ARC Netgaley: Price on Their Heads by Jeff Posey

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis from GR:
Warning! This story contains impolite language, graphic violence, a little sex, and is very politically incorrect.
Jackie Key inherits a full scholarship from a rich man murdered by his brother. To justify his complicity, he studies the economic ripple effect of the dead man’s assets. What he discovers and tries to publish makes him become public enemy number one among the country’s rich and powerful because Dr. Jackie Key can calculate a true price on their heads.
From Jeff Posey, author of The G.O.D. Journal, comes a twisting and turning contemporary political thriller that exposes the cruelly tilted playing field of American economics and politics. Join Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Jackie Key as the heavy-handed government and ultra-rich drive him to join a team of assassins who target his list of the “too rich to exist.”

*ARC courtesy of NetGalley*

What a ride!!! This book was definitively an amazing race, for its characters and for me as a reader! It was different from everything I've read, but in a good way: I'm very happy to have stepped out of my comfort zone a little  to read Jeff Posey's novel. 

I admit the book lost me a little when Jackie, talking with Maura, went deep in his economic model and theory of richness and whatnots but, after that first sort of interview, the story did get better and better. 
The author put together a really great set of characters - every one of them quite well developed and realistic - and assembled an even more great (not really) fictional universe where everything you took for granted was in reality something different and way more complicated. Nothing in this book went as I expected, I was always blown away by a character's erratic action - mostly Jimmy's - or an unpredictable set of circumstances. It was mindblowing...and I loved it!
Price on Their Heads kept me on my toes, that's for sure! 


At last, I'd like to thank the author for the chance to read his book for free through NetGalley and I hope he appreciates my review.

So Far Gone by Avril Ashton

My rating: 2 stars

Synopsis from GR:
One night? Feels like three years…
Jacob Donnelly wants something new. Something different. Which is why he’s got a one-way ticket to New York and his bags packed. One last night out to the bar finds him in a sexy stranger’s bed, giving in to an explosive chemistry Jacob had been searching for, but never found. Until now. It’s too bad he’s leaving town, although once he finds out his one night stand’s true identity, Jacob can’t get away fast enough.
Cash Warner made a mistake. It doesn’t matter that he’d never felt anything like the fire generated between him and Jacob. He doesn’t plan to ever see his one-night hookup ever again. Except he does. When the reality of what they’d done fully sets in, Jacob flees, leaving Cash struggling with how to deal with the bitter taste of betrayal he can’t escape. Because even with Jacob gone for years, Cash can’t stop wanting more of that one night. Fate conspires against them once again, bringing Jacob home after tragedy strikes, and they’ll find it near impossible to keep their distance despite being committed to other people

I'm quite conflicted about this book: I admit the chemistry between Jacob and Cash was a tangible thing, but I didn't like how they ended together!!
I'd have preferred if the author took another way to bring them together, since doing what she did to Eric was - in my opinion - the easy way out...poor Eric (I liked him)!!!
Moreover, I don't understand how two people could profess their love to each other when they spent together pretty much 3 days in 3 years?! That's not something I would call 'love': attraction I'd get, love not so much!
Cash and Jacob relationship felt rushed to me and many things between them or involving Eric remained unresolved. For all these reasons, I couldn't really connect with the two main characters and their story!

ARC Netgalley: Dangerous by Patricia Rosemoor

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis from GR:
Chicago homicide detective Camille Martell will stop at nothing to track down “Angel,” a sexual predator who has already butchered two young victims—even after her off-the-books investigation leads to her suspension. But when her relentless attempts to contact Angel online puts her teenage neighbor in mortal danger, Camille’s worst fears are realized. Panicked and overwhelmed with guilt, Camille needs help—even if it comes from the one man she swore she’d do anything to forget.

After serving time for a trumped-up charge, private investigator Drago Nance doesn’t trust cops. Nothing will change that, not even the steamy weekend with Camille that burned itself into his memory. But with an innocent girl’s life at stake, Drago can’t ignore the need in Camille’s eyes, or the heated promise in her touch. He agrees to help—if she’s willing to play by his rules. He just never suspected that seducing his partner could be just as thrilling as chasing a madman.

*ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing*

It was quite appropriate to read this book on the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women"!

Dangerous is a good read, if you're into romantic suspense. However, for those who are looking for a story whose focus is the romance between the main characters, this book will probably be a little disappointing.
The relationship between Camille and Drago is not the main focus of the book and it shows! I won't deny that the author did a good job in pointing out their attraction to each other and in proving their chemistry, but other than that they weren't very compatibles or close. The reunion at the end felt a little rushed to me, due more to the adrenaline rush for the dangerous situation than real feelings (a la "Speed" if you know what I mean).
That said, I liked the crime-storyline and I wasn't disappointed by its resolution! As you may have understood, I liked Dangerous more for the story in itself than for the single characters or their relationship...it's not a bad thing per se but without a real connection to Camille or Drago I couldn't feel as involved in their story as I should've been.

Thanks again to the author for the chance to read an ARC of her book, I hope she appreciates my honest opinion of it.

Released on January, 6th

Soulmate by Kol Anderson

My rating: 1 star

Synopsis from GR:
There's a very fine line between love and sin.
The Mason family has a secret. Hunter and Kayden grew up trying to cover that secret and trying to find a way to deal with it, but all they've received in return is misery. When Hunter brings home a girl that looks like she's going to be staying a while, Kayden begins to find that hard to deal with


I had this book on my wishlist for the longest time and when I found it in the kindle-unlimited catalog I didn't wait a minute to "buy" it...what a waste!!!

I didn't like it, if it wasn't obvious!
The story is a mess, confusing and scattered all over the place. The characters are a mess too, one more dysfunctional than the other. Often new ones popped in and out the story without any explanation about their usefulness to the main storyline...as I said, MESSY!
And the end....aaargh
What's all the book's about if this is how it should have ended???
I don't know if there'll be a sequel to Soulmate, but Im pretty sure I won't read it.

DBML: Pine Valley by Ged Ruggles

My rating: 1 star

Synopsis from GR:
Most men of ambition would kill for the chance to play a bracing game at Pine Valley, the most celebrated, and exclusive, golf course in the world. And in the summer of his 30th birthday, Jeff Carpenter gets his chance. 
Trouble is, Jeff isn't exactly a man of ambition, having put his literary dreams on hold 10 years ago for a soulless back office job. Nor did he ever master the art of the swing farther than once making par on the giant dinosaur hole at his local childhood mini golf. 

But a chance encounter with the son of Pine Valley's most senior councilman at a Philadelphia gay bar, sparks a clandestine romance that plunges Jeff into a web of intrigue that threatens Pine Valley's very existence.

[DBML Event: I received a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review]

It was a difficult book to finish for me.
I didn't get it right from the start and I still don't! The way the story is told was very confusing and it made forming an attachment to the main characters quite hard...In the end, I couldn't feel any affection at all for Jeff or Kent.
That's all I feel comfortable to say about this book.

ARC Netgalley: Just a Little Crush by Renita Pizzitola

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis from GR:
Brinley Dawson doesn’t drink, she studies—and despite the accusations of her alcoholic mother, she’s still a virgin. But if Brinley’s life is so put together, why is she freaking out to be going to college with the gorgeous, green-eyed jerk she kissed on a stupid dare in high school? Ryder Briggs can have any girl he wants . . . and the rumors say that he does. So why, after publicly embarrassing Brinley four years ago, is he suddenly acting like he’s interested?
Ryder never forgot Brinley. In fact, those perfect seven minutes permanently raised the bar for what a kiss could be. The truth is, Ryder doesn’t dare get too close to anyone. He knows how that worked out for his parents. But when his roommate takes a shot at Brinley, Ryder can’t contain his jealousy. Now he must do the hardest thing he’s ever done: forget about sex and convince Brinley his feelings are real.

Brinley isn’t sure whether she believes Ryder, but for the first time, her body isn’t playing by the rules. Then she discovers that she’s an unwilling part of a cruel game, humiliating her all over again—and Ryder might be to blame. Has Brinley’s little crush turned into a huge mistake . . . or has she found the one guy worth trusting with her heart?

*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Random House Publishing*

Just a Little Crush is a sweet story if not a little predictable!
After about four pages I already knew what to expect of it and that could be both a good or a bad thing: it depends on what you're looking for. Since I started this book hoping for some 'downtime', I sort of appreciated its predictability. In other circumstances, I'd have probably enjoyed it less.

That said, the book is well written and the characters are quite likable. Usually, I find that a woman who's still a virgin at 20 years old is not very believable, but Brinley put it off with naturalness. Even her intimate relationship with Ryder grew in a slow but natural pace, I liked that!
As for the male character - Ryder - I liked him a lot. He's not the asshole we were told he was; he is instead quite sweet and loving toward Brinley.

One reason I enjoyed this book is the low level of drama in it, all things considered. As usual, in these cases, actually talking about what's going on could help a lot to avoid big misunderstandings. Well, nobody's perfect ;)
In the end, I enjoyed the ride and I recommend it for those readers in need of some relaxation. And that shouldn't be read as a bad thing: sometimes these types of books are exactly what I'm looking for!
At last, I'd like to thank the author for the chance of reading for free a copy of her book; I hope she appreciated my honest opinion about it.

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ARC Netgalley: Want It by Jennifer Chance

Rule Breakers Series, Book #3
(could be read as a standalone)

My rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis from GR:
For Erin Connelly, being a good girl isn’t such a bad thing. She’s working her dream job at a Boston art gallery and staying out of trouble, which is more than she can say for her deadbeat mom. Unfortunately, her mother’s latest misadventure lands her in the clutches of a Mexican drug lord. Now the only person who can save her is the one man Erin has no business asking for help: the sexy-as-sin army ranger who just so happens to be her former high school sweetheart.

Zander James is no gentleman—and no officer, either, thanks to Erin. Four years ago, she made a call that terminated his highest aspirations . . . and their relationship. He’s never forgiven her, but when he learns that Erin’s embarking on a half-baked rescue mission, he sure as hell can’t let her go alone. Now, with a treacherous enemy lying in wait, the electrifying tension between them may just be Zander’s undoing. Because while he may be able to keep Erin alive, he can’t promise to keep his hands off her.


*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Random House Publishing*

The death of Zander's father is the chance for Erin to reconnect with him and to ask him for advice on a difficult situation she has to deal with. So she took it. But it's not so simple for Erin to face Zander given how it ended between them and how she still feel for him! Zander, for his part, is still full of anger for Erin's betrayal four years ago but he can't deny he still very attracted to her. When Erin starts asking him strange questions about contraband and guns, Zander also can't help himself for feeling way more protective of her than he should and so he decides to follow her in whatever dangerous mission she had put her mind on to accomplish. And we all know what happens when you mix dangerous situations, an alpha male worth his name and pent up emotions between that alpha male and his damsel in distress....

First of all, I'd like to point out that Erin is really not a "damsel in distress": she's on the other hand a quite strong and steady woman, one who had to face many bad situations on her own. I liked her right from the start! Zander, though, is an alpha male through and through. But the good kind of alpha male (really, trust me!)...how could I not like him?!
As a matter of fact if I had to choose the thing I liked the most about Want It that would be Erin & Zander! Both of them!
I liked them as individuals, but I liked them even more when they were together. They had great chemistry and it showed when they were intimate with each other (there are some HOT scenes in the book to look forward -or back- to).
The storyline about Erin's mother and her rescuing sort of fell in second place to me (as it probably should be) but I felt that was true for the author also. Let's put it this way: there's a point in the story where the author should have probably explained a little more about the whys and hows Erin's mother fall in that situation. And also the resolution of that same situation wasn't exactly examined in depth. As I said, it didn't bother me much since I was focused more on other things, but some readers could be annoyed by this so I felt it should be pointed out.

In the end, this was a 3.5 stars read for me. I definitively enjoyed it!
I'd like, at last, to thank the author for the opportunity to read the ARC of her book for free and I hope she appreciates my honest review

Trying out: Kindle Unlimited

A few days ago I received a mail from Amazon and ta da da daaan Kindle Unlimited is now available for Italian customers too!!!

Obviously I didn't wait a second to subscribe the free trial period and I've already downloaded a bunch of books I had on my TBR shelf  for a while:

DBML: Wood, Screws, & Nails by Piper Vaugh

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis on GR:
Aaron Costa’s summer was all planned. Despite having to remodel the family lake house, it would be a vacation of sorts, and he had every intention of enjoying it—until the friend who was supposed to help him got injured and left him in a lurch. He decides to take the opportunity to bond with his son and hires Julian and his roommate, Malachi, to assist.
As a broke college student, Malachi could use the money, and spending the summer with Aaron for eye candy sounds like a dream. "Look but don’t touch" becomes his motto. But when Julian starts flaking on his responsibilities and Malachi and Aaron are forced to spend long hours alone together, their mutual attraction is impossible to resist.

Aaron can’t fight the temptation sexy Malachi presents. But more than their age difference stands in their way, not the least of which is Aaron’s semi-closeted status and the fact that he’s never openly discussed his sexuality with his son. He has no idea how Julian will react when he learns his father is not only gay, he’s also dating his best friend 

[DBML Event: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review]

Aaron and Malachi are a very hot but sweet couple! They're quite believable together and I liked how, age difference notwithstanding, they're equal in their relationship!

Aaron and Malachi are attracted to each other right from the start but they try to resist that attraction since Malachi is the best friend of Aaron's son...which means that it's just the right amount of drama and forbidden to want each other even more! When the old look-but-don't-touch strategy fails and they end having sex over and over again, they try the let's-keep-it-secret approach which - surprise surprise - doesn't last long! Aaron, at that point, is forced to face his son and his lies/omissions so, to fix that big mess, he lets Malachi go away...not for long though: the author was definitively nice enough to plan (and write us) an HEA for those two :)

In the end, I really don't have anything to complain about this book; moreover for a relatively short read, the author did a very good job in developing Aaron & Malachi relationship! Wood, Screws, & Nails is a solid 3 stars read to me.

At last, I'd like to thank Piper Vaughn and the M/M Romance Group here on GR for the opportunity to read this book for free.

R4R from DBML

I have asked to - and being approved to - Read&Review two new books at the "Don't Buy My Love" event on Goodreads.
Here they are:

Pine Valley by Ged Ruggles

Wood, Screws & Nails by Piper Vaughn

Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward

My rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis from GR:
You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you. 
When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be. I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here. I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room. 
But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him. 
At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night. 
Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California. 
It had been years since I’d seen Elec. 

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again. And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane. I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Once I started Stepbrother Dearest I couldn't put it down. Literally.
I just couldn't stand to put it on hold even if it meant going to bed at 2.30 AM on a work day...so yes, I definitively liked it!!

I liked both characters, but I've to admit my favorite is Greta – strange I know. The book is mostly told from her point of view and probably that's one of the reason I became so attached to her instead of Elec; the other deciding factors could all be summed with a 'girl solidarity' tag: Elec was quite the asshole to her at the beginning!
Still I liked how they interacted when they first met each other even if they were mostly bickering and arguing.
But the best – and saddest – part was Greta & Elec reunion after seven years....the way they struggled with the attraction and love they still felt for each other while trying to do the right thing was pretty intense but also very touching to me. And I really liked how the author didn't filled Greta's mouth with hateful words to the 'other woman' (she was after all a likable character if not for being Elec's fiance) or how she didn't put gratuitous cheating in the story. Everything turned out exactly how it should have been even if the road to it was a little more arduous.

In the end this was a solid 4.5 stars read for me and I'm really glad I didn't wait any longer to read “Stepbrother Dearest”...it was exactly the kind of book I needed to read these days!

ARC Netgalley: Draw Me In by Regina Cole

My rating: 2 stars

Synopsis from GR:
After her parents pull the plug on her college fund to finance their nasty divorce, Hailey Jakes is desperate to pay her own way and finish her degree in graphic design. She can hardly believe her luck when the sexiest guy she’s ever seen hires her to be the receptionist at his tattoo shop. With sea-blue eyes, jet-black hair, and full sleeves of tattoos on his muscular arms, Neill Vanderhaven looks like the kind of guy who wouldn’t give her the time of day. In fact, he’s mesmerized by her—and it doesn’t hurt that she’s talented as hell.
But Hailey and Neill have more in common than instant chemistry: They’re both carrying serious baggage. Hailey’s parents split after years of blowout fights and sloppy affairs. Neill just got out of something serious with a woman who loved her bad habits more than she loved him. When they take the plunge on a new relationship, they’re both breaking their own rules. But then a terrible misunderstanding brings Neil’s worst fears to life, and their connection threatens to come crashing down. What they have is more than skin-deep, but now Hailey and Neill need to decide whether the kind of love that lasts forever is worth such exquisite pain. 

*ARC courtesy of Netgalley*

TOO.MUCH.DRAMA!

Draw Me In started out okay, but as the book went on I became more and more aggravated with Neill and his insecurities and, at the end, I just couldn't stand him at all. Which pretty much prevented me from fully enjoying this novel.

Neill, having just escaped a bad relationship, is afraid of starting something new with Hailey. So far so good. Pity that his resolve doesn't last long: he kisses her pretty much the same day he met her but then he have seconds thoughts about it and ask Hailey to forget about it. That's not even the worst of it: he goes back and forth to "no I can't have her" to "I have to have her" at least three times...and for me that's three times too many Hailey put up with it. After Neill and Hailey had sex - the 2nd time-, he totally changes his tune and he starts to act as if their relationship went on for years, expecting total commitment from her and talking about love and whatnot. A little too soon maybe?! I'm sorry but instant-love is a pet-peeve of mine!
And then -I'm trying hard to not insert any spoiler - he misunderstands Hailey's behavior for a break up and blows out of proportion a quite simple situation. As I said at the beginning, there was too much drama in this story!!!
That's in fact only Neill's portion of this drama filled novel. Hailey's adviser also put a large contribution to it with his exaggerate obsession with her. Hailey's parents also did theirs. Hailey, for her part, left me indifferent. I didn't like her but I also didn't dislike her. Just meh.

Probably I'm not very argumentative in explaining my reasons for not liking this book very much but I think that my dislike for Neill overcame pretty much anything else.
It simply wasn't my kind of romance.
At last, I'd like to thank again the author for the opportunity to read her book for free and I hope she appreciates my honest review.

[release date: November 4th]