Carries Book Reviews

Steal Me by India R. Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After Maverick’s father dies rather suddenly he finds himself trying to hold his family together. His mother has slipped into depression and turned to pills leaving Mav in charge of his younger sister. When the two go out one day they meet a group of teenagers one of which has a sibling Bailey’s age. Mav finds himself suddenly with a group of friends he relates to as they all have their own problems and have also experienced loss in their lives.

Steal Me is the third book I’ve read by India R. Adams and while they all are different in their own ways I have ended up loving every one. This book deals with love, loss and life in general. The characters are ones with flaws all of their own and feel so real that you can’t help but get wrapped up in their lives.

The first part of this book follows Maverick and his story after learning of the death of his father. Mav finds himself falling for Delilah who has problems of her own that she’s buried so deep inside but the two grow and learn together. The second half of the book focuses on Delilah’s older brother Tucker going back to the time that their family lost their mother and following him all the way past where we left off with Delilah and Mav.

As usual with India’s writing the book is full of emotion whether it’s laughs or tears. The problems the characters were dealing with were real and heartbreaking. I found myself hooked from the very start completely engaged in their lives.

Overall, a wonderful read full of emotion, would definitely recommend checking this one out.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to India R. Adams for allowing me to review this book.

Wish For Me by A. Star
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Glory St. Pierre finds a old abandoned lamp in her deceased grandmother’s basement little does she know she’s about to become the master to a genie. Irving Amir adamantly insists he’s a Djinn, not a genie but since Glory released him he owes her three wishes.

Glory immediately develops an infatuation with Irving and wanting to prolong their time together she vows to be careful with her wishes. Unfortunately Irving is being hunted and Glory finds herself in the middle of a world she never knew existed.

Wish For Me was an ok read, a lot of the book is more of Glory’s fascination with the new sexy genie and I would’ve preferred getting more into the action of the story a bit quicker. Glory spends a ton of time just admiring Irving which I could have done without hearing about his good looks quite so often. Also, I don’t know if it was Glory’s infatuation or just the way her personality was coming across to me but she often seemed a lot younger than she is meant to be in the book.

Once the books gets more into the Djinn world we also start the relationship between Glory and Irving. I wasn’t completely hooked on the sexier moments between the two just because of the feeling that Glory often seemed more of a young teen than her age. But the story of the Djinn world and Irving’s background kept me interested.

Overall, not too bad of a quick fantasy read. Needed more to the story and less to the relationship to really get my attention but 3 stars for this one.

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

Once Written, Twice Shy
Carey Decevito
(The Broken Men Chronicles #1)
Publication date: November 10th 2015
Genres: Erotica, Romance

I stared at the overly large bags that lay by the front entrance with what must have been the world’s largest what the fuck look on my face.

“I’m done, Paxton.”

After his bitter marriage ends, Paxton seeks respite from his loss. Rediscovering his writing, he never expected to create a piece worthy of reading, nor for two unsuspecting paths to cross in the most unconventional of ways.

Thousands of miles separated them, yet he’d never felt closer to anyone. Finding out that happiness and love was attainable again was one thing. But having Alissa – that was something else all together!

When the two finally meet in person, sparks fly. Their chemistry is beyond explosive, and emotions reach a boiling point. Their brief love affair ignited the fuse, but Paxton is shocked when his young son fans their fire. His sweet four-year-old boy immediately falls for the loving, meek, demurred woman in Alissa, and she starts to change both their lives. Then, she becomes their salvation – in ways no one could see coming.

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EXCERPT:

When I married, I had intended it to be for life.

Well, I guess life had a plan of its own, huh?

With each passing day, I picked up the broken pieces of me. I hadn’t realized that I had stifled so much of myself over the years to try and please a woman that seemed to never be sated with anything I said or did.

Fueled by my feelings of loss and neglect, I made a decision, which led me to rediscover an old love.

The proverbial flame was rekindled, and I began to write again.

For what felt like an eternity, I wrote. When I was done, I read my piece over so many times that my words no longer made sense, forcing me to put it down and go back to it later.

I stared at my finished manuscript displayed on my screen.

What am I going to do with this?

I had discovered a site, a few months before. It had been recommended by a colleague. The venue allowed people from around the world to peruse and read various works written by amateurs. Some of the work on there I found horrid, while others, despite their various grammatical and punctual flaws, you wished you could set your hands on an edited and printed copy, they were so great.

What the hell.

I decided to chance it.

With a bit of copy and paste, and a little restructuring, I hit the publish button and there it was. My first written piece was out for the world to see.

It wasn’t until a few months after I had posted my work that I stumbled upon a comment that I couldn’t dismiss. I ached for constructive feedback, but the lack of it was getting to me due to the site being overrun by teenagers. I debated getting rid of my profile altogether up until that fateful day.

That short message was where things began to change for me. With simple words of appreciation, intellectual and heartfelt thoughts, followed by a click of her mouse, Alissa had made me smile.

I sought her profile out and found that she was a fellow amateur writer just like me.

She’s gorgeous, had been my first impression. Despite her evident beauty, something else could be seen in her profile photo; something that beckoned me further, begged my curiosity to look beyond the surface. It was in her eyes.

Loneliness.

Or was I reading into things too much, since I was such a novice at these social media-like sites?

For a few weeks, I sat on Alissa’s words alone as I read through some of her work.

She was good.

Better than good.

I thought that I’d end up with one of those written numbers that didn’t make much sense or that glittered in the night featuring vampires and werewolves. Boy was I wrong!

The woman sure knew how to paint a vivid picture. She pulled off the hot and sexy but kept it real all at once by adding emotion, drama, even a bit of action and suspense to her mix. Her work was altogether something reminiscent of everyday life: the good, the bad, the ugly, the… Well, you get the picture.

A few days after reading her last novel, a dream influenced by her work prompted me to finally write out an acknowledgment to her comment.

From there, we began to chat through private messages on a near daily basis.

We never stopped…

Author Bio:

Born and raised in small town Northern Ontario, Canada, Carey Decevito has always had a penchant for reading and writing.

More than a decade later, with weeks of sleepless nights, where exhaustion settled into her everyday existence, she finally gave in and put pen to paper (more like fingers to keyboard!) She submitted to the dreams that plagued her. And the rest, as they say, is history!

A member of the RWA, Carey Decevito enjoys spending time with family and friends, the outdoors, travelling, and playing tourist in Canada’s National Capital region. When life gets crazy, she seeks respite through her writing and reading. If all else fails, she knows there’s never a dull moment with her two daughters, her goofy husband, and cat who she swears is out to get her.

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Full Share
Eliza Freed
(Shore House, #1)
Publication date: June 21st 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Nora Hargrove’s post-grad life includes a horrific entry-level job, a cave of an apartment, and a strict avoidance of all interpersonal relationships. She knows only one thing about herself—she wants to be left alone.

Avoiding her mother’s forced family time, she seeks solitude on her own terms. In a poorly ventilated, overcrowded Dewey Beach rental, she discovers there’s no place to hide. Not from yourself, not from your life, and not from love. This is the story of Nora Hargrove’s full share.

I learned the healing power of a good bloody Mary and a dip in the Atlantic. I kayaked in the dead of night and witnessed the only shooting star I’ve ever seen. I fell in love on a bed made of pallets. I lived.

Life is deep. Dive in.

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SNEAK PEEK:

“I’m looking forward to the summer being over,” he said, but his statement confused me. I was disoriented by his placement and my hands in his, and wondering why he’d ever want this summer to end. Jack had it better than the rest of us.

“Why?” finally came out of my mouth when I was able to draw my gaze away from our hands and look him in the eye.

“Because I’m going to take you out on a proper date.”

I didn’t say a word, but my heart raced near the surface of my chest.

“I want to take you out to dinner and then take you to bed.”

My breath caught. I lingered on the possibility of both those things. “What if I’m not tired?”

Jack’s smile was devious. “And it’ll be so good, you’ll beg me to be with you for the rest of our lives.”

I loved him even more for not giving up on me weeks ago when anyone else would have. “Why do you keep trying?”

“Because you’re worth it. I can feel it. We’re going to be great together. You just have to let me in.”

I started to pull my hands away, but Jack tightened his grip.

“Why does that scare you?”

“It doesn’t.” I was honest. His words didn’t scare me. “It’s just what I do.”

He released my hands. “Pull away?”

“Pretty much.” I kept my sight steady on him. The breeze blew around us, swirling our towels against our sides. “It’s rarely necessary, though. No one usually gets as close as you have.” I swallowed down the realization of how close he was.

“I’m special.”

“You are.” The words croaked out as if saying them was choking me. I was done lying to him.

Author Bio:

Eliza Freed graduated from Rutgers University and returned to her hometown in rural South Jersey. Her mother encouraged her to take some time and find herself. After three months of searching, she began to bounce checks and her neighbors began to talk; her mother told her to find a job.

She settled into Corporate America, learning systems and practices and the bureaucracy that slows them. Eliza quickly discovered her creativity and gift for story telling as a corporate trainer and spent years perfecting her presentation skills and studying diversity. It’s during this time she became an avid observer of the characters we meet and the heartaches we endure. Her years of study have taught her laughter is the key to survival, even when it’s completely inappropriate.

She currently lives in New Jersey with her family and a misbehaving beagle named Odin. An avid swimmer, if Eliza is not with her family and friends, she’d rather be underwater. While she enjoys many genres, she has always been a sucker for a love story…the more screwed up the better.

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Scarred
LeTeisha Newton
(Lost Series, #2)
Publication date: May 4th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

They told me about Ethan.

He’s no good.

He only knew darkness.

He’s a killer.

But that’s exactly what I need.

Only a monster can turn me into one. I’ve bled and screamed. I’ve been the victim too long. The scars that are visible only conceal the more painful ones on the soul. If he could help me save myself and learn to fight again, then he can have whatever he wants from me. My body. My soul. My heart. Later, he’ll realize that I had the better end of the bargain.

WARNING: This is a dark romance. It contains violence, filthy words, dubious consent, and potential triggers for readers. Please be aware of that when purchasing this book. This story is about being careful what you ask for, because you’ll get exactly what you need, instead of what you want.

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SNEAK A PEEK AT SCARRED:

“It’s a little late for you to be working out still, River. Rest periods are for exactly that, rest.”

She slowed the treadmill to a walk and stepped to the side. Never turning around to face me, she took a swig from her water bottle and meticulously closed the cap.

“I don’t need rest. It’s been six months, Ethan, and I know that eventually Derrick is going to find me. I don’t have the luxury of resting.”

“Pantera,” I corrected her.

She turned then, watching me with a question in her eyes. “Why do they call you that?”

“Because it’s my name, and it’s the one you will use.”

“Ethan Kendall is your name, and I’ve been calling you that the whole time,” she said. She had fire, I’d give her that. But this was my world, my rules. Ethan was a man I wasn’t. A figment of a cracked memory that didn’t mean shit anymore.

“Do you know what Pantera means?” I asked her. My glide toward her was slow. I paused at random intervals, stalking her, pushing her. She was prey. She fought hard not to be, but I still smelled weakness on her, on the edges of her anger. She was always afraid, terrified of what was coming, and not knowing what the result would be. It was that fear that would destroy her.

That fear drew me in.

“Panther,” she said. “I looked it up on the laptop you gave me.”

“I earned that name, River. Carved it out in skin and made my enemies regret ever trespassing against me. What have you done? What have you been made to survive that would ever make you think you could stand on even ground with me?”

I could feel the heat of her anger, but it didn’t stop me. It couldn’t. Anger wasn’t what made me the demon that I was. It was pure, cold, unfiltered hopelessness forged into a blade to cut my way through life.

“You’ve never asked what I went through before,” she said.

I shook my head. “Because it doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

“You cared enough to take me on after you saw me in the hospital,” she returned.

“That’s where you’re wrong, River. So wrong. I enjoy playing with my food. Your every breath marks you as a victim. Every time you freeze when Pavel attacks you from behind, I know you will fail. And every second you look at me with those fearful eyes, I know that whatever Derrick did, he did because you let him.”

She roared her anger, and I laughed. Even as she leapt at me, swinging her right fist hard, I enjoyed her anger. She was smart, sweeping her left leg to take me down, but I twisted my body into her so we were chest to chest. I sensed the shift in her stance and blocked her knee angled for my crotch and wrapped my arm around her neck.

“You can’t beat me, River. You never could.”

Two seconds. That was all it took to take her to the ground. And then she was under me, punching, twisting, and fighting to get away. I let her do nothing. I splayed out above her, pushing her into the mat beneath us. Then I gripped one wrist and planted it above her head. She fought harder, raking her nails down the side of my neck before I could grab that wrist too.

“You have claws, detenysh, but not like mine.”

I bit down on the soft spot of her neck, where it met her shoulder. Her pulse throbbed against my tongue. She screamed, but I didn’t clamp down. I didn’t need to draw blood or hurt her to prove my point. But, somehow, I lost what I had been trying to convey. Between her scent, filled with lavender, and the feel of her body against mine, I noticed her as a man would.

Her breasts were smashed against my chest, but I could feel their fullness. I was cradled in her thighs, a position that went from thinking of the fighting front mount stance, to darker needs. Blood rushed through my veins and pooled into my dick, short circuiting any rational thought.

I wanted her.

I eased my teeth off her and licked over the abused flesh. She froze, a casualty to my strength, my desire, and I couldn’t stop. I traced my way over her jaw and nipped her chin. Her small gasp was all the permission I needed to take her mouth with mine.

Flavor blasted over my taste buds. How long had it been since I kissed a woman? Since I felt one give under my hands? Of all the ones I’d known, I couldn’t place her taste. It was wild and free, and tinted with tears. I knew that place.

Between youth and cynical maturation brought on by fear.

I’d been there.

She was at a precipice she didn’t even realize. She wanted me to make her a killer and all I could think about was taking her body with mine. How fucked up was I that I wouldn’t stop?

I wanted to punish her for making me want something that shouldn’t exist in my life any more. My life was an abyss and she wouldn’t survive it. I hated her for wanting to make me try.

Author Bio:

So I think this is the part where I’m supposed to say something super cool, win you over, and make you my life-long superfan…OR wait, is that how I am about my anime collection?

Probably.

Basically, I’m an author, blogger, geek, and villain lover (Joker IS MINE!). There shouldn’t be any surprise then that I tend to love my heroes a bit broken, all messed up, and in need of someone who understands them just the way they are.

Ha, my heroines are right there with them. You see, love is nice, it’s sweet. It can be all rainbows and glowing stars. And then it can be dark, twisted, hurtful, and feel so good you have to scream about it. So I write like that. From one side of the spectrum to

the other, because that’s real. That’s life. And that’s what we crave–delving into a fantasy world or not.

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