Dirty Like Me (Dirty #1) By: Jane Diamond

 

       Struggling barista Katie Bloom doesn't even know who Jesse Mayes is until she inadvertently wins the coveted role of sex kitten in his hot new music video. But by the time she's in bed with him, she knows his reputation. Love maker. Heartbreaker.

       Making out with a stranger in front of a camera crew isn't how Katie imagined herself getting over a broken heart, but when Jesse touches her, sparks fly. The sex is fake but the chemistry is real, and before long, the steamy video is blazing up the charts. 

       Then Jesse makes Katie a tantalizing offer: act as his girlfriend for six weeks while he promotes his new album. The only catch? Their sizzling make-out sessions will be for the cameras only. Which suites Katie just fine, since she's not about to trust her heart to rock's most legendary lover. Her body though? Maybe.

       As it turns out, pretending to fall in love is incredibly sexy...And falling in love for real, with a man she promised not to fall for? Irresistible.

     I thought I would like Dirty Like Me given how much I enjoyed the sample. But it was only once I getting more into the story that I found myself not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong it was a fine read but not one that I would want to read again or one that would make me want to continue on with this series. 

Quit Bein' Ugly (The Southern Gentlemen #3) By: Lani Lynn Vale

        There's a crush, and then there are the type of feelings that Croft Cruisie evokes from a person. He's everything that any straight woman would want: tall, handsome, charismatic, muscular, and sweet. At least, Carmichael thought he was sweet, until he brings another woman to the gym she owns with her brother, on the night that's to be their first date, and lets her know in a quick and painful, non-verbal way that her feelings are not reciprocated. Fast forward six months, and she's still trying to move on from the rejection. It doesn't help that the jerk moves in next door to her, and that she has to see him workout shirtless every single day. How can a woman get over a silly crush when that silly crush won't so much as give her room to breath?

        Croft doesn't know what happened. One day he was supposed to go on a date with the girl that wouldn't leave his thoughts for even a second, and the next she's avoiding him like the plague. No matter how hard he tries - and admittedly, it isn't all that hard due to the biggest case of his career taking over his life - and can't get her to tell him what he did wrong. She refuses to give him a second chance. At least, not until he's nearly killed in front of the courthouse, that is. The moment he sees his chance, he pounces. Or, more literally, he limps. But the limping is what draws Carmichael in. The Southern charm that was instilled in him since birth will be what gets her to stay. That's his plan, anyway. Funny thing about plans...they never seem to work out how you expect them to.

     I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this read but I thought why not just give it a try. And I was actually surprised with how much I liked reading Quit Bein' Ugly. Did I like it enough to read this story again, yes. And did I like it enough to want to read more books in this series, sadly no. While I did enjoy reading Croft and Carmichael's story there didn't seem to be another couple or person that jumped out at me that made me want to read their story and continue on with the series. 

Forever Lies (The Five Families #1) By:

      Stuck in an elevator with the most gorgeous man Alessia has ever seen - Who thought that kind of thing actually happened? This man wasn't just attractive; he was animal magnetism personified. He was every crush and craving - each desire and fantasy - all rolled into one.

      The problem? There was something sinister lurking beneath that tempting facade. Something dark and ruthless. 

      Luca Romano locked his sights on Alessia the moment those elevator doors closed. She couldn't escape him, no matter how hard she tried. There was a mutinous side of Alessia that didn't want to run. As if she ever had a choice...

      I find myself enjoying a good mafia romance book every now and then. Anytime I found one that sounds interestingly enough I like to try and give them a read whenever I can. And that's what happened with Forever Lies, it popped up on my suggest read list and sounded good enough so I thought why not? I'll tell you why not, Forever Lies just did not do it for me. What sounded good wasn't as good as I thought it would be and I found myself skimming through pages just to make it through. Needless to say I won't be continuing on with this series. 

Freed By: E L James

 

      Freed, is the sixth book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series and it's a retelling of the third book in the trilogy (Fifty Shades Freed) only it's told from Christian's point of view.    

      I have been waiting to read Freed since I first found out that E.L. James was rewriting the Fifty Shade Trilogy from Christian's point of view. And can I just say that Freed did not disappoint. I loved every minute of it and managed to finish this book in no time at all. There were a few scenes that I really enjoyed reading such as when Christian finds out of Ana's dad, what went on when Christian saw Elena again and finally when he learned the connection between him and Hyde. Overall, this whole retelling of the series was great and I will definitely be reading it again.

Amusement By: Albany Walker

      She's everything he shouldn't want, but exactly what he craves.

      Lucy bleeds innocence the way Rafe radiates darkness, but the moment she walked into his club, she became his. She just didn't know it. Rafe'll be the one to ruin her, and she will love every second of it.  

      Lucy's life seems rather simple from the outside. She's the devoted daughter of a former rodeo champion, but her boots are firmly planted in the dirt of their family ranch. She never wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps and perform in the arena. She's never craved the spotlight. But an accident changed everything. Now Lucy spends her nights on stage and her days in the barn. Dancing has paid the bills for the past two years, but no one knows her secret. Or so she thought. 

      I wanted to read Amusement as soon as I saw that Albany Walker had wrote the book and that's because of how much I enjoyed the last book of her's that I read. It was only once I started reading Amusement that I realize not only what it not what I thought it would be I apparently had built this book up in my head too much for what it actually was. But I guess that's what happens when you wait a while for a book to come out and all you have is your imagination to go with and not much to work with in terms of a synopsis.

The Invitation BY: Vi Keeland

      The first time Stella met Hudson Rothschild was at a wedding. She had received an unexpected invitation to one of the swankiest venues in the city. Hudson was a groomsman and quite possibly the most gorgeous man Stella had ever laid eyes on. He asked her to dance, and their chemistry was off the charts.  Stella knew it wasn't a good idea to get involved with him, considering the wedding she was at. But their connection was intense, and she was having a great time.

      Though the fun came to a screeching halt when Hudson figured out Stella wasn't who she said she was. You see, that unexpected invitation she received. Well, it hadn't actually been addressed to Stella - it was sent to her ex-roommate who'd bounced a check for two months' rent and moved out in the middle of the night, but she guessed, technically, she was crashing the wedding.

       Once caught, she couldn't get out of there fast enough. As Stella bolted for the door, she might've plucked a few bottle of expensive champagne off the tables she passed, all while the gorgeous, angry groomsman was hot on her tail.

        Outside, she jumped into a taxi. Her heart ricocheted against her ribs as they drove down the block-but at least she escaped unscathed. Or so Stella thought. Until she realized she'd left her cell phone behind at the table. Take one guess who found it.

      I knew I wanted to read The Invitation as soon as I read the synopsis and even more once I read the book's sample. It was only once I actually started reading the book that my option of it changed. I thought The Invitation was going to go one way but it ended up going in a completely different direction. So much so I found myself not only unable to get into this book but also unable to even finish reading it. I'm not even sure if I fully made it halfway through before I finally just gave up with the whole thing.