A Hit, A Miss and Something In Between || Mini Reviews

THE OTHER BROTHER by MEGHAN QUINN

★★★★½

“...from as far back as I can remember, I've always been the other. The other friend, the other employee...the other brother. For once in my life I want to be the only.”

Let me start off by saying that I don't like the cover for this book. This is not how I pictured Aaron aka Smalls. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, onto the review. I'll admit that I had my doubts when I first read the synopsis for The Other Brother. I don't like love-triangles whatsoever, especially those involving brothers, but if Meghan Quinn can make me love a book about a girl who falls in love with her best friend's ex, then maybe I can let the love triangle slide...

Letting Amelia Santos go has been Aaron Walters' only regret in life. Now he has a chance at gaining back her trust and proving to her that he's worth a second shot. The only problem? She's dating his brother.

I don't know why I ever went into this book with any doubts. I should be slapped upside my head for doubting Meghan Quinn in the first place. I mean what other author can write a book with my most hated trope, love triangles, and my most loved, second-chances, and somehow make me love it? Meghan Quinn did just that! I could not put this book down and I liked how the flashback moments were seamless added to the story. The flashbacks gutted me. I cried so much because Aaron and Amelia were so happy together and then they weren't. 

Oh Aaron Walters, how I love thee, let me count the ways! Aaron is like a big teddy bear. He is so sweet and caring and selfless. Although he may have been foolish to let Amelia go in the first place, I personally thought it was good move because Aaron had to learn to love himself before he could allow himself to let someone in. I was on the fence about Amelia in the beginning but she eventually grew on me. I don't know how she found the will to resist Aaron because my ass would've don—okay let me not finish that thought but I admire her strength considering all that she was going through. The Other Brother was another exceptional read by Meghan Quinn and if she ever does decide to write another book set in this world, I would totally be here for it!

CRAVE: PART TWO by E.K. BLAIR

★★

“Maybe we were too perfect, and because of that, we were meant to be pierced by thorns.”

I wasn't a big fan of Crave: Part One, but the cliffhanger at the end was what pushed me to pick up the sequel. I needed answers. I needed to know what would become of Kason and Adaline's relationship. I needed to know if the sequel would be any better than the first book. Let's just say that I may have set my expectations a bit too high with this book. There will be minor spoilers in this review so don't keep reading if you still want to read the first book!

Crave: Part Two picks up right where Part One left off, with Adaline waking up and having no memory of what happened the night before. She feels embarrassed and blames herself for letting a guy she barely knew take advantage of her while under the influence. Adaline starts on a downward spiral and she begins to isolate herself from everyone, including Kason. Can these two survive this trauma or will secrets be the end of their relationship?

Like with the first book, Crave: Part Two also touches upon a difficult subject matter: rape. Majority of this story deals with Adaline coming to terms with her rape and realizing that she is not to blame. The thing is though, I didn't like the fact that rape was used as a plot twist. It just rubs me the wrong way. That was the first thing that made me not like this book. The second was THE UNNECESSARY ADDITION OF A LOVE INTEREST MAKING THIS A LOVE TRIANGLE!! Gosh, I hate any type of geometrical relationships in romances and considering everything Adaline had already gone through, I don't think there needed to be another love interest. It was pointless because if she wasn't ending up with Kason at the end, then WTF would be the point of all of this?!

As for the characters, their POVs didn't do anything for me. I just disconnected after I realized that there was probably going to be a new love interest. I really wished that both these books had more POVs with Kason. I wanted to get to him more and I wish that his addiction was discussed more. I'm hoping my next read by E.K. Blair will be much better because this series is definitely my least favorite by her.

LOVERS LIKE US by KRISTA & BECCA RITCHIE

★★★½

“I've been fucking stubborn, but I'd rather be stubborn with you than without you.”

Damaged Like Us is my most disappointing read for 2017 so I went into Lovers Like Us with no expectations so I wouldn't have to deal with being disappointed again. I'm happy to say that I did enjoy this sequel a bit more than the first book, but the series itself still has some flaws.

Lovers Like Us picks up some time after the rumors about  Moffy and Jane being in a romantic relationship have died down and things are slowly getting back to normal. There is still a bit of tension now that Moffy and Farrow have come out to their family and the security team about being in a relationship so in hopes of turning all this negative attention into something positive, the group decides to go on tour to meet their fans and help raise money for a good cause. But that's easier said than done.

I wasn't too excited to read yet another book about Moffy and Farrow and I'm really glad that this sequel didn't focus so much on this relationship. Instead we got to see more of the secondary characters and the security team. Jane is my favorite and I'm patiently waiting for her book. I feel like she deserves so much more than she gets and I just want her to be happy. The security team is a fucking riot! I couldn't not keep a straight face while reading their scenes and I'm looking forward to getting to know all the guys better as the series continues.

I'm just going to come right out and say it: I don't think I will ever like Maximoff Hale. I'm so tired of his "god-like" complex and the fact that everyone goes to him when they're in trouble. I don't get the obsession at all and I think Charlie Cobalt expressed all my thoughts about Moffy perfectly. Farrow is okay, I guess? I just feel that because Farrow's world revolves around Moffy, we don't really know who he is without Moffy at his side and I kind of want to get to know that Farrow. I'm very curious to see how things turn out for these two in the final installment because things are definitely about to get crazy now that the cat is out of the bag but I'm going to probably keep my expectations low once again so I don't hype myself up too much.

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Hate-to-Love Romances and a Mediocre One || Mini Reviews

TWISTED TWOSOME by MEGHAN QUINN

★★★★

“Be flawsome, Racer, because honestly I wouldn't expect anything less from you.”

When Meghan Quinn announced that she was writing Racer's story next, my stalker fangirl mode was immediately activated. I've been dying to know more about the Little Debbie snacker ever since we met him in My Best Friend's Ex. I didn't even care about who the heroine would be, I just wanted more Racer. 

Racer McKay is barely making ends meet and the little side jobs he's been taking up aren't doing much to help his financial situation. When he gets a call from Georgiana Westbrook offering him a job as a contractor on a new project, he takes her up on it. But the two can hardly stand to be in the same room with one another so working together is going to be no easy task. Can Racer and Georgiana put their differences aside to get the job done, or will their tempers get the better of them.

This is the third book I've read by Meghan Quinn and I gotta say that I am in love. I love the way she writes her romances, filled with laugh out loud moments but also has moments that are tender and sweet. Twisted Twosome is a hate-to-love about two people from different social classes that end up falling in love. While it starts out funny, filled with lots of pranks and sexual innuendos, the fun and games do come to an end once these two realize that they genuinely care for the other. Let me tell y'all, once all that sexual tension between these two was finally relieve I was so happy because my babies were finally happy. It was so cute.

I adore Racer. So much. He almost topped Andrew as being my fave hero by Meghan Quinn but I can't quit Andrew just yet. But Racer is a close second. We know him as the funny guy who has a truck filled with Little Debbie snacks, but the dude has layers. I was so taken aback by Racer and his struggles and it was what made me love him even more. I was on the fence about Georgiana for the first half of the book. Though she may come from money, Georgiana believes in independence and hard work and pushes forward with making her dreams come true, even if that means going against her father's wishes. I ended up loving her by the end and I thought that she was the perfect match for Racer. I'm so excited for Aaron's book next. He's the shiest of all the guys so far, but I bet he's wild as fuck. It's always the quiet ones that end up surprising you most. 

CRAVE: PART ONE by E.K. BLAIR

★★★

“There's nothing I could give that would ever be wasted on you.”

E.K. Blair is well-known for her dark, erotica romances that usually have me throwing my eReader across the room. So when I heard that she was writing a contemporary romance, I was all ears. I was curious to see how her writing would differ and to see if she could pull off a sweeter type of romance.

The story begins with Adaline, the new girl who just moved to Florida with her mother. She runs into Kason in the school parking lot and the two end up hitting it off. Kason and Adaline start spending more time together and find themselves falling for the another. But Kason has a secret. He has a craving that can't be satisfied and if he's not careful, it could ruin the one thing he cares about the most.

While Crave is a contemporary romance, it does have a touch of darkness to it. This book deals with some dark subject matter, like addiction and sexual assault, so fair warning. To be honest, I liked Crave when I first started it. But as the story went on, I found myself losing interest and not really caring about what was going happen next. The writing was just very dry and the POVs were monotone. Like, I'm used to being shook as fuck when reading a book by Blair, but I was just bored with this one.

I didn't really care for either of our characters. I don't think Adaline knows who she is without Kason. Once she and Kason get together, he basically becomes her whole world and she spends majority of her time waiting for him to get off work so they can be together. I don't like heroines like this. Imma need her to find something to do with her time. I also felt like we didn't get enough POVs with Kason. I wanted to get to know him better and to see him struggling with his addiction. I'm hoping we get more of him in the sequel. The ending was just a bit much to be honest. Like why did we even need to go with that twist?! Hopefully Crave: Part Two will be a lot better than this book.

HATE TO WANT YOU by ALISHA RAI

★★★★

“Everywhere. That's the problem. I want you everywhere, and I always will.”

I've seen many bloggers raving about this romance and enemies-to-lover is one of my favorite tropes, so I decided to give this new-to-me author a try. Y'all, I am dead because this book is probably one of the best enemies-to-lovers romances I've ever read and if you don't already have it on your TBR, you are missing out on one hell of a read. 

Olivia Kane and Nicholas Chandler have a deal: for one night every year, the two will meet to share a moment of intimacy and then go there separate ways. Then one year Olivia doesn't show up. When she returns home after her mother falls ill, Nicholas seeks her out to get answers about why she never showed. A flame is ignited and these two find it harder and harder to stay away from one another. But there's only one thing stopping them from being together: their families.

LAAWWDDD, THIS BOOK! Alisha Rai needs to supply Victoria Secret gift cards with the purchase of each book for all the panties she's about to ruin. I'm not even kidding because this book was HOT AS HELL! Hate To Want You is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story with forbidden lovers and a feuding family. All the tension in this book killed me. The family tension, the sexual tension, the lies, the secrets... I was addicted. Alisha Rai's writing is amazing. I have so many quotes highlighted because she is a genius at one-liners that will make your heart melt. 

Olivia is my new favorite heroine. She is a tatted-up badass who's been on the run for far too long. She loves deeply, yet it is that same love that ends up burning her in the end. Nicholas is a little sly motherfucker. I initially thought he was like the good-guy type, but the dude has a filthy mouth on him. What I liked about both Nicholas and Olivia is the fact that despite their strenuous relationships with their parents, they still cared about them and tried their best to fix their relationships with their parents. The chemistry between this pair is volcanic! When things erupt...let's just say there ain't anything putting that mess out. Honestly, don't read this book in public or you will end up like me and look like a cherry tomato. I'm extremely hyped for the sequel. I'll admit that I do have my hesitations because I'm not a fan of the particular trope, but I've been told that it's handled very well so let's see if it can top Hate To Want You.

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