BOOK REVIEW ---- 5+ Stars --- Fool's Paradise by Lilliana Anderson

Fool's Paradise 

(Cartwright Brothers Book 5)

by Lilliana Anderson

✯ ¸.•*¨)✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.♡

5+ stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book had me crying.  It had me crying at the sheer emotional intensity between Toby and Blair and also because it means farewell to the sexy Cartwright brothers and their amazing wives

Where to start with this review?  How can I ever put into words the journey this book, this series has taken us on?  I started the year with an amazing book and it looks like I'm finishing the year with one that is equally as amazing.  So amazing I almost feel lost for words.

Fool's Paradise is the fifth book in the Cartwright Brother's series.  Whilst it could be read as a stand alone, there is plenty of explanation dropped in to 'catch you up' on the story but not too many spoilers, for two reasons I would instead recommend reading the rest of the series first.  Reason 1 is that in order to truly enjoy and get the most out of this book you need the full background story that has run through the other books.  The second reason is that every single book is fantastic and each brother is swoon-worthy, smouldering hot and wondrous in their own way.  You'd be missing out on what, to me, has been the best contemporary romance series of 2018.

I've been a little in love with Toby since we first saw his hidden heartache in Fool Me Twice, Book #1 of the series.  In each successive book we've caught glimpses of a man who constantly puts his family before his own happiness.  So this book was going to go one of two ways......... I was going to be broken in the best possible way, or I was going to be hugely disappointed. 

Toby was quickly becoming my everything. I didn't want to let go.

I couldn't.

I'm still mopping up the tears from my ugly crying over how beautifully broken Toby and Briar are, so we can safely say there was no disappointment anywhere!

No longer able to face a life he never wanted to live, Toby has disappeared.  Blair has been sent to find him and bring him home.  The haunted look that was ever present in his eyes is no longer there, can Blair be the one to drag it back?  With secrets and demons of her own, she knows just how soul destroying life can be.

"I want my soul back."There was such utter desolation in his expression that it took every morsel of strength within me not to cry. 

This man bleeds goodness. Alongside his misery.

I've already admitted that Toby has been lodged in my heart for what seems like forever.  He is and always will be one of my favourite book boyfriends and I have been desperately waiting for his story.  I knew Lilliana Anderson would need to write the heroine of all heroines, along with one pretty amazing plot, in order to meet the expectations I held for this book.  Well let me tell you now that she did even better than I anticipated and this story literally blew me out of the water.

Dread rolled of his body as he donned his old skin, the one we'd shed together. 

I could see my Toby slipping further and further away. 

My Toby......

Toby is a damaged hero, one whose pain you feel and who will steal your heart before you know it. Blair is a broken heroine, and I'm stunned that I ended up loving her as much as, if not even more than, Toby.  It needed someone special for me to hand my Toby over to, and Blair was just the perfect most imperfect heroine to do the job.  I loved at the end how all her problems weren't solved by love alone. 

He wanted me to get my head straight, to quite drinking, to quit using sex as a bandaid to my mental anguish. Love myself first? I didn't know if I could do that. Didn't know how.......

Love gave her the strength to tackle them, but professional help was still required.... just one of the many small touches that make this book feel real. Mad cap plot aside. I even forgave her for saying this about us maths teachers

"You've got to choose boring occupations that no one wants to talk about - accountants, indurance brokers, maths teachers."

I lost count of how many times this book made me cry.  Now I just want to be left alone to wallow in the glory of it, to mourn the passing of this series, to basque in the 'sunshine' of the story and to soak up the love that flowed from it's very soul.

I don't just recommend this book to ALL of you, I recommend the entire series.  These are the books that are so special you buy the paperback version too, so that you can fall in love with them all over again.

✯ ¸.•*¨)✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.♡

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Fools-Paradise-Cartwright-Brothers-Book-ebook/dp/B07J2TVBYH

✯ ¸.•*¨)✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.♡

Synopsis

My job had a very specific goal: I found people who didn’t want to be found and delivered them to whoever employed me. 

After that, well, I tried not to think about what happened while I spent my money on things that made me happy. Resorts, men…I lived life by the seat of my pants because I never knew where I’d be the next week, or who I’d be looking for. 

When the head of a lesser-known criminal family hired me to find her son, I wasn’t sure what I was walking into. I had his photo, so I knew the man was hot with a capital H. But I expected the usual agitated scumbag I normally went after. Not some guy running a fishing charter and looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. 

I might have been curious. 

I might have gotten a little too close. 

I might have done a lot of things I shouldn’t have. 

Things that could get me killed this time. 

But hey, life wasn’t always about making the right choices. It was about making good ones. 

And Toby Cartwright was a great choice. 

✯ ¸.•*¨)✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.♡

Ratings

5 stars - This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again.

4 stars - I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others.

3 stars - This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre.

2 stars - Whilst the book was readable I either didn't enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters.

1 star - This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.

✯ ¸.•*¨)✮ (¸.•´✶ (¸.♡

BOOK REVIEW - Decker by Eden Summers, a romantic suspense

DECKER

By Eden Summers

ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* ° ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。 

4 stars - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mysterious, secretive and twisty beyond belief - that covers the plot, as well as both Keira and Decker!

Decker took me through the whole gamut of emotions, from lust to anger, betrayal to hope, despair and forgiveness. I thought that Keira and Decker were really well written characters, they had depth and even though there were times when I didn't like their actions, I totally loved them as 'people'. Never judge a book by it's cover and don't judge this pair by first impressions.... whilst both characters are very likeable, they both have their own secrets and dark sides.

The plot is twisty and intriguing, this romantic suspense takes us on one heck of a ride. There were a few times, in the first half of the book, when personally I felt the pace dragged briefly. However it wasn't enough to make the book boring and, once we really start getting to the truths hidden under the layers of lies that make up this pair, the action was almost non-stop.

It was good to see more of Hunter and Sarah, though if really don't need to have read Hunter to enjoy this book. I loved that twist at the end, which isn't quite a cliff-hanger (we do get a resolution for Keira and Decker) but does set up the next book really well.

ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* ° ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。 

Now an AMAZON INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

"A roller-coaster ride of thrills, danger, passion and betrayal." Spunky N Sassy Blog.

"I don't have words for how AMAZING this book is." Romance Novel Giveaways.

He protected me from danger and became my biggest threat.

He's my defender. My savior.
A brutally determined man with a cocky smirk and an equally cocky attitude.

Broad. Strong. Focused.
He seduces me with his flirtation.
Warms me with his care.

But he's hiding something.
There are ulterior motives beyond his concern for my security.
A thirst for more than my safe keeping.

I can't fall for him. Can't be tempted by his touch.

Not when he can't be trusted.

But questioning my protector means I've now become his target.

From bestselling author, Eden Summers, comes another seductively thrilling STANDALONE destined to leave you breathless.

ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* ° ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。 

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Decker-Eden-Summers-ebook/dp/B07M6199B7

ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* ° ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。 

Ratings

5 stars - This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again.

4 stars - I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others.

3 stars - This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre.

2 stars - Whilst the book was readable I either didn't enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters.

1 star - This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.

ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* ° ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。 

*:,:* Book Review *:,:* DIRTY ONES by JA Huss

THE DIRTY ONES

by JA Huss

They say write what you know.
So that’s all I did.
I wrote dirty. I wrote erotic. I wrote… the truth.

And then they called me a liar. 

But it’s not me who’s lying.
It’s them.

My Review  3.75 stars

Wow, golly, gosh and *pow*, mind totally blown

I very, very nearly didn't finish this. I reached a point where it really felt like it was going to be one of those 'there's a big secret and the whole book will just be filler until we get to that secret' stories. 

Turns out that very much wasn't the case. I'm massively pleased that I pushed through that 30 - 40% bit that dragged a little for me, and read until the very twisted and heart wrenching ending. The suspense was amazing and really kept you on the edge of your seat. I can be quite impatient and struggle with books where I have to 'wait' for answers, so I'm sure this fed into the feeling of not being sure if the book was for me.

It's both about what the blurb says and yet not about it at all. AVOID SPOILERS AT ALL COSTS. I actually tried to find some when I got stuck in the mud, I'm so glad I failed in that quest! This whole story hinges on those twists and the ensuing mind jiggery pokery that ensues.

It didn't get 5 stars because whilst I liked the characters, I just didn't feel much of a connection to them nor was I convinced that they were in love. Normally that would demote a book to 2.5 stars tops, so again hats of to the quality of writing and the amazing plot for making me not really mind those two issues. 

I loved this book, there are dark themes, mainly in the past, and a huge mind-f**k of an ending. That ending did leave me questioning two events that occurred at Hayes' mansion. They made sense as they happened but hindsight shifted their meaning. (see spoiler at bottom of page)

To sum up? Read this book, you won't regret it but you will enjoy it.

*****spoiler****

[I'm referring to the delivery of the notebook 'for a new story' (who sent that and why?) and the foursome. Hayes knew the truth of their shared past so why would he have instigated this situation?

BOOK REVIEW White Rabbit: The Rise by London Miller

White Rabbit: The Rise 

(The Kingmaker Saga #1) 

by London Miller

˚. ★ *˛ ˚* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ✰

MY REVIEW - 4.5 STARS

Just who is following whom down the rabbit hole in this twisty tale of secrets, lies, manipulation and love

White Rabbit: The Rise is the first instalment of Uilleam, the Kingmaker, and Karina's, aka Belladonna, story.  These are characters that are key players in The Den of Mercenaries series of books, though it isn't necessary to have read those books prior to this.  In fact White Rabbit is set prior to the events in the Den books. 

If you have read those books you know about the teasing 'Codex' chapters at the end of each, not to mention the nasty battle that Belladonna wages against The Kingmaker.  Without a shadow of a doubt  I needed to know how they met and fell in love with each other.  Theirs was obviously a love story written across the stars and branded across their souls in a most painful way.  What made their love turn to hate in such a catastrophic way?

Uilleam is a fixer, a dark and powerful figure in the underworld.  If you have the money, and he is interested enough in you, he can make your problems disappear.  Karina is an investigative journalist whose relentless pursuit of the truth brings her to his notice.  Uilleam is enraptured by this woman who isn't scared by him, Karina is soon obsessed by this mystery of a man. 

The chemistry between this pair sizzled off the page.  From the moment their eyes first met neither could escape the draw of the other and I totally believed in both their attraction and feelings.  By the end I really loved both characters, they had somewhat similar upbringings, but have chosen to live very different lives. 

Karina is very easy to connect with immediately, despite the secrets she is keeping her integrity and morals make her incredibly likeable.  It takes longer to warm to Uilleam, not because he isn't an extremely well written character, but rather that he isn't a good or kind man.  However once you experience his need for Karina you definitely see a different side to him.

This is a longer novel, yet it never dragged.  My attention was held throughout as I followed this complex plot.  There are layers, shades and depths to this book.  How the author not only thinks of such amazing plots but also manages to keep them straight in her head astounds me.

I loved that this part of the story ended at a natural point.  Ms Miller doesn't need to hook us in by giving us a cliffhanger, her extraordinary writing skills have already done that.  I am totally caught up in Uilleam and Karina's story and will definitely be reading the next book.

˚. ★ *˛ ˚* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ✰

Synopsis

As an investigative journalist, Karina Ashworth’s job involves delving into New York’s black market of criminals and mischief where sin is almost too tempting to ignore.

When she crosses paths with a man whose smile is a little too cunning—and his power a little too vast—she learns very quickly that dancing with the devil is far more enjoyable than she had ever imagined.

But Uilleam Runehart is not at all what he seems, and as a notorious fixer with a thirst for power, he’ll do anything to obtain his title.

Ruthless. 
Sinful. 
Seductive.

How much would you pay to be a king?

From Romantic Suspense author, London Miller, comes the first book in a sexy, thrilling new series following a man with too much power and the only woman that can bring him to his knees.

˚. ★ *˛ ˚* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ✰

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/White-Rabbit-Rise-Kingmaker-Saga-ebook/dp/B07K6QSW4H

˚. ★ *˛ ˚* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ✰

Ratings

5 stars - This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again.

4 stars - I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others.

3 stars - This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre.

2 stars - Whilst the book was readable I either didn't enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters.

1 star - This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.

˚. ★ *˛ ˚* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ✰