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Review: The Marriage Auction (Marriage Auction #4) by Audrey Carlan

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Title: Marriage Auction
Author: Audrey Carlan
Publisher/Year:  Blue Box Press 1.24.23
Length:  354 pages
Series: Marriage Auction #4

Overview

Four young women enter into a clandestine auction to be married to the highest bidders. For no less than a million dollars a year, for three years, each woman will do what it takes to secure her future. Entangled in a high-stakes game of money, lust, power, and the hope for absolution, this group of women becomes a sisterhood unlike any other.

Once chosen by a man she’s never met and agrees to marry sight unseen…there is no going back. Hidden secrets, wicked desires, fiery couplings and intense family drama are all part of the deal when you willingly enter into The Marriage Auction.

You may now kiss the bride…

My Thoughts

Again with the same summary as always but a culmination of events from each one of the stories. We know that they were all heading off various cliffs from the end of book 3, so we knew that we were due for even more excitement in this finale.

Dakota and Sutton were trying to forge ahead with getting ownership of the ranch so that Kota could get out from under her father, who had lied to her and abused her her entire life. What we learn though is that there’s so much more to the story, and that while he’s a horrible man, he wasn’t necessarily the one behind all the nonsense recently. The arson was not the father and when we learn who it was, it’s both a surprise and not. The other bit to their story is the notion of growing their family – and quickly. Something that Sutton is thrilled with the prospect of and something that terrifies Kota. I guess we have to see how that one plays out. but they may continue on this blissful life for a bit longer!

Next with Savannah and Erik. We know how well their story has been going in Norway and they are on their path to a happy ending. The turmoil back in Montana is enough stress for a lifetime, and they just want to get moving with their happily ever after. Jack, Eriks best friend is even on board now with Savannah and the notion of this marriage – so things all seem to be going in the right direction, even with the nonsense from Jarod. Their story takes us back to Montana though as that’s where Savannah always dreamed about getting married, and what they find there is insanity. After witnessing confrontation at gunpoint between their father, Jarod and another farm hand, we quicklyh learn that all is not what it seems and that means that we are now on our toes for the foreseeable future since Savannah is not safe. Where this story goes is an expected and yet unexpected direction, but one that really gives us what we were hoping for.

Next is Ruby and Nile. She’s made her choice and has decided that she wants to marry Nile and we start to see the man that’s under the prickly prim facade. He’s the perfect man for her and they are a lovely couple. They’re continuing to explore on another and learn more about each other’s lives – and all this while they plan ahead for their wedding in a week’s time. What they don’t know though is that Noah is truly a sore loser and has taken it upon himself to have this plan to get Opal to marry him first so that he can get the inheritance and have control over the family business. There’s so much that’s bound to end poorly about this as Ruby has made all these sacrifices for Opal over the years and now Opal is not even discussing her future with her sister. There’s going to be relationships broken i’m sure, and you can sure as heck expect 2 new surprises.

Last but not least are Faith and Joel. I had to leave them for last as they are by far the most move theater dramatic. What I mean by this is that we’ve already had shootouts, kidnappings, and torture with this couple but now we have it to the nth degree. We know that Aidan has kidnapped Faith’s sister and that Faith goes to try to trade herself for her sisters. freedom, but what we don’t expect is that there’s so much that will be revealed when Faith tries to do what’s right and the consequences that come out of that are insane! We knew that there was a secret that Faith was keeping, and one that i’m sure all the readers knew, but the way that it comes out and how it resolves is going to be an interesting one.

So, what we have is the closure of a really good series of stories, watching how all these couples came together in an unorthodox way and how for some reason the way that they were supposed to work out is exactly how they were meant to. Not everything is easy and happy for everyone, but what we see are stronger relationships, passion and a future in whatever form that takes for each. I can’t wait to see who’s in the auction next time around – so after I finish another book, i’ll be off to read this series. Enjoy!

Review: The Marriage Auction 1 (Marriage Auction #3) by Audrey Carlan

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Title: Marriage Auction
Author: Audrey Carlan
Publisher/Year:  Blue Box Press 1.24.23
Length:  354 pages
Series: Marriage Auction #3

Overview

Four young women enter into a clandestine auction to be married to the highest bidders. For no less than a million dollars a year, for three years, each woman will do what it takes to secure her future. Entangled in a high-stakes game of money, lust, power, and the hope for absolution, this group of women becomes a sisterhood unlike any other.

Once chosen by a man she’s never met and agrees to marry sight unseen…there is no going back. Hidden secrets, wicked desires, fiery couplings and intense family drama are all part of the deal when you willingly enter into The Marriage Auction.

You may now kiss the bride…

My Thoughts

Again, no new summary, but for you guys – i’ll share that we get the continuation of the stories of our couples. We see that they are starting to settle into their new dynamics and even with that, life is going on around them and not always in the best of ways.

Sutton and Kota are still going strong in Montana, and it’s truly enjoyable to watch how they grow together. For two people who have known each other their whole lives, it’s so interesting to see how one sided things are with knowledge about life and history. It makes you feel really bad for what Savannah and Dakota had to go through and the information that was shared with them as it wasn’t the truth. Kota asks Sutton to share what he knows about the family history and when she learns things that she doesn’t want to hear and believe, it’s an eye opening situation to uncover the truths. It’s a true Hatfields and McCoys or whatever that old timey reference is on families feuding. They have a few additional rollercoasters to. deal with in this installment – they need to catch Dakota’s father as he’s a menace and when we see him, he’s up to no good. there’s attempted murder, arson and who knows what else he’s capable of. There’s also one more curveball thrown at this couple at the end of this book that I won ‘t share but you should read that gives us a glimpse into just how complicated things are about to get for them.

Then there’s Erik and Savannah. They are enjoying all that life can give them in Norway – his family has taken to her with open arms, and even when Jarad gets more into the mix with a call and whatnot, we see how well Erik handles things and how it’s clear that Savannah is happy with the choice that she’s made. These two are in such a good place that they decide to move ahead quickly with all the wedding plans, and that takes them back to Montana, where they are faced with the unexpected. Not all of it good!

Next we can go to Faith and Joel – we know that this one is going to continue to be incredibly messy and that it is. Just when life seem to be settling for them in Vegas – they have a nice blended family and Faith is truly learning what it’s like to be with someone that you can trust, she learns that Aiden, her ex, has done the unimaginable. He’s burned down her father’s restaurant and if that wasn’t enough, we find that her father is then kidnapped. Of course this means that they have to do an immediate trip to Vegas to figure out how to get Aiden under control (if not worse) and get life back to how it needs to be. When plans go into action, there are mass casualties, and still the problem isn’t solved. What results is a wedding – as Faith wants to ensure that Eden is cared for, then there’s a hint from her father (who was rescued) at another secret (which I think we can all figure out) and the desire for blood – as Aiden has Faith’s sister now. She goes against Joel’s wishes, and now we’re at a cliffhanger of danger.

Last but not least, we have Ruby and Nile (and Noah). We know that Ruby made her choice and frankly I think it’s the right one. The dynamic between the two is so much better, more authentic and I think that they suit each other well. There’s a lack of maturity that we see in Noah throughout this book that really makes me not like him so much. They forge ahead with the plans for their wedding In just over a week’s time and plan out what their life will look like. Parallel to that though, we have Noah and Opal. Opal is not aligned to living in the UK and they are working to set her up in school so that she can finish her degree per their plan. There’s another plan though that Noah devises which I frankly don’t care for and has the wrong motivations and I have a feeling with blow up in eveyone’s face. So if for nothing else, it’ll make for some entertaining reading.

So, we know that there’s a lot going on and a lot that still needs to resolve in book 4. We get a lot more passion and heat in this book now that the couples are not so new to one another, and that also helps speed up the progression of the stories and the speed of reading them too. I’m excited to see how it plays out and what’s nice about these stories is that we’re seeing more of Madame Alana throughout, and we’re getting a tease into what the next ‘season’ of this series will bring with Jack Erik’s friend) and potentially Memphis. So, on that note, I need to quickly dive into the last book to see if there’s a thing as a happy ending, ad will leave you all to enjoy!

Review: The Marriage Auction 1 (Marriage Auction S1B2) by Audrey Carlan

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Title: Marriage Auction
Author: Audrey Carlan
Publisher/Year:  Blue Box Press 1.24.23
Length:  324 pages
Series: Marriage Auction #2

Overview

Four young women enter into a clandestine auction to be married to the highest bidders. For no less than a million dollars a year, for three years, each woman will do what it takes to secure her future. Entangled in a high-stakes game of money, lust, power, and the hope for absolution, this group of women becomes a sisterhood unlike any other.

Once chosen by a man she’s never met and agrees to marry sight unseen…there is no going back. Hidden secrets, wicked desires, fiery couplings and intense family drama are all part of the deal when you willingly enter into The Marriage Auction.

You may now kiss the bride…

My Thoughts

The summary only gives you an idea of what book 1 was about – not book 2 – so this is where I get to step in. We met all of our main characters in the first book and now it’s time for us to enjoy seeing how their stories continue.

The sense you get from the auction in book 1 is that you are hoping that these men and women will find a partner that gives them what they were expecting to get out of the auction – no one really expects love – but instead a partner that will be an ends to a means for a least the 3 years of the terms. We saw through the varying dynamics of the relationships that some were far more complicated than others and in this book we get to see what that was.

Let’s start with Dakota and Sutton. These two have a history that was completely from left field – they are enemy families from Montana, and ironically – Sutton has been in love with Kota since he first met her. So what we get to see is how they go from ice, to fire, to ice and hopefully back to fire all in this next chapter of their story. What we learn throughout this book is that their family history is more intertwined and mis-communicated than ever expected and it’s an enjoyable time watching how it all unfolds.

Next we can stay with the family and go to Savannah and Erik. They are now back in Norway where Erik is from, and we get to see a bit more into the fast of Erik and what has made him into the man that he is now. The fist book hinted at something that happened years ago, and now we get to see the layers of the onion peel away as Savannah gets him to let his guard down. At the same time, we know that Savannah left someone at home – Jarrod – someone who she’s cared for quite a bit and who she broke up with to help out Kota, and he’s not going to take this new situation sitting down at all. He makes an appearance through both Kota’s story and this one, and the way that it unfolds in book three will be quite telling.

Next we can go to England where we have Ruby, Niles, and Noah. If you’ll recall, the twins went to the auction because there was a stipulation in their grandfather’s will that they had to marry for 2 years to get the majority shares of the family business. Ruby was given the chance to choose between the brothers, with rules in place to how they can woo her. What we see is one brother make a poor choice in their first date with the other coming to sort of save the day and smooth things over. This leads us to a decision being made sooner than we expected and then an interesting turn of events. Back home, we learn that Opal, Ruby’s sister has been attacked by their mother, with their mother stealing everything that Opal had. So Ruby sends one of the brothers to convince Opal to come back to England to be with her and where the story goes from there we can guess, but will have to wait and see.

Next we have Faith and Joel – they have had quite the rollercoaster. We knew that Faith was running from someone in her pas back in Vegas and we saw that Joel was a man who was able to protect her in the right moments that mattered. After Faith’s father was attacked and Eden, Faith’s niece was kidnapped, Joel was able to get the child back, get them all to safety and put plans into motion to make them all safe. They head off to Greece where Faith and Eden are welcomed with open arms by Joel’s family and even his daughter. They become a fast family but not one without their own stresses – we see how there are fears of what this blended family could be and there’s hesitation from Faith on the plans that Joel has for the future of the family as well (I.e. he wants more kids and I get the sense that she does not). We see that the kidnapping isn’t the end of what Aiden, the man from Faith’s past is able to do and he doesn’t stop there – arson and fear is still the name of the game and we have to wonder what’s going to be next.

What we have not quite gotten to in these stories are the weddings for most of the couples, so it’ll be telling to see how those net out – if they happen, what cold feet there are and what obstacles they will face. We get the sense in a lot of the relationships that there’s something potentially real there but who knows what real is given the circumstances. There are introductions of passion and chemistry across the board and i’m keen to see how it all plays out. So on that note- i’m off to find the next book so you guys please – Enjoy!

Review: Marriage Auction (Marriage Auction #1) by Audrey Carlan

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Title: Marriage Auction
Author: Audrey Carlan
Publisher/Year:  Blue Box Press 1.24.23
Length:  324 pages
Series: Marriage Auction #1

Overview

What would you do for three million dollars?

Four young women enter into a clandestine auction to be married to the highest bidders. For no less than a million dollars a year, for three years, each woman will do what it takes to secure her future. Entangled in a high-stakes game of money, lust, power, and the hope for absolution, this group of women becomes a sisterhood unlike any other.

Once chosen by a man she’s never met and agrees to marry sight unseen…there is no going back. Hidden secrets, wicked desires, fiery couplings and intense family drama are all part of the deal when you willingly enter into The Marriage Auction.

You may now kiss the bride…

My Thoughts

One never knows what to expect in a series like this but I think the snackable bites that we have throughout each of the chapters gives us a good sense of what we’re about to get ourselves into. What I almost wish though as i read through this first book of the series is that the chapters or episodes were really enabling us to get full stories for each of the couples. Alas that doesn’t happen but we get a good story regardless.

First there’s Ruby – a woman who’s from Mississippi, and needs to provide a better life for herself and her sister as they have basically nothing, and Ruby wants the world for Opal. She goes into the auction with the hopes of getting enough money to get her sister through college and then making a life for themselves somewhere amazing.

Next there’s Faith – a woman who we quickly learn has a past that is scary and one that’s forced her on the run. She’s returned to Vegas in the hopes of getting the money to support her father and her niece as they need a lot more than what life has given them. We learn though that her past is one that’s haunted and that perhaps her fiance is going to get more than he bargained for.

Last we have sisters Dakota and Savannah. Their family is one of stature in Montana – owning a large farm, but their family history is a bit muddled through the choices of their father – who’s run the farm into the ground. There’s another family in town that’s looking to buy them out – trying to take over and of course there’s a dynamic in town with these two families pitted against one another that manifests in an interesting way later in the story. But, Dakota planned to go to the auction to get money to save the farm, and her sister learned of the plans so she went as well. Shocking surprise but it appears that things will take the path that they are supposed to.

There are 2 others that we were introduced in the beginning of the story – Jade and Memphis who don’t make it through the auction but i’m sure we’ve not heard the last of them.

Onto the men – as they are just as important.

We meet Noah and Nile – two English brothers who go to the auction in order to fulfill a clause that their grandfather had on their inheritance. They were to meet and marry a woman in order to get an extra 2% share of the family business which essentially gives them the majority control of the company portfolio. They’re competitive at heart of course and this is a way to play that out while getting what they need from their family.

Next is Joel – a Greek businessman, hotelier who’s had his share of heartbreak. He was married to a woman called Alexandra who passed away, leaving him to raise their infant daughter alone. He’s got a missing piece in his life that he’s not sure how to fill especially since he’s not sure that he’ll ever be able to love someone in the way that he loved his wife and daughter. He’s only at the auction through the prodding of ‘friends’ and comes out with something that he didn’t expect.

Then we meet Sutton – he’s from a well established family in Montana – (interesting situation there right?) and he’s at the auction for a singular purpose after learning about the nature of this thing. We know that he’s a romantic at the core and it would be ironic if the marriage auction was a way for that to manifest.

Last but not least we have Erik – our viking so to speak – a man from Norway who doesn’t seem to have any bad. qualities of his own. We meet him in the tone of this golden angel of sorts but it appears that his past few years haven’t been the best. There were hints of an accident that has changed his life and who he is – bringing in what sounds like a depression, so this auction is an opportunity for him to find some happiness if he were to find the right woman.

I won’t tell you who ends up with whom in this story – but I will tell you the dynamics and the story lines are starting to heat up just as this book ends. We see kidnappings, trauma and violence and a hint of heartbreak in the form of something being uttered subconsciously that all makes for a good cliffhanger as we look towards book 2. So on that note, I have no choice but to get it and start reading again! Enjoy!

Review: Blosson in Winter (Blossom in Winter #1) by Melanie Martins

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Title: Blossom in Winter
Author: Melanie Martins
Publisher/Year:  Melanie Martins LLC 10.28.19
Length:  250 pages
Series: Blossom in Winter

Overview

Petra, a seventeen-year-old Dutch-American and the only heir of finance tycoon Roy Van Gatt, has always had her life rigorously planned and supervised by her strict father. From her internship at his hedge fund firm on Wall Street to her degree in economics at Columbia University, Petra is all set for a bright future in finance. 

But everything falls apart when she develops a dangerous relationship with her father’s business partner and utmost confidant, Alexander Van Dieren. A Dutch nobleman, known as an unrepentant heartbreaker, twenty-three years her senior, and who is, above all else, her beloved godfather. 

A twisted obsession for some, unconditional love for others, but one thing is sure: it’s a relationship that might cost them everything…

My Thoughts

This story starts off back in time, when we know that things are tumultuous and when we catch up to present day, we see bits of the fall out in what has become of Petra. We know that her parents weren’t well suited – her mother was a bit of an alcoholic and her father was trying to make something of himself. When they decided to part ways, Petra went with her father to New York and that’s where her life is lived. We are now in her senior year of high school, a time that’s always a big change for anyone, and for Petra specifically, things are going to get even more insane.

Petra’s been living under her father’s thumb, to the extent that she has few friends, she has a reputation for being shy and uptight and she knows that her future is planned out in the sense that she will be following in her father’s footsteps, working in his business and being exactly what he wants her to be. Not only does it give him control over what she’s doing but it ensures that his reputation is upheld which is incredibly important.

In this first book we see Petra dip her toes into some of those more teen expected experiences, going to a party and finding herself in a situation with a crush that wasn’t ideal. While her best friend takes care of it, she’s not entirely sure what that means for her in the future.

Then she finds her godfather is back in town – a man that when she was ten years old, she had an insane crush on, and he disappeared from her life. Now that he’s back, she’s off kilter and that means that she has to figure out how to carry herself since she’s hurt that he left but happy that he’s back. He introduced her to his half brother and that introduces yet another bad decision. One of which Alex saves her from.

Where this leads though is down a path that we all knew was inevitable – the two of them coming together now that she’s just about legal, and the story from here is one of a deep and intense romance, but one that has so many obstacles in the way of happiness.

They want to be together but hte world won’t acept them. Petra’s father doesn’t know about them, but knows what things Alex likes in his personal life which means that there’s a huge issue to cross through. Then there’s the fact that there’s a huge age difference between them that society probably won’t like. And then the last and worst is that we learn towards the end of this first book that Petra’s mother won’t allow them to be together and is willing to ruin everyone’s family in order to keep them apart. She has secrets that she’s held for both her ex-husband Roy as well as Alex and Alex;s family, and if any of that comes to light, there will be total and complete ruin.

The plans that they made have to be broken, but that’s not all that’s broken. When Alex is forced to break up with Petra, she runs away and ends up in a car accident that puts her into a coma. The last pages of this story give us a confused perspective on things, and of course is exactly how a book should end so that we are forced to read the next one. So on that note – ENJOY!

Review: Too Far (Blacklist #2) by Sylvia Day

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Title: Too Far
Author: Sylvia Day
Publisher/Year:  Sylvia Day 10.24.23
Length:  294 pages
Series: Blacklist #2

Overview

You can’t believe all of them, but can you trust any of them? Lily Black was presumed dead for years. Now, she’s back in the unquestioning arms of her loving husband, Kane. Where she’s been remains a mystery, but her past sins haunt her and bring deadly danger into the lives of the family. Meanwhile Aliyah, Kane’s mother, has worked hard for her position of power. She has never believed Lily is who she says she is, and will stop at nothing to expose her. Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has always been a pawn in the dangerous games this family plays. But she knows she deserves more, and will do anything to claim the biggest prize. Three women fight to outrun their pasts. But could they have more in common than they think? With the trademark emotional intensity and scorching sensuality of multimillion bestseller Sylvia Day, the dangerous and sultry Blacklist duology comes to its riveting conclusion.

My Thoughts

We started down this insane roller coaster in the first installment, not exacty sure what to make of the story, the characters and the dynamic. We know that there is a lot of history between the couples, the families and the businesses, and we’re not sure who’s really on what side.

We met Kane, the leading man of sorts – the one that built his business to survive, built his relationship for love and had it all shattered when his wife disappeared and was presumed dead. When she reappeared in the first book of this duet, we didn’t know what to make of it. Was it really her, why did she leave and what can’t she remember. What unfolded throughout that installment was a maze of questions – she either didn’t have answers for them or she didn’t want to answer them and that made us unsure if she was trustworthy. Kane believed her to the best of what we knew, but even he had to be smarter than it all.

Add to that – there was the interesting dynamic of his family – they are all imperfect in their own way and definitely unsure of who to trust – to each other and amongst each other.

One was painted as an alcoholic – but we learn that there’s much more to the story

One was paineted as a cheater and again, complex narrative

One was painted as the brother / son who was aloof

and one was painted as the controlling mother

What we learn throughout this second installment is that what we read and see is not at all the case and what we find out to be true really blows our mind. There are breakdowns, lies, and alliances that we never predicted and it sums up things exactly as this story was owed.

There’s also another story line to this book if that wasn’t all enough. We never knew the real story of Lily’s life and we get that in glimpses throughout this book. We see how she was raised, the woman that her mother was and as a result the woman that she was raised to be. We wonder where her mother is as we know that she can’t possibly be dead, and we find out in a round about and quite unexpected way where she is and how closely intertwined into things she is. There was a worry at one point that Lily was really her mother brought back, but then we find out that it’s so much messier and more twisted.

So, if you want a book that will keep you reading and on the edge of your seat, thrown around a bit and unsure what you’re going to learn next, this one is for you. IT’s a shame that so much was resolved, but wonderful that we got to see how it all played out. Enjoy!

Review: Trust in Me (Dark Nights #1) by Skye Warren

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Title: Trust in Me
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  Skye Warren 9/15/12
Length:  180 pages
Series: Dark Nights #1

Overview

Mia longs for the daily torture to end, but one last task keeps her holding on.

In a betrayal of the crime lord who pulled her from the gutter, she’ll free the shipment of human cargo, and if she’s lucky, die in the process. The alternative is unfathomable, even to a woman well-versed in erotic torture.

Then she meets the security expert in charge of the shipment–and finds herself face to face with her childhood crush.

The man she once begged for help.

The man who failed her.

Tyler Martinez is an undercover FBI agent with one chance to right the wrongs of his past. Thrust deep into the seedy world of human trafficking, he must put aside his guilt over abandoning Mia all those years ago in order to save her now.

My Thoughts

This is a twisted story where we don’t know the background and the truth behind the characters but we slowly see all that unfold. Like the summary says, Mia is in a situation that’s not ideal – there’s the powerful mafia like man who pulled her out of the gutter, saved her from a life that was on the streets but instead has made her his pet, his slave, tortured her, but also some how gave her the life that she needed. He does care for her in some weird way but that’s not the way that she was destined to live. Her father didn’t treat her as she should and didn’t give her the safety and security that she needed and that’s what led her to this life.

Tyler is a man from her past – a boy that was from the same neighborhood and someone that she potentially had a crush on. Someone that she wanted to save her from the life that her father was living but he wasn’t strong enough then to do anything about it. We don’t know what brought him to the house that she’s living in now, and we don’t know who he’s working for but we do know that he has the ability to change the future. if the game is played correctly.

Throughout this story we see the dynamics between everyone change. We watch how Mia finds herself passed from person to person again, and has to. act better than she’s ever acted before in the hopes of freeing herself and freeing girls that she’s learned are being trafficked by the organization.

What we learn throughout this story is that people we feared were potentially not the bad guys and the ones that we hoped were good perhaps were not. There is confusion on what side people are on when it comes to the FBI, to being aligned to doing the right thing and we have to have hope that it all plays out the right way. So….read this one ,watch how it turns out and then on to the next! Happy new year everyone and enjoy!

Review: Deep (Chicago Underground #8) by Skye Warren

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Title: Deep
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  Book Beautiful 6/28/16
Length:  349 pages
Series: Chicago Underground #8

Overview

Dark. Powerful. Dangerous.

Philip Murphy has all of Chicago under his thumb. Except me.

We met in a perfect storm of violence and lust. He saved me and then disappeared from my life. Now I pretend I never knew that kind of darkness. I focus on midterms and campus parties, as if they can wipe the slate clean.

Then he turns up outside my dorm room–wounded and barely conscious. He’s the head of a criminal empire, a powerful man, but he needs me now. There are traitors in his midst.

I can help him, but I can’t fall for him.

Not again.

My Thoughts

It’s nice to get Philips story since we met him through Collin, through Shelly and Rose. We know that the’s the protector of the family and that there’s so much more to his story than we really heard so far, so it’s great to see how this plays out.

If you remember, is ‘relationship’ with Shelly was one that worked for both of them. He needed an outlet to his desires and Shelly was able to be that outlet, to benefit from the type of things that he was into and to get his protection when she needed it most. You’ll remember from the initial series that she sold him out to the detectives but that alll seems to have been forgotten.

The dynamic that we pick up into for this story is that of Ella and Phillip. You’ll remember from the first time that we got to know more about Shelly that Ella was a bit of a tortured young soul. We learned at the end of Shelly’s story who her real parents were and that’s what brought her into the world that she’s in now, however we also saw the effect that she had on the people around her in both a desire to protect her innocence and yet to see her suffer because she’s stubborn.

Phillip’s first reaction was to take care of her because he desired her – but he knew that she was too young then. As a result, he watched her from afar over the years, not stalking but obsessed in a way – keeping tabs on every move that she made and everything that she did because in his mind, she should be his.

After Ella got back to her old life when things settled down, she went to college – she went back to what she was destined to do and while she was trying to make something of herself, she found that she was missing something. She even tried to let those feelings go and be something that wasn’t true to herself, but of course – there was a hole.

Until one night when a surprise guest finds himself at her door – injured, with probably so much more to the story than we will ever know.

Fast forward to Phillip pretending to take her hostage to protect her from even more unknowns only to find that they would have found their way to each other some how.

Ella learns that she’s being hunted because of her connection to Phillip even though they hadn’t been in direct contact for years. The question that we are searching for throughout though is who sold them out and why. and what does that mean for them.

We have a roller coaster of emotions in this 8th and potentially last installment. We have no more. characters to waffle over and we know that we want Ella and Phillip to have their happy endings – either with each other or without. there’s a question as to weather they will both be alive at the end of this story – in or out of jail – pursuing whatever it is that they wanted to at the onset. and that’s what makes for a great story. innocence lost and hope either granted or dashed. Enjoy!

Review: Sweet (Chicago Underground #7) by Skye Warren

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Title: Sweet
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  Book Beautiful 4/30/15
Length:  147 pages
Series: Chicago Underground #7

Overview

My brother is both powerful and cruel, which means I have a lot of enemies I’ve never met. He swears he’ll keep me safe, but what I want most is to break free. I especially want to break free with Drew, my brother’s lawyer.

I’ve spent my life under glass.

We shouldn’t be together, but everything about him draws me. His intensity, his kindness.

And the way he looks in those custom tailored suits.

One night when he’s outside my bedroom, I give him a sexy show. And in doing so, unlock pandora’s box. Drew shows me everything I’ve been missing. He touches my body and my heart, but when the truth comes to light, we’re both in danger.

The cost of my freedom may be the man I’ve come to love.

My Thoughts

We met our leading characters throughout the first several books in this ‘series, so it’s nice to see how things play out. Rose is a character that we got to know when we saw relationships grow between Allie and Colin and then again when Shelly was spending time with Phillip. We know she’s a talented dancer and we know that she’s been fairly sheltered much of her life, but now it’s her time to get a story.

We met Drew books as well, watching the world that he did with the brothers to keep them out of trouble. We learn that his past is a bit more ambitious than we know, and that his loyalty continues to advance him professionally and personally.

At the point in time that we are with this story, we’re watching how Rose is finally coming into her own. She knows that she can’t dance forever and has been planning for when that time comes. She’s planning to open her own dance studio and it seems to be getting more and more real. She finds a location that’s ideal, and what makes it even better is that there’s an apartment above that she can make into her own with some love and renovations and that means that she can begin to live her own life out from under the super watchful eye of her brother.

While she’s coming to terms with being independent, she chooses to take another risk – that of putting her feelings out there with Drew, and seeing where that goes. They’ve been dancing around each other for years, knowing that Phillip won’t like the idea of them together and knowing that it could impact everything. They still can’t stay away from each other, even when they know that there’s danger coming from many places.

There are lies and secrets. Happiness and loss. attempts at killing people and a fear of what the future holds. We know that the life that Phillip leads isn’t one that’s super legal, but we also know that more often than not, Drew and Phillip try to do the most righteous things they can with what they’re working with and they pay the price. everyone does.

As always in these books,, we want to hope for the happy ending and I suppose that’s what we’ll do here. Romance and patience always win out – right? Enjoy!

Review: Secret (Chicago Underground #6) by Skye Warren

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Title: Secret
Author: Skye Warren
Publisher/Year:  Book Beautiful 4/30/15
Length:  150 pages
Series: Chicago Underground #6

Overview

I’m the one with the dark past, the scarlet letter, the soul so black there’s no hope of redemption. At least, that’s what I always believed… Luke has secrets of his own, and the more I search, the more I’m afraid of what I’ll find. But I have to know. My survival depends on it.

My Thoughts

This is the finale that we’ve all been waiting for – to see how the story end up for Shelly after all that she’s gone thorugh in the last 2 books of her story and even in the pages of Allie’s story. We know that she’s trying to get Henri, figure out how to take him down and clear her name, make Claire safe and figure out all the mysteries surrounding her, luke, her father. There are just too many unknowns to name.

In this third installment, we see what happens when Shelly thinks that she’s invincible. She puts her faith in Luke and finds that while he’s trustworthy – he’s not above the means of people who are up to no good. Throughout this story too we see another side of him – we learn what brought him to where he is today – the life that he grew up in and why he’s so comfortable in Shelly’s world. It’s a bit of a surprise on one hand but not at all shocking on another.

Shelly tries to help the ‘good guys’ take Henri down and instead finds herself back in his grasp. she’s been taken back him and forced into the world that she wanted to get away from, even though we know that she can’t escape it. She’s doing all this as I mentioned to clear Claire’s name as well as her own, and to allow Claire the chance to have a normal life – since she’s so young.

There are strings being pulled behind the scenes which we don’t know and that’s a lot of the motivation in this story. We don’t know why Shelly was brought into the life that she’s in, yet we know that her father is connected some how. We know that Claire was taken for a reason, and yet we don’t know what that is until the end.

We watch kidnappings happen, shootouts, escapes, torture, fear, love – all the things happen. it’s a roller coaster of emotions but where we do net out is an ending that’s worth the story. Secrets are revealed and i’m shockingly not surprised at any of them. Frankly I should have figured out a few of them on my own. Anyway – I think there’s an adjacent series that i’m off to find – so enjoy!!