Triple the Taste Release Day!

 Josh and Aubrey become a couple after meeting at work. The job is on a mac-n-cheese food truck, and their boss, Seth, has offered both of them the chance of a lifetime at their age—to manage his new, second truck. As they begin to work together more, their feelings deepen.
But Josh has a secret; one he feels he must tell Aubrey before their relationship gets more serious. He’s bisexual, and has ex’s of both sexes. One of those is Kristoff,
Josh’s most long-standing relationship to date, who left Austin and Josh behind to answer the call of duty at his parents’ business.
Now Kristoff is back and wants to reconnect with Josh. Seeing the only person he’s ever loved, just as he’s falling for Aubrey, completely throws Josh. Just when he thought he could finally forget the man and be happy with someone else; old feeling resurface. Aubrey’s confused, too, since she feels a strange pull to this man she should regard as competition for Josh’s heart.
As the three navigate a possible ménage situation, they each have doubts about its viability. But in the end, will they be left with nothing, or will the three get a taste and be hooked?

I’ve been a fan of Ms. Carr since I started reading her books.  With this series, I loved the first book, Melting Into You, with a passion!  And when I found out that this book was going to be a continuation onto that series, I couldn’t wait to start it.

I did love the ménage aspect that Ms. Carr added, and I thought the way that she did it was just great.  It was full of drama and suspense, to the point where I was left wondering what was going to happen next. 

I felt like the characters were all written very well also, and they each had their own personalities and strengths and weaknesses.  Overall, they all seemed to work quite well together.

***Slight spoiler***  (If you want to read the spoiler, just highlight the white blocks below!)

The reason why I can’t give this a 5 star rating is because at the end of the book when they decide they are going to try to make a ménage relationship work, and the group sex scene, it was like Aubrey was an afterthought.  The scene was mostly focused on Josh and Kristoff’s interaction, and I honestly forgot that Aubrey was part of it.

**Slight spoiler over**

Despite all of that, I would still be interested in reading further into the series and to see where Ms. Carr goes with it!

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Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.

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Lorenzo's Daggers by Ron McGaw

 Combine one troubled boy with his concerned prep school teacher. Stir in a pinch of quantum physics, add Italian Renaissance political intrigue, and serve piping hot with Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, the Medici’s, and a Borgia Pope on the side. That is the perfect recipe for a time travel adventure crackling with historical detail.

****SPOILERS****

I so wanted to like this story. I love time travel and Italy and stories of artists and history. And I’m a fan of quantum physics. It seemed like the perfect recipe for an intriguing novel. Unfortunately, this story was just simply: too much. Too much detail involving stuff that wasn’t necessarily needed for the story itself. Too many points of view. When you have five chapters and each one is from a different person with a different storyline, it’s simply too much.

And as if to add insult to injury – the ending made no sense. All the horrible things the professor was put through after the bratty kid stole the daggers and we are to believe that since they came back to modern time the morning before they left that it makes it okay? No! No! I wanted to see the brat get his comeuppance once they returned. Not get off because he suddenly ‘learned something’.

Three stars because it was well written and edited. And I must admit, the very last chapter amused me. It was probably the best excuse for a certain person’s visions as anything. *Grins*

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Ron McGaw developed his storytelling skills during a career as a lawyer and New York judge. Growing up in California, McGaw earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts at San Jose State University, then won his law degree at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Moving east, McGaw started his legal career as a trademark and copyright attorney in New York City. He was appointed to a ten-year term as City Court Judge of Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1996. While on the bench, fourteen of McGaw’s decisions were chosen for publication to be part of New York State’s official record. (In contrast, his numerous predecessors had a total of one decision published.)

Leaving the bench in 2006 at the conclusion of his judicial term, Ron McGaw returned to private practice in Poughkeepsie establishing a respected local firm which today concentrates on criminal and family law in addition to landlord/tenant law and copyright and trademark law.

Ron McGaw’s interest in writing historical fiction stems both from his travels abroad, and from the knowledge he developed exploring the cultural history of the two boys he and his wife adopted from Kazakhstan in 2003.  He also wrote a play while fresh out of SJSU that was produced in 2001.

Ron McGaw’s first novel, Lorenzo’s Daggers, is a time-travel historical adventure set at in modern day New England and 15^th Century Italy.  Lorenzo’s Daggers is a book for fans of Michelangelo, DaVinci, Machiavelli, and for students of Renaissance history.

And So She Waited by Shakuita Johnson

 This is not a story about love, but a story about how love can consume you. Heart, body, and soul. A story of loving someone so much that the love you feel harms you.

Have you ever loved someone so much, that before you realized it, they owned half of your soul?

Raven Sinclair’s first love had always been ballet until she met Remy Peters. She fell hard and she fell fast and never looked back. He was everything she always believed she wanted but he had other plans.

Remy Peters didn’t believe in love and he wasn’t looking for it. He just wanted to have a good time in between classes and swim team. He’s been seeing Raven for over a year and a half and he’s not sure how it’s lasted this long. It’s not like he’s made any commitments but when he stumbles on the prettiest girl he’s ever seen, he knows it’s time to let Raven go.

Matthew Masterson has loved Raven since he first saw her in ballet class when they were five. They have been best friends ever since and he’s not content to stay there. He sees Remy for who he really is and wastes no time in telling Raven every chance he gets but is Raven his happy ever after or does fate have other plans?

Love, lies, and obsession…three lives bound by twisted desires for what they can’t have.

I hate to say it, but I really did not enjoy And So She Waited. I’ve read a couple of Ms. Johnson’s paranormal novels before and enjoyed them even when I didn’t care for her characters’ behavior. So I was really looking forward to seeing what she did with “real people” as opposed to paranormal beings. Fortunately the author’s writing style is still one I like and is the main reason this falls under the “just okay” rating instead of the “I hated it” rating.

*****POTENTIAL SPOLIERS*****

There wasn’t a sane person in the story. At the beginning I felt a little bad for Raven as it did seem that Remy led her on, but the book really needed a scene or two of Remy and Raven together to understand why she was so attached. Both she and Matt said that Remy never took her out or introduced her to friends, so her “love” seemed unfounded. I say “love” because as the story unfolds it seems that Raven’s love is merely a switch from one obsession (ballet) to another (Remy). As I said, I felt kind of bad for her in the beginning but any empathy for her was lost as the story moved on and she continued to try to contact Remy as he ignored her for two months. This is why I say her “love” was not love, but obsession. This was even more evident once she learned she was pregnant and insisted on telling him, thinking it would bring him back to her. Can anyone say delusional?

And let me just say that Remy is no prize nor is he the picture of mental health either. I know men like him exist and it absolutely amazes me that women not only put up with his treatment, but they actually flock to him. I was absolutely stunned that Stacey talked to him the day after they hooked up and completely appalled that she continued to see him based on her responses during that sexual encounter. I read erotica and dark erotica and Remy’s sexual behaviors are abusive not kink. The night he got Raven pregnant his behavior walked a fine line with rape and had Raven not been so into him and accepted his physical treatment of her as an act of passion, it would have tipped the scales to rape because he was going to have sex with her whether she consented or not.

As for the other characters in the book – Casey and Stacey had no self-respect. I say this not because they both slept with Remy knowing he was with the other or even because all three ended up in bed together (a scene I’m glad the author didn’t elaborate on), but rather because they were aware of his mistreatment of Raven and themselves, yet continued to go back for more. Matt, yeah, his obsession with Raven only half as bad as hers was with Remy and I considered him the sanest person in the book, until the Epilogue. And I can even contemplate the parents’ behavior – it certainly gave credence to the phrase “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” and helps make their children’s behavior more understandable.

In addition to the author’s writing style being a positive, the way in which she presented Raven’s cutting scenes was so well done that the scenes addressing her cutting are the other main reason this book gets two stars instead of one. I am not a cutter, I have never been a cutter, nor will I ever be a cutter. But I have a cutter in my personal life and in my career I have worked with a couple of people who self-mutilate. So to see an author able to address this behavior in a way that is sensitive and realistic impresses me.

*****END OF SPOILERS – I think*****

For me, And So She Waited just did not work. For the most part, the book felt like one massive “wah-wah” pity party with a bit of violence and a whole lot of hate thrown in for good measure. Ultimately they were all bat shit crazy and the author’s writing skill was just not enough to rescue the book for me – even with the alternating points of view (which I love). As is my usual disclaimer when I give a book a low rating, check out the sample for yourself – because the book gets right into it, you should be able to decide whether or not it’s your kind of story.

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Shakuita Johnson is a 29-year-old Psychology major. When she isn't going to school or working, she is doing what she loves most. Writing. She started writing in middle school. Starting with poetry. Then short stories in a creative writing course her senior year. Her love for paranormal and supernatural started with R.L. Stine Goosebumps books and TV shows, Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, and Christopher Pike books. She is an avid reader with over 100 books on her bookshelf and 1000 plus on her iPad. Visit her online and read her poems and one attempt at songwriting on her blog at http://www.dark-indiscretions.com. You can also find her atwww.facebook.com/shakuitajohnson. Check out her website at www.authorshakuitajohnson.com.

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Angel in Armani by Melanie Scott

 WILL A LOVE OF THE GAME

Sara Charles is striking out on her own. With her dad out of commission, Charles Air has only one helicopter left—and only Sara to fly charters. With the family business in jeopardy, Sara needs all the clients she can get and the newest one is New York Saints team surgeon, Lucas Angelo. When an unexpected flirtation escalates into a night of pure blind passion, Sara is in agony over what she believes was extremely poor judgment on her part. She wants nothing more than to avoid Lucas. And keep her business her business. But she needs him—in more ways than one.

LEAD TO A FIELD OF DREAMS?

But there is a catch: Lucas also needs Sara. Spring training is upon him, and his schedule is madness. So he asks Sara to be his personal pilot. It’s an offer she can’t refuse. She intends to keep him at arm’s length—especially when she discovers just what different lives they have. Little does Sara know that, for Lucas, the only thing more important than business is pleasure. He only plays to win. And he intends to hit it out of the park…

Ms. Scott brings us another enjoyable story involving the new owners of the New York Saints in Angel in Armani. This time up at bat is Lucas Angelo, Dr. Lucas Angelo that is. Not only is Lucas one of the new owners of the Saints, but he’s also an orthopedic surgeon. Despite his busy surgery schedule, he’s on point for overseeing the Saint’s spring training camp as the team has to recruit new talent to replace the players that left after the change in management or whose contracts weren’t renewed. As Lucas’s practice is in New York and the baseball camp is in Florida, this requires a lot of air travel and Lucas does NOT like to fly. Fortunately a previous scheduling issue with his normal helicopter pilot led him to Sara Charles and he’s utilized her services ever since then because she makes him feel safer in the air than any pilot ever has before. But when they get stranded while returning from the Hamptons, adrenaline and hormones take over and they spend one heck of a night … yowser! But a freak accident causes Sara to strand Lucas and serves to nip any romantic relationship in the bud … or does it?

Much like his friend Alex, Lucas is unexpectedly down-to-earth – unexpectedly because he comes from money and his career as a surgeon guarantees that he won’t be hurting for money either (not that it sounds like he really needs to work). Not once in the course of the book did Lucas come off as rich or entitled. The few scenes in which he seemed detached or cold were due to fear (when flying) or anger (with his mother) and were never directed toward Sara. In fact, the chemistry between him and Sara is so far from cold that they were lucky they weren’t setting things on fire around them. As for Sara, I loved her and the fact that she knew not a lick about baseball was a constant source of amusement. As a former Army helo pilot, she has an amazing strength of character and determination that encompasses most parts of her life. The exception being her relationship with Lucas; not because she doesn’t want him but because she’s afraid it won’t last and she’s not sure that’s a breakup she can handle. Fortunately for Sara (and the reader), Lucas has his own source of determination and he is set on making Sara his, willing to do what it takes to make it happen. Angel in Armani is a wonderful addition to the New York Saints series and Ms. Scott has definitely hit another home run with it. I’m looking forward to Mal’s story in Lawless in Leather and can only hope that the author will take advantage of the slew of players for future books to continue the series.

***Spoiler Warning***

This will be a short review. The story was well-executed and well-written. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. But I did not like it, which is why it did not receive more. A: It had too much baseball for me. Someone brings in too much sport and my eyes glaze over and my mind shuts down. B: I disagree on the ending. He was from a very rich family. She was from a very poor family. I just don’t think they had a chance. Did it end HFN? Technically, Yes.

If it had ended the way I think it should have ended, no, it would not have been HFN. The fact is, it is really hard for couples who have been raised from two divergent economic vantage points to do well unless both enter it with open eyes for all the troubles. But Sara is set on how it just can’t work out, even if she thinks Lucas is hot. And Lucas is set on not seeing the reasons why it mightn’t work out. To me, that spells disaster. And – and I can’t even point my finger at a single thing, more like the way each character thought – I don’t think they were in love so much as lust with each other. Does that deserve an engagement band? I kept thinking, make her sign a prenup, dude!

Anyway, if you like the Cinderella plot with a whole mess of baseball going on, this is for you. It definitely wasn’t for me. 

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The Truth About Air & Water Tour Stop!

The Truth In Lies Series. READ This Much Is True, book 1 first, although it's been written as a standalone. Readers say, don't do that.

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” -Ernest Hemingway ~ A Farewell To Arms

They share an epic love but one moment changes everything. A life together that seemed certain is shattered. One learns you never love the same way twice; the other learns what it means to come home. You only think you know how this love story goes, but do you really know how an epic love can end?

“There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

She is living color, and I’ve been in a black-and-white world for far too long without her.
Powerful stuff. It surrounds me. I’ve felt it since I first arrived. The forcefield of her. The magnetism of her. The power she wields over me. I’m alive again because of her, like a dying plant that finally gets some water. I’ve got it bad for this girl.
Reality dawns.
The light comes through the darkness and shines on me.
She’s my water.
-Lincoln Presley

The truth is I breathe with him. He is my air. Raison d’etre.
-Tally Landon

Author's note: This novel is part of the Truth In Lies series. It can be read as standalone, however, fans of my fiction already are highly recommending that those new to my work, READ This Much Is True book 1 FIRST.

As Lincoln Presley would say, "do as you must, Princess."

The Truth About Air & Water is an excellent read. I had intended to read This Much Is True first but wasn’t able to work it into my schedule and I’m kind of glad. I don’t know that I would have survived the book hangover had I read both books back-to-back. I was so emotionally drained after finishing this book that I had to sleep on it before I could write my review. The Truth About Air & Water is a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions.

*****ALERT – POTENTIAL SPOILER AHEAD*****

Not having read the first book, I wasn’t privy to all of the obstacles that Tally and Lincoln dealt with in their journey together and apparently there were a lot of them. Because of the POTENTIAL SPOILER I am about to mention, Ms. Owen sets up the storyline of the second book in such a way that you don’t have to know them all because we get to learn them as we accompany Lincoln during his path to recovery. The beginning of the book gives those new to a series a glimpse into Lincoln and Tally’s relationship and a few of the pitfalls they encountered via an interview with a sports reporter. I was sucked into their story immediately and devoured the book. This is a couple that has endured a LOT, yet apparently not enough for the universe because while pitching a televised game, Lincoln is hit with a baseball and suffers a major head injury. As Tally was watching at the time, she and her friends and family waste no time in getting to the hospital. Unbeknownst to their friends and family, Lincoln had convinced Tally to elope with him later that day and that he maintained consciousness long enough to inform medical staff was the only reason they informed her of his health status. Despite a positive prognosis, Lincoln takes a turn for the worst and is in a coma for almost two weeks. When he finally emerges from it, he has lost the past six years’ worth of memories, including who Tally is and the existence of his daughter Cara. Without a doubt, this is devastating for Tally and gives Lincoln’s father, Davis, the opportunity he needs to excise Tally from his son’s life. Although Tally suspected that Davis didn’t like her, she never expected him to do what he did. I was devastated for her on so many fronts. But the hits just keep on coming for Tally as she has to deal with Davis’s accusations, Lincoln’s memory loss, being a single mother, maintaining her career as a ballerina, and everything else that life sees fit to throw at her that I cannot mention because I’ve used up my one spoiler pass. Theirs is a story full of love, hate, betrayal, heartbreak, pain, pleasure, devastation, hope and happiness.

*****END OF SPOILERS*****

Lincoln and Tally are a fascinating and addictive couple – addictive to one another and to me. I devoured this book. As I learned about their past during Lincoln’s recovery it was clear why they kept moving forward despite the numerous times life threw them a curve ball. Their chemistry is so intense and it’s easy to understand why Lincoln considers Tally his water and she considers him her air. They are it for one another – soul mates. I do plan to go back and read This Much Is True because I am addicted to this couple and now need to know the full depth of their past and their journey. Of course I will have to wait until I know I have time to recover from it, because I have no doubt that it will indeed be a book hangover like I’ve never experienced before when I read these two books together. Ms. Owen has found a new fan and I can only hope that her muses inspire her to give us another book in this series as I would love to see what else life has in store for Lincoln and Tally.

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Katherine Owen writes contemporary edgy fiction, which translates to: she writes love stories that are contemporary in setting and both edgy and dark. Some readers term her books emotional roller coasters. With her writing, Owen admits she has a fondness for angst, likes to play with a little drama, and essentially toys around with the unintentional complications of love. She contends this began early on when she won a poetry contest at the age of fourteen and appears to be without end. Owen has an avid love of coffee, books, and writing, but not necessarily in that order. She writes both Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction which includes her bestselling TRUTH IN LIES Series (a series despite despising 'series') beginning with This Much Is True and her latest release, The Truth About Air & Water. The TRUTH IN LIES series is fan-driven. So. There will be a third book about Linc and Tally released in 2015 titled Tell Me Something True.

About Owen's fiction...This is NOT the light trope stuff. She travels a unique, writerly path and enjoys writing dark and angsty (a "non-word" she is fond of) emotional love stories. She often warns readers to be prepared with: time, tissues, wine, Advil or your drug of choice. And, as her most favored character, Lincoln Presley, would say, "do what you must, Princess."

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Normal by Danielle Pearl

 It's the kind of situation most people would dread. Starting at a new high school, in the middle of my senior year, in a new town, in a new state. I know no one. No one knows me. That's what I'm counting on.

A year ago, Aurora "Rory" Pine was just a normal teenage girl - just as sweet and naive as the fairy tale princess she was named after.

But this isn't a year ago.

Rory is broken, and now suffering from a debilitating anxiety disorder, wrought with precarious triggers, she moves across the country to escape the source of her troubles. Her plan is anonymity, but that's easier said than achieved for the new girl having a panic episode outside of calculus. The worst part? There's a witness - and a gorgeous one at that.

Sam is a walking trigger for Rory. Incredibly handsome, built like the star athlete he obviously is, and undoubtedly popular, Sam outwardly represents everything Rory despises about high school. But as the fates keep throwing them together, a connection sparks that neither ever expected, and certainly couldn't ignore.

But Sam has issues too, and Rory's past won't just stay in the damned past. When friendship evolves into something deeper, can a girl utterly destroyed by the worst kind of betrayal and a boy battling demons of his own ever have a normal relationship? Is that even what they want? Find out in NORMAL, a gritty story of trust and abuse, heartbreak and salvation, and if they're lucky - love. This is not a flowery romance - not for the faint of heart.

Before you start this book you should have your Kleenex near and be prepared to have your heart broken repeatedly, to be terrified for another, to get pissed off, to be horrified by a parent's actions, and to fall in love. Ms. Pearl has penned a book that made me feel all of that and more through the telling of Rory's story as she struggles to recover from a series of tragedies and tries to find her Normal.

*****WARNING & POTENTIAL SPOILERS*****

If you are sensitive to the subject of rape, you may want to avoid this book. While the author does an excellent job of portraying Rory's abuse at her ex's hand, she does so in such a way that I felt Rory's fear and helplessness. The scenes are detailed without being inappropriately graphic. I realize that's an odd statement, so I'll try to clarify it. I read dark erotica involving dubious consent, books in which the "victim" gets off on being "forced" because they're not actually being raped but rather acting out a kink. The sex scenes in such books are graphic because they're meant to be sexually stimulating for the reader. In Normal, Rory is raped several times and a couple of those times the rape is extremely brutal. Ms. Pearl has written the scenes in such a way that while the violence is graphic, there is no doubt that there was no consent and are not sexually stimulating. And because a huge part of the book deals with Rory learning to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and an enormous number of triggers, Normal could prove problematic for people who are sensitive to rape.

*****END OF SPOILERS*****

All that said, Normal is a well-written book that allows the reader to accompany Rory on her journey as she tries to start life over in a new school, in a new town, in a new state. Due to the above mentioned trauma, this is not an easy journey with a quick fix happy ending nor is this an easy book to read because of the subject matter. But Rory is a complex character who is so well-written that her hopes and fears barreled right off the page at me. Ms. Pearl does an amazing job of shifting from past to present – not only in clearly indicating it in the book, but also in the timing of the scene shifts so that I learned about Rory’s past at the same time Sam did (or shortly before) and this made it easy to understand his frustration and fears even though the story was told solely from Rory’s point of view. My only complaint about Normal is that when I started it I had no idea that it was the first book of a series; needless to say I was quite shocked when I arrived at the cliff. Ms. Pearl, please write quickly because my fingers can hold on to only so many cliffs and I really need to know what happens next. 

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