Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

                          Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

 

 

Blurb

 

You've discovered Rebecca's secrets. You've discovered Sara's secrets. Now Sara will discover "his" deepest, darkest secrets...but will those secrets bind them together--or tear them apart?

 

 

 

First off let me say, I was really hard on the last installment of the Inside Out Trilogy, Being Me. I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of reading all the journals, so I didn't . I still do not feel like I am missing anything. Now onto Revealing Us.

 

We are picking up right where Being me left off with the cliffhanger, does Sara go to Paris or not?

I don't feel like I am giving anything away when I say she does.. I mean how could there be Revealing Us if she didn't ?

 

I was sooooooo happy with this book! Finally we get to see the actual relationship between Sara and Chris. I felt that was lacking in the previous book. We get more of a love story and I think this was the exact direction Miss. Jones needed to go.

 

I really enjoyed the ease of this book, it flowed very nicely, even with Rebecca's journal entries making appearances. Even when we were introduced to new characters they didn't make it confusing. There were a few different interwoven stories going on, but the stories were not drawn

out... all except the missing ELLA! Which I am happy to say makes me excited for the next book.

 

Sara is picking up on Chris's moods and takes his feeling into account when making rash decisions this time around and trying to make it work. Chris is still annoyingly worried about Sara's safety constantly and that gets on her nerves... mine too. But there is much more give and take and togetherness in this book. Chris opens up and promises to share the last secret he has with Sara. Which really, to me wasn't that  HUGE of a secret, I was kind of disappointed by the lack of "WTF?"  I thought I was going to get. But it was closure for him and that was really smart on the authors part.

 

Sara, gets the MOST IMPROVED Character award from me! She didn't annoy me at all in this book. I hated her in the last one!  She has a back bone and is more independent, well as much as Chris will let her be. She meets a few people from Chris's past and makes sure they know she is the woman in his life and is going nowhere! I really liked Chantal, Sara's French teacher... she cracked me up! 

The story ends with the perfect set up for figuring out what happened to Ella, as well as Chris and Sara. now that secrets have been revealed and important questions asked!

 

I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.....

I received Revealing Us as an ARC

 

I am giving Revealing Us, by Lisa Renee Jones

3.5 clocks

A Terrible Love by Marata Eros

 Terrible Love

 Blurb

 Jess Mackey is living a meticulously fabricated lie of necessity. She's left the secret tragedy of her past behind along with who she was and is forging ahead with a clean slate. But Jess soon discovers that passion can't be left behind—neither her own, nor that of the one man who sees who she really is…and whose unexpected presence may breach the peaceful life Jess has painstakingly created for herself.Devin Castile didn’t expect to meet a young woman who may be the missing puzzle piece to his existence…and who is also the victim of a heinous crime. Devin convinces himself that he can remain emotionally distant even while indulging his physical desire for her. But when Jess’s lies begin to crumble in the face of their undeniable attraction and the truth is revealed, one of them might pay with their life.


Talk about PLOT TWISTS.... there were so many my head was spinning and I am not sure I really loved that. The storyline was very dark which I didn't mind at all, it was just hard to keep up sometimes.

The characters I did enjoy,
Jewell/Jess, she was so complicated and that made her interesting to me. Her story was torture. Years of knowing she was running for her life and never letting herself find happiness out of guilt made me want to see her happy. She did everything right, staying under the radar changing her name and appearance, she became Jess... and then she met him...she gave up everything to save herself... so would letting herself have a bit of pleasure be her downfall?

Carlie, she was funny, witty and loyal. 
Brad her biology class mate, he was funny as hell! He stood up for her and I just liked him...again, another character that was NOT used to his full potential.
and of course Cas, but more on him later...

...and now the ones who were not my favorite.
Amber was a wet blanket, she seemed like an after thought. Like, OH I need one more girl in this book.
Mitch, well Mitch Maverick.... what a complete ass! He came on as this nice sweet hot guy....and WOW the change in him.  I want to say I didn't see it coming, but it was eluded to enough times in the book, that we kinda figured it out!
Brock, again what a dick! I will say I was pleasantly shocked by his plot twist... I did NOT see that coming!
Mr. Boel, or "Captain Ballet" as I called him. Egh, he served his purpose...teach, criticize, make Jewell/ Jess a better ballerina... that's about it for him.
Thad...I have only one way to describe him....sick...sick...sick.

For me this had the makings of a great book, but the holes in the plot were hard to get past. I was bothered by the amount of times they mentioned Jewell/Jess's faulty door knob. I know this seems petty but with 12 women murdered in this college town it would seem that campus housing might get to it .
With the amount of blows Jewell/Jess took to the face and head, I am shocked she could even formulate a complete sentence!
My other issue was... 4 guys all interested in the same chick? I know they each had a reason BUT it was just too much.
Also it needed more details about Thad... not just the basics, we needed more in depth insight as to why he was the way he was. The slight glimpse we did get of his disturbed mind was really interesting, I just wish she would have developed him more.

Now on to the bright spot in this book...CAS.... Blaine "Cas" Castle ... holy crap he was intense, sexy as hell and full of secrets. I am not going to give away much about him as it would ruin the story for you. He captures Jewell/Jess's attention at her ballet audition and from that moment on, he was forcing his way into her closed off life. With a proposition from Cas  the journey leads to amazing hot sex, fights, distance, kidnapping, death, injuries and complete disclosure.
I liked them together, but was annoyed by the conversations or lack there of. I KNOW WHY but sill,it bothered the hell out of me. In the end we get to see Cas be the hero he is, and see how much he has put on the line for her.
The epilogue was as always greatly appreciated !!!!

I would say this, read it and see if you have some of the issues I had...or read it and if you LOVE it please let me know.

I received this in ARC format, so it was a tad bit hard to get past some of the typos and the editing was subpar at best.

I am giving Terrible Love by Marata Eros

2.5 clocks

 

Beneath the Surface by MA Stacie

Blurb

Kyran Reese is a man in control. Driven when it comes to work, focused when it comes to play. From his office to the chalk circle of Metro's bare-knuckle boxing ring, his only thought is to win. That thirst heightens when Dale Porter enters his life. His brother's assistant should be off-limits, but her witty comments and sarcastic comebacks have him desperate to get her between the sheets. After receiving an unexpected left hook, Kyran gets exactly what he wants, though he makes the rules very clear. When Dale agrees to Kyran's relationship stipulation of no labels, she's sucked into a whirlwind of lust, money, and underground boxing. The agreement to keep their lust away from the office is discarded when rules are molded to suit their ever-increasing attraction. Dale fights her growing affection, trying to hide it even when the world around them spirals out of control. All too soon she realizes she can't hide her true feelings any longer. Kyran begins to wonder if he's finally met his match, and with his family falling apart before his eyes, he turns to the two things he knows will keep him sane: boxing and Dale. Those crutches can't last forever, and when Kyran finds it harder to function he is left with a decision he never thought he'd have to make. Could playing to win mean playing for keeps?

First off Dale, is a great leading lady. She is witty, funny, strong minded and a smart ass! How could you not love that? She knows what she wants and goes after it, not letting the CEO of the company put her off her game.

Kyran, CEO by day, underground fighter by night. At a first glance he is taken by Dale and then when she user her "wits" against him, Kryan is sure he has to have her.... even if he is fighting it..
He hides so much of himself, he is sure no one knows he fights and that he is covered in tattoos. Little does he know, Dale sees it all and is ready to take on his secrets any way she can have him she will take him.

The attraction is instant and really well written, we grasp just how much sexual tension there is between these two. Seriously I want an elevator ride like Dale gets... 

I really liked this book... the story was really easy to follow. I really loved the supporting characters and the fact that they were so pivotal in the main story was very original. I almost felt like there were multiple stories going on but it wasn't chaos, or throw away characters. I LOVED that!!!
I have to mention the relationship Dale has with her brother, I just found it so refreshing to have  siblings supporting each other instead of ripping each other apart, Nice job .

I found myself saying "not another fighter gets the girl book" but it was so much more! Kyran was fighting to deal with all the turmoil in his family life and fighting the feelings he was having for Dale.

Finally a book with an ending... I am so happy this was a stand alone.

I received this book as an ARC

 

I am giving Beneath the Surface by MA Stacie

3 clocks

Axel, by Harper Sloan

Blurb

Fate hasn’t always been friends with Isabelle West. In fact, fate has been a downright bitch. Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn’t by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved. For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband. When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door. Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. He’s carried his anger for so long he isn’t sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated. How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?

 If you are looking for a book to make you feel, like really feel a swing of emotions , Axel is for you. I appreciate what the author did when handling the tragedies that befall our leading lady Izzy. I will admit some of the crying was a BIT much, and by a bit, I mean it's a lot. I do get it, really... I know she had to find her strength again but I was put off by the constant neediness. Izzy has great friends (Dee and Greg) who have come to her rescue and support her. I did really love that bout the story, nothing better than great friends. There were some pretty funny parts that included a high heel wearing , skinny jean clad male hairdresser named Sway, his comic relief was a good touch to a really raw intense story.

Now what's better than a HOT bunch of Marines who enter the picture to help protect you? Swoon!!!! These are a sexy group of brooding guys who seem to love a damsel in distress. Axel is our introduction to Greg, Cooper, Beck, Maddox and of course Axel, the men of Corps Security. 

Things take off pretty quickly and we are thrown into a whirlwind of events that have kept Izzy and Axel apart for years. The backstory is told really well, I didn't feel like I was lost at anytime in the book. The intensity of Axel I LOVED, but I tend to love a bossy, take no crap kind of man. 

The story flowed really nice, at one point I thought maybe it was a little rushed, but how can you write a book and describe everyday.. It would be a thousand pages!  I am excited to read the rest of the books in the series and see where Ms. Sloan takes us... Wherever it is I am sure its going to be HOTT!!! Cause the um, sex scenes are AWESOME... really, AWESOME. OHHH, I want to write one of my favorite things Axel does, but it would give too much away... ITS HOTT...

I did stay up until 3am reading this book... so that tells you that I did really enjoy it...
I would gladly recommend this to my fellow book whores!!! Axel, is a book boyfriend of mine now...

I am giving Axel by Harper Sloan 3 clocks.

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Inquiring Minds want to know....The Surrender Series by Melody Anne

Surrender Series by Melody Anne

~~~ So have any of you have gotten into this series?  I have read Surrender and Submit,  and they are really good.  Seduced comes out in September , and Scorched is slated to be released in January 2014. I am excited to see where this series goes as more players come into the fold.  I will write a review when I have finished all four books and I can NOT wait! Word is there will be a 5th book, but it is not part of this series, it will be based on Rafe's ancestors...

Surrender

Raffaello (Rafe) Palazzo takes what he wants with no regrets. Arianna (Ari) Lynn Harlow has led a charmed life until tragedy strikes her family. He’s looking for a no-emotions attached mistress, she’s looking for redemption.

They are not a pair that should ever work, but undeniable attraction and devastating tragedies bring them together in the city by the bay where he fights to keep their relationship nothing more than an enjoyable way to meet his needs, and she battles to not lose herself in him. Spending time with Ari starts cracking the hard shell that Rafe has built around his heart, but he denies the affect she has on him until it’s too late to stop the inevitable conclusion that their relationship is headed for.

Rafe once believed in happily ever after, coming from a large Italian family. He’s got the Midas touch, since every endeavor he tries turns to gold. That all ends when his wife walks out the door and leaves him blindsided. His devastation quickly turns to steel when he decides no woman will fool him again. From that point on he treats relationships as nothing more than business transactions where both party’s come out mutually benefited.

Just when Ari has sunk to the lowest she’s ever been she finds an ad in the paper announcing a job that’s too good to be true. It turns out she’s right. She makes it through the intense rounds of interviews only to find out the job is for a mistress to the powerful Rafe Palazzo, owner of Palazzo Enterprises. Rafe gives her a day to think about whether she wants the position or not, and she’s sent on her way, only to find out her mother’s near-terminal position has taken a turn for the worse. Her mom’s only in the hospital because Ari messed up, and her mother’s the one who paid the price. Is Rafe her savior, or will he take her with him straight to the depths of hell?

Submit

 

Arianna Harlow has a choice. Does she choose love or self-respect? Will she give up her freedom and become nothing but a shadow of herself?

This is the exciting sequel to the NYT’s and USA Today best-selling book Surrender. In Submit, Ari faces an impossible ultimatum. She needs to decide whether to accept Raffaelo Palazzo’s indecent proposal and stay at his side as his bought mistress, under his complete control in his world and in his bedroom. Rafe holds the keys to her mother’s happiness, and Ari must choose love for her mother or respect for herself and for the morals her mother instilled in her. You’ll find out that decision in this book and discover the unexpected repercussions of what Ari does choose.

In Surrender, we were also introduced to the dynamic story of Shane Grayson and Lia Palazzo. See where their story leads as the Surrender Series continues.

Watch as two strong, confident women make choices that will affect their lives forever.

Who will submit? Will it be the women or the men?

Seduced

At the end of Submit, Arianna Harlow had enough pride in herself to walk away from Rafe Palazzo, who had started their relationship using blackmail. Though she’d fallen in love with him, she was strong enough to say goodbye. We saw the softer side of Rafe, especially toward the end, but it was too late…

Or was it?

Seduced begins almost two years after Ari starts her new life. She is teaching at a community college, and when she asks the class whether they have any questions for her, Rafe is there and has only one: Will you go on a date with me?

What is Ari’s answer? You’ll find out in the third installment of Melody Anne’s New York Times best-selling series, Surrender.

Along with Ari’s story, we will see what happens when Shane and Lia become trapped together on an island when a tropical storm hits, and how the sparks will fly again.

And we can’t forget about Rachel Palazzo, who isn’t looking for love, but finds it in a shocking way.

This story continues the lives of Ari, Lia and Rachel. These three women are resilient, determined, and worth loving. The question is, whether the men in their lives strong enough to keep them.

Scorched
Coming January 2014

Crazy Making, Words and lyrics of Justin Furstenfeld. To the Music of Blue October

Crazy Making

Words and Lyrics by Justin Furstenfeld

To the Music of Blue October

This is not my typical book review. This is more of a "YOU OUGHT TO KNOW..." I hope if you take the time to read this book or the third edition, and you walk away feeling like you just may understand people better and the music, really it is truly amazing.

 

Blurb

~This is a lyric book written by Blue October frontman, Justin Furstenfeld. It includes all albums through Approaching Normal, plus other bits and pieces and a good deal of pictures.~

 First lets just call this what it is....it is Poetry

 

I will admit it, I am A HUGE FANGIRL of all things Blue October. I go to the shows, I buy the t shirts, I get tattoos of lyrics from their songs, I pre order the CD's, I order the special live albums and I get as many people as I can to listen to their music.

 

When I am listening to music, I like to try and figure out what the song is about and what was going through the writers head while writing it. I FINALLY HAVE MY ANSWERS!  



 

We are granted access to Justin's  struggle (yeah, I feel like I know him enough to call him Justin). From being dropped by the biggest label in the industry Universal Records to the deepest of the darkest places... his depression.

Reading "The Beginning" was enough to make me cry. I have never understood depression in the long term sense. It was always "something you experienced for a day or so after something bad happened." I have never experienced depression so I always assumed it was someone just sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. Reading his lyrics and hand written notes have made me much more sympathetic to mental health issues.

 

Hand written note with the lyrics to HRSA

(High Risk Self Abuse)

 

Committed at twenty two

Just to get over you

My belly aches blue

Lorazepam flu

I'm down for the count

Always three times a day

Sometimes four

A bee stings straight through the arm

The high swing I ride upon

My eyes can't quite focus on

The nurse with my Lucky Charms

Well a two step was just a laugh

Our boundaries were broken in half

It's a good thing to know

As you walk into group for the show

 

Knock-knock on the window pane

My smoke break, the hour rang

My quiet roommate sleeps the same

Woke up when dinner came

The man's no more than forty old

He arrived scared two days ago

He had a family of earth and gold

But still nonetheless alone.

I, learned quick Knew what to say

Then three angels walked my way

In Spanish tongue they knelt to pray

and said "God keep him safe from the screaming voices"

They became my family

outstretched their hands are on my head

Now I can feel them breathing

They actually knelt down and prayed for me

They actually knelt down and prayed for me

 

Don't you dare put me on H.R.S.A

Does self abuse extend your hospital stay?

I think I'll lie a bit

Lord, I won't cry over anything

Over anything at all

I won't cry over anything at all

 

~~~(High Risk Self Abuse)

Where you go, if or when your Brain Flips~~~

 

I almost felt like I was snooping through his diary, his innermost thoughts. I would have loved to know more about the man; what were the reasons for this break down, what caused this relapse, how could you do that? How is your personal life now?... You know ALL the stuff that is NONE OF MY DAMN BUSINESS, and I am so glad he didn't give us that much personal in-depth information. Mystery keeps things interesting.

 

All of the lyrics and personal writings make for a fantastic read. I thought I was just "reading wayyy too much" into his songs. I would sit and think, trying to figure out who he was singing this about and why? When really all I needed to do was just ....listen...it's all right there. We each interpret every song differently. I thought I had most of the lyrics figured out and knew exactly what each song meant.....BOY, was I wrong and I LOVED being wrong. It really didn't change what the song made me think or feel. It actually made me smile knowing that "the boys" ( that's what me and the BFF call them) were evoking different thoughts in all of us. Doing what music should do... move you.

This is more of a personal review for me, I just wanted to spread the word of this fantastically talented man and band. I know some may hate that I did this but, hey to each their own and besides, its my blog and I can do whatever I want (Sticks out tongue). 

 If you are not familiar with Blue October,  I am asking you to give them a try, and really listen to what they are saying. I believe some of their songs will move you more than you have ever been moved.
 

 

 To quote the great Justin Furstenfeld,

"I close my eyes and I smile knowing that everything is alright"

18th Floor Balcony