A Wine Lovers Book Blog / Books n Wine

***5 Stars*** I knew going in, that this book would be intense and brutal, and it was on all fronts. But it was also a beautiful, if not frustrating, love story that kept me turning the pages until the bitter end. I freakin’ adored Colby and Sariah. They frustrated me to no end in equal measure, but they definitely kept things interesting. Colby is all kinds of stubborn and determined alpha male. At times it was a bit OTT for me, but he has a certain charm and way of seeing who a person is at their core that softened his neanderthal tendencies. Sariah is fierce, blunt and loyal and when she decides on something, she goes all in ~ even if it may be detrimental to her safety. Her journey was brutal, but in the end she came out stronger than ever. To say that Sariah and Colby’s journey was a lesson in frustration is an understatement, but with two such strong and independent personalities colliding, there was no other way it could be. The chemistry between them was crazy strong and despit...

***5 Stars*** Oh my. This baby is a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish. It had all the things I love in a romance, along with all the frustrations as well. Ollie and Silas definitely kept me on my toes and the pages turning just to see what it would take for these two to find their HEA. Now, while I ended up adoring Ollie and Silas, they both tried me for different reasons ~ very different reasons which you will have to experience yourself since I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone ~ but they are both honest about who they are and what they want out of their lives. Both are loyal to those they call their own and will do anything and everything for them. As for their HEA. Two strong personalities collided and the sparks flew in every way possible. I honestly loved them together. Their road was a rocky one, and that’s putting it lightly, especially when the “fake” relationship becomes more and one can’t decide what they want. There is a huge roadblock in their already bumpy...

***5 Stars*** I thought I was prepared for the crazy from, not only, the Dimefront crew (because they do crazy well) and Babushka (who is a force of nature not seen before) but DAMN. Tanner and Sam have enough going on to make things awkward and difficult, but things were kicked up a few (hundred) notches as they get “help” from those around them, which made their journey to their HEA all kinds of chaotic but strangely addicting until the very last page. I gotta say that I loved Tanner and Sam. They are both sweet and just all around good people. Tanner is this mix of awkward yet determined with a go with the flow kind of attitude that makes it easy to fall for him. Sam was interesting. I felt for her, I did, but she also frustrated me because instead of taking control of the situation, the situation controlled her, so watching as she finally takes control was a lot of fun. Their journey was crazy. I mean, I don’t know how else to put it and while I’d love to get into it all, I won’t b...

***5 Stars*** *Heavy sigh* No, the sigh has nothing to do with the story, (hopefully obvious by the rating) but the fact that as this is the second book, not the last, I have to keep this review vague as all get out. But I have actually written notes for myself, so when the next one comes out, I’m good to go. But as for this book. I still love Darya. She’s stubborn, sweet and determined and I think she becomes a little more…worldly and mature in the Prison of Thorns.  And speaking of…the prison and how things work there were done well and while I definitely wouldn’t want to be an inmate there, it gave depth to the world at large.  As for the inmates, they are definitely quite interesting. Serg may just be my fav, but as much as Vasilios and Sven are the “bad guys” I ended up liking them.  Quite a bit happens in this book and a few were surprising. There are a few things that I’m interested in seeing if what I think will happen, happens…and outside of Vas and Sven, there i...

***5 Stars*** After reading quite a few of the author’s books, I have to admit that a good portion of my enjoyment of her stories is the whiplash she puts my mind through with all the crazy twists and turns she comes up with. Nothing, and no one, is truly what they appear to be and I find it absolutely fascinating. With that said, this baby is FILLED will twists and turns and as this is a spoiler free review, it means I can only say so much…which is really not much at all..but as for Ruby and Wicked. Ruby is that strange mix of fierce, feisty and a little scary, but also…naive or at least blind when it comes to certain people and situations ~ understandable considering who her family is. Wicked is all kinds of protective alpha male, he doesn’t like to show it and at times it is extreme, but he cares even when he doesn’t want to. To say that these two are explosive together is an understatement and they take the saying “A fine line between love and hate” to the extreme, but they speak t...

***5 Stars*** Oh. My. Head. And Eyes. And Heart. And that’s just about Ben and Makayla...it doesn’t even include the other crazy that happens in the book (and no, I’m not just talking about Chase, Levi and Kip) there is other crazy…but, despite the whiplash (or maybe because of) I kept turning the pages and loved how everything turned out in the end. Ben and Mak…these two drove me batshitcrazy. As much as I loved them/ended up loving them, they both annoyed the hell out of me in equal measure. Both have really good hearts and care deeply for those they call their own, but when they go at it, they go big. As teens, I tended to side with Mak, and it wasn’t because of the obvious, but as adults, they were both on the same level in a lot of ways. But, the chemistry was there and while there was a whole bunch of push/pull going on ~ and add in a bunch of outside crazy ~ they were inevitable and I’m just happy they figured it all out and got their HEA. This baby has A LOT going on. I mean we...

***5 Stars*** I WANTED and NEEDED more of Grayson and Lyric after meeting them in Love, Not War anthology, and boy did I get it and I LOVED every kinky, eye rolling, heartstring pulling moment!  This baby was everything! So, Daddy and Princess aka Grayson and Lyric. I freakin’ adored these two. They drove me batshitcrazy at times, but I adored them. Lyric is more aware of who she is and those around her than many give her credit for, for a variety of reasons. I loved her honesty, her sass and how she owned everything she was. Grayson is a Daddy. Through and through. He is protective, dominant and has a good soul. Their journey to their HEA was one for the ages and to say the chemistry between them was insane. I will admit here that while I adored them, they both made their mistakes along the way, some more frustrating than others, but their faults/insecurities/vulnerabilities made them real and I was more than happy with how everything turned out for them in the end. As I stated at...

***5 Stars*** I was excited to head back to Hawthorn U and see how everyone was doing, but whoa…things got intense in this one. Not that it was unexpected considering all that happened in Z and Sugar’s book, but still…stuff happens…but outside that stuff, Eric and Julia definitely kept me on my toes and kept me turning the pages until the very end. Oh Julia and Eric. These two were definitely a pair. Both have the weight of the world on their shoulders and are trying to keep their heads above water in their own ways, but IMHO, one is doing a little bit better job on the inside than the other, even if the outside doesn’t always look like it. There was quite a bit of push/pull going on in their evolving relationship, but it was clear that they gave each other what they were lacking in their lives just by being who they were at their cores. The chemistry was obvious from the start and when they just went with the flow, they were a lot of fun to be around, but of course things can’t be tha...

  ***4.5 Stars*** A contemporary romance by a fav author set in her home state?!? Yeah, I made grabby hands at this baby and once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. I loved Bennett and Betty and all of the crazy and interesting folks that inhabit the town of Beauxville, including a very sneaky pig and goat! I adored Betty and Bennett. Betty is all kinds of feisty. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and has a huge heart. Bennett is charming, sweet and when his alpha comes out…well, it makes him all kinda of everything. As for their journey to their HEA, it was a really fun ride. There was some eye rolling going on as Betty worked her way through her “issues” with Bennett, but mostly they had me grinning like a fool and totally enjoying their bantering and the chemistry between them as they get to know who each other really are. There aren’t too many crazy bumps in the road for them, but one does come up and it is something of a doozy and though there is one thing I wish had happe...

***5 Stars*** Helllooooo Whiplash! No, really, the whiplash and all that goes with it ~ the eye rolling, the wanting to toss the Kindle in the freezer, the snort laughing, the sweet, swoony moments, the HAWT moments ~ was absolutely real when it came to JP and Kelsey. But I kept turning the pages and in the end, I have to admit that the whiplash was worth it. Now, to be absolutely honest, if I were to rate the book ONLY on JP and Kelsey’ and their journey, I’d probably give it a 4 or a 4.5 rounded down to a 4 because these two did drive me batshitcrazy. Well, JP did mostly, The man is the definition of being “your own worst enemy”. He is a good guy, when we see just how golden his heart is, it’s hard not to like him, but the need to Gibbs smack him was strong. Kelsey has her moments and her quirks, and is quite stubborn, but there is also an honesty to her that I really liked and connected with. As for their journey to their HEA…I’m sure you can guess that it was a wild ride and I tend...

***4 Stars*** I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised by this baby. Based on the tease we got in Player Hater, I was all kinds of geared up for some heavy drama, but while there was drama ~ hard not to have been any considering the situation ~ it wasn’t OTT in anyway, that was kinda left for another character (The OTT-ishness, not the drama) and I really enjoyed watching Jack and Penn work through their past and present to have a future together with Skipper. I loved Jack and Penn. Jack is just a good guy. There’s an openness and an honesty to him that drew me in and a vibrancy that made me laugh, and at times roll my eyes, but mostly laugh and smile. Penn is a good person with a good heart. She’s got spirit and is stronger than she realizes. She has her faults and insecurities, but as she comes to terms with them she becomes the woman she was always meant to be. As I said at the start, this one surprised me. I honestly thought there’d be more angst when the “Surprise! You’re a Dad” th...

***5 Stars*** OMG…I had the whole love/frustration thing going on with Knox and Irina, and I swear my eyes hurt from all the rolling they did, but the frustration ~ and hijinx of everyone involved ~ was so worth it in the end. I actually adored Knox and Irina. Knox is a serious sweetheart, he doesn’t always think he is and he can definitely be stubborn about certain aspects of his life and future, but he’s a sweetheart. Irina is determined. Once she decides on something, she is all in. This is great when it comes to her career, but it also hinders her in other ways.  Their journey to their HEA was all kinds of sweet and fun, but also frustrating as all get out. They have great chemistry, the bantering was a lot of fun and once the smexy times happen…yeah, HAWT. But OMG. Getting them to actually admit to each other that their feelings were changing and that there could be something more there was like trying to get a dog who hates the cold to go potty when it’s snowing outside. But,...