Archive | December 2017

Bad Dad by Sloane Howell–Review

Dec29

36552892

I have gotten to know Sloane Howell through his online presence. He is a comedian with multiple stories to tell. Now we get to Bad Dad and I wasn’t sure I knew what to expect.  I assumed it would be like his other books; the sports romance, suspense and erotica. What I read was SO MUCH BETTER!!

Is this a sports romance? Well, yes. Is this book suspenseful? Well, yes. Is it erotic? Well, no, but there are episodes of multiple schmexy times!🔥🔥🔥 Simply put, Bad Dad, can be boiled down to this. It is a rom-com that meets Rambo/Chuck Norris/Terminator that meets the ‘surprise twist’. The twist was something I couldn’t have even guessed, but Bad Dad would not have been as good without it. EXCELLENT!!

This band of characters consist of: Landon (be still my beating heart❤), Joe (Hulk meets Groot. Loved him), Cora (a local elementary teacher that has returned to her hometown), Gus, Janet and Logan (aww, man, I love that kid).

Landon is an uber sexy alpha male, who is extremely strong (almost Terminator-like), fiercely loyal and yet, so easy to love. (I totally call dibs on him🙋🏻‍)! He has not exactly had the ‘traditional’ upbringing and childhood as others. However, he is now a grown man with a child of his own, Logan. He is trying to raise his child right with family values, morals, a sense of home and teaching him what it takes to be a ‘real man’. Logan is growing up to be the ‘man of the house’ and is willing to protect his family, just like his father is willing to do.

‘I’m a warrior for my family’

Cora is a teacher at the local elementary school. Her first interaction with Landon is after an altercation between Logan and the bully of the school (as well as the child’s bully of a father). Unfortunately, this first meeting doesn’t go so well and Landon decides to pull Logan from school. Cora is undeterred from this and ends up at their house to convince him to let Logan return to school. Through these early interactions, Landon and Cora develop a relationship. A very intense, emotional, hot and sexy relationship!

I don’t know how I feel about Cora individually. There were times when she displayed some of the same characteristics as Landon. She was kind and caring, could appear fearless, yet at times appeared to be lacking a backbone. This mousy persona made her come across as ‘wishy-washy’, however, I do think that she was the yin to his yang.

As much as I LOVE Landon and Logan, there is another man that has stolen my heart. Joe. He and his lack of social skills, is flipping hilarious. He truly did remind me of a hybrid of ‘Hulk-smash’ and ‘I am Groot’ with a little Terminator thrown into the mix. He is rough and tough, lacks most common day social skills which allows him not to communicate well.

 ‘It’s showtime.’ He delivered the line like Jim Carrey from The Mask. Great. I was hiding the Tarantino movies from him when we got back.’

Joe is full of these movie-related quotes that are his attempt at integrating with those around him. These “Joe Moments” are the perfect comedic interlude. It completely reminded me of Bumblebee in Transformers where he spoke through radio songs. Only here, Joe speaks through movie quotes.

Sloane Howell’s book is packed full of extremely emotional, full of roller coaster moments, yet heartwarming and enduring when it comes to those you love and those that you call family. There are some definite jaw dropping moments, that I would have never seen coming. The plot and storylines are so well executed that you feel as if you are part of the story itself. I TRULY wish I could give more than five stars, but I can’t, so all I can do is to tell you to say five stars ten times fast and that is what I would give it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I didn’t like being broken in front of my family. I was supposed to be the one taking care of them.’ Landon

Dear Landon, Logan and Joe,

It Must’ve been the Mistletoe by L.P. Dover–review

Dec20

It Mustve Beent the Mistletoe-FINAL-highI am a big fan of L.P. Dover and her newest book, ‘It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe’ is another big winner. No matter what she writes about, she has extremely creative, organic and detailed characterizations. This book is a prime example of her unique writing. It is a historic, contemporary romance, that’s filled with many heartwarming and inspiring moments.

William and Adeline are the stars of the show. William is a thirty-three year old realtor that lives in California. William’s father runs the main branch of their realty company, but is having difficulty keeping that branch afloat. William decides that his partner can run the office in California and he is going to move home to run the main branch. William’s brother, Trent, is getting married to Jessica (Adeline’s best friend) over the Christmas break, which is perfect timing for his big move back to North Carolina.

Adeline is a high school history teacher. She’s thirty years old, single and acquired her love of history from her grandfather. She lives on the old family homestead in Asheville, NC. As she is about to leave the rehearsal dinner, she is caught by Margaret, the wedding planner. Margaret gives her her bridal gift, which is an embroidered locket with sprigs of mistletoe inside. Margaret also wears mistletoe on her clothes every day and feels that there is something magical about it.

“What is that doing in there?”

” It’s supposed to bring many years of happiness to those who wear it. Why do think I wear mine all the time?”

Let’s just say this is where everything takes a turn for Adeline. I won’t give away the little curveball, but it was phenomenal how Ms. Dover executed this. I thoroughly enjoyed this section of the book and was completely intrigued as to how she would resolve the ending. LOVED IT!! Flawlessly executed, well-paced storyline and a finely detailed plot.

William and Adeline are such a timeless and exquisite couple, that it’s hard to not love them. After being told that they were going to be set-up, neither individual is real excited about this factor. However, after experiencing instances of déjà vu, they begin to feel that sense of familiarity.

It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe is a super sweet with a side of saccharine Christmas read that I absolutely LOVED. There are two downsides to this book. One, I now have a hankering for Snickerdoodles and homemade biscuits. So, for this, I, thank you, Ms. Dover for including your recipe of biscuits. You rock!! Secondly, I wish it was a little longer, I want more of William and Adelaide. I got to the end and went, ‘No!’.

Without a doubt, 5.0 stars for something that is a clean romance. Normally, steamy reads are my biscuit and butter, but this book was seriously refreshing!!

5 stars

LLBB feature image

Crash into Us by Shana Vanterpool–Review

Dec19

edited cover reveal one
Crash into Us is an emotionally charged, gut-wrenching and heart-breakingly beautiful story. Holy moly, the emotions involved are just physically draining, but in an exquisitely bewitching way.

I’m normally not into second chance romances, however, this one was so well written that it just drew a person in from cover to cover. Crash into Us is a hybrid book of sorts. It is part second chance and part sports romance. I love a good sports romance and this didn’t disappoint.

Gavin and Jasmeen have known each other since they were ten. They were each other’s first in so many ways. This friendship evolved into love and eventually marriage. Unfortunately, this marriage did not end in a happily ever after. They soon divorced when they were twenty-two.

Through some weird twist of fate, Gavin never changed his next of kin information. Four years later, at the age of twenty-six, Gavin was calling on Jasmeen to be his source of strength following a horrendous tragedy. Despite everything that they have been through, Jasmeen is there, although this is not a happy reunion on her part.

Shana has written some wonderfully telling flashbacks into this story. Some books that include flashbacks can appear to be confusing when switching from past to present. This one was so superbly executed that you truly felt that you were part of the story. They were so telling of their lives and realistic. Excellent job!!

Despite hurting each and living incomplete lives since their divorce, you can tell that they do love each other and are meant to be with each other. They just need to let their guards down and learn to love again.

Crash into Us is the first book I have read from this author and I can’t wait to read more. I absolutely fell in love with Gavin and Jasmeen, along with Shana’s writing style. Shana created quite the book hangover and I would happily read it again. The ending was so worth all the pain that was endured from the beginning of the book. Kudos to Shana for a job well done.

 

“Give it up, Jas. Give up the wrong, give up the doubt, give it all up and let’s start over. See where this goes. If it ends in friendship, fine. You were my best friend, too, and I could use one. If it ends in us dating, I’ll take it. You were an incredible girlfriend. If it ends in us getting remarried, I’ll get on my hands and knees and thank God. I think we owe it to ourselves to start over.”

5 stars

Review can be seen at the following pages:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RANP6P01Y2UYZ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0787K56JT

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2218402743

═══ PLEASE SUBSCRIBE / LIKE / FOLLOW US ════
Follow us on:
FB Blog Page – https://www.facebook.com/Lagerlefsebookblog
FB Main Blog Page – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005896333289
Blog – http://lagerlefsebookblog.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/lagerlefsebook
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lagerlefsebookblog/

 

Over Us, Over You by Whitney G.–review

Dec14

OverUsOverYou.v10-BNI’m not sure how others feel, but this book was an exquisitely, anguishing and brilliant story. The main couple is Hayley and Corey. Haley’s older brother, Jonathan, is a multi-billionaire in a tech business that he started with his best friend, Corey, back in college. Before we go any further, yes, this story is about having feelings for your brother’s best friend/your best friend’s little sister. Probably sounds like any other ‘hidden feelings for my brother’s friend’, but let me tell you, this story is SO MUCH MORE! Much to the genius of Whitney G. All three main characters (and yes, I’m including Jonathan in this as well), have so much to their backstory that you seem to forget about the ‘basic’ storyline of sister, brother & best friend.

Jonathan has had to be not only a big brother to Hayley, but guardian, protector and enforcer. They had an emotional childhood, that required them to grow up and grow up quickly from the things that they’ve seen at a young age. Jonathan and Corey became friends around the same time as their world seem to fall apart.

Due to a crappy childhood, Corey, was required to change his plans for a future and quickly. Now, Jonathan had already gone off to college (both boys were boy geniuses), which left Jonathan by himself as there was a couple year age gap between the two. Without Jonathon knowing, Corey took over the role of protector and guardian (not legally, just in an older friend aspect). The thing is, for whatever reasons, Jonathan was unaware of Hayley and Corey’s best friend status. (Sorry, but you need to read the book to find out exactly what unfolded during this time😉).

Fast forward a few years and Hayley needs to return home with her tail between her legs. Her brother gives her a job in his company, a house and a Honda Civic (Hayley’s choice not her brother’s). I, personally, didn’t see this as an issue as some other reviewers did. Keeping in mind, Jonathan is a multi-billionaire and extremely overprotective of Hayley. He was unable to do more for her, when they were kids, that he is now making sure that she is safe, protected and comfortable. One thing that did irk me about Hayley, was her work ethic or lack of work ethic.

It is during this time, that she begins to get reacquainted with Corey. They are fumbling through some rough waters at this point and trying to figure out what is going on between them and if they even have a friendship at this point. Keeping in mind, that if Jonathan ever found out about their joint past and current history, he may very well blow a gasket!!

Despite the back and forth at times between Corey and Hayley they were perfect as a couple at the end of the book. Through the ‘in-between’ times, they needed to do a lot of growing up as individuals in order to approach a relationship. You see, Hayley has turned into an immature adult and Corey has become a slight man-whore. I feel that Hayley has gotten a bad rap during this book. Yes, she didn’t appear to take her job all that seriously, but she wasn’t a ‘spoiled brat’ in the demanding way. It was more that her brother was spoiling her and making up for the lack of things as a child.

When Hayley and Corey could get it together, they had some steamy chemistry and flipping hilarious emails. 😆 Overall, I really liked this book. It was a little fast paced, but nothing that was too off-putting.

Mr. All Wrong by R.C. Stephens–Review

Dec7

 

Mr All WrongMr. All Wrong is completely Mr. All Right!! R.C. Stephens is a fairly new to me author, but I am loving her and her writing style. (I read, Halo by her as well and that was a truly phenomenal read).

This story is about Colton and Evie who come from different socio-economic status, familial backgrounds and academic/professional backgrounds. Despite these factors, they could recognize some very common similarities as well.

Colton is a super sexy, powerful and appears to be a confident man. However, he is a flawed man. He is the Governor of Illinois with considerations to make a run at POTUS. This is something that he is questioning if it’s more for his personal well-being or something his father wants and is living vicariously through Colton. Colt also has major trust issues, especially when it comes to women. I won’t say why, but they are a result from his mother and secondarily because of his father.

‘I was a fucking grown man who was scared. Yes, I can use that word in my head only. I was scared to stand up to my old man. Fuck that was a difficult internal confession to swallow.’

Evie is a simple, yet beautiful, women that is more than happy to blend into the background. She is a single mother who is a teacher at a local deaf school that is fiercely independent. Through she has secrets of her own, they are more of a maternal protective nature. She meets the notorious panty dropping playboy after she throws a cream pie at his face during a rally. Colton is immediately enamored with her, even if he only sees her as a blur of red hair while running from the police.

‘When I spotted the female with the shouty voice, she had a cream pie flying at me faster than I could think. It slammed me in the face. The cool feel of whipped cream practically blinding.’…’The red-haired vixen got away’.

Mr. All Wrong is a perfect combination of steam, drama, soul-searching and hilarity that abounds. There were many touching moments from Colton as he expressed his love, faithfulness and trust towards Evie. The interaction between Colton and Carter (Evie’s 10-year-old son) was beautiful and ovary shaking. Colton’s willingness to adapt to Evie’s surroundings was just perfection.

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. As mentioned earlier, Colton’s issues include his runaway mom, domineering and threatening father, manwhore best friend and trust issues. Soon, Evie gets swept up in this family drama and things don’t appear to end well for Ms. Evie. She, unfortunately, has to make a choice that will cost her the only man she ever loved or her own personal sanity and safety.

Besides the h and H, we have the secondary characters, who are just as poignant as the main ones. They each brought their own pizazz to the story. R.C. Stephens wrote an incredibly well rounded romantic comedy/drama with a list of characters that felt like a whole family. The story and plot line flowed well with in depth histories of each character. Mr. All Wrong was a complete page turner keeping me intrigued from beginning to end.

Colton and Evie are such a great, steamy and heartwarming couple together. They have many twists and turns, revelations and hills that they need to counter both individually and as a couple. There was no question that they loved each other, but the question remains…Will they make it?

As usual, I’m an epilogue whore. I love that you get one little more peek into these characters lives, before you officially announce, ‘the end’. This epilogue did not disappoint! Thank you, Ms. Stephens for writing such a well-rounded, all-encompassing book with ‘all the feels’ and ‘oh no’s’!!

‘She was more than lovely, she was beautiful, the way her blue eyes danced with mischief as she ran away from the police was now ingrained in my brain maybe forever. She was a free spirit and her smile breathed sunshine.’

5 stars