Carries Book Reviews

My Broken Soldier
Alison Mello
(Love Conquers Life, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: July 12th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Patricia Fitzgerald is finally ready to bring her relationship with Carter into the limelight, despite what her mother thinks…

Patty is prepared to face the consequences and announce her relationship at her first public fundraiser with Carter. But when a strange woman makes a move on him, and she finds them in what appears to be a mutual, passionate kiss, Patty can’t believe she’s been so foolish. She should’ve known better than to trust a man.

Carter’s been set up, but he can’t get anyone to believe him…

Floundering under the stress of losing Patty, the PTSD nightmares start in again, leaving Carter no choice but to turn to the only thing that will numb the pain. Alcohol—and lots of it. His family quickly intervenes and takes him to the hospital to kick-start his road to recovery. Carter knows burying the pain isn’t the answer. He has to heal…and save his relationship with Patty.

Outside forces work to keep Patty and Carter apart…

Suspicious of her mother’s recent actions, Patty pushes her to come clean about the setup at the fundraiser. Her jealous ex, Ben, has been blackmailing her mother into helping him ruin her relationship with Carter, and it doesn’t stop at that. Ben shows up at the lake house unwilling to accept no for an answer.

Carter needs to piece his broken life back together, but he’s running out of time…

With so many who want to destroy their happiness, he has to be strong enough to save Patty from an empty, loveless future—or he’ll be nothing more than the broken soldier she used to know.

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Author Bio:

Alison Mello is a wife and stay at home mom to a wonderful little boy. She lives with her amazing family in Massachusetts. She loves playing soccer, basketball and football with her son.

After having her son, Alison started reading again and fell in love with Contemporary Romance. Reading made her happy and gave her something to do when she had downtime. As she started to read more, she started to noticed things she really enjoyed in a book and things she didn’t. She began to have ideas for writing one of her own. One day she literally woke up and started writing. She realized that if there was ever a time for her to write, it was now. She had a part time job to give her something to do. The hours at work were slow and she was bored with what she was doing, so while her son was off enjoying his friends over summer vacation she got started.

Alison finished the first book in two weeks and decided that she really enjoyed writing, so she kept going. She already had ideas in mind for books two and three, so she kept writing. That is how the Learning to Love Series was born. Somewhere along the line, one of my Beta readers convinced me that Michael, a character from Finding Love, needed his own story. That is when Alison added the fourth and final book. Alison hopes you enjoy her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.

She’s so glad she started this writing journey and hopes you will stay with her for the ride. Chasing Dreams is scheduled to release in April and the first two books of the Love Conquers Life series will be out this summer!

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Nuclear Heat
J.L. White
(Firework Girls #4)
Publication date: June 28th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

They call us the Firework Girls.

I’m Sam. Let’s get one thing straight. Marriage is fine for some people, but it’s got nothing to do with me. If you knew the truth about my past, believe me, you’d understand.

But hey, I’m not complaining. I’ve got a good job. Great friends. And when I need a little something in the man department, well… I’ve never had any trouble getting that when I want it either.

Then Jack has to come along and screw it all up.

I never saw it coming. I mean, we’ve been friends for six years. Years. But in one moment… one gooseflesh-inducing, world tilting, alarming moment… it all starts to change.

Let me tell you something, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was freaking fall in love. But that Jack snuck right under my radar.

I’m not too happy about it either.

Not one damn bit.

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EXCERPT:

(Jack’s POV)

When I first saw Sam in this hospital bed a couple days ago, I’d wanted to stroke her cheeks and kiss her forehead. She was so frail and sick. I wanted to comfort her. Now she’s starting to get her color back along with a little bit of her orneriness—a good sign—but I still have this pinched, panicked feeling in my chest. I don’t know why it won’t go away.

But now, as I look at her sleeping, that feeling starts to take on a life of its own.

Something warm is blooming in my heart and my chest. Meanwhile a strange, queasy sort of feeling grips my stomach. I don’t just want to pet her cheek and kiss her on the forehead. I want to pull her into my arms and cradle her head against my chest. I

want to climb right into this bed and hold her against me, feeling her body against mine from head to toe. I want to kiss her on the forehead, and on her cheeks, and on her lips.

My heart is pounding. That warm feeling is flooding my chest, my arms, my face.

As I realize how badly I want to hold her and kiss her again and again, I feel the entire world flip over.

Oh, god.

Sam.

Is this for real? Is this what I think it is?

I look down at her hand in mine. I want to kiss that too, press my lips against her hand until I make her mine.

I look back at Sam’s face and see her like I’ve never seen her before. My breath catches. My heartbeat is resonating in my chest. Her presence washes over me and envelopes me.

Holy god.

This little voice inside my brain is thinking, But, but, but… we’re friends. Just friends.

We may have been friends for a long, long time, but these feelings I’m having are brand freaking new.

At that moment Ashley comes in, giving me a quick smile before looking at Sam. “Oh, she looks so much better,” she says. She deposits her purse on the counter, flips her long braid behind her, and comes over to sit beside me. “Don’t you think?”

I’m barely breathing. Ashley’s looking at Sam, but I’m looking at Ashley. Maybe my brain is just playing tricks on me. I’m tired from practically no sleep and exhausted from being so freaked out about losing my best friend.

Friend.

So I try it on Ashley. I try to see her the way a man might see her, a man who hasn’t looked at her for years like a sister. But as I continue to stare at her, all I manage to do is draw her attention and make her give me a quizzical look. My heart draws a blank.

I try to imagine kissing her and can’t do it. It’s kind of freaking me out, actually.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing.”

My voice sounds funny. I look back to Sam and it all hits me again. Bam.

Oh, god.

Oh, god.

Oh, god.

Oh, god.

This can’t be good.

Author Bio:

J.L. White writes steamy romances featuring smart, sexy women and the swoon-worthy men who adore them. Her sexy love stories are full of passion but don’t skimp on the tenderness.

She’s addicted to trendy coffee houses, poolside lounging, and HEAs. When not tapping blissfully away on her laptop, she takes time to enjoy life with her husband and their children.

Don’t miss a new release! Join the JL White mailing list for updates on new books, sales, and other goodies: http://jlwhitebooks.com/get-emails-about-hot-new-releases/

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLWhiteAuthor

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Most people inherit money; Alexis inherited Hell…

Out July 26th – Her Legacy by Teresa Crumpton

Defending Hayden
L.P. Dover
(Second Chances #7)
Published by: Loveswept
Publication date: June 28th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

No one’s tougher than Carolina Cougars linebacker Derek McLaughlin. But when a fatal car accident claims the life of his girlfriend, Derek finds himself caught in a destructive spiral of drugs, alcohol, and meaningless sex. But not even a string of one-night stands can ease the hurt. Football is all he has left. Then fate leads him back to the scene of the crash, and into the arms of a kind, gorgeous woman who sees past his façade to the man he once was . . . and can be again.

When a chance roadside encounter brings Derek into her life, veterinarian Hayden Hunter isn’t fooled by his bad attitude: All bark and no bite, he’s hiding a wounded heart beneath that gruff demeanor. And Hayden wants to be the one to kiss it all better. Soon they both find that a dose of passion is potent medicine. But when a hidden enemy lashes out at Hayden, Derek steps up to do what he does best: put his body on the line in the name of love.

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EXCERPT:

Guilt plagued me and I felt sick. Getting out of bed, I paced the room, running my hands angrily through my hair. I didn’t want to hurt Hayden. Keeping her away would protect her from my life. She was bound to leave me anyway. I’d fuck up somehow and it would ruin her. What the hell was I talking about? I’d already fucked her up.

“Derek?” Her voice was like honey, silky and sweet. I’d imagined what it would be like to hear that voice screaming my name as I fucked her over and over. Last night had been the best night of my life, but it had scared the shit out of me. I couldn’t shake it. “Derek, are you okay?” she asked. Stopping midstep, I turned to face her, and her eyes widenened when she got a glimpse of my face. I could only imagine what she saw. So many emotions battled inside me. She held the blanket to her chest, and her lips trembled. “Please tell me this wasn’t just a game to you,” she whispered.

Swallowing hard, I sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for her. She recoiled from my touch. “None of this was a game, Hayden. Last night was fucking amazing.”

Her eyes glistened, but her jaw was firm. “Then why are you looking at me like that? Like you regret what we did.”

I wanted to touch her, but last night had been my only chance. She’d never let me close to her again. “I don’t regret it, but eventually you will. You’re not the only one who’s lost someone they cared about. I can’t go through it again. It’s best to stop this before it goes any further.”

“Any further?” she scoffed. She waved her arm around the room, her anger so thick I could cut it with a knife. “If you didn’t want it to go any further, then why did you bring me here? Why would you do that to me?”

“Because I care about you,” I said, knowing it made no sense to her.

“Then why are you pushing me away?” she cried.

Standing, I got up and walked over to the window. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can’t forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols.

Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over seventeen novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.

L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

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Rain by India R. Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rose has not had an easy time, her father passed away from an illness that has hit their small town hard and now her mother is also suffering from it leaving Rose to raise her siblings.

For her twentieth birthday though Rose let’s her friend talk her into celebrating at a bonfire with her friends. That night though Rose meets a stranger in the woods and finds herself strangely attracted to him but does he even really exist?

Anyone that follows my reviews at all may notice by now that I’ve become a huge fan of India R. Adams so it’s not really a shocker that this book also rated very high for me. All of her stories really seem to be completely different but one thing they do have in common is really great writing that just brings the characters and story to life and never fails to drag me right into the book where I don’t want to put it down until I’m completely done.

Rain is another fantasy type of read from India which blends this small town and the inhabitants with demons and elves. Rose’s stranger is there to protect her and shares a connection that she is completely unaware of. There’s a love triangle involved in the story but done in a way that is completely understandable and fits the story well. The story was certainly unique and I became easily engrossed in it wanting to know what would happen and when finished I just had another of those where is the next book moments.

Overall, another great read from India, I highly recommend checking out any of her books as they all share great writing and completely unique characters and story lines. At this point I don’t think I could pick a favorite read as they are all so different but always have the same feel of making one laugh or cry and just become completely engaged in the story.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.