Carries Book Reviews

Secret Love
Evan Grace
(Love Stings, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: July 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Competition is healthy. Except Carrington Carter can’t ever seem to win…

Carrington has never been good enough, between competing with the ghost of a sister she never met and a brother who can do no wrong in their parents’ eyes. She’s convinced finishing nursing school will finally make her parents proud, until she finds out she didn’t pass her boards. Now she needs money, more than she’d make working as a nurse’s aide.

A secret life of late nights and fast cash may be the only way to keep the news of her most recent failure from her parents…

While driving to the hospital, she spots a gentlemen’s club, the Thirsty Beaver, and decides to apply for a job as a dancer. She’s danced her whole life—how hard could it be? The only problem is it’ll have to be a secret because if her parents found out, it’d be one more thing for them to be disappointed with her about.

David “Damien” Michaels loves his job with the DEA. Posing as a bouncer at a strip club is just another assignment…

Damien lives the single life, scratching his itch one woman at a time, while jumping his career up the ladder. The fact-finding case at the Dirty Dog goes perfectly until one gorgeous redhead complicates everything. She doesn’t belong there, and he knows it.

One look leaves him mesmerized, and he realizes she’s gotten under his skin. He knows he should stay away from her. It could jeopardize her safety and his case, but when he can’t convince her to leave the club…rules no longer apply.

Will the truth set them free, or will Carrington and Damien finally be consumed by their…

Secret Love?

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Author Bio:

A Midwesterner and self-proclaimed nerd, Evan has been an avid reader most of her life, but five years ago got bit by the writing bug, and it quickly became her addiction, passion and therapy. When the voices in her head give it a rest, she can always be found with her e-reader in her hand. Some of her favorites include, Shayla Black, Jaci Burton, Madeline Sheehan and Jamie Mcguire. Evan finds a lot of her inspiration in music, so if you see her wearing her headphones you know she means business and is in the zone.

During the day Evan works for a large homecare agency and at night she’s superwoman. She’s a wife to Jim and a mom to Ethan and Evan, a cook, a tutor, a friend and a writer. How does she do it? She’ll never tell.

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Baby Doll by Hollie Overton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lily has been held captive for the past eight years but now her captor has made a mistake and Lily is able to get free. While she was in captivity she had a daughter who is now six and Lily wants nothing more than to keep her daughter safe and return home to her family.

Showing up after eight years of being missing it’s not easy for Lily or her family to deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping. This is the story of what happens once Lily returns home to find her twin sister is now with Lily’s high school sweetheart and the man that had taken her hostage is a well known and respected man in society.

Baby Doll changes the view point all throughout the story between Lily, her mother Eve, her sister Abby and her former captor Rick. Returning home after eight years when her family never expected to ever see her again brings a lot of issues into Lily’s family. There was a lot of drama all throughout as the characters do their best to overcome a really horrific situation.

I found myself completely engaged in this story rather early on even though a part of me questioned the characterization in this read. Lily who had been held captive really seemed to be the strongest character in the book but I suppose there’s no right way for anyone to react to something horrible. I gave up questioning the personalities fairly quickly though and just sat back and enjoyed the ride through the twists and turns and ended up really liking the story in the end.

Overall, this one is really more drama based than thriller which wasn’t what I expected but still good writing and enjoyed the read.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Teacher
Clarissa Wild
Publication date: June 28th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

My name is Thomas and I’m always hard.

No really, that’s my last name. Thomas Hard, the pleasure is all mine … literally.

I can’t help it that my name suits me well.

You know what else suits me well? That girl sitting across the bar, with her lips right where I tell them to be. I want her, and when I want something, it’s gonna be mine.

One night. No names. No phone numbers. Just me, her, and pure pleasure.

Except, that one girl turns out to be the biggest mistake of my life.

Why?

Because I broke my cardinal rule …

Never bang a student.

Author’s note: Don’t like reckless decisions & unbridled screwing? Don’t love girls that are obsessed with ice cream, rainbows, and unicorns? Don’t enjoy a bit of corny humor sprinkled on top? Then this book is not for you. And last but not least, if you hate cats with giant jewels … Don’t even bother.

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—

EXCERPT:

I step closer until she finally raises her head and sees me.

Her eyes, hidden under thick lashes, sparkle with enthusiasm as she looks up at me. She playfully bites her lip as I approach, and I reciprocate with an added tongue swipe.

Her brow rises as I place my hand on her hip, pulling her closer toward me.

She hesitates a second, but when the beat drops, her hands slide up to my shoulders, and she starts to dance. The friction between us is undeniable, her ass swaying side to side against my hands. I cop a feel, which she doesn’t seem to mind. We inch closer and closer, her eyes irresistible, but her mouth even more so. When our lips almost touch, her lips part.

“Who are you?” she whispers.

“Call me John …” I murmur.

“John who?”

“John Doe.”

She smirks. “Your real name.”

I twirl her around in my arm and lean on her shoulder, my lips dangerously close to her neck. She takes in a sharp breath of air as my teeth graze her skin, my breath probably already setting her on fire.

“Do you really want to know?”

Slowly, she nods her head.

“Hmm … all right. Because you’re so curious. Let’s do two questions.”

“Two?”

“You ask me a question, I answer, then I ask you a question, and you answer.”

“Okay. Who goes first?” she asks.

“You.” I smirk.

“Why did you pick me?”

“I saw you in your high heels and your tight skirt. I like how you looked back,” I whisper, licking my lips. “My turn. Do you like to dance with strangers?”

“Is that a real question?”

“Ah-ah,” I say. “Can’t answer with a question.”

“Okay. Well, then I guess … maybe?”

“Hmm …”

Her hips grind against mine as we lose ourselves in the music. My body close to hers, it’s almost as if we’re becoming one. We don’t know each other … and that makes it perfect.

“My turn,” she says. “Do you do this often?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not really an answer,” she says.

“Then don’t ask a question that can be answered with just one word,” I muse.

She sighs. “You’re a know-it-all, aren’t you?”

“I just like games and rules,” I say with an arrogant smile. “Last one … What would you say if I took you home tonight and fucked you like you’ve never been fucked before?”

She sucks in a short breath.

I place a hand over her mouth. “Don’t answer yet. Dance with me first.”

We dance some more, my hands incapable of staying off her. As I become heady from the lust, I press a soft, succulent kiss on her neck, which creates goose bumps all over her body. Her body melts in my arms, and my cock stiffens in response.

“I can’t control myself …” I whisper into her ear.

She twists around in my arms again, and we dance closer than before, my hands on her body in places they shouldn’t be. She leans in, so I go in for the kill.

I kiss her full on the lips, enjoying the spicy taste of her drink.

She kisses me back just as fervently, and I take it as a sign to kiss her harder, faster. I show her what’s in store for her if she goes home with me. And right when she becomes needy, I stop, pull back, and let her suck in the empty air.

“Are you game?” I ask.

“Yeah …” she mutters under a heavy breath.

“No names. No numbers.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Fuck yes, it is.”

“Hmmm …” A smile forms on her lips. “I like dangerous.”

Author Bio:

Want to be the first to get your hands on new books & get access to free short stories, giveaway prizes, previews, and more? Sign up here http://eepurl.com/FdY71

Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. Her novels include the Fierce Series, the Delirious Series, and Stalker. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire’s Bet series, and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

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Damage Me
Shana Vanterpool
(Crystal Gulf #2)
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: July 5th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

*** AUTHOR’S NOTE and CONTENT WARNING: This story contains triggers for rape victims and soldiers. I did my best to remain respectful to the healing process for both. Hillary’s feelings are hers alone and ONLY represent how she feels about her attack. Dylan’s emotions about his time at war are his ALONE. You are all strong and beautiful, and you will soar again! ***

A broken soldier …

Dylan Meyer lived his life fast and hard, doing anything to keep his emotions masked. In Crystal Gulf, Texas, women, drugs, and alcohol are in abundance. After all, it’s a college town. But eventually, his lifestyle caught up to him. The birth of his daughter, Aubrey, forced him to grow up and take responsibility for his actions. He let his vices go, cleaned up his act, and allowed himself to fall for Harley Evans.

But Dylan is a liar.

He lied to himself. To Harley. To his best friend, Bach. And then he lied himself right into a U.S. Army uniform. When he went to war, he left Harley with his best friend in hopes that he’d look out for her while he was deployed. Not in his darkest nightmares did he think Bach and Harley would fall in love.

A fallen angel …

Hillary Hayes is an eighteen-year-old sophomore in college who understands the importance of rules. She’s followed them her entire life. She gets perfect grades, avoids dating, and won’t stray from the future her mother mapped out. On the outside, she’s perfect. Inside, she’s drowning.

That carefully crafted future disappears when she downs a beer at a party. What’s left of that night is the wreckage of the girl she used to be.

Until she meets Dylan. Her brother’s best friend.

When Dylan returns from war, he can’t move past the betrayal. His daughter’s growing up without him. Flashbacks and PTSD from his time in Afghanistan consume him. He loses himself in a dark depression. There is no light in his darkness …until he meets Hillary. His best friend’s little sister is the only good thing among all the bad.

He’s her safe place.

She’s his light.

Can two damaged souls ever find peace, or is the damage too much to overcome?

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Sequel to:

—

SNEAK PEEK:

Before I met Harley, this was who I was. A man who used whatever he wanted to use to forget the darkness of his past. A man who hurt to hide his hurt. And a man who lied to hide the truth. When I came home and woke up from surgery, Bach kept me in the dark for some time before he told me the truth. He’d taken my girl when he promised to watch out for her. Ever since that day, I’d let the lies go and slid back into my old skin.

This was Dylan Meyer.

Like him or not.

A man who had fallen too many times to bother trying to get up again. I’d lie there, on the floor, with gravel in my wounds and my eyes staring up at the midnight sky until I found this uncomfortable position comfortable again.

Author Bio:

When I walk into a book store I feel at home. When I smell the pages of a brand new book things make sense. When I read I am who I always wanted to be. I read to escape and I write so others can as well. My family, my actress dog Bella, coffee, and a steamy love story are a few of my most precious things. My Sweet Demise is my debut new-adult contemporary romance novel.

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The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Twelve contestants have signed up for a new reality television show that focuses on surviving in the wild. The show is going to be a huge production airing several times each week and the contestants have been kept in the dark on all of the details of how it will all work out but know that they are each competing against each other for a huge cash prize. A few weeks into the filming of the show a virus breaks out and millions of people have died but those in the show have been cut off from the world and have no clue what is happening.

I have to start off this review with admitting that I love reality TV. There I admitted it. I find it entertaining to watch people do such dumb things all in the name of winning a prize or finding their true love etc. Most of the time the shows are hilarious as you sit thinking did I really just see this person do that?? So anyway, when I read the description of The Last One I knew this would be a book that I just had to read as I also like reading dystopian type of books on occasion. This book wasn’t perfect by any means but it was certainly a fun read mixing these two types of things together.

The book alternates telling the story between what is happening in the now after the virus had hit featuring one of the contestants of the show who was off on her own when everything had happened so she believes she is still in the game. Then you have chapters that flash back to the beginning of the production where you get a background on the show and the other contestants and just what type of missions they were doing before it all started. The characters were given nicknames on the show such as Tracker, Banker, Waitress, Exorcist and so on with the now portion of the story following Zoo. There are also little bits between some chapters of viewers posting comments discussing the show as it started airing.

Now as I said I didn’t find this a perfect book but I really ended up enjoying it enough that I decided to only mark my rating down just a tad bit and give it 4.5 stars. It really could have used a bit better world/character building added into the story as some parts may be a bit confusing to read and piece together who is who and what is going on. I found myself completely hooked on the story though taking a couple of things I enjoy and mashing them together so it still scored fairly high for me regardless of the flaws. There such an intriguing psychological element to the main character struggling to keep herself going all in the name of the “game” that she doesn’t realize ended before it ever truly began.

Overall 4.5 stars, I think any fans of a Survivor type of reality television show and a dystopian setting will find themselves enjoying this one so I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.