Rebel Book Diva

5 "OMG, am I crying?" stars!


"Before you, I just existed. I didn't really live. I didn't really feel. I was going through the motions. And then I met you..." I stroked his face and gazed up at him. "And you brought me back to life."

This was me at 12:30am reading the end of this story...



Danielle Allen kindly provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have to be completely honest and say that I freaking loved it!!

This is the story of young professional, Sahara, who has spent the last 10 years hating herself over a terrible tragedy she feels responsible for. In walks Ty "The Game Changer" Barker and emotionally damaged Sahara tries her best to avoid him...at first...

"I have to fight the desire to be around him, near him, on him. It would never work. Not after what I've done."

...but Ty is a super sexy business owner and entrepreneur who treats Sahara with patience and understanding. In no time, he is able to effortlessly steals Sahara's heart. (and mine, too!)

"His presence forced my head upward and once our eyes locked, everything I felt earlier- all the resistance and reasons why I should not pursue this, whatever it was- evaporated immediately."

Oh and things really do heat up after that!

"This is how a man is supposed to make you feel..."



But there are unfinished issues from Sahara's past that still need to be dealt with. For example, her feelings for her first love, Emanuel. Their "almost" relationship was cut short in the aftermath of the accident so many years ago. Their sudden reunion at a parole hearing for the drunk driver that destroyed their lives is unexpectedly intense. After 10 years of being apart, Emanuel doesn't want to stay away from her any longer.

"If I can't get over her. I have to try to have her."- Emanuel

If a girl is lucky she'll find one amazing guy who loves her, Sahara found two...

"Tyree Barker was my present, And Emanuel Mills is my unresolved past."

Decisions, Decisions...

I really loved this story, it took me by surprise. It was very well written, sexy, funny and heartbreaking. Danielle Allen is a new favorite of mine and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her! I can't wait to read more of her work!

Almost 4.5 stars...

So many emotions. So. Many. Emotions! I don't know where to start, there might be tiny spoilers. Sorry.



From the beginning I have been a huge fan of this series and the possibilities. It was different, it was cool, twisted and fun.

I've also made no secret that I am Javier's ride or die chick!

Hi Javier...xo


After reading On Every Street I completely fell in love with him. Yes, he is twisted and maniacal but I loved him anyway.

In Bold Tricks, I think we all knew pretty earlier on how things would go down. A fact I appreciated, so I had time to prepare. I didn't like how Ellie went from not being able to get over the love she felt for Javier to suddenly treating him like a disease. That hurt a lot. I also hated how Camden and Ellie kept not trusting Javier and always expected the worst from him with little reason (mostly after jumping to conclusions) but failed to give him credit for saving their lives at least 3 times. I was never convinced that Javier was the bad guy Ellie kept trying to get us to believe, he had a different agenda but he still loved Ellie.

I will give credit where it is due, I liked Bold Trick even more than Sins and Needles and Shooting Scars. There was a lot of action and secrets revealed. I was entertained. I also loved hating Ellie.

Hi Ellie...



Bye Ellie...

I've never disliked Camden really and I couldn't even in this book, I just liked Javier more. Camden is still OK with me and has a good heart. Oh yes, the really hot sex scenes helped too.

Still Team Javier but nicely done, Karina.

5 stars! AMAZING! My favorite part was the whole damn book! Colleen Hoover rocks as usual. Enough said!

Wow! There aren't enough stars to express how much I loved it!!! The best of the series!! I mean I was already a huge fan of the first two books but the third book was amazing!!

"Their relationship had been a poker tournament, unquestionably, they had not been dealt the best cards."

That is like the understatement of the year. Tony had been involved in an elaborate vendetta to avenge his deranged grandfather but at some point he no longer wanted to fulfill his promise. He had fallen in love with one of his targets.

"When faced with the same odds as Tony and Claire, many players would have folded and walked away. They hadn't, they continued to play."

In the beginning, Tony carefully planned and then proceeded to do many unforgivable things to Clare. Things most would have a hard time getting past but she was able to forgive him (after a lot of convincing from him) and fall for the man buried underneath.

"At one point, they were opponents, strategizing against one another, now they were teammates but the tournament wasn't over."

Tony wasn't trying to harm or get back at Claire anymore but he didn't know how to stop plans that were already in motion. Gone was the man with the cold, black stare and in his place was a vulnerable man with warm brown eyes who loved Claire with all of his heart. He was no longer this evil and calculating man who planned "accidents" but one who would spend the rest of his life making up for all the wrong he's caused if it meant he could be with Claire.

This is what Tony looks like to me!



He hardened my heart, then broke it, healed it and finally melted it over the course of this series! Aleatha Romig is a brilliant writer and I wish there were more although I don't think my heart could take any more abuse!!

Tony is also my Man Flavor Friday pick! http://www.rebelbookchicks.com/man-flavor-fridays.html

JACK! I HATE YOU SO MUCH and I LOVE YOU SO HARD!


Gah!! Why? Why did I read this!!! I thought I had gotten over him and accepted that there was no hope for him! What did I call him... "a weaselly little douche" but NOOOO, I had to go and open up a healing wound! We were reminded of Coffee Shop Jack...I mean COFFEE SHOP JACK for crying out loud!! Ugh, I hate him for what he's done but I am always hoping for his redemption. I am not Team Ramsey but I understand why he's a better choice but still, it's Jack! I can't wait for Avoiding Temptation, although these titles have been very telling in the outcome of these books so I don't know...

Psst, Jack...



...still

5 stars (of course!) Our awakened couple continue to explore their limits and Dean gets to live out one of his fantasies, all while making good use of the playroom they recently had built in their basement.

Have I mentioned that I heart Dean!

"A devastating bad-boy grin canted his mouth, the same one he'd used to seduce her back in high school, but now she knew just how potent and compelling everything about Dean Noble was.

"...now that you've coaxed the dominant beast out to play, he's not going anywhere any time soon" -Dean

Loved it and can't wait for more!

4 stars! I really liked Tegan and Cage but the secondary characters, Ellie and Dirty were my favorite!

Cage stole Tegan's heart the very first time they met! She was 8 and he was 11. She'd asked him to join her tea party and offered him imaginary tea.
“Wait,” he said. “You forgot to cheers.”
I wrinkled up my nose. “Cheers?”
“Yeah, with your teacup. My little sister always makes me ‘cheers’ before tea. Like this.” Lightly he clicked his plastic cup with mine. “Cheers,” he said, glancing down at his cup then looking back to me.
“…Teacup,” he finished, grinning.
“What?”
“Teacup,” he repeated. “That’s what I’ll call you.”



Little did she know that falling for Deuce's gorgeous son was the worst thing she could have ever done.

"Girls are stupid like that. Falling in love with what they can never have—the untouchable, the seemingly larger than life, the unattainable."

The adult Cage knowingly shatters Tegan's heart into a million pieces, why? Because he's Deuce's son, of course! LOL

Gone was the sweet, caring boy he’d been, and his place…
He became the cockiest, most self-centered, self-serving, egotistical, narcissistic, and depraved motherfucker I’d ever met in my entire life.
Which, when I think back on it, is probably why I fell even more in love with him.

Cage and Tegan's story is about letting go of the past and finding a future together that they both can be happy with. Tegan despises the lifestyle and everything it represents. Cage is being prepped to take over the MC when Deuce is ready to pass it down. Something or someone's gotta give.


Now for my favorite part...DIRTY AND ELLIE! Yes, I loved Dirty. He was a grimy MF'er in Unbeautifully but you really get to know his story and learn that he is hiding deep, emotional scars behind all that dirt and filth.



“Are you going to let me love you?” she whispered.
He swallowed hard. He couldn’t speak; if he tried, he would just end up sobbing, so he nodded instead and Ellie’s beautiful face, her eyes, her mouth, smiled at him in return.

Only Ellie can break through his barriers and help him discover that he isn't as despicable as he thinks. Dirty learns to let her in and finds out that he never wants to let her go.

“Hey,” he [Cage] called out. Dirty stopped as Ellie kept walking.
He gave Dirty an inquisitive look. “What’s up?”
The man shook his head. “It’s her mom, brother,” he said. “It ain’t good.”
Cage nodded as he studied Dirty. “You need anything, dude?”
Dirty shook his head again. “Just her,” he said quietly and turned away.'

Loved that! I really hope to hear more about Ellie and Dirty as the series continues! Great read, my favorite series in the biker genre hands down!

Dirty was also featured as my Man Flavor of the week! Check it out!
http://www.rebelbookchicks.com/man-flavor-fridays.html

WOW! What a ride! I've been a loyal fan of Songs of Submission from the beginning and desperately waited for each book to be released. SoS is the story of a talented singer, Monica, and a sexy yet complicated billionaire, Jonathan. But don't be fooled, it's not your typical Fifty Shades of Grey story. Yes, it's erotica and yes there is BDSM but there is so much more. The story is artistic and creative and I devoured every word. I've never read anything that had the perfect balance art and sensuality. Sometimes you have too much of either and the original concept is lost. It was brilliant to release these books as short little stories. It was just enough to satisfy but still kept you on the hook. I'm so sad that it had to end!

Loved every second! Full review to come closer to the release date!



KA rocked it!!!!

4 stars! Couples who have faced the challenges of keeping it together through struggling economy can relate to this story.

"In all the years we'd been together, I'd never experienced anything quite as heartbreaking as watching the light of my golden boy fade."- Claire

Chris was successful, he had a high paying job that allowed him to provide a comfortable life for Claire and their two kids until the fall of 2008 when everything went south. Suddenly he found himself unemployed and struggling to find a job before his family loses everything. Claire remained the supportive wife and found ways to save money in order for them to stretch what little income they did have from her freelance graphic design work and Chris's unemployment. They did their best to appear like everything was under control.

"We were the Cantons. Sun-kissed, All-American, picture perfect. By all appearances we were the ideal suburban family. As long as you don't look to closely."- Claire

After over a year of frantic searching and a bout with depression, Chris finds a job but it's one that requires him to travel...a lot. With Chris gone all the time, Clare finds herself lonely and detached from her 10 year marriage. Sometimes it even feels as though Chris has given up on them too with his one liner text messages and impersonal emails mostly discussing the kids.

"One day you wake up and realize that the distance between you and your spouse has grown to such an enormous width that neither of you are capable of clearing the distance."

It's very tempting for her to seek comfort in a growing friendship with sexy Officer Daniel Rush, who develops an instant attraction to her. She finds herself spending a lot of time with Daniel, more time than she should. Their friendship is respectful, easy and fills a void for the both of them. She looks forward to her time with Daniel which becomes almost daily while Chris is away.

"There is a man downstairs who has every right to be in bed with me but isn't interested. And there is a man who doesn't have any right at all yet he sounds as though he would give just about anything for the opportunity. I have never felt more alone."

Should she try to save her rapidly sinking marriage or explore a future with a man she can't seem to resist?

"Why did you ask me to go on that motorcycle ride. The first time, I mean."
He shrugs lightly, looking pensive. "I thought you might say yes. You seemed lonely."
"Am I transmitting?"
"What?" He asks, clearly confused by my question.
"Nothing. Never mind"
"Why did you say yes?" He asks.
"Because I am lonely."

Daniel is so tempting, what's a girl to do?? Sounds like an easy choice right but hang on...

"I miss my kids, and my house and even though she probably wouldn't believe me if I told her so, I miss Claire. I miss a lot of things."- Chris

I really enjoyed this story, I felt it was an honest portrayal of a failing marriage, how stressful it is to survive in a crashing economy and making the right decision even if it's a difficult one. I didn't know how I wanted things to end at first but I am very happy with the outcome! Good job!

Damien is going to be the death of me with the crap he just tried to pull!! Ugh...more review to come but first I have move immediately on to book 3!

It was a nice story. Luke was a real sweetheart but I felt Lily was a little immature and very over dramatic at times. It was story about two broken people who find each other at the right time. A good choice to cleanse my smutty mind for a short time but don't get me wrong Luke was beyond hot!! The scenes with him were the best part of the book!

One of my favorite quotes:
"Why does he have to be so damn sexy? Why does the universe have to light up every time he smiles? Why does he have to have such a great body? Why does he have to live next door?" Life is just not fair, Lily. LOL!

Yes, it is a cliffie but nothing too dramatic. I'll still be following along!

Wow and it's a freebie on Amazon! Another short story winner! I loved it! Imagine wanting to spice up your long time marriage and the standard vanilla routine which has been serviceable but not overly exciting. You get the courage to approach your husband with some ideas that will hopefully dig up his unexplored Dominant side. Now imagine your shock in discovering that he actually has in him to not only meet but exceed your expectations! Wow oh wow! Married women everywhere will be taking notes! I completely believed the story, it didn't come across as corny or porn with story line. It was about a husband and wife having the courage to try something new! Yay! On to book 2 now!!

It gets even better! Our newly awakened couple have now decided to turn their unused basement into a "classy, decadent den of iniquity"...umm that's a playroom to the rest of us!

"Ever since their agreement to spice things up, Dean has been full of surprises when it came to what he wanted and desired. Then again, predictable was boring and she was coming to thoroughly enjoy the unexpected where he was concerned."



It was like with each step into the unknown they were able to shed their inhibitions and discover this new erotic power they had over each other!

"The man was so full of surprises and more innovative than McGyver and she was impressed with his clever use of pearls." So was I!! *fanning self* Apparently diamonds are no longer a girls best friend!



"He was beginning to appreciate that there was probably very little his new, adventurous wife wouldn't try and that was a very heady, powerful realization." For example, Skype sex! Oh and there is a hot little restaurant scene!

I love the dual POV! You get to see inside both of their heads. I think Dean and Jillian already had an amazing sex life prior to their "awakening" but their experiment just magnified their connection.

"Their sex life had always been pleasurable but now it was intense and incendiary and addicting- and his wife was his drug of choice." Are you kidding me?? Where can I find a Dean of my very own??!!

On to book 3!!

Ok so book 3 started off with this text message from Dean...

"I'm on my way home. I want the house dark. Hide from me but when I find you, no matter what fight me, resist me. I'm going to f*ck you. Hard. Safe word: Mercy."

LOL! Holy crap did he just say that? Yes he did!

My first thought was: MERCY!!! My second thought was: Heeeeey!! Go hide, girl! LOL!



and she did...

"Knowing she only had a matter of minutes to turn off the lights and make herself scarce before she arrived, she hurried through the house and plunged it to complete darkness."

At this point my heart is pounding! She asked him to do this by the way as one of her fantasies.

"Just as she switched off the final lamp in her small reading nook she heard the garage door leading into the house open then close with a soft click. Her heart leapt into her throat and she froze waiting for her pupils to adjust to the sudden darkeness...

'Honey, I'm home.' He murmured in a low taunting tone of voice that made her shiver."

Yikes! I'll let you find out how that scenario ends...



Later Jillian does turn the tables on him...

"If things get too intense, you can always use the safe word we've established." Her too sweet voice held a trace of provocation. He smirked knowing there wasn't anything she could do to make him cry uncle."

Umhmm, ok...



Guess who ended up crying uncle? Hahaha! I absolutely love these two but my favorite quote from Dean so far has to be...

"Who was this bewitching woman? She was his wife, he thought with awe!"

A very good lesson to husbands everywhere, never underestimate your wife. With a little nudge, we can still be that girl you first met except even better! This series could rekindle the sex life of any marriage, I swear!

I am impatiently waiting the release of book 4...grrr...hurry!!

OK, so initially I DNF'd this yesterday but then decided to go back and finish it. I felt it was only fair to dislike it based on all of the content not just some of it. Mission Accomplished!  




There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. To me Christian, Gideon, James, and Jesse are all sexy and alluring men who oozed confidence and power. I think that was the target audience this author was trying for and missed it by a mile! Erik Ead is an arrogant a-hole who is painfully insecure and I could not find a single thing to like about him. The author has also mentioned several times in other forums that 'Baby Girl' is based on his life and that he is Erik Ead essentially. Hmmm...well if I believe that then I can't knock him for sharing his story and putting it down on paper. For that he received one star. The second star was because he actually took the scary step of publishing it for the public to read. See, two stars for Baby Girl right out of the gate but that's where the stars stopped.

Positive stuff (and yes there were some positives!)
-I loved the story Teddy told about A-Train and his cheating wife! Hilarious!! (I wonder if that's true?)
-I loved the little bit about Kelli and her dad and then reading Gene's POV. 
-I also loved how the index finger thing came together.
-Erik and Kelli both "hate kids" so hopefully they will not be procreating! *fingers crossed* 

Now for the negatives (And there's a lot...)
Both characters were extremely cocky and completely oblivious to the rules of decency. Their level of arrogance was unbelievable and beyond annoying!  

Kelli...Ugh, I'll let her speak for herself...

"I was almost always the smartest person in the room and always the smartest girl."

Hmm...wow. Only if she was in a room by herself and in a room full of guys making her the only girl. There wasn't a single thing she said or did that made her seem brilliant to me. She was a very insecure twat with whore tendencies...Yes I said it, let me explain...

"Love isn't real. Love is what people say to you so they can keep fucking you. So they keep your interest. I don't want lies; I want my ass slapped, my hair pulled and [to be] treated like a whore."
See, her words, not mine ...

..."I love my eyes watering and acting like I'm gagging even if I'm not gagging naturally."

Stop? I can't there's more...Once she realized she had no gag reflex, oh it was on like Donkey Kong after that...

"Starting that summer, I sucked off every guy I could."

See! A genius!Alright one last one...and I think this is my favorite...

"Pleasing a man made me happy, especially if he was married and disappointed his wife. When he came in my mouth, I felt like I had truly accomplished something."

To all of us dumb people: See what happens when you use your head! 



OK. Yes, I realize that she has some very deep issues but I just can't bring myself to care. So moving on... 

Mr. Erik "Nobody's On My Level" Ead...

"I've found that since the completion of college...", (12 years worth, which was mentioned over and over)"...that I alter my speech patterns and my demeanor based on who I'm with." Hang on, it gets better... "There was nothing worse than being around someone that made you feel uneasy or tried to talk above your ability to comprehend."

Well gosh, thanks Erik, us regular folks sure do appreciate you dumbing yourself down for us.

He also mentioned several times that women found him "Kind, considerate, articulate, caring and even romantic." What a prince!

At one point Kelli asked him the very cliche question of "Do you believe in love?" He proceeds to verbally vomit a bunch of blah blah Freudian crap for three pages before he finally gets around to answering her question, which wasn't really an answer by the way! Most of his POV felt like I was reading one of my old psychology text books!

 

Other annoying things I just gotta mention...
-At least 8 shameless plugs of his other book. (I will not mention the name.)
-The repeated use of the same words in a paragraph. 
"His kisses drove me crazy. I wanted his kisses to last forever. Kissing Erik made all other things small."

"As we kissed, his finger traced the outline of my upper lip. Our lips parted and he touched my lips with his index finger, circling around my upper and lower lips entirely."

-The most overly dramatic sex scenes ever and what's worse is that I read that he had to cut them back at least three times before he got the approval to keep them in the book. Wow...He must be a beast in real life then! *purses lips and shakes head*
-The jeans scene at The Buckle was trifling! Kelli should be ashamed of herself. It was a dirty, nasty and skanky thing to do! You would think someone as "smart" her would know better, right?
-How many times can Kelli say how much she loves it when Erik calls her baby girl? A lot as it turns out! I think we got it after the first few times, precious. 
-The fact the Channing Tatum was used repeatedly to describe Erik. I'm offended for Channing and I want to apologize to him! *kisses to CT* 
-Deep, smart, intelligent and muscular; deep, smart, intelligent, muscular... were used constantly in random combinations to describe Erik.
-Finally, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS WHOLE STORY? I missed it...

OK that's enough, you get the idea. Q:Will I continue reading the series? A:Hell yes!! It was way too fun to miss out on! I can't wait to hear what new egotistical bullshit Erik the Almighty will bless us with and the continued gems of wisdom we'll get from Kelli with an i. Ah, I must be losing my mind...*rant over*