KIM'S REVIEW ~ RICOCHET by Keri Lake

Title: Ricochet

Series: Standalone

Author: Keri Lake

Release Date: July 9, 2015

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

POV: Multiple

Ricochet is dark, twisted, and is not for the faint of heart. This is my first book by Keri Lake, and without a doubt, it won't be my last. Her writing is compelling and vigorous and I was enamored  from start to finish. 

Three years ago, I had everything.

A beautiful wife.

A son.

A reason for living.

UNTIL...his wife and young son were brutally murdered by a Detroit gang, that was massed together by Michael Culling, the mayor of Detroit.

Nick Ryder has become a fearless, masked vigilante, who is tormented by his wife and son's murders. He was supposed to have died right along with them...he still wishes he had. Unable to cope with the memories of that horrific night, he is out for revenge and is prepared to raise havoc upon the one's responsible. The last words he whispered to his dying wife...

"Every one of them will die-painfully and mercilessly."

"The promise fueled my will to survive."

Nick's driving force for revenge is none other than Michael Culling's wife, Aubree.

"A man who'd kill for the women he is clearly obsessed with. That's the real pain."

Aubree Culling (aka Pistol Lips) is a strong, resilient, young woman who has the misfortune of being married to the psychotic mayor of Detroit, Michael Culling.

To the world they are the perfect couple, but behind closed doors, Aubree is living with a sociopathic monster. The last five years that she's had to endure with this man have been gruesome. Her only hope is to someday escape the nightmare that she lives daily. 

Escape. 

If I were to succeed, I'd be hunted.

If I failed, I'd be killed.

Nick kidnaps Aubree during a masquerade charity ball that was being held in honor or her, as well as a celebration of the opening of a new cancer center.

 Not initially, but after some time, something shifts, and the chemistry that has sparked between them is undeniable, but neither one wants to admit it. 

Nick finally realizes that Aubree isn't anything like her maniac husband...that she is a 'victim' too...and that's when the connection is made.

"Not a monster. Not some Stepford bitch. A victim." 

"There's sweetness to your poison, Aubree - as intoxicating and beautiful as it's deadly."

"I'd kill for you."

To divulge anything else would take away your experience from Nick and Aubree's story. A story that is merciless, barbarous, and callous.  It's a story about revenge, but also about healing, love, and second chances. It's a dark romance with some hair-raising scenes that may make the fainthearted squeamish. If you love dark, twisted reads with a fearsome hero and remarkable heroine, I definitely recommend reading Ricochet. 

I give Ricochet 4.5 Crazie Stars ~Kim 

Pre-order link: 

KIM'S REVIEW ~ INSIDER by Olivia Cunning

What girl doesn't love a rock star? 

Olivia Cunning's writing style is impeccable and she writes some of the best "rocker" books out there. Her characters are portrayed exactly how I envisioned a rock star's life to be.

Insider is the first book in the Exodus Series and is loaded with sexy, hot rock stars! It's the story of Logan and Toni, with a glimpse of Dare, Max, Steve, and Reagan. And even though Insider is centered around Logan and Toni, the other band members play key roles in the story. And I have to say, I.CAN.NOT.WAIT. for Dare's story. I love them all but Dare is my fav!!! 

My Dare!!

Logan Schmidt is the sexy bass guitarist in Exodus End. He's so carefree and just seems to love life. His jovial humor and good spirit is what makes your heart melt. But, one of his downfalls is that he jumps to conclusions and overreacts before getting the facts...therefore, causing him and others around him some serious grief. 

Toni Nichols is pristine, righteous, and naive.  Since the age of fifteen she has put her dreams on hold in order to raise her younger sister. But now, she's been privileged with the opportunity to travel with the members of Exodus End, where she will be creating a revolutionary interactive biography about the band.  She gets up close and personal with all four band members as well as Reagan, who has joined them for a few shows, due to Max having a wrist injury. 

The moment Logan sees Toni, he is smitten by her. She's awkward, shy, and obviously 'star struck' by all the band members...making Toni all the more attractive to Logan. At first, he doesn't really know what to think of being drawn to her, him being a ladies man and all. But the more he is around her, the more he wants to get to know her. 

Logan and Toni's story progresses rapidly, but it feels right because of their situation...being trapped on a bus with four hot rockers would do that. 

Their chemistry is obvious to everyone around them. Sparks fly and they both superficially play it off. But, mentally they know that what they're experiencing is more than just sexual attraction. 

But can Toni live in Logan's world? Will his lifestyle be too much for her?  And can you truly trust someone who knows your darkest secrets? 

Logan and Toni's journey is bumpy at times, but not as bumpy as I would have preferred. I crave angst, and with this being a rock star book, I was banking on it.  But overall I did love Insider.

Olivia Cunning is talented and her previous books have proven that.  She's top notch.  She's the queen of rock star romance and she gave us a new rock band to fall in love with...and I love every single one of them.  I definitely recommend starting this series and I look forward for what's to come.  Like I said earlier, she gives us some background story on the rest of the band and I can guarantee that each book is going to be epic!!!

I give Insider 4 Crazie Stars ~Kim

  

*ARC kindly provided by author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

LOYDA'S REVIEW ~ KING by T.M. Frazier

5***Heart Broken “PUP” Stars

“My fucking heart is broken,”…”Will you remember something for me?” “Remember that I love you.” King

“Brantley King" was 12 years old when he met his best friend“Samuel Clearwater” aka “Preppy” who was only 11 yrs old himself. They both wanted out of their miserable family they were given. King’s mom was a drug junkie and he basically had to care for himself until he decided to run away from it. Preppy’s step father was an absolute ass hole who abused Preppy so bad I wanted to kill him myself. Now the boys are grown man who grew up making their own rules and living by their own laws doing illegal things to survive. King was 27 yrs old and Pretty 26 now. They both killed if it was necessary and started selling drugs and other illegal things at young age in order to make money and make their “dreams” come true. At a young age they thought they were on top of the world, parting a lot and enjoying what life they were making together. King was great with art and he started doing tattoos from his house practicing on himself, Preppy and Bear (a friend they met at young age at school). 

"Well you are partially right. Because when it comes to me and mine, I am the judge. I am the jury. And if need be, I am the motherfucking executioner." King

“Doe” aka “PUP” or “Ray”, a seventeen year old girl lost with no memory, living in group homes or on the streets; founds Nikki, someone who she thought could helped her. After having an accident and losing her memory, Doe now had no one and took shelter with Nikki. However her new friend was a junkie and didn’t care about anything else other than her next fix. Doe had no recollection of her previews life, and there was no missing person report matching her description; that left her lonely with nothing and no one. Nikki takes her to a party and the goal was for Doe to attempt to sell herself for protection and shelter to one of the MC bikers. What she didn’t know was that this wasn’t just any party it was a “Welcome Party” for King. He had just being release from prison after being incarcerated for three years. She hadn’t eaten for days so she was bound to do whatever it takes to survive even if that meant selling her body. 

"Desperate people. Desperate things." Doe

 

“Bear” a hot biker who is best friends with King and Preppy; and the Vice president for his father’s MC club the “Beach Bastards”. He meets Doe first at the party and wants her for himself but he wanted to give his best friend a welcome back gift and sends her over to KING. This changed the story entirely, Doe and King didn’t realized that there was going to be a magnetic chemistry between the two that will pull them together and change their lives forever. 

King takes Doe in after finding out who she was and he wanted to keep her for his own benefit. However he decides to keep the secret to himself. Preppy saw the connection between these two and wanted to push King’s buttons so he would step up and claim Doe and hopefully be happy. He was amazing and funny, I loved him so much. Preppy becomes good friends with Doe in the little time she came to live with them. He would make her pancakes every day and made her eat, she loved him for it. He wanted to take her out on a date as a friend but I think, he wanted to see King’s reaction and pushed him so it worked. King ended up taking her on his very first date; he never did dates so this was his first. And oh boy it was everything a first date should be; he was amazing he took her to the carnival “Neon lights, carnival music, corn dog and cotton candy stands” just perfect. They had this amazing HOT kiss on the Ferris Wheel it was super cute for KING really. He gave her the first tattoo she’s ever had and it was just perfect and beautiful. 

“As King branded my skin, I embraced the girl whose life was just beginning. I embraced life. My life. King filled me so completely. Not just my body. My heart. My soul. My life. I didn’t give a shit if I ever got my memory back. Because with King, I knew exactly who I was. I was his.” Doe

He wanted to stop the feelings he was getting for her so he pushed her away purposely trying to make out with someone else when they got back from their date. I was a so upset omg…I was beyond angry at him. However, the angry sex helped me calmed down a bit and it up for it lol. He ended up claiming her and she opened up to him and they both gave into each other. 

“We get this one life. One. As of right this fucking second, I’m no longer going to spend it doing anything other than what I want to do. I don’t want to grow old and look back and realize that I may have had a life, but I forgot to live it.” King

The events after they finally became a couple shred me to pieces. He confessed his dark secrets to her but still keep the secret of who she really was to himself but I melted for him at that point. Something horrible and unexpected also happens right at 86% of the book that I can’t even bring myself to write because I don’t want to give any spoilers. I was so broken and a complete mess from then up until the end. The ending was completely unexpected and now I have more questions than ever. I wish book two was already out because this waiting is going to kill me. However, I did read the epilogue for book two I had to, like there was no way this book could possibly end like this so it gave me a little hope and now to count down the days for book two. This was my very first book by this author and I can assure you it will not be my last. I am looking forward to more of her writing.

“There was no doubt in my mind if something like soulmates did exist that Doe was mine…I think a part of me loved Doe from the first moment my eyes landed on hers. Haunted, beautiful, scared. I wanted her, body and soul.” King

“King was a bad guy, but he was my bad guy. He was more than that. He was my world. My heart. These people may have known who I was before, but I knew who I was now, and the two versions of me were going to have to figure out how to merge before I uprooted what I had with King in search of something unknown.” Doe

BR WITH MY SHHLUTS ~ WAR, LIZ AND NAWAL ~ 

Book Series Order:
  

KIM'S REVIEW ~ BENEATH THESE CHAINS by Meghan March

Beneath These Chains was innovative, engaging and suspenseful, and is the third book in the Beneath Series by Meghan March, and can be read as a stand-alone. Told from dual POV's.

Lord, who happens to be one sexy alpha male, is the hero in this book. He is the owner of an upscale pawn shop, Chains, which resides on the rough side of town in New Orleans. 

We were first introduced to Lord in Beneath This Ink. He is Con's older tatted up brother. Lord was raised on the streets and has worked hard for where he's at today, so when he discovers that an employee is stealing from him, he doesn't waste anytime firing her.  Then enters a hot, fiery, red head demanding a job.



"She’s the most tempting thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ll be damned if I can make her leave."

Elle, who we also met in Beneath This Ink, is Vanessa's rich best friend. She is brazen, bold, feisty, and independent. I loved her as a heroine. She has an agenda and nothing or no one is going to stop her from getting what she wants. Not even the tatted up hot, sexy male, Lord.


"Lord was strong, but not overpowering. He'd lead, but not force. He was the kind of man I hadn't even known existed, and the one I couldn't imagine not having."

"Surprised a guy like you wants to be taken instead of doing the taking."

"Sweet thing, you took me from day one."

"There, in his arms, the rest of my shattered pieces melded together into something stronger than before they'd been broken."



I truly enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful, compelling, and enticing, with a zest of comicality. Even though I felt like the book was missing something, I was still invested in Lord and Elle's story.  Their chemistry, right along with the author's writing style, kept me interested. I would definitely recommend this book. 

Beneath These Scars will be the 4th book in the Beneath Series and will be Lucas Titan's story.  I'm hoping the author will do a 5th book. I would love to know more about Hennessy. 

I give Beneath These Chains 4 Crazie Stars!!! ~Kim

*ARC kindly provided by author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

KIM'S REVIEW ~ KING by T.M. Frazier

King, by T. M. Frazier, is the first book of a two-part series.  It's unique, dark, raw and sensual and is told in both King and Doe's POV. 

This is my first book by T. M. Frazier and it won't be my last. I was absolutely impressed with her writing style and her imagination. She keeps you engrossed by offering you characters that are complicated as well as bewitching. I positively can't wait for Tyrant, book #2.  

"They call me King."

Brantley King is an infamous career criminal and tattoo artist, recently released from a maximum security prison where he served a three year sentence. Growing up with an alcoholic mother and living life on the edge, consequently forced King into the dark world that he now resides.

King, and his partner in crime, Preppy, have been best friends since elementary school.  King took up for Preppy one afternoon while being bullied and have been inseparable ever since.  They started their own business from rock bottom and are now well respected in their criminal world.

Preppy(oh how I love him) throws King a welcoming home party, but King trying to adjust to life outside of prison, is NOT in the partying mood.  He engrosses himself by doing what he loves...inking tattoos. King is feeling out of  sorts until he comes face to face with a pair of blue eyes.

Homeless. Hungry. Desperate.

Doe is homeless with no recollection of her past or where she comes from. Her past is a mystery. She's been living on the streets for the past few months desperate for food and shelter. She befriends a prostitute/drug addict who tries to coerce her into believing that the only way to survive on the streets is to sell her body. 

"I am desperate and desperate people don't have the luxury of options."

Now at her lowest, Doe finds herself at King's party. This is where we are introduced to Bear(love him), King and Preppy's good friend, who also happens to be the V.P. of the Beach Bastards MC.  King and Preppy have been friends with Bear since he was fifteen years old and has tried for years to get King and Preppy to join the MC with no luck.  Bear is the first to meet Doe, and as a welcome home present he sends her up to King's room. Little did they know that this introduction was about to change King's and Doe's lives forever.

"I found myself again in the haunted eyes of a girl who was just as lost as I was. Or maybe, we didn't find each other at all. Maybe, we just decided to be lost together."

King takes Doe under his protection and the way he is feeling toward her is confusing and complex. He's possessive and likes control, and his battle between wanting to possess her or to let her go is taking a toll on him. She is the light in his darkness and his walls are starting to crumble.

"If you took the scary out of the equation, King was drop dead gorgeous. His eyes were so dark green they almost looked black. His lips were full and slightly pink. He was the most terrifyingly beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on."

I love the changes in King and Doe that we witness throughout the book.  Their chemistry is undeniable. Even though the attraction was immediate on both sides, I love how the author progressed at a steady pace and that there wasn't an instant love. Instant attraction...YES!!

"Stop being alive, and start living.”

"Why did you come back to me?"

"Because You're Mine."

Between the huge plot twists and shocking reveals, my emotions were all over the place. I did not put this book down until I was finished.  I loved the complexity of the characters as well as the simplicity. I fell in love with the secondary characters, Preppy and Bear. I would love to know more about Bear. Hopefully, we will get to know more about him in Tyrant...or maybe he'll get a book of his own. I sure hope so.

If you are a fan of dark romance and sexy alpha males, then I recommend you read King now. T.M. Frazier has a talent that is indisputable and I look forward to reading many more from her. I don't want to give too much away so I'm going to stop here. This is one of those books that you need to experience all on your own.

I give King 4.5 Crazie Stars!!! ~Kim