For that Catalina trip?”

“Mhmm.”

“You’re not doing that too, are you?” She drops the halves of the bagel into the toaster.

“Not the everything,” I say. “Can I have the sesame seed one instead?”

She presses her mouth together in a stern line but listens and fishes the everything one out and drops the sesame bagel in instead. “Happy now?”

“Very.”

“You’re not going, right?”

“No.” I want to slap my heart and my body for agreeing that we should say yes. “I already told you. I’m visiting Mom this morning, and then I’m working. If I get to do some overtime this weekend, I’m happy. I need the money, and I really don’t want to mope around the house.”

I’ll wait for you if you’re asleep.

I said I wasn’t going. Can’t. We

I hit “send” before I can finish the “We’re over, remember?” part. It was easier to yell it to him when I was furious. Today, I don’t know how I feel.

Why can’t you? He doesn’t ask about the We part? He knows.

“He’s so stubborn,” I murmur and type again.

Because, when are you seeing someone else for a f*** fest?

He deserves that I’m being crude. Hell, he’s being crude every hour of every work day.

He takes a moment to reply. Long enough for Frieda to scoot a plate and the tub of cream cheese in front of me. “Stop texting with him. You’re only dragging it out. You know that, right? I thought you’d blocked him.”

“He has a work phone too. On-freaking-call cell. Ha!”

Author Bio:

Between studies, teaching, and advising, Sunniva has spent her entire adult life in a college environment. Most of her novels are new adult romance geared toward smart, passionate readers with a love for eclectic language and engaging their brain as well as their heart while reading.

Born in the Land of the Midnight Sun, the author spent her early twenties making the world her playground. Southern Europe: Spain, Italy, Greece–Argentina: Buenos Aires, in particular. The United States finally kept her interest, and after half a decade in Los Angeles, she now lounges in the beautiful city of Savannah.

Sometimes, Sunniva writes with a paranormal twist (Shattering Halos, Stargazer, and Cat Love). At other times, it’s contemporary (Pandora Wild Child, Leon’s Way, Adrenaline Crush, Walking Heartbreak, and Dodging Trains, coming in late March 2016).

This author is the happiest when her characters let their emotions run off with them, shaping her stories in ways she never foresaw. She loves bad-boys and good-boys run amok, and like in real life, her goal is to keep the reader on her toes until the end of each story.

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