Refrain (Rockstar #16) By: Anne Mercier

      As a child, Ethan trusted no one. Then he found his best friends. They gave him a family and saved him from a life of abuse that still has Ethan messed up.
      Then one of those best friends captured Ethan's heart. Lincoln, tough yet tender, a walking contradiction. He loves Ethan too - flaws and all. He's the mose patient man on the earth and understands Ethan's PTSD.
       What Linc doesn't understand is why their being initmate makes Ethan feel "dirty." Linc's not one of the men who abused Ethan, and he'd never hurt him. Ethan knows this. He believes it. Still, the "dirty" creeps in even though Ethan knows what they do together is anything but.
        Linc's here now and he's going to stay. It's time for Ethan to talk to someone professionally. Ethan needs to shed his unhealthy past in order to have a healthy future with the man he loves. If Ethan doesn't, he just might lose the best thing that's ever happened to him - and there's not enough therapy in the world to get Ethan though that.

      I have been waiting to read Refrain for what seems like forever now. And the main reason for that being Anne Mercier was constantly pushing back the book's release date. I understand her reasons why she had to but still. In these situations it either makes you want to read the book more, hyping it up in your head. Or it makes you not want to read the book as much as when you first heard about the book and read its synopsis.
     Now that I have finished reading Refrain I'm not really sure how I feel about it. While I did like reading Ethan and Linc's story it wasn't exactly what I expected. I kind of thought it would have some simiarites to Xander and Tera's story given that they were childhood sweethearts as well. But Refrain just took place in the present, so you didn't see any of Ethan and Linc's early years. Also, there just didn't seem to be that much going on with this story. Although I did like the relationship and dynamic between Ethan and Linc this story just wasn't what I was expecting.

The Wrong Prince Charming By: Holly Renee

     Every little girl dreams of being swept off her feet by a charming Prince. But Maddison's life was no fairy tale.
    And in this kingdom called college, the rules went out the window.
    Maddison had known golden boy, Theo Hunt, was the one for her since they were kids. Her heart was his for the taking, but she had become nothing more than the MVP of the campus king's friend-zone.
     Easton Cole was a storm Maddison couldn't have predicted. He knocked Maddison off her feet and stole her heart. But he was off limits. Not only was he Theo's frat brother, but he was the teacher's assistant in English 101 and she was acing every test.
     Maddison's heart was torn, her feeling tangled. Because as soon as she noticed Easton, Theo finally noticed her.
     Maddison was in love with two guys, as different as night and day, but she could only have one. She only hoped she didn't choose The Wrong Prince Charming.

     I didn't mind reading The Wrong Prince Charming, while it wasn't an attention grabber it did hold my interests. I think one of the reasons it wasn't completly upthere might have had a bit to do with the fact that this book seemed to be a bit rushed. And while I wouldn't count on rereading this book anytimg soon I am glad that I read it.

Mr. July (Calendar Boys #7) By: Nicole S. Goodin

     Hudson Scott. Nicknamed 'The Horror.' Champion MMA fighter... And caught up in an off-limits woman.
     Ramsey Ashton. Queasy around blood. Pink haired beauty...And crushing on her brother's best friend.
     Hudson's head has always been firmly inside the cage, until he sets eyes on the woman he's sworn not to touch. Ramsey has never been interested in the fight scene, but when she meets Hudson, she finds herself inexplicably drawn into his world.
     Hudson wants what he can't have, Ramsey wants to protect her heart. With everything up against them, will this be one fight that Hudson isn't strong enough to win?

     Mr. July was another book that started out on high note but over time I slowly began to lose interest. I don't know what it is but lately most of the books I've been reading haven't been that good.

Luca Vitiello (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles #0) By: Cora Reilly

     Luca Vitiello was born a monster. Cruelty ran in his veins like poison. It ran in the veins of every Vitiello man, passed on from father to son, an endless spiral of monstrosity. A born monster shaped into an even, worse monster by his fathers blade and fists and harsh words. Luca was raised to become Capo, to rule without mercy, to dish out brutality without a second thought. Raised to break others. When Aria was given to him in marriage, everyone waited with baited breath to see how fast Luca would break her like his brother broke his women. How Luca would crush her innocence and kindness with the force of his cruelty. Breaking her would have taken little effort. It came naturally to Luca. He was gladly the monster everyone feared. Until her. 

     Luca Vitiello takes on Luca's point of view of Bound By Honor the first book in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles. I loved reading Bound by Honor so when I saw there was a Luca's verison of the story I knew I just had to read it. And just like the first book in this series I could not put Luca Vitiello down. It was great getting into the mindset of Luca and seeing just how much he cared for Aria, even though he was never supposed to.

The Locker Room By: Meghan Smith

    

     Have you heard the rumor around campus about the locker room?
     If you haven't, let me enlighten you: Legend has it if you bring a girl into the scared after-game domain of the baseball locker room, it will end with a walk down the aisle. One rowdy and naked encounter against the lockers with the girl of your dreams will make her your wife.
     Translation: baseball players are stupidly supersitious and believe the locker room has magical powers.
     But not all baseball players are superstitious, Knox included.
     So when the girl Knox has fallen for brushes him off, he starts to question if he needs to swtich his ways of thinking. Maybe it's time Knox finally handed out a coveted invitation to the locker room.
     The only question is, will she accept?

     When I first read the synopsis of The Locker Room I knew it was something that I wanted to read. And apparently this was one book I hyped up in my mind too much because before I was even halfway through The Locker Room I was already done with it. This just wasn't the book I thought it would be.