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Review: Royal Pain (His Royal Hotness #1) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Royal Pain
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 9/26/17
Length:   230 Pages
Series:  His Royal Hotness #1

Overview

He’s a womanizer. He’s cocky. He’s not exactly a prince. Only he technically is. Meet your new royal obsession in this addictive novel from New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff.

Being rich opens a lot of doors. When you’re rich and royal, those doors lead to a new bedroom every night. I should know. The tabloids call me His Royal Hotness, Prince Kian of Wildemar. Women across the world see me as a naughty fairy tale, an image I’m happy to indulge. As the spare to the heir, I’m the prince with none of the power . . . and all of the perks.

Then my twin brother is kidnapped, and suddenly I’m the one who could be king. The crown chasers start circling—and yet it’s a luscious waitress who catches my eye. With a smart mouth and the curves to back it up, Savannah Breslin is as brazen as I’d expect an American commoner to be.

But Savvy’s not interested in playing Cinderella. As sexy as she is, she’s no stranger to heartbreak. Besides, a nice guy wouldn’t drag her into all the drama that comes along with royalty. Lucky I’m not a nice guy. And, as it turns out, I might not even be her first prince. . . .

My Thoughts

This is a sweet story in the same vein as a bunch of others that i’ve read recently but all in all not bad.  light, sweet, romantic – so great for a post thanksgiving read.  What we have here is the first installment to a series that takes place in a fictional country called Wildemar where we have a set of twin princes who are quite different as expected and trying to live their lives as they have been laid out their entire lives.  We get to focus on Kian here, the younger twin who’s really more of the wild child and believes in fully living life to it’s fullest since he’s the ‘spare’.  So of course we get to see his antics, hear how he’s referred to as His Royal Hotness because he’s got a reputation and yet he’s still trying to be himself.  It’s not until tragedy strikes that we of course get to see how much of a mature brother and crown prince he can be.

That’s where Savvy comes into the story. Kian is in need of saving one night at a gala and she’s there to try to save him by getting him out of the claws of some crown chasers who want a piece of him.  Lucky for the two of them, there are instant sparks, but Savvy knows that it’s not a likely match both because of his reputation as well as the fact that she’s American.  If that’s the only thing standing in their way at least based on what we think, then readers are quite wrong.  the other shoe is about to drop.

Where the story goes from here is on the journey of Kian being forced to grow up when his brother is kidnapped and is missing for months – almost presumed dead.  Kian has to step into the shoes of the next in line to the throne, a position that he’s never wanted while also finding out what it’s like to truly fall in love with someone, something that he’s never really considered in the past with all his women.

Savvy on the other hand is a bit mysterious to us.  She’s a straight shooter – she tells it like it is, but there’s a huge secret that she is hiding that makes the story even more interesting.  While the romance between these 2 blooms, we soon learn that she’s got a past with Garrett, Kian’s twin, a relationship that was both secret in itself but quite intense to the point of love.  So that makes this all that much more complicated.

The journey that we have from then on is one where they have to decide if there’s something solid that can usurp the fact that Garrett was in the picture first. Then there’s the point that Kian keeps getting pulled into royal duties while also searching for his brother.  And Savvy finds herself in the position of being a secret again and wondering if it’s all worth it.

there’s so much that they are fighting to be together or to stay apart that you have to wonder what is going to be that final straw to force a resolution.  Regardless, we get a nice story here – one that’s not fully complete at the end of the book but i think we are taken to a point where you can get a sense of the drama to come.  So like i said, light, sweet read and something to keep you entertained as you come off the high from the holidays.  Enjoy!

Review: Flawed (Ethan Frost #4) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Flawed
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year: Ranom House Publishing 1/17/17
Length:   304 Pages
Series:  Ethan Frost #4

Overview

When Tori Reed loses everything, he sets her free.

I told myself I’d never trust Miles Girard, no matter how brilliant or sexy he may be. His sister, Chloe—Ethan Frost’s wife—is my best friend, but I know just how low Miles will stoop to get what he wants. Now he’s the last thing I want: my boss.

Growing up, I had it all—except for the sense that I belonged. And when a mistake from my past surfaces in the press, my parents don’t hesitate to cut me off.

But surprisingly, Miles offers me a helping hand.

Before I know it, our relationship turns unprofessional in the hottest ways. Of course, he still drives me crazy. But when I’m dealt the ultimate blow, Miles is there for me. And maybe he’s the one I’ve been looking for all along.

My Thoughts

It’s been a while since we were in this series, so i had to refresh my memory on the story of Ethan and Chloe a bit to understand how our leads Tori and Miles fit into things.  You’ll recall (or maybe not) from the first books, that chloe meets Ethan on her first days at a new job, and sparks fly from the beginning.  Of course though there have to be dark secrets from the past that come up, and in this case, the fact that Chloe had been raped by a kid in high school and for not sending the kid to trial, her family got paid off and that money was used to start Miles’ career in inventing.

So fast forward to where we are, when we now see that there’s a reconciliation of sorts between Chloe and Miles – she realizes that he didn’t know anything that happened back when their parents started things, and he’s just trying to make amends while also inventing new tech to help improve life in California.

Then there’s Tori, Chloe’s best friend, and a girl who comes from a very wealthy family, but who’s had a bit of a troubled life, wreaking havoc for her parents through drinking, having sex and just being a troubled teen.  She’s been trying to clean up her life over the past year, and right when things seem to be going well, an ex appears and makes her life miserable.  Because she turned him down (he’s an actor so that’s hard for him to take), he releases a sex tape of them, and makes her life miserable.  Her father disowns her, kicks her out of her house with nothing but a few changes of clothes, and that’s where the story really builds.

Tori goes to Chloe’s house in San Diego because she’s got no where else to go, and a standing offer to go there whenever, and when she arrives there, hurt and a bit worse for wear, she sees that she’s not alone in the house.  Enter Miles.  Her nemesis.  The guy who has made her life trouble for years and the guy who tried to take liberties with her the night before at a party.  Mind you, the ‘hate’ and tension between them is nothing but clear sexual chemistry, but it’ll take them time to figure out what to do about that.

Its a sweet story actually, since we all know that the way these things go is that the sibling and best friend get together.  These two have such banter between them that it’s actually quite entertaining to see how it happens.  Miles isn’t what he’s always seemed to be – and that’s the kind of guy that Tori needs even though she won’t admit it.  Once they take the leap, in true form of our author, the scenes between them show us how much heat and passion are between them.

there’s more to the story of course though – while Miles is trying to protect and take care of Tori while she’s got nothing, he’s got this sense that there’s something that the actor is hiding that could help get Tori back on her feet and he sets out to figure that out.  What we learn though is not at all what you’d expect but quite a nice add on to the story.

Then there’s the fact that both Miles and Tori have such strong personalities that you can only expect that they will battle each other at every turn.  There are misunderstandings that drive them apart more often than keep them together and i think that it’s a question of who will need to intervene to make it all work.

All in all a sweet spin-off of sorts to the main Ethan Frost series and i think that you should give it a read.  Enjoy!

Review: Shattered (Extreme Risk #3) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Slashed
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 9/29/15
Length:   190 pages
Series:  Extreme Risk #3

Overview

Bighearted and easygoing, Luc Jennings is falling behind in a family of serious overachievers. While he may be decent enough at snowboarding to turn pro and rack up some sponsors, he’s never topped any podiums—unlike his friends Z, Ash, and Cam. Luc’s always been head over heels for Cam Bradley, but she’s never seen him as anything more than a friend. Now, after years of coming in second, Luc can’t take it anymore—especially if it means watching Cam chase another guy.

Cam hangs out almost exclusively with dudes, and that’s fine by her. She’d much rather be shredding at the Olympics than primping in the mirror. Cam’s wildest dreams have a way of coming true—except when it comes to getting her longtime crush and best friend, Z Michaels, to notice her. Then her mother suddenly shows up after being gone for, like, ever, and Cam’s whole world comes crashing down. Desperate for a place to lay low, she turns to the one person who’s always had her back.

Try as he might to move on, Luc could never leave Cam hanging. He lets her crash at his place—and it isn’t long before she winds up in his bed. With Cam running scared and her icy facade starting to melt at last, Luc’s determined to finally win the only prize that matters.

My Thoughts

I think that we’ve all been waiting to see how the chemistry and miss-match between Luc and Cam would play out, and if we thought we’d get the obvious story – well i think we were all wrong.  We know that they’ve each been attracted and pining for one another for years, yet never admitted it.  Well, we learned that over the course of the other 2 installments, there was a drunken night where these 2 came together, and well, that’s not something that worked out well for them both.  As a result, they haven’t spoken in months, and it’s been horrible for everyone.

So it’s only after a day out on the lake, watching each other do tricks on a wakeboard that somehow the ice has been broken and the conversations start again.  There’s obvious discomfort, and obvious chemistry still, and you have to wonder what it’s going to take to bring them together.

Well, easy enough – it’s the fact that Cam walks in on her dad on the couch with her mom – who had walked out on the family (the mom that is) 17 years ago, and well, that never ends well.  Where else does Cam feel she can go – to Luc, and that gives us a level of really combustive chemistry.  You see the fire and sparks pretty much leaping off the pages between them, and we get some of the steamiest writing from Ms Wolff yet!  One would assume that it’s all easy and smooth from there, 2 best friends finally coming to terms with what they mean to each other, yet, there’s jealousy that makes it worse, and they find themselves further apart than before.

It’s not until something life changing, potentially career ending strikes one of them that we see what they truly mean to each other and if they are able to make it work.  The question that we’re all forced to ask – Cam who’s on the cusp of the best season of her life – will she get to see the successes that she’d due?  Luc – the guy who’s always been on the rim, good but not great – will he ever get his chance to shine? You want to hope for the best, but you don’t know if it’s going to happen for them.  So – that’s where this series seems to close out – we find closure and endings where we could only hope to see them.  Enjoy!

Review: Shattered (Extreme Risk #2) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Shattered
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 5/20/14
Length:   340 pages
Series:  Extreme Rish #2

Overview

Wild, fun, and impulsive, Tansy Hampton has a different look and a new passion every week. As a cancer survivor who spent the past several years waiting to die, Tansy has a fresh perspective on life—even if she doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants to do with it. But she’s determined to find out, and that means making the most of her time while she still can.

Ash Lewis has poured every last ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears into reaching the very top of the professional snowboarding world—until the unthinkable happens. After the biggest competition win of his career, Ash’s mother and father are killed in a tragic accident. Unable to handle the idea of going back out on the snow to pursue the dream his parents shared with him, Ash feels that he has no choice but to walk away from snowboarding forever. Then he meets Tansy.

From the very beginning, their chemistry is intense. But while Ash can’t stop chasing the ghosts of what can never be, Tansy stays firmly focused on the possibilities the world holds for her—and for them. She’s already picked up the pieces of one shattered life. Now she’s determined to help Ash do the same.

My Thoughts

Coming from the shock that we got at the very end of the first book Shredded, i think that we were all wondering where this story was going to go for Ash, one of the boarders that we’ve come to know and love.  This 2nd installment takes us a few months into the future, where Ash is trying to recover from the news that his parents were killed in a car accident on their way to one of his competitions, and that his brother is now paralyzed from the accident as well.  Life as they knew it is completely changed.

Tansy, as the summary above notes, has finally gone into remission from her own bout with illness, and now she’s working for the Make A Wish Foundation, where there’s a little boy who’s dying wish is to watch Ash snowboard.  Of course, it’s an uphill battle for her as she’s  trying to come into her own as a ‘healthy’ 19 year old, and she’s trying to make dreams come true before it’s too late.

The path that this story takes is one of personal growth, getting past fears and uncertainties and learning to open up and listen, not just pretend to listen, but to actually do it.  Ash specifically has put himself into a position where he thinks he’s doing all the right things by his brother and by Tansy, but in reality, he’s not paying attention to what’s best for everyone, himself included.  We see this result in several fights, relationships broken up, families getting torn apart, just because folks are stubborn.

We go from Park City to Chile, from half pipes to avalanches, and then end up in a hospital, wondering if someone’s life will end too soon.  Different from the first book in this series, we get some of that passion and heat that Ms Wolff is known for coming back into play.  Where Z and Ophelia definitely had chemistry, there are scenes in this 2nd book that are sizzling and i think that it’s a bit of what i missed before.  I can only hope that we get more of that in the next book, so that we can see either Luc or Cam get some of what they seem to be missing.

So on that note, happy Monday and i’ll be back soon!

Review: Shredded (Extreme Risk #1) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Shredded
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 2/4/14
Length:   304 pages
Series:  Extreme Rish #1

Overview

Twenty-one-year-old professional snowboarder Z Michaels is the bad boy of Park City, Utah. He’s always had his pick of any girl in town—and on the competition circuit. But underneath his cool exterior is a young man in turmoil, trying to take the edge off tragedy by overindulging in sex and shredding the slopes. In fact, Z’s rash behavior is a thinly veiled attempt to blunt his emotional suffering with physical pain.

Ophelia Richardson isn’t like any girl Z has ever met. Though she’s from New Orleans, she’s no Southern belle—and she’s not shy about being miserable in frozen, godforsaken Park City. But after nearly dying in the same drag-racing accident that killed her boyfriend, she needs a place to heal, both physically and emotionally. The last thing Ophelia wants right now is a boyfriend—especially one as rich and reckless as Z. But Ophelia soon discovers that he isn’t what he seems. If anything, Z may be even more damaged than she is.

Feeling alone in the world, Z and Ophelia find a connection unlike any they’ve ever known. But their tormented pasts pull them in every direction, forcing their relationship into a downhill slide before it even begins—unless they can find the strength in each other to trust, grow, and love again.

My Thoughts

As you guys can probably tell by now, i’m a big fan of this author – Tracy Wolff has managed to get me interested and intrigued by all of the characters that she writes and all of the story lines.  there’s just the right amount of passion and heat followed up by a worthwhile story line that keeps me invested.

In this introduction to the series, we find ourselves in Park City at a ski resort with a group of 4 best friend snowboarders (3 guys and a girl) who have a close enough bond to be considered family while there are romantic feelings muddling things up among some of them.

We have our leading man, Z – who’s probably the best boarder in the group but he’s got a lot of baggage that constantly gets in the way.  he’s a manwhore for sure – different girl every night, but he’s also got some trauma in his past that makes things even tougher for ppl to get close and in his head. Then there’s the fact that one of his closest friends keeps making advances on him, and he’s trying to get the attention of a new girl who’s shown up at the resort.

That’s where this story takes us, as we have alternating chapters from Z’s perspective and from Ophelia (the new girl).  She’s got her own history and story that takes some time to come out, but it’s something that makes a whole lot of sense once you get the back story.

As expected, we see a clashing of personalities here underlined by the fact that there’s an intense attraction and a similar thing that they both see in each other.  The heat’s there but it’s a slow build.  And different than what we’ve seen in other series that Ms Wolff has written, this one is a bit more R rated than NC-17 if you get what i’m saying as aside from a few scenes, while it’s hot, it’s not over the top hot.

There of course are a series of crazy, near death experiences that bring this crew apart and together, and it’s the last paragraph or sentence even that makes your heart break – as someone’s just died.  who?  well it’s more than one person, and what will that mean for this budding romance and the crew?  we’ll, have to wait and see in Shattered – book 2.  On that note – happy sunday!

Review: Play Me: The Complete Story by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Play Me
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 6/16/15
Length:   308 pages
Series:  Play Me (The Complete series 1-5)

Overview

My name is Aria Winston. I’ve fought desperately to escape the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas. Now I’m on my own, in control of my own life and my own destiny . . . just the way I like it. Until Sebastian Caine changes everything.

Working as a cocktail waitress at one of Vegas’s hottest five-star casinos means putting up with a ton of bad behavior from the big spenders. But it pays the bills—and that’s all that matters to Aria, who needs every last dollar to escape from her father’s destructive grasp and the brutal man he expects her to marry. But when she lashes out against a billionaire who won’t take no for an answer, she nearly loses everything—until Sebastian steps in. The owner’s son and handpicked successor, Sebastian is dark, sexy, and kinder than any rich man should be. And when he apologizes and offers to keep her job safe, Aria can’t help the way her body reacts to his. Suddenly her job, and the security it brings her, isn’t the only thing Aria wants.

My Thoughts

I’m embarrassed to say that it actually took me a few chapters for it to click that this is THE SEBASTIAN AND ARIA from the Ethan Frost series.  OOPS.  anyway, if you’ve read the other series, then you know who these folks are a bit, at least in name and i think that we were eagerly awaiting their story – to understand exactly how Sebastian and Aria know each other and what the deal is between them.

That’s exactly what we get.  The good thing about me totally forgetting who they were, is that i went into this series without any idea the back story on Aria, who her father is, what she’s been through etc, and that makes this story that much more exciting.  We only met Sebastian briefly in the other series, and really just got his help more than his story – so this is a nice evolution of that.

So as the summary suggests, there’s a constant fight for control between these folks – we see that Sebastian needs it, as does Aria, but when they come together, they begin to see that there’s an interesting way to get the control that they need, and it’s really impressive to see how it’s written.

Aria has fought to get out from under her father’s thumb, and refuses to take any help from him in her life.  The issue though is that she’s got a sister who’s quite sick, and she’s desperate to stay by her sister, but needs to stay away from her father.

Sebastian, well, he has a tough relationship with his father, who’s the former owner of this casino conglomerate, and after his father has several mini strokes, Sebastian comes back to Vegas to take over the business.  It makes things tough of course since he really wants nothing to do with his father, but at least it brings him back to a place where he can change things, and get control over a part of his life that he’s not been able to have.

Their stories of course come together when Aria is working as a cocktail waitress in his casino, and gets fed up with how some of the ‘whales’ are treating women, and ends up losing her temper and hitting one of them.  she gets fired and when Sebastian is called upon to deal with the high roller who’s threatening to sue, he realizes that there’s not just more to the story there but to the girl.

So of course as we always expect, the something more starts with an intense attraction, and knowing what we do of how Ms. Wolff writes these stories, we know that we’re not going to be let down.  The interesting thing here is that these characters edge a bit more into the BDSM realm where the other series and characters have not, and it’s a nice change.  I don’t know if she’s hit the lifestyle as hard and accurately perhaps as other authors, but still, it makes the dynamic here really nice and hot and you definitely want to see how two control freaks manage in this situation.  There’s a lot of talk about subspace and subdrop, and to be honest, every other book that i’ve read in the genre, well, the ‘dom’ so to speak has been much more aware and would never be as careless as Sebastian has been throughout this story – so in that sense, it’s a miss, but at least our author addresses his lack of consciousness in this realm and tries to fix it.

The story takes us on several paths, the one with Sebastian and his father which i’m not sure ever gets resolved, the story of Aria running from her family and hiding who she is – which is a constant wonder as i’ve read through, wondering when it was going to come out knowing that Sebastian is trying to break the casino’s ties with the mafia, and then what will come of Sebastian and Aria.  Definitely a lot to ponder, and thankfully there’s a lot of passion and heat to keep us invested.

It feels like perhaps there’s more to the series that we may get although i don’t know if there necessarily is.  But that being said, i’m eager to read more if we get it and i also can’t wait for the next installment to Ethan and Chloe’s story as well.  Enjoy!

Review: Fade into Me (Shaken Dirty #3) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Fade into Me
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 2/15/16
Length:   232 pages
Series:  Shaken Dirty #3

Overview

She’s one addiction he can’t resist.

Wyatt Jennings has been called a lot of things by the media. Bad-boy rocker. Intense drummer. Addict.

Finally out of rehab and desperate for a fresh start, Wyatt rejoins his mega-platinum rock band Shaken Dirty as they prepare for their world tour. But Wyatt’s demons are never far behind, always nipping at his heels for one. More. Fix.

Enter Poppy Germaine, the band’s new social media consultant. A beautiful bombshell who somehow manages to get underneath Wyatt’s skin, Poppy’s an addiction Wyatt can get behind. And even though she’s with the label-and therefore off-limits-he craves her. Needs her.

Except Poppy isn’t actually a social media consultant. She’s the daughter of the label’s CEO, sent undercover to babysit Wyatt and keep him from falling off the wagon again. Proving herself to her father is Poppy’s only goal-until she finds herself in Wyatt’s bed. But if Wyatt discovers the truth, it could send him spiraling all over again…

My Thoughts

The saga continues, this time we’re getting to see the troubled tale of Wyatt, who’s fresh out of rehab, trying to get his life back in balance.  Because he’s a liability, the record label wants to send someone to babysit, and that someone ends up being Poppy – who’s the daughter of the head of the label, and also the one who discovered the band.  She’s got to stay under cover of course, in how she ‘manages’ Wyatt, and we all know that it means that romance is going to come into play.

The story that we get here, it’s one that’s both expected and a bit deeper than expected.  Yes, it’s commonplace to have the rockstar addict as a story line, but in this one, we have to get about half way to 3/4 of the way through in order to see things beginning to hit home for everyone what is at stake, and what their worth is to everyone.  If it wasn’t enough that we had the story line of Wyatt, we’re also learning about the process to replace Micah now that he’s been ousted from the band.

Typical of the other books in this series, we get a sweet romance starting here, although for the bulk of their interactions, it’s more about sex than about romance and relationship.  Of course they are both in denial of what’s in front of their face, but i think that it’s always that catalyst of someone lying and up and leaving that makes things actually happen.  The ending that we get here though, totally didn’t expect it to happen as it did, and it’s nice.

In addition to the plot line of following Wyatt, we see that Poppy finds herself at a crossroads since she’s never been given the chance to prove that she’s an amazing talent scout and record exec.  She’s always being forced to stay behind her brother and never get the  credit that’s due.  We see how that plays out here and that’s an interesting twist as well.

So all in all, pretty good continuation of the series, and i can’t wait to get into Jared and Drew’s stories now that they have still to be told.

Have a great sunday everyone!

Review: Drive me Crazy (Shaken Dirty #2) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Drive Me Crazy
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 2/24/14
Length:   250 pages
Series:  Shaken Dirty #2

Overview

Former rivals Quinn Bradford and Elise McKinney are not friends, at least not anymore. As teens, all they cared about was psyching each other out before concerts. But when Quinn—now the keyboardist for Shaken Dirty, the hottest rock band on the scene—returns to his hometown and hears about the car accident that shattered Elise’s career, he’s determined to make things right.

Elise wants nothing to do with an arrogant rock star, despite how bad she so clearly wants him, so Quinn kidnaps the stubborn little piano player and whisks her back to his mansion. A little seduction might be just the thing to keep Elise under his care…and in his bed. But amid pranks both childish and very adult, their past comes rearing back to haunt them. And it might be more than either of them can forget.

His rival’s in his bed, and this rocker is ready to play.

My Thoughts

I like how this series is progressing, giving us a peek into the lives of these band members as they begin  to ‘grow up’ and find their own identities while on hiatus from the tour.  In this next installment, we see that there’s a more human side to Quinn, although we started to see that from the first book and how he was with Jamison.

Anyhow, it’ opens in the hospital as Elise wakes up from surgery which is a result of a car accident that she was in.  What i think it’s tough here though in the flow of the story is that we don’t ever learn exactly what happened, and all that, but we just know that it happened.  In any event, we see that Quinn is there by her side, which is a surprise given that they haven’t seen each other for 10 years, and their last time together wasn’t necessary an exit on good terms. (i.e. Quinn dipped out without so much as a goodbye).

Fast forward to the present, we get to see that Quinn and Elise still have chemistry and a really strong friendship, and Quinn wants to be there for her while she’s recuperating – and maybe more?  The nice thing between these 2 is that they are both feisty – we get to see some nice banter between them, and we get to see that while there’s hurt and fear between what they were and what they could be, they are both able to put things aside in order to just ‘be’ for the moment.

There’s the subplot of both of their careers in the mix here as well which keeps the main story going – Elise being a professional pianist and of course Quinn’s situation with Shaken Dirty, and the rehab/member situations going on. We get to spend much of the book wondering ‘what will happen’ for both of them, and as we saw in the previous book, our author gives us a peek in the epilogue.

That all being said, along with the great subplot that we have to keep the bigger series going, we have the intense chemistry with these 2 that keeps this one installment going.  while it’s not as ‘animalistic’ as Jamison and Ryder, it’s still hot in a romantic sort of way.  There’s something that’s more ‘romance than heat’ with these two, but it works.  and it’s nice.  I think that of course there’s the expectation that someone’s going to get scared off, and it’ll be a question of how they will find their way back together if it’s meant to be, and what that will look like, but it’s a nice progression that Ms Wolff gives us to get there.

So on that note, i’m off to find book 3 and see who’s next.  Enjoy!

Review: Crash into Me (Shaken Dirty #1) by Tracy Wolff

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Title: Crash into Me
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 11/25/13
Length:   208 pages
Series:  Shaken Dirty #1

Overview

She’s totally off limits, but this rocker wants a taste…

Jamison Matthews has lusted after Ryder Montgomery since she was a preteen. But now that Ryder and her brother’s band, Shaken Dirty, has made it huge, she’s just one of many pining for the brooding lead singer. Too bad Ryder still sees her as a little sister. Not that it matters. Her brother would never allow it, and the last thing Jamison wants is to be another notch on a rock star’s bed post. Even if it’s Ryder’s.

Ryder doesn’t deserve happiness. After his fame destroyed his last girlfriend, he swore he’d never fall in love again. So when Jamison, the girl he’s been in danger of loving for years, joins the band on the road, he’ll do anything to deny the sparks between them-even after one hot night together. But Jamison is determined to show Ryder that he’s worthy of love-her love-and that she’s all grown up…and ready to play.

My Thoughts

After discovering this author through the Ethan Frost series, i had to give this one a chance, and i have to say that it’s really enjoyable if not reminiscent of a series that i read years ago.  It’s ok – there’s nothing wrong with a series about a rock band where every installment we get to see a glimpse into what makes the rockers tick – and what makes the story great.  The only downfall though is that there are too many similarities in this series to make it uber original from the other one that i read. Sinners on Tour by Olivia Cunning.  There’s the same premise, a rock band and a sister joining the tour for various reasons, but it’s been ages since i’ve read it, and the author’s styles are a bit different so i’m all for it.

Anyway, in this series, we meet our leading lady Jamison who’s had the week from hell with losing her job, her car, her man and basically everything sucks, and the only good thing is that her brothers band is on tour and will be in town so she’s decided to surprise them a day early and show up at the show.  They are like a second family to her, given that she’s been in the fold since she was thirteen, and the guys consider her a little sister to her dismay as she’s been lusting after Ryder – the bad boy of the band for that whole time as well.

So it’s through a series of events that 1) Ryder doesn’t realize that he’s singing to her at the show, 2) Jamison finds herself in a compromising position with a member of another band on the tour who doesn’t want to accept ‘no’ – and Ryder comes to her rescue…and this is where our story starts to heat up.

It’s really well written to be honest, you get the sense throughout the story that both of these characters are damaged which isn’t surprising but they find solace with each other which also isn’t surprising.  Their chemistry is clear as day and the way that are together is romantic AND hot.  which is a nice mix.  You want to root for them even knowing that there are huge consequences since Jamison’s brother isn’t thrilled with the idea of them together.

Sadly there’s one other similarity that we get to the other series too – there’s a member of the band who’s addicted to heroin and we find him unconscious, not breathing and no heartbeat towards the end of this book.  That’s happened before in Sinners and well, i think that if you’ve read that one, you know how this one will end up.  I think that we’ll just have to see how that branch of the story shakes out.

Ms Wolff does a great job of giving us characters that we want to be invested in, and that we get really hot and steamy for, and that’s a nice trait.  The plot line itself could be a bit deeper, but i don’t know that it’s necessary since it’s just thread that will keep all these future installments bound together.  And to that note, the epilogue that we get teases what we’ll see in the coming books, without giving too much away.  so on that note, i’m off to book 2 and i’ll be back later!

Review: Exposed (Ethan Frost #3) by Tracy Wolff

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No-Brainer

Title:  Exposed
Author: Tracy Wolff
Publisher/Year:  Random House Publishing 5/5/15
Length:   306 pages
Series:  Ethan Frost #3

Overview

Will Ethan Frost go too far for the woman he loves?

The moment Chloe Girard walked into my life, she exposed secrets and emotions I always thought were best kept buried.

She wants to move on, to ignore the past. But I can’t do that. Not when she still suffers. And not when the man who hurt her remains unscathed. So when I discover the perfect opportunity to make him pay for what he did to Chloe, I can’t walk away, no matter the consequences.

But there’s a fine line between justice and obsession. As I turn up old crimes and new lies, I know that I’m playing with fire—and risking the very foundations of our relationship.

My love for Chloe is absolute. I just hope it’s enough to save us both.

My Thoughts

The saga continues.  i don’t know what’s more interesting – how this couple can’t seem to catch a break with trusting each other, or the depth and breadth in which things unfold with all of the other characters involved.  We know that Ethan and Chloe have a long road ahead of them to be happy and healthy together, and we know that there’s a trip to vegas in the works to get hitched, but i think that there has to be more complications coming up since we all know that it can’t be that easy.

Of course, the trip to vegas becomes something of a mixed bag of uses for Ethan, as he’s not only able to marry the woman that he loves, but he’s able to get in front of the head of the Italian Mafia in the hopes of cutting off all of his ‘brother’s’ resources and hopefully burying his hopes of a future.  That all happens, but i think that it’s all happening a bit too easily.

Then there’s the issue of how Chloe learns of all that’s going on and how she reacts which is always volatile.  She’s got Tori there to help ground her, but of course her instinct is to run and that she does.  Back home thankfully but still…it’s running.

Now that these 2 are married, we see less of the professional side of things with this couple and more of the outside forces trying to bring everything down.  Ethan’s got his vendetta of sorts to crush everything that Brandon is working towards, and if that weren’t possible enough, his mother gets involved and tries to discredit Chloe and make her look like a gold digger.  and someone who has her own agenda.  Of course we know that Ethan won’t stand for that, and it’s an unfortunate set of events that happens towards the end that puts this next installment on a tailspin.  There’s a death, suspects and curiosity as to who the killer is.

What we also continue to get here is the AMAZING passion and heat that this couple shares and that’s something that our author has been incredibly consistent about.  We know that often times there’s even more passion when there’s contrasting personalities which we have here, but aside from that, there’s aggressive heat and then there’s the romantic side of things which is a nice mix.  I feel like that’s one of the strings that really keeps this story together – aside from the tension that we have with the underlying plot, we have so much sexual heat flowing that you can’t help but to read through it quickly.

On that note – i’m off to find the next installment since i believe there’s a book 4 and i hope that you guys have a great day!