Category: book review

Sydney Reviews Irons by MJ Fields

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
JaxIrons
 I was born and bred to be the man I am today. My father and his father were both graduates from The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Both went on to become helicopter pilots. Both had seen plenty of action. Both had met and caused devastation. Both men, who I respect more above all, had served and protected the United States and her people honorably for decades.My best friend, William Cruz, who attended the academy with me, had flown beside me, had lived the same life as I had and shared the same ambitions in life, was gone now. This was not part of the plan. Will and I were supposed to have each other’s backs, support each other and never let anything supersede our bond.
Francesca

I sat on Norfolk Beach needing to feel close to him on the anniversary of his death. It was a beautiful day in May and I was cutting class. I had done the same every year since he passed.

Jaxson Irons was only supposed to be in Pensacola for a year. But now three years later I still hadn’t heard from him. I saw a man running down the beach and I knew immediately who it was.

Jaxson didn’t respond the way I had dreamed he would. He told me we would catch up someday soon. I stood and watched until he was gone.
Thump, thump. I placed my hand on my chest as I felt my heart beat again for what felt like the first time in three years. Thump, thump. I felt the blood moving quickly through my body. Its heat once again present. Thump, thump. I looked up at the sky and let out a breath. A breath that I had been holding forever. Thump, thump.

I felt tears fall down my face as I raised my hands in the air and laughed out loud. Just then the clouds parted for the first time in forever. I saw the sun smiling down on me.

Review: 
The only problem I had with this book is it ended way too soon. I needed more and am a little annoyed with MJ Fields for ending it when she did.  I have to wait for book #2 & #3 or how every many the author decides to give us. Honestly, she could give us #100 and I will still read this amazing romance between these two complex characters. 
I loved the story concept at it’s core. Chalked full of drama from the beginning, you care for these two characters immediately. Who says solid relationships can’t develop out of tragedy. 
The story had quite a lot of suspense, which was unexpected, but flowed well into this angst filled and emotional love story. 
The dynamic between Jax & Francesca can be a little frustrating, but it only adds to the enjoyment of the story. Stick with them, it’s worth it. 
If you like your sexy on the intense side, you won’t be disappointed. 
Can’t wait to see this story continue. 

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
–A signed copy of Irons
–3x eBook copies of Irons
–$20 Amazon Gift Card
–$10 Amazon Gift Card
–$5 Amazon Gift Card

Irons Purchase Links

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MJAuthor Bio:  MJ Fields’s love of writing was in full swing by age eight. Together with her cousins, she wrote a newsletter and sold it to family members. Today, she has four self-published series comprised of seventeen titles, including MEN OF STEEL, which was acquired by Swoon Romance in June 2014. MJ is a bestselling erotica author and former small business owner, who recently closed the business so she could write full time.

MJ lives in central New York, surrounded by family and friends. Her house is full of pets, friends, and noise ninety percent of the time, and she would have it no other way.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

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Sydney Reviews Love, Lex by Avery Aster

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

20567976Synopsis: This summer, I’d planned to celebrate my eighteenth birthday in Europe with my fellow Manhattanites—Taddy Brill, Blake Morgan, and Vive Farnworth—until I caught my boyfriend screwing my mother. According to the police report, this vomit-inducing incident happened around the same time I’d supposedly blown-up my mother’s penthouse. Like I’m walking around Soho with a stick of dynamite in my Louis Vuitton purse—not! Now, my besties and I are in jail.Officer Ford Gotti, the Harley-wheelin’ biker cop who arrested us, keeps sticking his perfectly-sculpted nose into my case. His inked body is jacked like a superhero, and he says I can trust him. He wants me to fess up. I won’t. Not again. Why should I? My friends and I had a previous stint in juvie that nearly destroyed us. I gotta protect them and keep my mouth shut. Right? —Lex Easton, women’s studies major, motorcycle enthusiast, and virgin.The Undergrad Years is a New Adult contemporary miniseries about first loves, independence, and everlasting friendships.

Reader warning: Contains mature content intended for readers 17 and up.

Review: Sometimes I read a book and enjoy it for its bookness and sometimes I read a book and wish it was opening in my local mega theater this Friday. Love, Lex is the latter. I loved it. As I read it, I keep reading faster and faster. It had a real Sin City feel to it. You know the movie by Quentin Tarantino, Frank Miller & Robert Rodriquez. Any one of them would be perfect in bring this book to the big screen. 
The heat level started off the chart on page one and built from their. I love books about crazy mega rich young adult. These kids had been through it and their loyalty, while tested, touched me. 
The sex scene at the end was a bit of a jolt and kind of jarring, but it had a satisfying ending. 
 
If you like your books written like a fast paced, hollywood exploitation film, check out Love, Lex by Avery Aster. 

A few of my favorite things

Tattoo References: Officer God – With python arms wider than my thighs, his body reminded me of The Hulk right before  his clothes would shred and he’d turn green. Hot. Smothered in ink he sports a tattoo sleeve up and down his right arm. So hot!

Movie References:  Pearl Harbor, Legally Blonde, Star Wars & Post Cards from the Edge

Favorite Line:  “Strategic. Yup, he’s convinced I strategically placed the tanks around the apartment then lit a match. Honestly, I’m not that smart.”

“My confusion nearly paralyzed me. Did my two friends lose their minds? We’d gone from hugging besties to face-slapping frienemies and now horny girls on the prowl. WTF.”

Love, Lex Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Author Bio:  I’m a New Yorker who lives on the Upper East Side. I write THE MANHATTANITES, a contemporary romantic soap opera of full length, stand alone novels, and it’s juicy prequel companion series THE UNDERGRAD YEARS.

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Sydney Reviews Choosing You by Allie Everhart

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: ChoosingYouWhen Jade is given a scholarship to an elite private college in Connecticut, she sees it as a chance to finally escape her painful past and get a fresh start. She’s determined to succeed and that means keeping her focus on school and not guys. But her plan falls apart her first day on campus when Garret, a rich prep school boy with swimmer abs and a perfect smile, offers to help her move in.Jade tries to push him away, but she can’t deny her attraction to him and Garret won’t let her. Things quickly heat up between them, but then come to a sudden halt when reality hits and Jade realizes that a relationship with Garret may never be possible. He comes from a world of wealth where there are rules, including rules about who he can date. And not following those rules has consequences.As the two of them try to overcome the obstacles working to keep them apart, Jade is confronted with another challenge. On her 19th birthday, she receives a letter that her now deceased mother wrote years ago. In it are revelations that explain her traumatic childhood but also make her question the past she’s been running from.

Review: Do you know about this growing movement that recognizes the greatness of male characters in romance books. It’s the book boyfriend craze. Well, I am ashamed to admit, I didn’t get it. Readers accept a diverse and varied spectrum of personalities, looks, and emotions from our female lead, but have specific requirements when it comes to their leading men. After reading Choosing You by Allie Everhart, now I get it, I have my first book boyfriend: Garret Kensington.
Besides having the name of one of my high school crushes, he is a shining example of the perfect boyfriend, which is ironic considering Jade does everything she can to convince herself he is not boyfriend material. 
He is sweet, thoughtful, considerate and he not only listens, he remembers when you talk. The halloween party scene is enough to make you dump your current significant other and measure every man from this point forward by Garret’s standards.  He is that good.
Jade has a little stubborn streak for not jumping him from the beginning and at the end of the book you are left frustrated, but you’re also hooked for the long haul.  
Allie weaves a unique college, coming of age novel, but if you read Choosing You, be prepared to be in it for the entire series.  I’m hooked. I can’t wait to see how the story of Garrett and Jade ends.  

A few of my favorite things

Tattoo References: None

Movie References:  A lot of references to movie watching, no actual names of movies where used.

Favorite Line:  He smiles and comes up right in front of me, so close we’re almost touching. “You know what, Jade?” “What?” Having him this close to me makes my heart pump even faster than when I was running. “I like you. I really like you.”

*Just a few of my favorite things. 

$15 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Choosing You Purchase Links
ChoosingYou
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

AllieAuthor Bio:  Allie Everhart writes about dating, love, and romance. She’s also a freelance writer for magazines and websites. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, running, or binge-watching TV shows on DVD. Some of her favorites are Gilmore Girls, Mad Men, Veronica Mars, and Gossip Girl. When writing her novels, Allie likes to drink dark-roast coffee when writing suspense scenes and red wine when writing love scenes. And eating chocolate is good when writing any kind of scene.

Amazon Page | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

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Sydney Reviews Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Synopsis: When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?For Aris, a talented wingjet pilot, war means sacrificing everything: her home, her name, her face–and the one promise she swore she’d never break.In the small village of Lux, everyone flies wingjets, but nobody flies them like Aris Haan. When she’s not dancing through the skies, she’s spending every minute with Calix, whom she’s loved since childhood. They plan to Promise, but instead he is sent to defend their dominion against a bloody invasion. Determined not to lose him, Aris follows, joining an underground network of women inside the male-only military. Using secret technology that allows her to pass as a man, she becomes “Aristos”, a Flyer in a search-and-rescue unit.As Aris grows stronger on the battlefield and more comfortable in her guise as Aristos, her personal mission becomes less and less clear. When she and her enigmatic commander, Major Vidar, uncover an astonishing conspiracy that could destroy everything, she must make a choice that will determine not only the fate of her heart, but the future of her dominion.

Mulan meets Battlestar Galactica in Shattered Veil, the story of how one young woman’s quest to save her beloved leads her to save the world.

Review: It’s been a recent occurrence in my long reading life that I have grown quite fond of science fiction books.  I am envious of the skill of world building. Creating a world from scratch and being able to describe the site, sounds, smells, air, ground, and space for the reader is nothing short of a miracle to me. 

Tracy E. Banghart doesn’t this like a master and Shattered Veil is a well done book. The world she builds, the technology she invents, the characters she  creates makes me want to pack up and move to this world and see it up close and personal.  

On top of the amazing new world, there is a great New Adult story about a girl who though her world was heading in one direction, but finds herself in a situations that turns her world upside and changes the way she thinks about everything. Typical New Adult theme taken in a completely different direction and I enjoyed the journey it took me on as I read the book.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank Banghart for making this book the start of a true series. I’ve read so many 1st books in series where I had no desire to see what else happens to the main character. Writing a series seems to be the popular thing at this time.

Shattered Veil is book 1 because Aris’ story isn’t done and I am so looking forward to seeing how she continues to grow.

I am ready to declare Aris the new Katniss. Shattered Veil is all that is good about New Adult Science Fiction books and more.

A few of my favorite things

Tattoo References: “blood-red tattoo that encircled the women’s shaved head. ” “a tattoo of a sleek blue and black fish dove down his cheek, another curling under his ear and along his throat.” “large and black with leaf-green accents, impossible to miss. She’d asked for an olive tree to remind her of Lux.” It was a tattoo rich environment. 

Movie References:  The book had a great movie-like pace and I loved the characters. It would make an amazing movie.

Favorite Line:  “Travelers often suffered vertigo when visit Lux; the milky walkways that connected the buildings, built high on carbonated stilts, were translucent, and the impenetrable chest-high path walls transparent.”  – An amazing example of Banghart’s world building.

*Just a few of my favorite things. 

Author Bio:  

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Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

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Sydney Reviews Tyler and Stella (Tattoo Thief, #2) by Heidi Joy Tretheway

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle3 Comments

Special Tattoo Tuesday Sydney Reviews FeatureSydTatTWO

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Tyler & Stella (Tattoo Thief, #2) by Heidi Joy Tretheway
Publication date: February 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

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Synopsis:  Stella Ramsey always says bad boys can’t break your heart. They don’t call, don’t cuddle and don’t send flowers—but what do you expect? For Stella, no strings means no regrets.
When the biggest story of her fledgling career as a music journalist nearly ruins her relationship with her best friend, Stella has one chance to redeem herself. Tyler Walsh could be that chance.
Stella promises the bassist for the rock band Tattoo Thief anything in exchange for behind-the-scenes access. But Tyler doesn’t want anything. He wants everything—and that’s more than Stella is prepared to give. When Tyler’s explosive secret thrusts Stella into the media spotlight, she must choose between the selling the story and telling the truth—and exposing the truth about herself as well.

Review: I will forever be impressed/in awe/envious of Heidi Joy Tretheway for her writing skills. Anyone who can take a character who was the villain in book #1 and make them complex, interesting and sympathetic in book #2, earns my praise and respect.

Let me explain.

I read Gavin & Beryl: Tattoo Thief #1 and sent Heidi a message telling her how much I enjoyed it. It is one of those books I didn’t want to end.  Just before I reached the end, I saw a message from Heidi asking if I wanted to read Tattoo Thief #2. I was beyond excited, but then I read the synopsis and my heart dropped.

Without giving away to much, at the end of #1, one of the characters in the book named Stella did not come off well. She did something awful, hurtful and beyond forgivable. So, when I found out she was the main character in #2, I thought, what is Heidi doing?

Well, I am so glad this unexpected turn of events didn’t dissuade me from reading the book. Book #2 is just as interesting, exciting, sad, empowering and sexy as book #1.  I was hooked from the first page.  I didn’t fall in love with Stella, but I hoped for her transformation and throughout the book, you had no idea whether it would happen or not.

But, the star of the book was Tyler; tattoo’ed and talented, with a hero’s heart (sorry for the alliterations). He made me want to be his friend and take care of him. His story had me guessing and I was 100% satisfied with the results.

I recommend you read the books in order, but you don’t have to. Heidi has a special talent for writing about couples who at first don’t seem to fit, but in the end, you can’t imagine them not being together.

Tattoo References: Lots of great tattoo references. How could there not be with a name like Tattoo Thief. One of my favorites:  “Why do yo have all the tattoos?  Are you just cultivation a bad-boy image or do they mean something?” Tyler grins.  This is something he wants to talk about . . . “they’re about my history.” – love that.

Movie References: None

Favorite Line:  “Releasing control to let the other person steer your ship for a while. It’s terrifying and intimate and powerful.  It’s love.” – so good!!!!

*Just a few of my favorite things. 

6920129Author Bio:  Heidi Joy lives in Happy Valley off Sunnyside Road. She swears she did not make that up.

Heidi’s obsessed with storytelling. Her career includes marketing, journalism, and a delicious few years as a food columnist. Media passes took her backstage with several rock bands, where she learned that sometimes a wardrobe malfunction is exactly what the rock star intends.

You’ll most often find Heidi Joy with her husband and two small kids cooking, fishing, exploring the Northwest, and building epic forts in their living room.

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