Review - Haven by Claire Kent

 The Book

Release Date: 26 August 2021

Goodreads Link

Maybe Jackson would be different if he were in love. If he were in a relationship. Or if the world outside this room hadn’t fallen into violent chaos, hadn’t become a constant war we have no choice but to fight. Maybe he would take his time. Be softer. Gentler. Maybe he would smile or even laugh.

Maybe I would be different too.

Maybe I wouldn’t need his hungry eyes and demanding hands in the dark.

But this is how we are together every time.

He's not my friend or my boyfriend, but sometimes I go to his room after the sun goes down. I need to. Not for sweet words or soft kisses but because his arms, like the flickering light of that one candle, are the only things that can hold back the night.

Haven is a short, steamy post-apocalyptical romance set in the near future after a global catastrophe and includes some violent content and (secondary) character death.

My Review  5 STARS

**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This book is set in the same world as the authors book Last Light, and just like that book, this book is fantastic and really takes you on a journey where after a world changing event people are struggling just to survive.

The world is now largely unpopulated, building have crumbled, things have to be scavenged over vast areas and crops are only just starting to grow again as the dust starts to clear from the skies.  Many people have dies though starvation, murder and infection.

Faith lives on her family farm.  Her parents are dead and there are only a few people left there from the beginning and Jackson is one of them, a teenager that moved to the farm so her parents could help him as a troubled teen.

Now they are the ones in charge of the farm and the people that they are supporting, each person has to earn their space and position.

We meet a couple of character from Last Light, but as per any apocalyptic book we get some scenes that are a little upsetting, but vital to the story.

I really really enjoyed this book and I really hope that the author writes more stories within this world.

REVIEW - Mr. Ultra Mega Love by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

 The Book

The Release Date: 31 August 2021

Goodreads Link

WILL HE EVER GET THE GIRL?

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes MR. ULTRA MEGA LOVE, book one of a twisted romance serial with bad language and a cape. 

My name is Hudson Ulysses Ferris, better known as Huff. And I’m an ultra-nerd with mega-hang-ups. You’ll see why after you walk a day in my Converse. (My past isn’t pretty.) But hey, that’s no excuse for avoiding everything I want in life, including a fresh start at an out-of-state university. 

My first night there, I meet the girl of my dreams (so cool). She’s taken, of course. But even if she weren’t, she’d never date a scrawny loser like me. Then my best friend, River, is manhandled by some dipsh*t twice her size (not cool), and for once, I act like a man. It costs me big because that dude and his friends leave me for dead. 

But I don’t die. 

And when I wake up the next morning, I look different. I feel different. The bruises and cuts don’t even hurt. 

What the heck happened last night? 

Because I just lifted a bus to save a puppy, and suddenly all the girls are looking at me. Except one. She might actually be afraid of the transformation that saved my life. Just my luck.

My Review 5 STARS

**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Huff (Huden) is a man with jaded past.  He stood frozen when he heard his sister was being attacked at school, then she died.  Huff and his family have never been the same since.

This book follows Huff's journey as he leaves his parents behind to transfer to a different college to be with his best friend River.  River is his best friend and supporter and she can't wait for him to join her and she has told her entire sorority about her best friend.

Pushed to attend his first frat party by River, he feels like a duck out of water, but when he goes to leave he sees a guy attacking River and while he ultimately freezes for a moment, he knows he has to do something or he will not be able to live with himself.

Cue the start of him being attacked and the start of a very strange night for Huff.

The next morning is when things really change for Huff and not only does he have to deal with parts of his past, but he also has to deal with the new him, along with the ramifications of what happened at the party.

This is a brilliant book and it even had me crying at one point, luckily this book kinda ended on a cliff hangar so I am REALLY hoping that the author gives us another book and makes it into a series.

REVIEW - Playing with Fire (Hometown Heat #3) by Lili Valente

 The Book

Release Date: 27 August 2021

Goodreads Link

Thou shalt not bang your best friend. That commandment would be a lot easier if Maddie wasn’t the sexiest siren ever to wade into a tide pool. Or if I was good at resisting temptation.

I’m the troublemaker, the firefighter who enjoys getting a little too close to the flames. And the trouble is double, since Maddie’s sister is about to marry my brother. That makes a tryst even riskier.

But it’s cool—we’ll keep our bang-a-palooza a secret from our siblings and keep things casual, so no one gets hurt.

The problem? Nothing about this thing with Maddie feels casual.
From the electricity between us to the way my heart flips when she smiles—everything I feel for her is intense.

But can we handle the heat when my past—and hers—suddenly come back to haunt us…

*Playing with Fire was previously published as The Bad Boy Firefighter's Secret Fling by Jessie Evans. It has been rewritten in first person and extensively revised for this new edition*

My Review  5 STARS

**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I have been waiting to read this book since we met Jamison in the very first book of the series.

Maddie is covering her hurt over the betrayal of her husband, a husband who stayed with her until he was strong enough to tell her that he was gay and left her for a man he had fallen in love with.

When they nearly kiss in the bakery that she shares, things for both Maddie and Jamison as they then cannot get each other out from their lustful thoughts.  When finding out that they are at the same singles holiday at the beach, things take a major turn then Maddie drinks Whiskey, a drink that gets her wild side out and she goes skinny dipping in front of Jamison.

One night together and they both know that nothing will be the same again between them.  Not only have they opened pandora's box, but they both know that one night will NEVER be enough.

Both fall hard and fast, but as with most stories, something happens to shake their happiness and they have to work through their feelings and decide if their love and happiness is worth fighting for.

I really enjoyed this book and managed to read it in just one sitting.

REVIEW - Catching Fire (Hometown Heat #2) by Lili Valente

 

The Book

Release Date: 5 August 2021

Goodreads Link

Love is overrated and I have the third-degree relationship burns to prove it, courtesy of my ex. I’m done with romance.

Then I meet the world’s funniest, sexiest lady firefighter and all my “staying single” plans go up in smoke.

The problem? Faith’s even more gun shy when it comes to love than I am.

But I have a plan.
First, I’ll prove to Faith that she can trust me with her heart.
Next, I’ll keep showing up until she believes it.

In just a few weeks, we’re both falling hard, and I’m positive I’ve found the woman I've been waiting for.

Then my past comes back to haunt me in a way I never imagined possible, putting my future at risk. But I'm not about to give up on forever with Faith, not without one hell of a fight.

*Catching Fire was previously published as To Tame a Wild Firefighter by Jessie Evans. It has been rewritten in first person and extensively revised for this new edition*

My Review  5 STARS

**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is the second book in this series and probably could be read as a stand alone, but it does read better if you have read the previous book.

Mick Whitehouse has had a tough time in college with his manipulative ex and now is back home with his sisters, looking out for them and helping them with the opening and maintance of their new bakery.  

The night that his sister Naomi and her boyfriend Jake get engaged is the night that he finally gets to kiss Faith for the first time.

Faith is a little commitment shy after watching her mother with countless failed relationships, the best thing with this attraction to Mick, is that he too is not looking for commitment at the moment so they agree to just have fun as they feel the sparks between them.

When Faith has to go rescue her mother, Mick goes along and they find that they have lots of fun together and that they really like each others company.

Getting back however it is not long before there is a spanner in the works and both have to fight for what they want and for the best possible outcome.  Both sides have family that help them see sense and stick up for them when it matters.

Another really good book and I cannot wait to see how things develop with Maddie and Jamison's story.