Tag Archives: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Review: Gentleman Sinner by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Gentleman SInner
Author:  Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year:  Grand Central Publishing 2/5/19
Length:   400 Pages

Overview

Izzy White knows of the darkness in this world. After all, she escaped it long ago. Determined not to let her past beat her, Izzy has a secure, stable life with a job she loves in nursing. But one act of kindness will completely upend everything she’s so carefully built-putting her right back in the crosshairs of danger she’s been so desperate to avoid.

When Theo Kane shows up like a knight in shining armor, Izzy can’t help thinking she’s been saved from one threat and exposed to another. His imposing physique, the harsh lines of his face, and the wariness of everyone who comes close are just a few clues to Theo Kane’s notorious reputation. The man is positively terrifying. But with Izzy, he’s tender and a complete gentleman, and her fascination with the mysterious beast of a man becomes too powerful for her to walk away.

As Theo’s demons come to light, running becomes even more impossible. And yet staying together could doom them both.

My Thoughts

OOOH how i love a stand along story – one that you know you’re going to get the full roller coaster and resolution in one big dose.  Ms Malpas has done it again with this original story.

True to this genre, we have a leading lady who’s strong – very strong, yet who has a past that she’s hiding / running from.  I don’t know what that always seems to be necessary when we are reading erotica/romance but so be it.  Izzy keeps hinting at the fact that there’s a man that’s hunting her, one that we don’t know the history on and what his back story, so we don’t know what it means for her.  When her night takes a turn in the wrong direction, when she’s just trying to do what she was born to do in helping others, she needs saving of her own.  Enter Theo.

Also in true genre form, he’s astounding and powerful.  Tall, Broad, demands authority just by being in a space.  Everything that Izzy is terrified of apparently, but the odd instant connection that they share makes her feel safe for some reason.  This encounter of course is where her life changes, even when she fights it.

Part of what i love about this story is that it’s not an easy road for either to find happiness, and Theo certainly has more issues than anyone bargained for, but the friends that they have around them really make it more entertaining.  Callum, Theos best friend, bodyguard etc is a guy that you just want to get under his skin.  you want to figure out what makes him tick since he’s so good to Izzy and so ‘tolerating’ of her best friend.  Then there’s Jess, the best friend who has Izzy’s back no matter what, and yet also finds Callum entertaining as well ,which makes the dynamic that much better.

Where this story takes us is thankfully not one of trying to understand how to fix each other, but instead to realize and resign each to knowing that both will be broken, but for some reason that just works for them.  Izzy accepts that early on, and doesn’t really question it.  Theo on the other hand has trained himself to be how he is and has this fear that he will always harm Izzy and make her miserable.

It’s sweet of course but it’s passionate which is something that our author writes really well.  She’s got a skill and ability to write these insanely compelling and entrancing scenes that you feel so in the moment with the characters.  It’s intense and powerful, and compliments the personalities of our characters and their dynamic.  There’s enough naughtiness to keep it flowing quickly but the tenderness that you hope for in order to play the long game.

This story was deep in all the right places, giving us more of a thorough look into aspects of their lives and stories where it mattered most, but light and glossy where we needed just enough to keep the story moving at a good clip.  I really enjoyed this and while i’m happy it was a stand alone, i wouldn’t mind another installment that focused on Callum and Jess.  just thinking out loud here!  Enjoy!

Review: His True Queen (Smoke & Mirrors #2) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

Title: His True Queen
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year:  EverafterRomance 8/7/18
Length:   400 Pages
Series:  Smoke & Mirrors #2

Overview

A beautiful, defiant princess. A renowned, sinfully gorgeous Hollywood actor.

A love affair that is sure to rock the British Monarchy…and the world.

Their love affair began intensely and passionately. Princess Adeline and Josh Jameson knew any future together was impossible—her status as a princess and his standing as a Hollywood heartthrob dictated that. But the heights of pleasure they could take each other to were wildly unanticipated by them both. Josh’s absolute disregard for Adeline’s status quickly drew her into his hedonistic world. And her perfectly worn mask and false façade captivated Josh to the point of obsession. The boundaries became blurred. The physical became emotional. Their hearts became entwined.

But a cruel turn of events rips their worlds apart and Adeline is more bound than ever by the protocol and expectations her title commands. The army of royal advisors who guard the secrets and scandals of the Monarchy will go to unthinkable lengths to keep the smoke and mirrors in place…and Josh away from Adeline. She knows the power she possesses comes with agonizing sacrifices. Walking away from Josh devastates her…but it keeps him safe from the corrupt institution that has ruled her life.

Yet Josh refuses to lose the woman who has consumed him so completely, distorted his boundaries, and stripped him of all sensibility.

Will the power of the British Monarchy triumph? Or will their fierce love for each other change the course of history?

My Thoughts

I don’t know how she does it – our amazing author.  As if the story wasn’t complicated enough coming out of the tragedy at the end of the first installment, there’s a twist that i never even fathomed.  and i pride myself on being able to figure out the hook fairly consistently.

In this 2nd (and final) installment to the series, Adeline finds herself bound to her country – the Queen who not mourns the loss of her family, but mourns the loss of her love since that’s really what’s at stake here.  She cannot be with the one person that makes her feel free, and that’s more painful than anything that she’s forced to deal with.

Throughout this story, we see quite a few things happening here.  Outside of Adeline and Josh, there are so many more players that are trying to fight their way to the top.

Queen Mother for one – her secret is out but not – with her husband’s passing, the secret revealed that Eddie isn’t the King’s true son, and his father is Davenport.  A man who worked for Kings for generations.  While we had zero warm and fuzzy feelings for him in the first book, he turns out to be quite the human being in the 2nd.  Someone that we rely on as a voice of reason, until he chooses to remove himself from the mix

Then there are Sir Don, and David Sampson, men who have their own agendas in the royal realm and agendas that take very malicious turns.  I think that it’s safe to say that there are no redeeming qualities for these two.  or are there?

Then there’s Haydon Sampson – the man who everyone has chosen to wed Adeline, yet she’s not even remotely inclined to hear that.  She does all in her power and in her despair to be gentle with him – to put him down gently, but he shows another side that is shocking and unexpected.

And poor Prince Eddie – he’s gone off the deep end now that his life is not at all what he thought it was and he’s forced to maintain a party line in order to save face and have Adeline take the thrown.

Then we get to our amazing couple.  A pair that will do whatever it takes to be together, sacrificing everything for just those few stolen moments here and there.  Even with so many people trying to set them up for failure, trying to keep them apart, the love and passion that they share is something that there’s no chance of breaking.  Until something comes between them and causes a rift that is impossible to rebound from.

So as expected, we get such a romantic story – one that has depth and momentum, with all the customary bits of heat, passion, chemistry and spark that our author is known for.  Add to that family drama, tradition and heritage and people who are out for ‘blood’ so to speak, and we get an amazing culmination of sots to this story.  As you read it, you must consider that however you think/hope it will end, you will be surprised!  Enjoy!

Review: The Controversial Princess (Smoke & Mirrors #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

Title: The Controversial Princess
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year:  EverafterRomance 5/22/18
Length:   340 Pages
Series:  Smoke & Mirrors #1

Overview

Her father is The King of England.

She is The Controversial Princess.

Regarded as down to earth by the press and rebellious by The King, Princess Adeline refuses to bow to the royal expectations her title carries. She knows better than anyone that the united front of the royal family is nothing but smoke and mirrors – lies and secrets masked by power and privilege. She wants no part of it, and she will never surrender to The King’s demand to marry a man she does not love. But despite Adeline’s determination to retain her free will, she remains deeply unfulfilled, feeling caged and suffocated.

That is until she meets Josh Jameson. Drawn in by his confidence, Adeline is soon captivated by the scandalously sexy American actor. His ability to penetrate her defences overwhelms her – his touch is pure fire, and his allure overpowering. Nothing has ever made her feel so alive in a world where she’s otherwise slowly drowning. However, while Josh may be Hollywood royalty, he’s not actual royalty, and Adeline knows The King and his advisors will do everything in their power to keep them apart.

But Josh Jameson becomes the princess’s ultimate vice.

And although she bows to no one, she bows to him.

My Thoughts

I love getting the monthly updates from Goodreads on ‘new releases from authors you’ve read’ since i wouldn’t have found this one for a bit at least without it.  So in this story, we get the introduction to a new series of sorts – featuring our main character – Adeline, a princess who has been forced into so many constraints by her family, yet as she’s grown up, she’s really having trouble coping with the lack of freedom.  You can’t blame the girl at all for that – she’s thirty, the youngest of three, she knows that she won’t ever have the thrown and she’s an utter disappointment to her father the King.

There are so many ties from this story to pop-culture if i have to admit it.  We have the duke and duchess of Sussex as characters (although not Harry and Megan), and we have Adeline who reminds me exactly of a character from the show on E! the Royals.  But other than that, we have what’s a really sweet story.

Adeline manages to make due with her station in life, trying to be happy with a friendship with her cousin Matilda, and the most amazing security lead – Damon.  Both are able to read her like no one else, and they do their best to make things a bit more manageable.  Upon her thirtieth birthday, she finds herself at a party thrown in her honor, with one surprise guest being her middle brother Eddie whom she adores, and the other, a hollywood superstar named Josh who affects her like no other man ever has.

That’s where this crazy rollercoaster romance begins.  They can’t stay away from each other yet they can’t be together since he’s American and she’s Royal.  Adeline knows that if her family catches wind of him, he will be taken from her, yet they have such strong feelings for one another that they will do whatever they can to be together.

There’s a great nuance here that Ms Malpas writes in – the D/s relationship between these two.  Josh is the one person in the world who has recognized that while Adeline is strong willed in everything that she does, she truly bends to the one person that can control her in a specific situation, a hot and steamy situation and that gives her even more freedom and release than ever imagined.  It’s something that makes their chemistry even hotter and a bond that really can’t be broken. Factor in another gentleman that the king seems to believe is better for Adeline, and you get to watch how these two make an impossible situation less so.

So the challenges that we see throughout this first installment of the series are layered in this hidden romance yes, but there’s so much more.  You know that there have to be several secrets because these are Royals, and it’s not until the end that they all spill out because of a catastrophic event.  Life as they knew it is over, and we are left wondering what comes next.  We find that so many people that we have grown to appreciate and love (or not) in this first book have died, and that means that everything is up in the air.

There are some of the hottest scenes that you can imagine, giving us a glimpse into the submissive world that Adeline is finding herself in.  This falls true to form of our amazing author – getting such detailed and sexy scenes amid a story that is strong enough to keep us interested.  Knowing where we left off at the end of this first book, it makes you wonder what will come next since the impossible just became even more so.  So on that note – i’m sad that i have to wait 4 days for the next book, but at least it’s just 4 days.  Enjoy!

Review: Forbidden by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

Title: Forbidden
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year:  Grand Central Publishing 8/8/17
Length:   368 Pages

Overview

What do you do when you can’t control your feelings for someone? When you know you shouldn’t go there? Not even in your head.

Annie has never experienced the ‘spark’ with a guy-the kind of instant chemistry that steals your breath and blindsides you completely. Until a night out with friends brings her face to face with the wickedly sexy and mysterious Jack. It’s not just a spark that ignites between them. It’s an explosion. Jack promises to consume Annie, and he fully delivers on that promise.

Overwhelmed by the intensity of their one night together, Annie slips out of their hotel room. She is certain that a man who’s had such a powerful impact on her and who could bend her to his will so easily, must be dangerous. But she’s already in too deep. And Jack isn’t only dangerous. He is forbidden.

My Thoughts

When you read the intro and see that our darling author tells us that we’re going to get a story that she’s gotten a lot of push back and grief about – that the story content is something that’s quite controversial – well i think that anyone with half a brain knows that they have to read this one.

So unlike many of the others that we’ve read – this one isn’t as cut and dry.  We know that typically there are several reasons why our couples can’t be together – usually of their own doing – meaning that they feel like there’s a reason not to be together.  In this case though, there’s no reason in the hearts of these two leading characters for why they can’t be together – but there are factual reasons why they can’t – yet it’s something that slips their minds all the time.

Annie is our leading lady and she’s finally establishing herself in all aspects of her life.  she’s moved into a new place that’s truly her own and it’s not just a home, it’s the studio that her really successful architecture business is run out of and she’s got a great group of friends who really helps pick her up and keep her happy.  It’s when she’s out with her friends that her life turns upside down.

Jack – the man at the bar who makes her feel a lot of things that she shouldn’t.  Who comes on so strong and so hard that she should run, and she does, but then some how she finds herself running right back to him.  What started as a one night stand, turns into something that’s so dangerous and so hot that we are waiting as we turn every page to see them combust.

He’s married – and he’s also the contractor of a job that she’s spearheading, and she meets his wife, and she’s unstable.  Yet, they don’t care and they carry on with their affair – because they believe that they are soulmates and that they truly own and possess each other.  The question that we have throughout this entire book is how long can they keep it a secret from their friends and how long until Jack’s wife discovers it as well?

When Annie is attacked with a knife, and someone ends up in the hospital broken in ways that are far too scary to imagine, we wonder if there’s ever a way for there to be happiness.

I think that it’s a nice change to be honest, to see a story that makes you question the entire premise of their relationship, and try not to judge it since it’s sad to say that things like this just do happen in life sometimes.  You can’t choose who you love and you can fight what you feel in your heart for so long sometimes, but there are times when even that isn’t enough to keep you apart.  That’s exactly what our author was trying to say in her intro i think, and i think that she delivered a story that is true to the core of what the intentions were.    I hope you give it a read.  Enjoy!

Review: All I Am (This Man #3.5) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

Title: All i Am
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year: Grand Central Publishing 6/18/17
Length:   155 Pages
Series:  This Man #3.5

Overview

I thought I had control. I was so, so wrong…

I don’t need a relationship. I have Hux, a decadent club where I quench whatever raw desire I choose. I take pleasure and I give it – no strings attached. So when Raya Rivers comes in asking for someone cold, emotionless, and filthy… well, no man ever takes his wicked pleasure quite the way I do.
Only Raya is different. Vulnerable. And carrying some deep sorrow that gets past all my carefully constructed walls and inexplicably makes me care. Now craving controls me. Ice has given way to red-hot need.
But Raya has no idea about my other life – my real life. That I’m daddy to an adorable little girl. My two worlds are about to collide with the force of a supernova. Once Raya knows the truth, will she be able to accept all I am?

My Thoughts

I love the bigger series so it’s nice to have a novella that gives us a bit more about Drew since he was only teased in the other stories.  So here we get to know a bit more about his life with his daughter, the one that came around because of a woman who was out to lock another man into being with her.

His life has time for her only, and work, and perhaps a few of his best friends, so it’s not until he’s been requested at his BDSM club to help out a new sub in a cold, no intimacy relationship.  It’s what we’ve come to expect from him actually.

That woman, the one that’s requested him, Raya – has an interesting story to tell, and one that we don’t really get to learn about until half way through.  Their one night is exactly what they both need, but they both soon realize that maybe there’s more of a connection than either wanted or hoped for and that complicates things.

The journey here is really about seeing Drew open up his world while trying to be the best father that he can, and Raya being incredibly private about what she does, wants and where she’s going in life.  When paths cross again, seeing Drew as the man to sell Raya’s house and watching her walk out of his life forever,well we quickly learn what’s really important.

So as expected in a novella, it’s a quick read and not a story that gets too deep but it gives us something to enjoy.  We also get the tell tale signs of Ms Malpas, our great author who is able to weave a nice story while also making sure to keep it just the right about of hot and steamy.  I can’t wait to see what’s next.  Enjoy!

Review: The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

no-brainer

Title: The Protector
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year:  Grand Central Publishing 9/6/16
Length:   330 Pages

Overview

People think they have Camille Logan nailed: daddy’s girl; beautiful, spoiled young woman with her father’s bank balance to fund her lifestyle. But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she’s made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press. Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father’s ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.

Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating–both personally and professionally. He vowed never to let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn’t the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don’t mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn’t the woman she’s perceived to be. She’s warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can’t have both.

My Thoughts

I’m a fairly big fan of all things that Ms Malpas writes so i was happy to come across this one even though it appears that it’s a standalone and not a series.  Maybe it’s better that way right?  Anyhow, we get all of the great bits that i love from our author – really exciting characters who have their own variety of issues and then some of the hottest scenes you can imagine.

Where we go in this story all starts with Jake – he’s ex military and he’s got so much personal baggage and angst going on from his past that things have spiraled out of control for him.  He pushes himself to work more and more so that he doesn’t have time to get wrapped up in his head and we see that it’s not always a good thing for him.  It’s when he gets a job to be a bodyguard for Camille that things really begin to get exciting.

Camille is the daughter of a businessman who may have had his hands in too many things which have led to the need for Camille’s protection.  There’s been a threat against her and that means that Jake’s services are required.  What we get from there on is a tale of lies and people hiding behind what they want to be known vs what is true reality.

Throughout this story, we see the dynamic shift between Cam and Jake as expected. Personally, i knew that it was just a matter of days that we would see them combust and that’s exactly what we got.  While that’s all well and good for my need to get some steamy passion through this story, we know that it’s got to be a big problem for Jake since emotion has clouded his judgement in the past and that’s something that he can’t allow to happen when Cami’s life is in danger.

There are so many characters introduced throughout this story with the intention i believe to throw us off the trail of who’s really behind things.  Camille’s father is really shady and we know that he’s got something to do with it but we can’t quite put our finger on what.

Then there’s TJ – the half brother – he’s always around when it’s curious but he seems to check out.

There’s Sebastian, the ex fresh from rehab that makes you wonder what’s going to happen there and well, he doesn’t let us down.

So all in all, it;s a big question of whether the threat is real or not, how real it is and who’s behind it.  I think that we’re taking on quite a journey, but left with such a nice mix of anxiety and lust to get us through.  Enjoy!

Review: One Night: Unveiled (One Night #3) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
1

9781455559374_p0_v1_s260x420

Title: One Night:  Unveiled
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year: Grand Central Publishing 2/1015
Length: 366
Series: One Night #3

Overview

A life without secrets and a passion without end . . .The story of Livy and M’s passionate love affair comes to a stunning conclusion in the final book in the One Night trilogy!

Livy has never known pure desire like this. The gorgeous Miller Hart captivates her, seduces her, and worships her in deliciously sinful ways. He knows her innermost thoughts, drawing her ever deeper into his dangerous world.

Miller will do anything to keep Livy safe, even if it means risking his own life. But his dark history isn’t the only thing that threatens their future together. As the truth of Livy’s family legacy unravels, an unsettling parallel between past and present comes to light. Her world spinning out of control, Livy finds herself caught between the rapture of an all-consuming love-and a deadly obsession that could destroy them both . . .

My Thoughts

Drama Drama Drama.  That’s what we get in this final installment, and if you were wondering if we were going to get answers to ALL of our questions – the answer to that is a screaming YES!

When we left off in book 2, Olivia and Miller were leaving London because they had to get away from Charlie – who basically ‘owns’ Miller’s soul, and as she’s leaving, Olivia is certain that she’s seen her mother, who everyone believes to be dead.  So of course you know that there’s going to be something good and juicy to tell there.

They spend a few weeks in NYC while Miller tries to work with William on a solution and we see Olivia and Miller fall into a decent routine with each other.  Their relationship has been forced to another level, and it’s something that’s good for both.  Miller has to relax a bit, and Olivia has to deal with his lack of expressing his feelings in the way that she wants him to.  Throughout all this though, we have some GREAT sceneing between the 2 – Miller being ‘The Special One’ means that we’ll continue to get heat and passion from him in a way that only our lovely author can do for us.

It’s when they are forced back to London after learning of Nan’s heart attack and this is when things really get juicy.  We see that things are going to get much worse before they get better since you cant just escape Charlie.  The partnership between William and Miller is tentative at best and they are very careful on who knows about it.  If that weren’t the most aggravating bit of things, the extent of Olivia and Miller’s relationship is making people crazy and fearful, and of course when the wrong people learn of it, it makes her even more of a target.

I’d have to say that the last few chapters are really something else.  While I’ve been guessing on the basis of various relationships throughout this series,we’re taken down a few different paths of admissions before we get to the crux of things, and that’s something great that Ms. Malpas did for us.  Instead of going directly to the answers, we’re forced to hear admissions that were thought to be truth that weren’t actually the case.  Who is tied to whom and for what reason…..it’s chaos!

So, this finale installment of the story sums up everything that we were hoping for with Olivia – she was so tentative at the beginning of things – she worked in  coffee shop at the beginning of the series- trying to make her way through school and sort herself out.  Because of what Miller has done for her, she’s beginning to figure things out and it looks like they are great for one another.  There’s an epilogue that does the story justice – since it’s quite lengthy and really gives us a glimpse into what could be.

The passion and the chemistry continues to leap off the pages, and it’s not just the raw sex and attraction that does it – there’s an emotional connection that these 2 share that force you to be a hopeless romantic even if you’re not one.  I’d love for someone to say ‘You Fascinate Me’ like Miller does on a regular basis – maybe i’ll find him.  so….for all the rest of you – i hope you enjoy.

Review: One Night: Denied (One Night #2) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

9780399167836_p0_v2_s260x420

Title: One Night: Denied
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year: Grand Central Publishing  11/11/14
Length: 370
Series: One Night #2

Overview

The passion that burned between Livy and M in One Night: Promised may end up destroying them both in this new novel of overwhelming desire and shocking discoveries . . .

He’s amazingly wealthy, sinfully gorgeous, and can bring her to heights of pleasure she’s never before known. For Livy, there’s no turning back. She’s determined to be the light in M’s dark world. Yet this new life comes with a steep price . . .

M knows that the power he possesses hasn’t come without sacrifices-but he won’t let Livy be one of them. Though he wants nothing more than to have her in every way, his first duty is to protect her at all costs . . . from his sins, his enemies, and especially himself.

But as their insatiable affair intensifies, the two attract the attention of an obsessive-and dangerous-third party. Discovering new revelations about M that rock her to the core, Livy will have to decide whether he’s ruined beyond repair. And he must face his fear that in order to save her, he may have to lose her after all .

My Thoughts

I’ve been waiting for this 2nd installment for AGES and i’m so glad the we finally got to continue Livy and Miller’s story.  When we last left these 2, things were in a very bad place.  When it once seemed like things were going really well between then, Livy learns about what Miller actually does and that throws her for a loop.  She taunts him into showing her his professional side which backfires – causing her to flee the hotel, and as a result, runs into William whom you’ll remember was her ex-pimp of sorts  when she went to find out about her mother – and William is the man that loved her deeply.

So…we’re back into the story and I’m happy to say that William plays a rather large role.  We see that he’s out to protect Livy – from Miller and seemingly other things but those things we still don’t know about.  I think that’s part of the allure – since we know that he’s protecting her partly out of obligation from his regret of leaving her mom but partly because there’s something dangerous that’s out there and while Livy is unaware – he knows all too well.

Where the story goes in terms of Miller – we see that his demons are coming to the surface in this 2nd book.  We’ve always known that he’s got a dark side but it’s unclear where it stems from.  Livy pushes him so that she can better understand, but it’s not quite that easy.  They some how find a way back to one another, even with all of the interference from people outside of them.  (Gregory for one, and Anderson for another).  What’s nice about their dynamic is that although it’s highly sexual and the chemistry makes the air tingle with electricity, there’s a depth there.  They are both broken and they both want to make the other one better because of their own experiences – it makes you want to root for each – even when you don’t like them very much.

there’s this under current throughout about danger and about a need to protect Livy – and i think that’s the one thing that’s only partly resolved and a good lead into to the 3rd book. The last chapter in this book sets things up in a way that i didn’t really expect but was very pleased about.  Clearly we know that Miller’s mixed up in a business that’s not too forgiving to folks that want out and we know that he’s been deemed the ‘Special One’ so that means it’s even more complicated.  Livy’s paying the price for that – among those in charge as well as from the women that will perhaps lose their greatest pleasure.

So – it’s a waiting game now until February i believe – to see what happens.  We know that there’s a chase ensuing at the end of this book – with Miller and Livy stuck in a predicament of sorts.  who’s chasing them, where will they end up and in who’s control and….the lady at the end of the pathway….hmmm. .i don’t want to give anything away there, but i can’t wait to see what she’s going to do from here.  so…Enjoy!  this was another great read from one of my latest favorite authors.

Review: Promised (One Night #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

2940149771684_p0_v1_s260x420

Title: Promised
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year: Grand Central Publishing 8/5/14
Length: 327
Series: One Night #1

Overview

ONE NIGHT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH . . .

Livy notices him the moment he walks into the coffee shop. He’s heart-stoppingly stunning, with a blue-eyed gaze so piercing she’s almost too distracted to take his order. When he walks out the door, she thinks she’ll never see him again. Then she finds the note he left on his napkin . . . signed M.

All he wants is one night to worship her. No feelings, no commitment, nothing but pleasure. Every defense mechanism Livy has adopted during her solitary life is at risk of being obliterated by this confounding man. He’s obnoxious but well-mannered. He’s a gentleman but aloof. He’s passionate but emotionless. Yet the fascination is so powerful, Livy can’t deny him . . . or herself.

M awakens something in Livy, something deep and addictive that she never knew existed-and that she fears only he can satisfy. But she senses that behind the fast cars, fancy suits, and posh apartment, he’s aching inside. To have him, body and soul, she’ll have to brave his dark secrets. Delving into his world and breaking down his defenses become her obsession-an obsession that could shatter her heart beyond repair . .

My Thoughts

If i could give 4.5 stars – i would.  I don’t often give 5s, so this is as close to perfection as i can go right now.  Ms. Malpas is by far one of my fav authors and this new series – AMAZING.

Where to begin, we have a leading lady that has such a troubled past, that the prologue just gives us a hint, an introduction to William who you want to know more about, and yet it’s not until a tumble on the floor, and eyes collide across a hotel lobby that you really begin to wonder.

This story takes us on a journey of Livy trying to live her life as she wants, with everyone else trying to force her into something different.  her mother was a prostitute who left her with her grandparents, and well, if that wasn’t damaging enough, once Livy was old enough to know what her mom did, she tried to follow in those footsteps in the hopes of finding her mom.  We only learn of this after Miller pries stories out of her.

Onto Miller – this complex man that we still haven’t figured out – even 300 pages later.  We know that he’s successful, and we’ve deduced that he’s OCD, but that’s all we know.  He won’t talk about himself, reveal anything, yet he’s a master of all things sensual and sexual.  He’s propositioned Livy and while she tried fighting him, she can’t and he shows her how she has become ‘his’.

Throughout this first installment, we’re constantly brought into the passion and sexually heated encounters between these 2.  It’s not just that Miller is sexy, he makes EVERYTHING around him sexy, and that alone has me so heated that i needed to put down my book for a bit last night.  It’s not even his prowess that does me in, it’s the way that he needs control over everything in his world – like i said OCD – he has to arrange things, and he’s tight lipped about things and it’s hot.

When i thought that things couldn’t get any more complicated – meaning that while these 2 are great together in bed, and in the bath and in the back room, they aren’t really great on paper.  He’s got manners and an affected way about him, and she’s just ‘common’.  But, it’s within the last few chapters that things are completely turned around.  I don’t know how it was done, but i was caught so off guard that while i knew that things would blow up – it’s not at all how i expected.

now, the painful thing here is that we saw Miler break his own promise – that he’d never do anything other than worship her, yet that’s what he did – to prove a point – he was ‘rough’ and well, here’s our cliff that we’re jumping off of.  I now have to wait until November to get the next installment, and it’s NOT FAIR!  At least i can console myself to know that it’s almost September so it’s just a handful of months/weeks away.  I think that you guys all NEED to read this book – i’m not often forceful, but do it.  you know you want to!

Review: This Man Confessed (This Man Trilogy #3) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted on by
Reply

download

Title:  This Man Confessed
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Publisher/Year:  Grand Central Publishing  7/02/1313
Length:  544 pages
Series: This Man #3

Overview

THE STUNNING CONCLUSION TO THE THIS MAN TRILOGY IS A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

The Manor, the very place where their passionate love affair began, fills with guests on what should be the happiest day of Ava and Jesse’s lives. She has accepted that she’ll never tame the fierceness in Jesse-and she doesn’t want to. Their love is profound, their connection powerful, but just when she thinks that she’s finally gotten beneath his guarded exterior, more questions arise, leading Ava to believe that Jesse Ward may not be the man she thinks he is. He knows too well how to take her to a place beyond ecstasy . . . but will he also drive her to the brink of despair? It’s time for this man to confess.

My Thoughts

Whatever it was that you thought you knew, you knew wrong, or you didn’t know enough.  This final installment to the trilogy took us in directions that i wasn’t necessarily expecting (well, somewhat but not from the folks involved) – and that’s a great surprise.  I like to pride myself in understanding who the bad guys are and who we should keep an eye on, but i think that in this story, we were surprised to find that while it was right to be skeptical about some, we weren’t focused on the right ones.

In any event, we are taken on the passionate roller coaster that is Jeese and Ava and it’s really nice.  Coming off the highs and lows of the previous story, we are taking deeper into their committed relationship with no real idea what’s going to come next.  We know that it’s volatile which means that there’s going to be such heat and anxiety ridden, but what to expect is your guess…..

I’m constantly quetsioning Sarah’s roles in things, Coral’s place in their life, what will happen with Kate and Sam, and well, what’s the deal with Dan.  All the while i’m rooting for Jesse and Ava to have a happy ending, but with all that’s been done and all that’s yet to be uncovered, i wonder if it’s possible even.

We’re taken to Paradise, given a not so nice surprise there, returned home to find even more strife.  We see the over protective side of Jesse come out even further and there’s reason for it that we slowly learn as well.  Ava’s life is put in danger a few times over and she’s trying to figure out who exactly has it out for her (without telling Jesse)

The only downside to this finale is that i don’t necessarily think that there was a purpose to the Epilogue.  I know that it was done in the same tone and feel as the epilogues of 50 Shades and many other similar stories, but i think that it wasn’t something that we NEEDED to have.

Regardless – i;’m thoroughly pleased that i came across this series and i can’t wait to find my next one to read 🙂