44 Chapters About 4 Men by BB Easton

44 Chapters About 4 Men 

by BB Easton 

Original Release: Jan 2016 

Review by Rachel

SYNOPSIS

School psychologists aren’t supposed to write books about sex. Doing so would be considered “unethical” and “a fireable offense.” Lucky for you, ethics was never my strong suit. 

After spending years trying to spice up my sex life, I gave up and took to my journal. Perhaps my gorgeous, cold, number crunching husband simply wasn’t capable of the kind of passion I’d come to expect. After all, my ex-boyfriends—a skinhead turned US Marine turned motorcycle club outlaw, a baby-faced punk rocker out on parole, and a heavy-metal bass player—were every bit as tattooed and testosterone-fueled as the leading men in my favorite romance novels. If I couldn’t have that kind of passion again in real life, I could at least write about it. Right? Nobody had to know. It would be my little secret. 

Well, guess what? My husband read that shit. 

And guess what else? He upped his fucking game. 

Drunk with power and under the dubious advisement of my best friend and colleague, I began testing the limits—crafting journal entries specifically designed to manipulate Ken’s behavior. For the most part, he responded beautifully…except when he didn’t.

MY THOUGHTS

Good lawd have mercy! WTF did I just read!? Pure, unadulterated hysterical bliss...that's what it was! I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. I DEVOURED it. How do I even put my thoughts into coherent words? I laughed. I teared up. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground and also take a few cold showers and metaphorical cig breaks. The way it was written, journal style, was PERFECT. It was like sitting down with your best friend and reminiscing about the good old days.

44 chapters wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough! I want MORE. Thankfully, BB Easton is giving us more! Each of the 4 men are getting their own book with Knight coming first (as he should) in February 2017.
Her writing is fantastic, quirky, and will keep you entertained until the very last morsel. This book won't be for everyone. It's gritty, dirty, foul mouthed and hardcore in it's own right. For me, it was a boatload of fucked up fun. The men in BB's life will steal your heart. Each and every one of them in their own, flawed, completely fucked up way. I adored BB and Ken's relationship, and what I loved MOST about this book (besides Knight's scary hot bad ass self) was that BB sought to fix her relationship with her husband instead of quitting. Albeit a completely unconventional way, but still, it was an honest and fun look at life and I couldn't have loved it more.

Meme made by Kinky Girls Book Obsessions

I felt like I'd found my best friend, or someone like myself circa 1993-1998. 44 Chapters About 4 Men was entirely different from anything I've ever laid eyes on. BB quickly became an author I'll one click without question. I want to be her bestie, pick her brain, take her advice and talk about Knight until I'm dead and gone. From one 90's bad decision girl to another...I fk'ing loved this novel and I can't say enough about it. 

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GET TO READING AND GET READY FOR SKIN! 

Knights book will be here in February!

A Veil of Vines by Tillie Cole

A Veil of Vines 

by Tillie Cole 

Release Date: November 29, 2016

Review by Rachel

Synopsis

To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairy tales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.

But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth. 

For some, they are real life. 

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.

I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set. 

I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.

The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.

In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more. 

And I am soon to become one of them.

I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…

… or at least I was, until I met Achille. 

And everything changed.

Review

A Veil of Vines is a beautifully written, classic love story. Think back to your favorite fairy tales as a child; Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, those are what this novel reminds me of.

Tillie Cole paints an indelible picture of the Italian countryside and posh lifestyle of the rich and famous blue-blood families of Italy. She weaves such intricate detail that showcases the untainted beauty and richness of the winery and estate, without going overboard and becoming mundane. A lot of times with other novels, I feel lost in the details. This time I truly felt as though I was traveling there myself. 

While none of us, (at least not me), live like the royalty and personas that are spoken of in A Veil of Vines, there are many true to life situations that arise and secrets that are unearthed that brings everything down to a "real life" level. It felt as though everything was perfectly aligned and I loved seeing the story unfold through the eyes of Caresa and Achille. These characters are unwaveringly solid, with strong morals and family ties that run deep. 

A Veil of Vines was a breath of fresh air to read!  Truth be told, I am not a fan of wine (gasp!), but even I began to second guess myself throughout this book! 

I thoroughly enjoyed this timeless story of deep, unadulterated true love. There is such an undeniable connection between Caresa and Achille, and that is hard to come by! I didn't roll my eyes one time. Not once! That's rare for me. While I wasn't blown out of my socks by this novel, I enjoyed it immensely and do highly recommend it! I will definitely be purchasing a signed copy to display on my bookshelf!

Excerpt

I opened the window beside me and stared at the illuminated entrance. I swallowed hard and placed my empty glass on the bar. Metal groaned, breaking through the twilight, as the massive black wrought-iron gates began to open. The limo slowly pulled onto the property’s lane, and I drank in the thick forest that shielded the estate. I inhaled the freshness of the lush green trees. The unpolluted sky was thick with stars—not a single cloud in sight.
A few minutes later, the thick woods cleared, and I gasped. Acres and acres of gold and green vineyards covered the landscape. The scents of plump grapes and damp soil permeated the warm air. I closed my eyes. It reminded me of being a child. It brought me back to the days before I was taken to New York. I could still feel the heat of the Emilia-Romagna sun on my face, the deep smell of olives, grapes and flowers drifting in the breeze as I ran around our Parma estate.
I smiled a nostalgic smile and allowed my eyes to drift open again. I rested my arms on the window and leaned my chin on them as the limo drove on. There were several small villas peppered over the landscape, their lights twinkling in the distance. They must have been the winemakers’ residences. It was not only the Bella Collina merlot that was made on this land; other reds were too—particularly the Chianti from the region’s finest Sangiovese grapes. The Bella Collina olive oil was also up there with the best. But nothing compared to the famed merlot.
The limo turned right, and my breath caught in my throat. I lifted my head and stared disbelievingly at the property ahead. Bella Collina was a veritable Palace of Versailles tucked away in the Umbrian wilderness.
“Mio Dio,” I whispered as I took in the imposing stone structure, the sweeping steps and the vast number of windows set in the building’s walls. Large pillars of red-veined marble flanked the entrance. Cypress trees framed the estate as if it were the shining star of a fine Renaissance painting. Sculptures of famed Savona monarchs of old stood proudly on the manicured lawns, and strategically placed lighting illuminated the sheer perfection of every piece of topiary.
As a child, I had been to the Palazzo Savona in Florence. It was widely regarded to be one of the finest estates in all of Italy, if not western Europe. But this . . . this . . . there were no words. It was perfectly placed, as if it had always been there. As if it had grown naturally from the Umbrian earth just as sure as the vines and woods that kept this architectural treasure hidden from view.

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About the Author!

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.

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Insta-Hate by C.L. Bond

Insta-Hate
by C.L. Bond
Released: May 2016
Review by Rachel

*Synopsis*

When Alexandria Ray’s romance series becomes an overnight sensation, the world and its demands close in on her. After years of struggling to maintain the pace her publisher, agent and the world expects, she needs a break. Enrolling as a student at Columbia University is step one to finding herself again. Finding Arsen Daniel was not on her list. 

Arsen Daniel, along with his best friend, built an empire in the form of an exclusive, psychology-based dating service. When an old friend invites him to teach a course at Columbia, he accepts. The course? The Psychology of Love. Sounds simple enough and the publicity alone will make it worth his time.

Arsen didn’t expect to meet his match in the form of a sarcastic blonde, hell bent on holding to her belief that true love doesn’t actually exist. After all, what woman, especially a world-renowned romance writer, doesn’t believe in happily ever after?

Something in Alexandria’s eyes tortures him. She reminds him of someone from his past and that is a very bad thing.

~Review~

First, let me say that I LOVE this cover. It's beautiful. It drew me in and made me excited for what was held inside. With that said, and I feel terrible for saying this, but Insta-Hate.....I kinda hated you. 

That hurts me to type, because I know how much work authors pour into their babies/books, but...it is what it is. There was so much potential here, but it completely fell flat for me.

After I finished reading the book I went back to the blurb, scratching my head a little bit because it didn't really mesh. It states that Alexandria is a world renowned, over night sensation, but it never really conveyed that depth of success to me. Also, it says she enrolls at Colombia after deciding to take a break from her agent/publisher, but in actuality she just takes one class. That one isn't really a big deal, more of an observation.

There is a lot more to this story that I won't come out and state at this point because I don't want to completely spoil it up front. A lot of people seemed to love this book. The reviews I came across before reading it were mostly on the positive side. 

 

For me, Insta-hate was all over the place. There always seemed to be a new secret, big "thing", or revealing information that would come out of nowhere and it just didn't work for me.

It was one huge sh*t storm after another and it felt so chaotic that I didn’t have time to process it, or even really care. Nothing was said to explain how Alexandria/Lexie got from the incident in high school to where she is now, and that seems like it should've been an imperative aspect to the story. 

How I felt about the characters!

******

*SPOILERS ahead for the next paragraph*

Regarding Lexie and Arsen....

Why would they (her mom/sister) keep Lexie and Arsen apart? I did not understand that at all.

Why did they keep the child from him? 

It seemed like they never gave her a chance to even attempt to recover. 

And WHY is Lexie always pissy towards her mom and then it's suddenly...*Oh, mom’s dying, and you haven’t been calling her." 

Her sister yells at her, “I’m through with you!”….after they fight about what's going on with their mom. That felt like it came out of nowhere, seeing that Lexie's adult life thus far has been a lie, in a way, because of her memory loss/brain injury ordeal. 

I know this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but...that's exactly how it felt while reading it. 

A big load of *umm, what?!?!*

And Arsen, you are so dumb. Completely childish decisions made by someone that was smart enough to build this mega empire/high tech dating software. It didn't make any sense that he did what he did. Absolutely none.

The whole character of Catherine was completely unnecessary. I was irritated more than anything with that whole situation. 
When they finally get their heads out of their asses, Lexie starts remembering things from her past and while they're reminiscing Arsen tells Lexie that they called her Sexy Lexie in high school….
Well, here's my problem with that...she wasn’t even Lexie back then! Her mom had moved and changed her name to Alexandria after the "accident".

*SPOILERS OVER*

******

I wanted to like this book so badly. I'm truly sad that it ended up being a huge bust for me with that beautiful cover. I may not have cared for it, but Insta-Hate has quite a few positive reviews on Amazon so maybe you'll enjoy it if you want to give it a shot.

Amazon Buy Link for Insta-Hate 

  

Battle of The Heart (Of The Heart #3) by Jessica Florence Release Day

Battle of The Heart

Series: Of The Heart #3

Release – November 9, 2016

Synopsis

Thalia and Tristan have overcome trial after trail in their journey. Not even death could part them. But now a new threat plagues the recently wedded couple.

Thalia's pregnancy scares the Gods. Never has there been a union of a Greek demigod and an Egyptian God.

The couple must fight every obstacle the Gods throw their way, or lose their growing family. Together with their friends they must enter a war against the Gods themselves.

Old enemies unite, Lives are at stake, and only one side will win.

It's the final battle of the heart, a battle that will either bring about death or new life.

Will Tristan and Thalia finally get their happy ending?

Or will they lose everything they've fought for all this time?

Buy Links

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Excerpt

As my feet pounded the pavement, my brain started to consume me. So many questions. So many variables left unknown. When I neared the apartment, I felt like I was being watched. Looking around, I didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Coming to a stop, I let my mind seek out anything unnatural. Bingo. I flashed to the tree in front of our building, where someone was crouched down, watching me with a camera. I was on him in a second. 

“What are you doing?” I roared at him. The man was wearing a hat, jeans, and a red shirt. He looked like a normal man, but I knew differently. You couldn’t fool a god. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The look on this man’s face said he was lying. He must know who I was, to be spying on me. Why lie?

“You have thirty seconds to tell me, before I turn you to ash,” I threatened. His face paled. 

“I was just seeing how long you were gone. They asked me to see if you would leave the woman. Shit, I was just doing as I was told, man.” He started to sing, but I needed more.

“Who is they?” I jerked him against the tree. I felt his power sizzle a little, but he was just a demigod, no match for me. I truly did wonder if he knew who I was. 

“I can’t tell you man, they will kill me.”  So cliché. Didn’t he realize that I could kill him with one shove of my power into him? I decided he needed just a bit more incentive. With my one hand pinning him to the tree, my other hand drifted across his ear, turning it to ash before my eyes. A slight smile appeared on my face. Beyond my fight to save Thalia, I had been tamed for too long. 

“Ah!” the man screamed. 

“Tell me who they are?” I asked again, and this time he was singing all I wanted to hear.

“The gods, man! My father Hermes sent me to spy on you! You must have done something to piss them off. Please let me go!”  I dropped him down, and forced him look me in the eye. It was time to set some things straight.

“I am Anubis, you little shit. I will spare your life, as long as you run back to your gods and tell them these words: No one shall touch my wife or child. I will raze the earth to dust and shadow before I allow her to be harmed. No one will be safe from me if they even try.” I threw him ten feet away, hard.

“Run, little messenger,” I commanded.

About Jessica Florence

Jessica Florence, Kaleidoscope of Romance

Author <3 PotterHead <3 Movie Geek Extraordinaire.

Writer of Surviving Valentine. The of The Heart trilogy, Evergreen, Lights of Scotland Series, and The Final Love series.

When she's not writing her next invigorating story. You can find her running her own business, and spending time with her husband and daughter in southwest Florida.

Stalk Jessica Florence Here

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