Dirty by Callie Hart

REVIEWED BY 

Becky Cox

Dirty by Callie Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dirty is my kind of perfect. A bit dark, steamy, fast paced with witty banter.

The cliffhanger ending is awesome! Makes me want to throw my kindle and scream, so yeah, pretty perfect.

Sera and Fix story is enemies to lovers to enemies to ....well we will have to wait and find out.

Callie is an excellent story teller and her dialogue is spot on. I like when characters speak like real people. Fix and Sera get into an awkward situation because of a storm. She ends up seeing something she shouldn’t and we’re off on an adventure.

Great story. Can’t wait for the next one!

I was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Becky for JoandIsaLoveBooks


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Mr. So Wrong by R.C. Stephens

REVIEWED BY

Becky Cox 

Mr. So Wrong by R.C. Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sam and Al’s story is definitely entertaining. Sams’s dad adds a lot to the story as do her friends. Sams and Al both have issues and I enjoyed the revealing of their histories.

Plenty of sarcasm and cheeky comments, both of which I love. Country bumpkin and city slicker make for great fun.

Mr. So Wrong is faced paced and attention holding. Plenty of action and lots of chemistry. Enjoyed this one very much as I did the first book. This can be read as a stand-alone with no problem.

Witty, well written and entertaining! Enjoy!

I was provided an ARC for an honest review.

Reviewed by Becky for JoandIsaLovesBooks.

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Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray

REVIEWED BY

Micky Barnard 

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Deep breath.

“Six months after Noemi’s departure, Abel still has to consciously steer his thoughts to other topics daily. Maybe human love is different. Maybe it’s weak, as variable as the weather and so as emphemeral as a breeze. Abel’s love is not.”

DEFY THE WORLDS jumped literally into action with this sequel with the pacing, writing and characterisation that fulfilled my desire for more from this trilogy. Noemi and Abel were left on different sides of the gate but their stories were compelling and at times in parallel. Both these two were challenged by prejudice for different and yet similar reasons, not fitting in and yet rising above their peers for all the best reasons.

Mansfield and his chilling daughter I thought were a great evil component until I met ‘Chucky’, who absolutely gave me the heebie geebies in every way. There were some skilful plot devices and I find I’m here for the baddies created in Claudia Gray’s mind.

Abel was the character that stole my attention however, ever evolving, loyal beyond Direction One and with one intention. He was the mech and man of integrity for me.

“As he understands it, love is not transactional; it is a thing freely given. The joy is in the giving.”

Noemi was not as constant, her loyalty to Genesis superseded often but I do believe that Noemi was on a grander journey of self and I’ve enjoying observing her, whether she was all action or occasional contemplation.

The grand plot takes you beyond what you know from DEFY THE STARS and so the story opened up even more; concentration is needed. I found some pacing issues in the latter half but I remained engaged. I cannot speak to where I am left other than I need the next part of this story, so very much.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

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Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

REVIEWED BY

Micky Barnard 

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My eyes are literally made of stars right now, dazzled, book-drunk stars. This book epitomises why YA is the sweetest spot to exist as it now joins a little collection of ‘YA-beats-all-other-genres’ books.

STARRY EYES is a real and beautiful tale of a friendship gone wrong somewhere, of families flawed and complex and a second chance at restoring friendship and love. Zorrie is a nerdy, budding astronomer with allergies and an organisation obsession. Lennon, her ex-best friend is a swoony, buff boy-man goth and he is a beta-male who stole my heart after 10 seconds. I am Lennon’s biggest fan club. This guy had the foundation of a beautiful, capable, caring human being. Zorrie and Lennon had pseudo-hate sliced with all the chemistry in the world and I just wanted to read about them forever.

Zorrie and Lennon had unconventional family contexts and one of the strong points about this story for me was that the mess that occurred in the familes wasn’t neatly tied up and restored to utopian perfection. In other words, this was one of the most real depictions of family in YA because whilst they are often flawed in YA, they normally are all okay by the end.

The story was full, rounded, deep, beautiful and captivating. The starry skies are a theme throughout and I loved this. The journey of hiking and camping floated my own recreation boat more than I can say but it was Zorrie and Lennon’s figurative hike through their problems and budding relationship that was the most wonderful thing about this book. Do you hear me swoon?

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed - sexlaxation, Lennon dubs it, and says he’ll make a fortune marketing it as a cure for allergies and stress.”.

Surprisingly, this is my first Jenn Bennett book, despite meaning to read her others. I’ll get on this now, considering she’s just written one of my favourite YA books ever.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

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Hot Daddy by Lila Monroe

REVIEWED BY 

Monique Cashmere

Hot Daddy by Lila Monroe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am enjoying this series, the Billionaire Bachelors. This one is a charming quick read that had some humor and a little angst. It’s a second chance romance with a couple that have an instant attraction from the get-go when they met three years ago. Times flies, and with work commitments they meet up again in strange circumstances. But that attraction is still prominent even when it’s now unprofessional.

Cal is in a jam, and needs someone proficient in being his fake fiancé for 10 days. Jules is in between jobs, so when Olivia calls her to help Cal out, she agreed not fully knowing what was install for her. Mistakes are made, and at a price for both parties.

As I said, it is a very quick read and one that is full of sweet moments between them. Of course, when there is angst, there is also a dilemma. I know I said it with the first book, and I feel I have the same worriment again that I want the hero to work harder in winning back his sole mate. In saying that, I am eager to read Olivia and Ryan’s story.

*I am grateful for the copy provided by the author for my honest opinion.
**Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog.

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The Birthday List by Devney Perry

REVIEWED BY

Monique Cashmere

The Birthday List by Devney Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Devney Perry book, and I feel I started with a beauty!
I will be looking into her other books, and giving them a go too. Love this writers work.

I believe that she is an author of some fervent and passionate contemporary romance novels, and this one is exactly that. My heart just ached for Poppy and her anguish. She had the best life, a husband who adored her, and a great job - she was extremely happy until..... that tragic day Jamie her husband went out and never made it home again. I would have been just as a hot mess as Poppy was. She was brave and plucky, but her moments of sorrow were very touching. Trying to pull herself out of a deep depression, she decides that fulfilling Jamie's Birthday List might bring her closure and peace of mind. What she wasn't expecting was to find a man who could wait it out for her until she was ready to put her past behind her. Cole had the patience of a saint. He was gloriously swoony. He doted on Poppy and knew when she required space or when she needed someone to help her achieve the list. He was the perfect balance of commanding and endearing. There were a few things that bonded them, but what I loved the most was their strong family values, it resinates with me immensely.

Do I recommend this book? In A Heartbeat!

*I am grateful for the copy provided for my honest opinion.
**Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog.

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The Boy and His Ribbon by Pepper Winters

REVIEWED BY

Micky Barnard 

The Boy and His Ribbon by Pepper Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

I don't know how to categorise the genre of this book because the story is a metamorphosis of character growth in age and maturity. THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON is a story of becoming family, escaping abuse but never really being free. This is a tale told over a number of years, everything in this book has a tangible and realistic timeline.

The two characters in this book are Ren Wild the boy on the run and his little fellow escapee Della Ribbon. These two were enchanting characters to read; beautiful souls. Ren knocked my socks off as a care giver, his love for Della evolved and bloomed as he fathered-her, brothered-her, best-friended-her. He was utterly selfless in carving out life and survival for his Ribbon and himself. The bond between these two was seemingly unbreakable. Della evolved the most in this book, growing from babe to teen and she was a complex, fiercely-loving and possessive girl.

"He treated me as capable and brave and bright, and that's what I became because I never wanted to let him down because he would never let me down. Simple as that."

The story is narrated from a dual POV with an emphasis on Ren's perspective but Della then reflecting back on her experiences. I felt there were two distinct phases in this book, both difficult but certainly the latter years, more complex and challenging. There is a discomfort to the story direction that challenged my allegiances, my personal morality and it's a bit of noodled-mess of thinking right now. However, I could not look away, it was an addictive story, compelling in the best way.

I have thoughts about where I think the next book's story line is going and I'm full of trepidation over it but longing to read it nevertheless. I enjoyed Pepper Winter's writing in this immensely, especially the childhood era of Della and Ren.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.



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