Taste the Heat Review

Title: Taste the Heat (A Love and Games novel)

Author: Rachel Harris

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Goodreads Summary:

              When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she doesn’t want to taste. Colby is counting down the days till she can leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas. 

            Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. He knows he should focus on finding the perfect mother for his daughter, but when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason doesn’t want to say no. 

           As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

Gabrielle's 4.5 Star Review:  (Has a few spoilery type things)

          Colby Robicheaux "ran" away from her family after she graduated high school. I put it in quotes because she doesn't actually go missing. She just goes to college in New York then decides to move to Vegas and open a restaurant. She rarely ever went home or called her family but that wasn't fair to her mother and siblings when she was angry with her father, the man everyone loved in her small hometown right outside of New Orleans.

              She comes back because her family's restaurant needed help. After their father died (he was the head chef), most of their kitchen staff up and quit. So, she moved back home for the summer to help out her brother who now owns and runs it. (Can I take a moment to say SWOON over her brother ;) ) Her first day back, she has to judge a competition. Who is in it? Jason Landry, the boy who starred in all her fantasies as a kid. Well, now as a man, she starts to fantasize again BUT he returns her attraction.

             Enter Emma. She is Jason's adorable daughter who instantly looks up to Colby because she wants to become a chef, too. At first, Colby thinks Jason is married and she starts to freak out until Emma mentions her mother died a few years back. Still - Colby is freaked to the max about dating a man who has a daughter when she never envisioned herself being a mother or a "motherly role" type person.

             But the three of them become an inseparable threesome and they start to form a family again. But Colby can't commit to anything... Not when she has trust issues... And Jason is too afraid to put his heart on the line again when it was already shattered once.

             I want to start out by saying this is the first ADULT book I read from Rachel Harris. On the first page I was a bit wary but once I fully understood where Colby was and what she was doing, I was totally in. ESPECIALLY when Jason is thrown into the mix. I was slightly confused as to why the so blatantly flirted out in public in front of hundreds of people. But their chemistry was instant and combustible. I was rooting for them before THEY even realized how much they belonged together.

            Jason, not only was he physically sexy BUT he was a wonderful single father, which made him EVEN sexier. He tried helping Emma through all the things a mother would, like getting her first period and trying to find the right pads/tampons. LOVED that scene.

            Colby was adorably cute. One of my favorite parts is: Colby, apparently realizing how her words sounded, or maybe just seeing the pained look on his face, widened her eyes. "I mean, not in a bad way." The soft pink of her cheeks turned a bright crimson. "N-not to say that being on top of you would be bad, either. Because it wouldn't. I'm sure it would be fine. More than fine." I couldn't help but fall for this cute couple. Jason, with his smoldering eyes and Colby with her stuttering nervousness made quite the couple.

            Both of them had to conquer their own personal battles before they could truly be together and when they were almost there... Colby thought Jason cheated and she leaves. Then tragidy struck and kicked Colby's butt into gear. Sometimes I just wished I could reach through the book and strangle the two of them. But they made their way to each other. They found the love and support in each other that neither thought they would find. And omg, the ending of the book was absolutely perfect. I cried lots of happy tears.

           I can't wait for the next two books. I ordered them yesterday so now I just have to wait! Eeeep! Good job, Rachel Harris!

Because of Miss Bridgerton Review

Because of Miss Bridgerton

By Julia Quinn

Historical Romance

Goodreads Summary:

Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...

Gabrielle's Review:

Billie Bridgerton is an independent woman in a time where they were only meant to run a household and have children. She helped her father run his estate while her younger brother finished school even though she knew she would never be in charge of Aubrey Hall. Her best friends were all the Rokesby children. They were neighbors. But she didn't get along with the eldest child, George. But after she gets stuck on a rooftop, they start to realize that the other isn't too bad. With the nudge of George's mother, they finally admit that they fell in love with each other. 

I enjoyed how they fell in love slowly and they realized the other was a great person after all these years. It was an easy, enjoyable read and I will read more by Julia Quinn. I picked this book up because I saw a picture of Sophie Jordan with Julia Quinn at the Avon Kiss Con so I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did. I wasn't sure why she added in Edwards disappearance but hopefully it will be revealed in the next installment.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical romances. Even though I only give it 4 stars, I would still read it again. Good job, Julia Quinn!!

All Chained Up Giveaway

GIVEAWAY FOR ALL CHAINED UP BY SOPHIE JORDAN

Goodreads Summary: 
There are bad boys and then there are the men of Devil’s Rock . . .

Some men come with a built-in warning label. Knox Callaghan is one of them. Danger radiates from every lean, muscled inch of him, and his deep blue eyes seem to see right through to Briar Davis’s most secret fantasies. But there’s one major problem: Briar is a nurse volunteering at the local prison, and Knox is an inmate who should be off-limits in every way.

Knox feels it too—a shocking animal magnetism that drives him to risk his own life to protect Briar’s. Paroled at last, he tries to resist her. She’s too innocent, too sweet, and she has no idea what Knox is capable of. But a single touch can lead to a kiss—and a taste . . . until the only crime is denying what feels so right . . .

“When the prison doors are open, the real dragon will fly out.”—Ho Chi Minh

Gabrielle's 5 Star Review: 
           Briar is a nurse who wants to work her way to the top so she volunteers to help her boss at Devil's Rock Penitentiary. She's a good girl who doesn't know how to handle herself around hardened criminals. Knox gets hurt in a fight the first day she's there and they have an immediate attraction. An attraction so strong, Briar can't help but think about him 24/7. But inside a prison, you are never safe, not even when there are armed guards and a panic button. Two criminals plan something but Knox finds out and saves Briar. 
           Soon after he is released from prison but he forces himself to not search for Briar, the only woman he could think about. Fate had other plans. A spicy, hot romance blooms between them even though both of them try to fight their feelings.
            I can't believe this was Sophie Jordan's first Contemporary Romance because she captivated me from page one. I couldn't put the book down. I read while I cooked dinner and then read all through the night. Briar and Knox both had to fight their inner demons in order to finally admit their feelings. Their emotions were so raw and real. I felt every bit of emotion they did.
           Knox made me angry throughout the book with his uncertainties and mind games but he certainly made up for it. If Sophie just made him fall into Briar's arms and confess his love, it wouldn't have been real and that was what this book was. Real. Powerful. Sexy. Hot. It was everything I wanted in it and more. It won't disappoint!

Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock book #2) comes out in July! Mark it on your calendars!

GIVEAWAY STARTS 4/8/2016 and ENDS 4/15/2016
Open Internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
****WINNER**** is Annette Cerrie! Congratulations, Annette! Email me your address at gabriellesaunders827@gmail.com !

Newington, NH Meet and Greet

Newington, NH Barnes and Noble

Authors (from left to right): A.C Gaughen, Erin E. Moulton, Adi Rule, and Erin Bowman

My book haul:

All Chained Up Review

Title: ALL CHAINED UP

Author: Sophie Jordan

Genre: Adult Contemporary

Goodreads Summary:
There are bad boys and then there are the men of Devil’s Rock . . .

Some men come with a built-in warning label. Knox Callaghan is one of them. Danger radiates from every lean, muscled inch of him, and his deep blue eyes seem to see right through to Briar Davis’s most secret fantasies. But there’s one major problem: Briar is a nurse volunteering at the local prison, and Knox is an inmate who should be off-limits in every way.

Knox feels it too—a shocking animal magnetism that drives him to risk his own life to protect Briar’s. Paroled at last, he tries to resist her. She’s too innocent, too sweet, and she has no idea what Knox is capable of. But a single touch can lead to a kiss—and a taste . . . until the only crime is denying what feels so right . . .

Gabrielle's 5 Star Review:
           Briar is a nurse who wants to work her way to the top so she volunteers to help her boss at Devil's Rock Penitentiary. She's a good girl who doesn't know how to handle herself around hardened criminals. Knox gets hurt in a fight the first day she's there and they have an immediate attraction. An attraction so strong, Briar can't help but think about him 24/7. But inside a prison, you are never safe, not even when there are armed guards and a panic button. Two criminals plan something but Knox finds out and saves Briar. 
           Soon after he is released from prison but he forces himself to not search for Briar, the only woman he could think about. Fate had other plans. A spicy, hot romance blooms between them even though both of them try to fight their feelings.
            I can't believe this was Sophie Jordan's first Contemporary Romance because she captivated me from page one. I couldn't put the book down. I read while I cooked dinner and then read all through the night. Briar and Knox both had to fight their inner demons in order to finally admit their feelings. Their emotions were so raw and real. I felt every bit of emotion they did.
           Knox made me angry throughout the book with his uncertainties and mind games but he certainly made up for it. If Sophie just made him fall into Briar's arms and confess his love, it wouldn't have been real and that was what this book was. Real. Powerful. Sexy. Hot. It was everything I wanted in it and more. It won't disappoint!

Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock book #2) comes out in July! Mark it on your calendars!

Burning Glass Is Out Today



Title: Burning Glass

Author: Kathryn Purdie

Release: 03/01/2016

 

 

 

Summary from Goodreads:

Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer.

Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. One mistake, one small failure, will cost her own life and the lives of the few people left in the world who still trust her.

But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, her feelings easily usurped, and she sometimes can’t decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself.

As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray.

REIGN OF SHADOWS REVIEW

Reign of Shadows
By Sophie Jordan
YA Fantasy
4.5 Star Review



Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.

 

Gabrielle's Review:

            Seventeen years into a dark eclipse lived a girl who was supposed to be dead. Dark dwellers swarmed the ground twenty three hours of the day. There was only one hour of "light". It was the only time you could safely go outside and not be torn to pieces.

            Luna, a lost girl trapped inside a tower, meets Fowler, someone who is just as lost but in a different way. Luna was raised by her mother's nurse and one of her father's guards in the cursed woods. Fowler's past throughout most of the book was a mystery. A few hints were peppered into the story and when his past was revealed, it was an "AH HA!" moment, where it all clicked.

            No one dared to enter the woods but Fowler and a couple companions. Fowler, after losing the love of his life, was on the run for at least a year before he bumped into Luna. One of them was hurt in a trap Luna's "parents" set and when he howled out in pain, the dark dwellers heard and set their sights on them. Luna saved them but that caused the girl of the group to still die.

            Fowler and Luna make it to a city in trees but their safety there is limited. The king is paying people to kill girls around her age and when Luna finds out, she wants to go turn herself in. The end of this book ends on a HUGE HUGE HUGE cliffhanger, which kind of leaves a bitter taste in my mouth but it wasn't enough to ruin the whole story because I loved it.

            The light in Luna kept the dark times bright. As she spent more time with Fowler, she gave him more hope than he thought he could allow himself to have. Their romance was uniquely them. At first, he resented her, because he didn't allow himself to like anyone, but slowly, he began to fall for her. He didn't give himself permission to but it was impossible to stop it. Their love burned bright enough to keep away the darkness in themselves.

            The best thing about their relationship? Definitely the fact that even though Fowler was a sexy, strong man who could protect her BUT she didn't need him for that. She was strong and independent (even though her parents kept her secluded). She even protected him when he needed her to. I think that Luna was a great role model for teen girls because of that fact. Some stories make girls the "damsel in distress" but not Sophie Jordan. This is a story to remember.

 

Order Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Reign-Shadows-Sophie-Jordan/dp/0062377647/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455739355&sr=8-1&keywords=reign+of+shadows

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reign-of-shadows-sophie-jordan/1121953912?ean=9780062377647

About Sophie Jordan:

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she's also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she's not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows.