Sunday, February 14, 2016

RECENTLY READ AND REVIEWED 
by Brandi 
Blogger @ Fan Girl Book Blog


Missed Connection by K. Larsen & Mara White

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Twenty years weren’t enough for either of them to forget. 
A chance encounter, a missed connection. 
Two wayward stars that collided in a turbulent sky, at the right place, but at the wrong time in both of their lives. 
What happens when they meet again? Do the same unforgettable sparks still fly? 
Titan Jennings and Jesenia Van Buren may come from two different worlds but their hearts are open to second chances. No matter who or what may stand against them, love is what anchors their lives together. 
Love may be infinite but time is not, Missed Connection is a novel about making the very best you can with what little you’ve got.

BRANDI REVIEWS
5 STARS

I wasn't sure how I would handle this book. I went into it, eyes wide open, ready for a good old fashioned ugly cry. Note to self: don't read emotionally charged books with children around. They are guaranteed to ruin your ugly cry. 
Titan and Jess met many years ago at a diner. They found each other at a pivotal moment in their lives, but they could have absolutely no idea the impact they had on one another. Titan goes to the restroom. Jess flees.
Fast forward, like, twenty years or something insane and Jess is not so happily married. Titan and his son, Luke, are still suffering the loss of Titan's wife, which happened about 5 years prior to this story. 
So, Titan decides--really Luke decides for him and so does his deceased wife--that he should try to find this missed connection from many moons ago. Reconnect. Find her. Tell her thank you. He does just that. He posts an ad on Craigslist, it goes viral, Jess sees Titan on TV and hears their story being told. 
Just like that. These two have to reconnect. 
And reconnect they do. 
This story is full of love. The long-lost kind, the new kind, the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching kind, the parent/child kind. They all consuming love. It's all here. And it...is...beautiful.
I cried (well, as much as one could expect to cry when their 2 year old is demanding you turn on Doc--or was it Sophia?--kiss her foot, and hold her) and I laughed. Luke and Angie, Jess's daughter, are amazing. Probably the two best kids I've ever had the pleasure of reading. 
Want to cry? Read this. Want to laugh? Read this. Want to find that missed connection in your life? Do something about it. But mostly, read this book. It's a good one.

Bad Boy's Revenge by Sosie Frost

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Andrew Maddox wants revenge...
He’s the reason the small community of Saint Christie locks their doors at night. The tattooed bad boy lives on the wrong side of the tracks…when he isn’t behind bars. 
It was easy to fall for the sexy trouble-maker, and we once planned to start a new life and family together. But when a fire destroyed my family's candy shop, Maddox saved me only to be convicted for the arson. 
He spent a year in prison, and now he's out. Maddox wants me, and he's determined to make the baby I promised him. 
But the real arsonist still threatens us. The only way we’ll survive is if I can prove Maddox’s innocence and bring the criminal to justice. 
Before the man I love loses his life to revenge.

BRANDI REVIEWS

4 STARS

An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

"She fit with me. Or I crowded around her. I never knew the answer to that."

Bad Boy's Revenge is my second Sosie Frost book. I'm a fan of romantic suspense and this book did not disappoint! Love, betrayal, loss, and heartache can all be found in this book. I wasn't sure where it would lead or who the bad guy was and I absolutely love it when I can be surprised by an author's creativity. Sosie Frost surprised me! I thought I knew what was happening, but I didn't have a clue. 
Andrew Maddox is the town bad-boy. Every town has one, right? Weelllll, Maddox is that guy. 
Josie is the good-girl shop owner who loves to bake. Gotta have a good-girl too, right? 
Tropes over. 
I believe the following, taken straight from the book, best describes Maddox, "If fire came to life, it'd take the form of Andrew Maddox. Someone violent when uncontrolled, beautiful when tamed, and unpredictable and strong, even as the world attempted to extinguish it." 
He is beautiful. He is strong. And he wants his revenge. He lost a year of his life when he was found guilty of a crime he didn't commit. He knows two things: he didn't start the fire (cue catchy 80s song by Billy Joel) and he wants Josie back. 
As soon as he's released from prison, he goes straight to Josie. She knows he didn't start the fire (I can't stop using this line now) and she's ready to prove his innocence and put away the real arsonist. But first, Maddox. She has to protect him at all costs. What she can't seem to do is stay away from him. 

"He smiled. A look of vindication didn't belong in the bedroom. Good thing he pinned me to the hallway wall."

Yep. Commence the dirty, hot sex. There's plenty of it. And trust me when I say that Maddox doesn't do sweet. He even mentions it. Josie mentions it. So, the sex is dirty and it's all consuming and...yeah. Back to the book. *fans self*
Maddox knew he should stay away, Josie wanted him to stay away, but it just wasn't going to happen. 

"I had nothing to offer her. Hell, I was nothing. The only thing I promised her was a night of animalistic fucking, and I did my only deed well. But I wasn't looking to win her back. I only wanted to prove she hand't made a shitty mistake falling for me in the first place."

And when Josie continued to push him away and the skeezy mayor tried to pull her toward him (Gross. Thankyouverymuch.) Maddox started to crumble a bit on the inside, "...part of my mind shredded itself. It was forged together now, glued with testosterone and stitched with adrenaline."

So, let's recap: bad-boy, good-girl, hot sex, creepy mayor, crooked town, and all of this is located in Saint Christie--which gave me a distinct Stars Hollow feel, only corrupt. Did I mention this town is also a bit crazy? Trust me when I say you'll be laughing! The dogs! Oh my goodness, the dogs and their owners! "Most of the townsfolk were two cats short of a hoarders' documentary."

Sosie Frost, thank you for another awesome book. I look forward to all you do.

Worth The Fight (Hard To Love Book 1) by Vi Keeland

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It didn’t matter that the ref called it a clean hit. Nico Hunter would never be the same. 
Elle has a good life. A job she loves, a great apartment, and the guy she’s been dating for more than two years is a catch and a half. But it’s boring…and she strives to keep it that way. Too many emotions are dangerous. Her own past is living proof of what can happen when you lose control. 

Then Nico walks into Elle’s office and everything changes…for both of them. But what can the tattooed, hard-bodied MMA fighter and the beautiful and always steady attorney have in common? A lot more than they bargained for.


BRANDI REVIEWS
4 STARS

Elle's the good girl, Nico is the bad boy. Let the tropes begin.

Okay, so it's a bit more complicated than that, but that is the premise. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. Nico and Elle are amazing together and as soon as Nico entered the scene I was all #TeamNico. Let's face it, the guy in the beginning is so ridiculously bland that I can't even remember his name. Super sweet guy, but we don't want super sweet without spark. And Nico has spark. And muscle. And a dirty, dirty mouth. So, all the things I'm looking for in a book boyfriend. 

I like a good fighter book--I blame Travis Maddox for that one--and this is a good fighter book. Nico hasn't been in the cage for over a year due to a tragic accident. Elle doesn't attend fights because it's a potential trigger for her. So, it's almost no surprise that the one and only fight she ever attended was the one fight that changed Nico's life. 

In all honesty, these two don't even try to fight their attraction. There is some hesitation and lots of running, but they both know they need each other. And Nico gets what he wants. Then again, so does Elle. She's quite persistent and stops at almost nothing. 

This is my first Vi Keeland solo book (I've read Cocky Bastard, written with Penelope Ward) and I was not disappointed. I will continue with the series to see what these men--and women--are up to in the future.

Faking It (UnReal Series Book 1) by J.D. Hollyfield


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Fake it till you make it. 
That’s Lexi Hall, the wild socialite’s motto for how to live life. 
Single and allergic to commitment, Lexi is having the time of her life. Or is she? With a new promotion at the art gallery, and her colorful lifestyle as bright as ever, she swears she has no interest in slowing down. When Lexi receives a phone call that can change her career, she pounces on the opportunity. But what this outgoing diva doesn’t plan for is her new client, the closed off, secluded artist, Hunter James. Fighting to draw the line between work and pleasure, it’s up to Lexi to figure out how to balance her fake life for something real. 
Hunter James is an artist without a muse. Lacking the beauty in his life that he craves, his art is beginning to suffer. Unfortunately for the mysterious artist, a past mistake also tarnishes his trust in women. Forced to take a meeting with an art gallery dealer, he accepts knowing he’ll turn her down. He turns them all down. But what he doesn’t anticipate is for the seductive bombshell to turn his world upside down. As his body and mind come alive, he vows to stop at nothing to have her on his canvas and in his bed. 
As Lexi’s life begins to brighten with the promise of something beautiful, can she stop faking it and find a reason to make it real? Or will Hunter’s past replace their light with darkness?

BRANDI REVIEWS

4 STARS

I've never read a JD Hollyfield book before. I have no idea why it hasn't happened, but it hasn't. This book rectifies that situation and guarantees that I'll be grabbing another JD Hollyfield book as soon as I have time. 

This book is hilarious and sexy. Here's why it's hilarious:

"...the stranger danger hunk of pure sex.
I practically fall forward. Most likely because my vagina just tried to launch itself at him.
Am I bummed that he turned down the sexual escapade? Hell yes. I am sporting some major female version of blue balls right now. Would it be blue lips? Blue labia? Blue bean? Okay enough. You get the point. 
...every word out of his mouth is like a warming sensation that spreads down my whole body, leaving tingles in its path. It doesn't escape my attention that I'm also describing the effects of warming lube.
Just when I hope I die right here--because the world's most embarrassing date needs to end somehow--the olive chooses that opportunity to catapult out of my throat, out of my mouth, and bonk off Hunter.

"What was that? I can't hear you over the applauding and cheering coming from my vagina"

"Hey," I whisper loudly to Chrissy, "Dude, it's Cornelius. What do I do?" 

"Open the door and shoot him. Then come lay back down." 

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on everyone else who gets caught in my wrath." 

Yep. Funny. Now for the few hottie hot scenes I highlighted:

"But the problem is I also can't stop imagining how good it would feel to fuck you up against that window over there, for the world to see. To thrust into you over and over. I ache to feel how warm you are inside. To take your perfect breasts into my mouth and suck on them until I can see my marks marring your impeccable skin."

"I want this body to ravage and bruise. To torment and please. But I want more than that. I meant it when I said I want all of you." 

So, want a funny, sexy read? Faking It is probably what you're looking for.

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