Bad For You by J. Daniels | ARC Review

Bad For You (Dirty Deeds # 3) by J. Daniels
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 400
Source: eARC from InkSlinger PR
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Goodreads Description

Shayla Perkins isn’t the kind of girl who makes the same mistake twice, especially when it comes to Sean “Stitch” Molina. So when he gives her the world’s biggest rejection, that’s it—she’s done. Until the sexy, silent, unavailable Sean makes Shay a very personal offer. Of course, it still doesn’t mean he’s interested in her. Or does it?

Sean has done things in life. Bad things. And he’s paid the price. All he wants now is to make up for his past by doing good in the present. And no one deserves more good than Shay. Beautiful on the inside and out, Shay is the kind of woman who should be cared for and protected—especially from a man like Sean. He’s tried to keep his feelings for her in check, but a single, reckless impulse pulls them closer than ever before.

Soon the two are sharing their biggest dreams and satisfying their deepest desires. But what will happen if the only way to truly give one another want they want most . . . is to let each other go?

My Thoughts

Bad for You is the third book in the Dirty Deeds series. Although it's part of a series this book, as well as the others, can be read as a standalone. Bad for You is told in dual perspective following Sean and Shayla. At the beginning of the story the two aren't speaking but they still see each other because they work together. After something happens in Shayla's family, Sean offers to help her and the story really takes off from there.

Shay and Sean come from completely different backgrounds. As we move through the story we find out more about Sean's past and his life growing up. I don't think my heart ever broke so much for a character. The more that was revealed about Sean, the more it was understood why he did the things he did throughout his life and why he rejected Shayla before.

It was nice to see Sean and Shayla rekindle their friendship once he offers to help her. I also appreciate how when their relationship began to progress past friendship they didn't automatically get together. While slow at times it made sense to see Sean struggle opening up and learning to let himself be loved. Sean has a lot of trauma to work through but because he now has the motivation to move forward things can only get better for him. I do wish I could have seen a look at how things changed for them a little into the future. Besides that, Bad for You absolutely stole my heart!

xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan | ARC Review

xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 334
Source: eARC from InkSlinger PR
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Goodreads Description

The first time we met was at a party. 

Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date. 

I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days. 

The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.

The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact. 

I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it. 

You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.

I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be the adviser to your program and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.

xo, Zach

My Thoughts

xo, Zach opens following Poppy as she gets dragged to a party by her neighbor. When her ex-boyfriend shows up with his new girlfriend she approaches a random guy and asks him to pretend to be her date. The two have an instant connection but Poppy soon finds out that this guy is her advisor for her graduate program. Despite their situation, Zach decides he still wants to try having a relationship with Poppy.

Poppy and Zach are the definition of an angsty romance! The two are clearly attracted to each other from the beginning. However they are at different stages in their lives and have different wants driving their decisions. I really appreciate that wile they were trying to figure out where they stood with other they stayed mature about the other's decision even if they weren't on the same page. Poppy and Zach's relationship may have been a little unconventional but it was adorable!

xo, Zach is the first book I've read by Kendall Ryan and I'm happy this was my introduction to her work. I look forward to reading more from her. Especially if I can leave her books with the same warm, fuzzy feeling I had by the time I finished this story.

Man Card by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby | ARC Review

Man Card (Man Hands #2) by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Publication Date: January 15, 2018
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 452
Source: eARC from Publicist
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Goodreads Description

Nothing ventured, nothing banged...

Ash
I still don't know how it happened. One minute I was arguing with my arrogant competitor--our usual trash-talk over who deserves the larger commission. But somehow I went from throwing down to kneeling down... 
It can never happen again. I don't even like Braht. He's too slick. He's a manipulating mansplaining party boy in preppy clothes.
So why can't I get him out of my head? 

Braht
There are two things I know without question. One: Ash and I are destined for each other. Two: never trust a man with a unibrow.
Ash is my missing my piece. She's the sweet cream to my gourmet espresso. And nothing gets me going faster than her contempt for me. They don't call her the Ashkicker for nothing. 
Eventually I'll win her over...if my past doesn't ruin everything first.

My Thoughts

Last month I had the opportunity to read and review Man Hands, the first book in this series. I enjoyed the story these two authors brought to life through Brynn and Tom. However, going into Man Card I was a little skeptical if I would enjoy the story as much because I wasn't sure the main character and her love interest were a good match.

I'm so happy to say I was proven wrong. I hate to say it but I think I enjoyed Ash and Braht's story more than Brynn and Tom's. Ash and Braht had a lot they needed to work on before they were ready for each other. It took a while for me to warm up to them but ultimately I ended up loving them and their progression from the beginning to the end of this novel.

There were a few times throughout the book when the characters seem to speak directly to the reader. It felt weird and I didn't like it because it pulled me out story each time. Besides this I really enjoyed the story. I was happy I got to see a little of Brynn and Tom and how life for them was after Man Hands. I really hope Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby decide to collaborate at least once more for Sadie. She deserves a happy ending too!

The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova | Review

The  Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga #1) by Elise Kova
Publisher: Keymaster Press
Publication Date: January 10, 2017
Genre: Adult (YA Crossover), High-Fantasy, Steampunk
Pages: 395
Source: Received from Author
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Goodreads Description

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.

My Thoughts

Going into this I wasn't really sure what to expect. The Alchemists of Loom was one of those books that I've wanted to read since the first time I heard about for some reason I never picked it up. I was expecting to enjoy the story but not as much as I did.

At the start of this book we are following Ari as she's out on a mission. On her way home she runs into a Dragon and decides she can't pass up on the opportunity to harvest his organs. The Dragon has to convince her not to harvest her organs as well as help him on a mission of his own. After these two characters come to an agreement the story really begins to take take off.

Characters can make or break a story for me and these characters helped me become immeresed in their story and really care about their story. I loved the majority of the characters. They were all really  well written! I enjoyed seeing how each character developed as the story progressed and I can't wait to see how they continue to do so throughout the rest of the trilogy.

There were parts of this books  that were confusing. I didn't complete understand the magic system and the way the guilds work. I thought as I continued to read I would understand a little better but there wasn't really much explained. Hopefully the sequel gives a little more insight into this. The Alchemists of Loom was unlike anything I've ever read and I can't wait to see where the story goes in The Dragons of Nova.

In The Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende | Review

In The Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 31, 2017
Genre: Historical, Literary Fiction
Pages: 340
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher

Goodreads Description

In the Midst of Winter begins with a minor traffic accident—which becomes the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster—a 60-year-old human rights scholar—hits the car of Evelyn Ortega—a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala—in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor’s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz—a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile—for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia.

Exploring the timely issues of human rights and the plight of immigrants and refugees, the book recalls Allende’s landmark novel The House of the Spirits in the way it embraces the cause of “humanity, and it does so with passion, humor, and wisdom that transcend politics” (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post). In the Midst of Winter will stay with you long after you turn the final page. 

My Thoughts

A goal of mine in 2017 was to try books that are outside of the genres I typically pick up, which really encouraged me to give this book a try. In The Midst of Winter follows three very different people that are brought together due to unlikely circumstances. It takes place over multiple timelines and the main plot follows Richard Bowmaster, Lucia Maraz, and Evelyn Ortega in present day New York. Richard hits Evelyn's car in the middle of a snowstorm. After realizing thing are more serious than they Eem at first Evelyn shows up at Richard's house. Not knowing what to do Richard enlists the help of his neighbor/colleague Lucia and the story between these characters takes off from there.

My favorite thing about this novel was going into the past and learning about where each character came from and how they got to where they currently are. Each character had such a heart breaking story. I loved being able to follow their stories and see how they were able to overcome so much. I also really loved that I learned some things while reading. I had to take a step back and really think about each event in the character's lives and the consequences of those events. I would like to do some research to learn more of the basis where each character's story came from.

While I did enjoy the story I don't think I read this at the right time in my life. It took a lot out of me to get through but I felt like I wasn't retaining a lot of the information. I ended up switching over to the audiobook and once I did I felt like I was able to become completely immersed in the story and really enjoy it. However, I wasn't able to personally connect with any of the characters. Once again, the background of the characters as well as the mystery/thriller component was the main source of my enjoyment. In The Midst of Winter is a book I would like to revisit in the future! For now, it was an entertaining look on what it means to be human and how that experience is affected by different circumstances and experiences.