Flutter by Olivia Evans.... review by Dawn

Dylan Walker has spent six years trying to move on from the loss of his girlfriend, Presley Cooper. Motivated by grief and the desire to do for others what he couldn’t do for her, he burns the candle at both ends to make it through medical school. After graduation he moves west, putting as much distance as possible between his past and his present.




Or so he thought.




Unknowingly, Dylan has been set on a path that will destroy everything he thought he knew. All the pain, all the grief, was all for nothing. With the help of an unexpected ally, Dylan must find the answers and save the girl he loves before it’s too late.




Deceit.




Betrayal.




Revenge.




A second chance at love.




But first, he must find a way to make her remember her past. Remember him. Remember everything.

Olivia Evans is a new to me author and I am now a fan. Flutter is such a great story, there is no real build up making you wait to chapter after chapter, she dives right in. The story of Dylan and Presley is gut wrenching.  You can feel the love and loss of both collectively and separate. This struggle has propelled Dylan to enter the field of psychiatry. Thinking if he can help just one person it will ease his pain. Determined to make up for missing the signs Presley had to be showing, his mission is clear... Help prevent suicide. 

For Presley, I have to believe that Ms.Evans understood the care she had to take writing her. The tenderness, the guilt, the pain, the suffering... it was so believable. The loss she felt and then the abandonment she must have felt, she wanted help, she agreed to help, only to be taken advantage of. I hated her father and I still do. There is so much I would love to tell you about this story, but I simply can not, it would ruin it. This book will stick with me for a long time.

5 Clocks

TRUST by Kylie Scott...... 5 Clock review by Dawn.

Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

My Review

Absolutely hands down, one of my favorite reads so far this year! And I do not say that lightly. 
Trust by Kylie Scott, is in a word...phenomenal! 

This is categorized as YA, but I would never let that dissuade you from reading it. It is about two teenagers but the writing, my god the writing!  It is so smart ,gritty, age appropriate language, witty, and beautiful. I at no time felt like this was YA. Which is important as I am not normally a fan of that genre. Simply because many authors use terms and language that as a mother of 2 teenage boys, they do not use. It is often too mature, even for 18 year olds and that bothers me. Not the case with Trust.

The two leads John and Edie (E-DEE) are linked together because of a horrible tragic event. That one night changes everything in their separate and collective lives. The way this story was told, I connected with Edie and her struggle. If you have ever had a daughter who has struggled with self esteem issues or if you have. This is brilliant. Edie, often puts herself down, but not so harshly that it is off putting. I loved this less than perfect, but perfect in so many ways, leading lady. She is discovering that she is not meant to be this shrinking violet. Escaping a life or death experience has made Edie, live for the moment and that may not always be the safest or smartest way to live. Feeling the need to suppress the events that unfolded at the Drop Stop, sleep has become the enemy. Midnight rides with the only person who understands what she is going through is her choice of therapy. But can John keep all of their combined demons at bay?

John Cole... Is. It. He is everything that Edie, likes, but is everything she is afraid of, until he saves her life. John is a wonderful leading man. He is the popular guy and that is not because he is the winning quarterback. No, John is the local pot dealer, making him a favorite among the high school. He just happens to be at the wrong place at the right time. When you are faced with life or death, you choose how you want to walk away, better or worse. For John, better was the only way he could go. He was distancing himself from those who only wanted him for what he could get them. In walks the only person who knows how it feels to have your life flipped upside down in a matter of minutes. The only person to step up and try to save him, when he is falsely accused. He is looking for a friend and maybe this girl can be that. Showing up at her bedroom window and midnight rides are their therapy sessions. John, is looking toward the future for the first time in his life and Edie is struggling to get through each day. They need each other, they need that connection with the one person who just "gets it."  Friends can be many things, but can they be everything? Learning to Trust is one of life's toughest lessons to learn.  It can either lead you to the greatest loves of your life, or show you just how much you can hurt.  Do you trust yourself to know the difference?

I could easily go on and on and on, as if I have not done this already. But this is a wonderful story and so perfectly written. The entire cast was vital to this story. The supporting characters are so well written and believable I was flooded with memories of my HS days! I was totally invested in these characters. 

This is by far a 5 clock read for me. I absolutely love it. 

Luca: A Ruin and Revenge Novel by Sarah Castille... Review by Dawn

The mafia men of New York Times bestselling author Sarah Castille’s Ruin & Revenge                              series are hard, hot, and ruthless. They show no weakness and take no prisoners.                                               But the right woman can soften their stone cold hearts and make  them come alive with dark desire. Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family.  Now a ruthless crime boss in Las Vegas, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart... until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion.  One night isn’t enough for a man who takes what he wants—and  Luca will do whatever he can to possess his mysterious temptress... Police detective Gabrielle Fawkes lives for revenge. She lost everything  at the hands of an unforgiving ruler of the Vegas underworld.  Now she wants to see him six feet under.  But when a near-fatal attack leads her into Luca’s arms, what was meant  to be one night of unbridled passion becomes something forbiddingly more.  Luca has his own agenda, but when strong, determined, kick-ass detective  Gaby sets her sights on her target,  Luca feels compelled to stand by her side and protect her at all costs.  However, pursuing danger comes at a high price—and both Gaby and Luca  must work together in order to eliminate the dark enterprise that threatens them,  in Luca by Sarah Castille. My Review I am going to be 100% honest. The first half (30-45%) of this book really did not sit well with me. I am an avid Mafia reader and was just very put off by what I call the "MOB checklist." Now, this may be my very own undoing, as a mafia book fan. I felt like the beginning of this story had all the boxes checked,... ~ Use of EVERY Mob term, every one. You are writing mafia, we know what they are no need for an explanation for every term. ~ Over detail of his fancy suit, got it, he dresses well. ~ Too many cliches' The fact that Gabby had survived the horrific death of her husband and child, her need for revenge is all consuming. She makes no excuses about her need for revenge. I loved that she was such a force. I loved that Luca loved that about her! She made for an awesome leading lady. I am not saying this story is bad, because it is far from bad. It is very exciting, once I got past the checklist. I loved the fact that Gabrielle and Luca were on opposite sides of the law, that was very intriguing. I absolutely was enamored with Luca. He had this coolness about him. He has this tenderness that made you just love this good man who did bad things. He was living with guilt on two fronts. His fathers betrayal and his wife's death. He took on the weight and was out to prove himself. I really enjoyed the writing when it came to Luca. He has my heart. The combination of Luca and Gabrielle was explosive. Those steamy scenes are some of the sexiest I've read in a very long time. The kitchen scene alone, if it was the ONLY sex scene in this entire book, it is worth it!!!!!!!! This would be a 5 * review if I could have gotten past the beginning. I will most definitely read more books in this series, bc I have to know what's up with Frankie!