The Wild by K. Webster

I brought them to the wilderness because we couldn’t cope with our reality.
The plan was to make a new life that didn’t include heartache.

No people. No technology. No interference.
Just us.
A chance to piece together what was broken.

But the wilderness is untamed and harsh.
Brutal and unforgiving.
It doesn’t give a damn about your feelings.

Tragedy lives there too.
No escaping the truths that won’t let you go.

All you can do is survive where love, no matter how beastly, is the only thing you can truly count on.

Confusing. Wrong. Twisted. Beautiful. Sick.

Love is wild.
And we’re going to set it free.

Warning:
The Wild is an extremely taboo story. Most will find that the themes in this book will make you incredibly uncomfortable. This book is only for the brave, the open-minded, and the ones who crave love in even the most dismal of situations. Extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. If you are sensitive to heavy taboo themes, then this story is not for you.

ellie's $0.02:

Read the author's warning.  It's real.  Very real.  This book is all kinds of fucked up and I truly truly truly loved it.  It made me squirm.  It made me squeamish.  It made me super uncomfortable. 

This book is definitely going to piss off a lot of readers.  I am not one of those.  I embrace those books that challenge the mainstream.

Webster knows no boundaries.  She takes the taboo and runs with it, embraces it and launches it beyond wrong.  She takes the unimaginable and makes it real.  And makes you read it.  It's wonderful and it's horrible. 

But please don't pick up this book if you're expecting a charming romance, cue romantic music and flowery scenery.  If that's what you want and expect, run... run far far away from this one.  This one will challenge you mentally and emotionally.  If you're up for mental challenges that pushes comfort zones... you're going to LOVE it.

Personally... (judge me all you want)... thought this book was utterly amazing.

Dear K. Webster, I hate you I hate you I hate you I love you. 

In This Life by Christine Brae

Secrets ruin lives, and lies protect those secrets…

Wanting to escape her life in New York City before starting medical school in the fall, Anna Dillon convinces her best friend Dante to travel with her to Thailand on a medical mission. While volunteering in a coastal village recently ravaged by a tsunami, Anna meets Jude Grayson. They share an instant attraction that leads to a brief, passionate affair. When she has to rush home for a family emergency, he promises to stay in touch.

But Jude never calls, and Anna tries desperately to forget him.

Five years pass, and Anna finally moves on with Dante after giving up hope that Jude will ever return—until they come face to face again in a chance encounter. Reeling, Anna discovers the life-altering secret of why Jude never contacted her—and why they can’t be together. But the passion that ignited between them on an exotic beach years ago never died, making it impossible to stay away from each other.

And Dante? Anna discovers that the friend she grew to love—and trust—has a secret of his own.

ellie's $0.02:

I normally don't use words like "beautiful" (unless it's followed by "mess," "disaster" or preceded by "fucking") or "touching" (unless we are talking about male body parts) or "soulful" (unless we are talking soulless).... regardless, those are the first words to come to mind after reading this book.

Wow.  Oh.  Wow.

Brae truly has a magical way of storytelling.  I was glued and gripped and nauseous with anticipation of the next twist of this heart-wrenching love triangle.  What a way to tell this tale.   It's profound, it's soul-searching.  It's sad, it's happy, it's mystical, it's emotional, it's angsty.  Everything about this book is raw and real.  It's how to fall in love and not to fall in love.  How life should be and shouldn't be.  

This is thought provoking.  It's sensual.  It's powerful.

But the writing.  The writing is the winner here.  Brae's power of word is a masterpiece.

Atheists Who Kneel and Pray by Tarryn Fisher

Yara Phillips is a wandering muse.

She dates men who need her, but always moves on to something new, never staying in one place for very long.

David Lisey is in need of a muse.

A talented musician lacking lyrical inspiration. When he first sees her, he knows he's found what he's been looking for.

Yara believes she can give David exactly what he needs to reach his full potential:
A broken heart.

David’s religion is love. 

Yara’s religion is heartache.

Neither is willing to surrender, but religion always requires sacrifice.

ellie's $0.02:

So a little background about this book.  I'm not an author.  Or the author of this book.  But I play one on TV.  I don't even remember how (maybe two villains attracted to one another), but Tarryn and I started talking one day.  Actually texting.  Because actually talking is overrated. Tarryn likes to psychoanalyze the shit outta me, which drives me bonkers.  In exchange for that, she told me about this book idea she had.  And I wanted to know who was kneeling in front of who and what they were doing on their knees  And the cover idea.  (Be sure to ask her about my original cover idea - I still have the mock-up). And fuck... the fucking fonts. 

Long story short.  Next thing I know, I'm designing this cover.  Then she's throwing blurbs at me.  Then chapters. Then I'm editing.  This book is everything to me.  I don't really care that Tarryn wrote this book.  This book is actually mine.  Belongs to me.  Tarryn Fisher is not my friend.  She is an awe-inspiring talent-filled author that asks me a lot of questions.

Aside from all that bullshit above.  The book did not go the way I wanted it to and in the order I wanted it to.  Breaking away from the rules of what is supposed to happen.   With that said, everything about the characters and plot was something I was able to relate to.  It broke me and put me back together.  It was emotional, but not unemotional.

And the writing.  Let's talk about the writing.  Every chapter had at least a line - if not more than one - that would stop me in my tracks, highlighting it, rereading it, and analyzing it.  Every.  Single.  Chapter.  The words flowed off the paper (screen) in agonizingly perfect rhyme and reason even when my sanity was arguing that it wasn't.  

There is a dash of humor.  A dose of emotion.  And an ocean of reality.  THIS is romance. This book was everything and the best work out of Tarryn Fisher.  Tarryn's villainous style of storytelling and writing is always a solid win for me.

I think there is a little Yara in all of us.

No one is perfect.  Love isn't perfect.  Love is religion.

"Hey, girl, hey—you’re an asshole. It’s good to know these things about yourself so you don’t go around blaming others for your fuckups. " - Atheists Who Kneel and Pray

Badcock Tour by Christine Besze

Working in the Adult Entertainment Industry, Darcie’s used to being surrounded by dicks all day. She’s just tired of dating them.

Three friends. Too many drinks. A terribly awesome idea. 

A girl can be played so many times before she snaps. Enough is enough. Time to turn the tables. 

This summer, the playees become the players. And brace yourself. Sh*t’s about to get weird.

***WARNING*** If you do not have a twisted sense of humor, a dirty mind, enjoy getting laid, enjoy a laugh or five, and aren’t into women who swear like drunken sailors then this book isn’t for you. Derail, derail this cocktrain now.

ellie's $0.02:

When author Christine Besze contacted me to read and check out her new book, I thought to myself (and this is a true story, completely factual):  "Sure.  Why not?  Sounds like a rock star story.  I mean, the band name 'Badcock' is a horrible band name, not sure what she was thinking... but sure."

So I start reading and find out it's not about a BAND tour.  Then I start thinking "Oh my *clutching my pearl necklace*, is this a book about a slut that goes on tour and gets all bad dicks?  How sad."

Let's just say by the end of this surprise debut that was thrown at my face, I was glowing.  GLOWING.  It made me happy.  It made me laugh.  It did not make me orgasm.  But close.

Everything about this book is crazy, outrageous, hysterical, laugh-out-loud entertainment.  Even though it was not a book about a famous rock star with his band Badcock on tour.  It is soooooo worth the read.

Now send over a Cumdrop Martini and let's drink.

Devastate by Marley Valentine

They always say to expect the unexpected. Little did I know the unexpected also meant the unthinkable. 

No longer a wife or a mother, what was once a full and meaningful life was now obliterated; leaving me with nothing but darkness in its place. 

Until him. 

Blazing bright and determined to bring me back to life, Lior came knocking on darkness' door. Gentle, yet fierce; he was armed in warmth and healing. 

He was powerful, persistent and prepared for war. 

I just don't know if I'm willing to fight or ready to fall.

ellie's $0.02:

Starting this book with the prologue I felt like I was the shell of the shell of the shell of Evie and the title was oh-so-accurate.  I kind of set the book down after just the the prologue and thought "wth am I getting myself into with this?"  Glad I continued on.

This ended up being a wonderfully written tale of love, loss and recovery.  This is a raw and emotional story that dug deep into my fat gut... but what really sold me on this one was the pure talent in the writing and the story telling.  The characters came to life for me and the plot smoothed out to a happy ending (did I just ruin it for you?).  

Marley has got it going on.  She is on my TBR list from now on.

Plight by K.M. Golland

Plight [plahyt]
Noun: a difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.
Verb: pledge or solemnly promise. Be engaged to be married.

I promised myself to a man. Well, technically, I promised myself to a boy. We were eight years old. Neighbours. He gave me a Cheezel, pushed it onto my finger, and asked me to marry him. 
I ate the Cheezel. 
I also said, “Yes” but that we’d have to wait until we were thirty.
It was my thirtieth birthday last week and now he’s calling in that promise. 
Seriously, Elliot Parker is insane if he thinks that an out of the blue private Facebook message stipulating the binding law of an oral contractual agreement is going to seal our twenty-two-year bullshit engagement. 
Insane.
I wonder if he really does look like his profile picture, though.

ellie's $0.02:

Let's start off buy saying I really wish that we had Cheezels in the U.S.  I imagine they are like Cheetos, yeah?  BUT I CAN WEAR THEM ON MY FINGER LIKE AN ENGAGEMENT RING?  That is like Bugles as fake fingernails.

(These are the important details of a book review.)

So Elliott proposes with a Cheezel at eight years old. Aw. Cute.   Until he shows up twenty-two years later to make good on that proposal over Facebook Messenger (see, this is why I actually never check my Facebook Messenger, you never know what creepiness is in there).

Elliott was a creepy guy at first and I told Golland that and she was like, "Oh really?  The muse is Ian Somerhalder."  And I was like "YEAHHHH.. CREEPY AS FUCK and hot as fuck.  I meant creepy as in hotness.  Common thesauristic word.

So now, obviously, Elliott is FAR FROM CREEPY.

He grew on me.  He really did.  With or without the image of Ian Somerhalder in my head.  His insanity made me love him.  The chemistry with these characters.  The hilarious dialogue and personalities made me chuckle.  And I maybe swooned a little over this quirky, hilarious love story.

Win for me in the romantic comedy category.

Bad Things by Emily Goodwin

They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I think that’s total bullshit. No one wants to be a loser in the Game of Love. Trust me, I know. With a lying fiancee and a canceled wedding, I’ve lost big time.

And that loss turned me bitter, so hell bent on vengeance that I almost let it destroy everything. Determined never to go down that dark path again, I’ve sworn off romance. Work became my priority, my safe place, the one constant in my life that wouldn’t tempt me.

Until I took on a project I normally wouldn’t, and it introduced me to someone I never would have talked to before. No matter how hard I try, my professionalism slips away the more we work together, and I know it’s a disaster in the making. 

Bad things happen when I open my guarded heart. But when I look at her, bad things are all I want to do.


**BAD THINGS is a spinoff from the popular LOVE IS MESSY series, and can be read as a complete standalone novel. **

ellie's $0.02:

If you read Emily's Love is Messy series, you won't be disappointed.  If you haven't read the series, you won't be disappointed.  But if you HAVE, you will have been introduced to Cole.  If you HAVEN'T, you can still start here and not be lost.  Make sense?  That's a lot of caveats, but not really.

I read the Love is Messy series and to be perfectly frank (no, he's not a character in the series), I was not a fan of Cole in that duet.   But you know what?  You get his story.  His brain.   His behind (the scenes) now and he won me over.  Finally.

I'm obsessed with these story lines.  The lives of editors and authors...  hello... why wouldn't I be.  *sigh* it's a definite happy spot for me.  Gives me dreams and aspirations.  Aside from the characters' careers, I still shake my tail feather for Emily.

Emily makes me giggle.  She makes me swoon.  She entertains me.  She makes me do jigs with each new book release.  I'm a huge Emily Goodwin fan.

This book was solid and a plot spin I haven't read yet.  Love the premise of a new up and coming author and her editor bumping uglies.  Oh, and eventually falling in love.  Did I spoil it for you?  Nah.  You got the gist in the synopsis.  

While I love Cole's brother more (if you read the first duet, you know what I'm saying), the subject matter of this one was more of a winner for me.

Just a warning.  Emily loves dropping cliffhangers.  This was is no exception to that....

Archer (Leaves of a Maple #1) by Haley Jenner

Archer Dean taught me how it feels to be loved. Really loved. The happily ever after, fairy-tale type love. But he also taught me what real heartbreak was. He ripped away my happiness, took it from me without a backward glance. He left me alone and broken with no idea how to rebuild. No fight left in me to want to. 

Annabelle Edwards was a light in my world of darkness. She changed the way my heart beat, she let me believe in love. But the thing about darkness is that it’s suffocating and without warning, the light that you rely so heavily on, can be extinguished by the power of your own shadows. 

Our story is about pain. About fighting through feelings that can sometimes be greater than love. 

Fear. 
Anger. 
Hurt. 
Sadness. 

Our story is aching. It’s passionate. It’s consuming. 

We’ve felt loss. Felt abandoned by one another. We’ve felt betrayed. Lost. But we fought. Against our love. For our love. Together. Apart. We’ve done it all. We’ve fought for our love to exist. For it to survive. 

It’s been a broken road. Hopeless at times. Full and seamless at others. 

We’ve been through hell and we have to trust that our love is strong enough to overcome anything.

ellie's $0.02:

Fuckkkkk... This one is heart breaking, heart wrenching, heart throbbing, heart filled.  Ugh.  So much hearts.  

This is honestly an EXCEPTIONAL book.  It took a toll on my emotions and I wasn't sure if I needed a stiff drink or a stiffie at the end, but it was all worth it.

The characters were real.  They were descriptive.  And while Archer was absolutely fucking infuriating at times, the mental POV going on at the same time as his outward actions explained SO MUCH.  And made it easier to stomach (kinda).  This is a seriously emotional gut-wrenching BUT oh-so-worth it read.

This one took me to the edge, dropped me over it dangling by a thread, and looped me back in.  I don't know where these two authors came from and how they co-wrote this piece, but it was so well told and spun, it was literally breathtaking.  I'm still out of breath.  And words.  

Hands down.  One of the best I've read.

Archer is so engrained in my head, this book will never, ever leave me.

I was so very, very, very fortunate that Haley Jenner found me.  I am forever in their debt of their books and will forever bow at their feet... or something.

Go in blind and just take it without lube.

The Gravity of Us (Elements #4) by Brittainy C. Cherry

Graham Russell and I weren’t made for one another.

I was driven by emotion; he was apathetic. I dreamed while he lived in nightmares. I cried when he had no tears to shed.

Despite his frozen heart and my readiness to run, we sometimes shared seconds. Seconds when our eyes locked and we saw each other’s secrets. Seconds when his lips tasted my fears, and I breathed in his pains. Seconds when we both imagined what it would be like to love one another.

Those seconds left us floating, but when reality knocked us sideways, gravity forced us to descend.

Graham Russell wasn’t a man who knew how to love, and I wasn’t a woman who knew how to either. Yet if I had the chance to fall again, I’d fall with him forever.

Even if we were destined to crash against solid ground.

ellie's $0.02:

"It’s just funny, isn’t it? How the main characters never know about the adventures they’re about to go on.”

I keep thinking at some point, a book will be unable to stun me, to take my breath away, to cripple my mind with talent anymore.  And then Brittainy writes another book and just shoots that theory all to hell.

Each book spun out from this magical author I find myself saying "oh, this is the best one yet."  I've read the entire series and they each are amazing, my "favorite," and special to me in their own way.  Each so individual, yet so mind-blowingly well-written.  

The quotes, the lines, the plots, the spins.  Brittainy has a style of her own, in her own league.  Magic with words that literally grip me.  She reaches into my chest and pulls out my heart. She reaches into my head and massages my brain.  The characters are magical.  The lines are breathtaking.  The plot is imaginative.

While the book has devastating spots... it also has devastatingly beautiful parts too.  And the humor.  Oh man... throw in a dash of humor and witty character banter and we have a winner.  Let's face it.  This one was a winner as soon as Brittainy brainstormed it.

If nothing else, read the scene when Graham does hot yoga, you're doing yourself a solid.  Just kidding.  You need to read the whole book.  But trust me on this... you will be giggling imagining Graham (or Stu) doing this hot yoga scene.

Brittainy definitely has been eating her writing Cheerios.  Stunning.  Just stunning.  Brittainy remains one of my top favorite authors of all time.