Off the Shelf : Down to You by Jayne Frost

*ARC REVIEW*

Please note that this book was provided for free by the author's publishing PR in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check out my full book review policy on my blog for more details.

Another sixth street bands novel!

If anyone else remembers, I really enjoyed the last book in the series Lost for You, much to my surprise. As I’ve said before rockstar romance isn’t my usual jam but Lost for You showed me that I shouldn’t be so quick to judge and risk a tango with a rockstar and his lady love every now and then! 

So Down to You is the story of Logan and Tori who are in a bit of bind when Logan ends up in a scuffle (in the physical and legal sense) that results in Tori being his (almost) constant companion as Logan’s band is on the road as a part of the Twin Souls concert tour. The two can barely stand each other...or so it seems, and it isn’t long before ride-alongs reveal that there’s more to Logan than the panty ripper he wants everyone to see and that there’s more going on with Tori than the people in her life have been willing to see. 

Let’s talk about Logan. Logan, Logan, Logan. He was really sweet but also charming with a bit of a naughty side. I loved him! I loved how he was going through so much but still had the ability to show caring and compassion for someone else. I loved how he was this awesome rocker who sang lead in the band but also had this big vulnerability that he only allowed a few people to see. He was a bad boy in a few ways-his penchant for fist fights being one-but getting to see beyond that and getting to experience his emotions as he fell for Tori was thrilling and downright swoon worthy. 

Now onto Tori. My last review of this series was really outspoken about how I didn’t like-read hated-the way Tori treated her best friend Taryn in the last novel. She came across as unnecessary sharp and a little selfish. It’s odd. Reading about Taryn from Tori’s perspective I kind of felt the same way about Taryn this time around. I found it infuriating that Taryn had expectations of who Tori should end up with and how she bucked against Tori’s revelation of feelings for Logan. I don’t know how I feel about their friendship. I just don’t know if I would want a friendship as messy-for lack of a better word-as theirs! That being said I think Taryn and Tori’s relationship represented what can happen to friends when real grief is present and when friends have to move on and the relationships between people grow and change as they do. 

I can’t say I found Tori particularly sympathetic and I can admit that tarnished my enjoyment of the book a bit. I felt like I was fully rooting for Logan and only halfheartedly rooting for Tori but that being said I still enjoyed the book! I loved how it depicted the life of musicians on the road and how it would be difficult to juggle that and a family (cue gushing at the cuteness that is Willow-baby)! I loved it showed the atypical family unit that develops on the road and the brotherhood between band mates. It honestly felt like I was given a back stage pass to the best show in town and I really enjoyed it, especially the last concert (which I won’t go into because I don’t want to ruin it for everyone). All that I will say was that that last show helped me to understand Tori’s grief so much more. It made it real and helped me get how she had struggled to move on from the death of her husband. 

This was a brilliant read and I gave it a rocking 3.5 stars! It had romance, rockstars and a roadtrip to remember! I enjoyed it and can happily reassure everyone that Mac got what he deserved. 

To get what you deserve-an awesome read that’ll put a smile on your face-pick up Down to You!

Jayne Frost can be visited here.

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf : Big Talking Man by Marquita Valentine

*ARC REVIEW*

Please note that this book was provided for free by the author's publishing PR in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check out my full book review policy here for more details.
Oh man. I can’t believe that I’m saying this but I didn’t enjoy this book. I thought I would love it having adored the first one in the series but I think that the problems I had with it just overwhelmed me to the point where I couldn’t enjoy it too much at all. 

I try to be positive about books and in keeping with that theme I’m going reveal what I could have done without in this book and what I actually liked.

Ok, negatives first. The premise of the book just didn’t work for me. It was so clear to me who between Tate and Quinn was at fault for the breakdown in their relationship and I just didn’t see the need for the person who, in my view, hadn’t done anything wrong, to beg for the other person to take them back. I found myself so confused by this as I was reading. It felt like such an unnecessary difficulty that I just didn’t see the need for all the groveling and begging that happened in the book. 

I also struggled with the editing. Now, I have to point out that I received an ARC and of course not all the editing is done at that point but I think it didn’t help my reading experience that I had to keep adding in words to the passages so they made sense or that I had to keep stopping to go back and make sure that I read things right. I am hopeful that this was just a bug with the ARC and won’t be the same for the finished work. 

Because I struggled with the premise, I didn’t find Quinn to be a sympathetic character. I found her to be sort of selfish and immature at times (she's 28!) and that also made it hard for me to get stuck into the novel. I felt like I wasn’t rooting for her so much as I was rooting for Tate who wanted to be with her.

So, on to the positives. I love the Kings of Castle Beach. I feel like there are so many more great stories to tell. Like what’s going on between Barron and Wren? And what about poor Ophelia? In a book where I didn’t necessarily love the leading lady there were plenty of other characters to love! I enjoyed the cameos from Campbell and Knight and loved the continuation of their story as a family. 

I thought the issue of survivor’s guilt was tackled really admirably and there was a part of me that felt all sorts of sad for Quinn when she was going through it. I also thought it was so admirable how she took on the role of the care taker but also how that tied into trying to assuage her guilt. The way she tried to compensate for not being there the one time it felt like it mattered by being there all the time now felt really realistic to me. 

Overall this was a disheartening 3 star read to me. That being said I love this series and will be coming back to Castle Beach in the hope that Ms Valentine has a great one in store for me when I return. 

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf : Tie Breaker by P Dangelico

*ARC REVIEW*

Please note that this book was provided for free by the author's publishing PR in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check out my full book review policy here for more details.

Picture this: You fell in love at the age of 10. Yes, IN LOVE. He was 13 and like all boys at that age not exactly keen on having a girl follow him around while he did cool stuff like jumped off cliffs into lakes. But despite it all you fell in love and you weren’t going to let anybody, not even the love of your life, tell you otherwise...until one night he ruins it all and all you’ve got left is your wicked serve and your grandfather who encourages you to pursue your dreams. You’re getting on fine with your platonic boyfriend slash trainer until one day the one man who always has your back does and all he asks for is one thing...for you come back to the town where it all began.

That’s the story for Maren and Noah and boy was it a doozy! I have to say that second chance romances aren’t my usual cup of tea. It’s weird because I’m into angst but apparently not the angst of a lover scorned or a lover jilted. I think it’s the inevitability of it I don’t like, in the sense that the heroine and hero just can’t resist each other and you know without a doubt they’ll be getting together in the end that does me in (this is the part where everyone screams about HEA novels being the same). Despite that, I had to give this one a try and I have zero regrets!

P Dangelico is a master with the written word and a wizard with the slow burn! I fell in love with the characters and I just wanted them to be happy goshdarnit! I was rooting for them the entire way and the fact that the steamy bits were saved until towards the end it made the book all the more sweet!

My favourite character had to be Rowdy who, although deceased, wrought as much mischief in death as he had in life! I loved how the story was about a love gone wrong but not just between Maren and Noah but between Noah and Rowdy and Maren and Rowdy and how good intentions don’t always translate to good results. 

Noah was sweet and while at first it was hard to forgive what he had done, when I contemplated his head space at the time of the incident I couldn’t help but understand how it had happened if not exactly why. I loved that he was sassy with Maren, but knew when to pull his punches. I loved that he was there for her when she didn’t even know it, how he fought for her and her Rowdy’s bar. I loved how he wanted it all with Maren and was uncompromising.

I thought Maren was both hilarious and stubborn to boot! She wouldn’t let anyone try to tell her Noah had changed and it was actually really cool because she got to see it for herself. I thought she had gone through a lot with her sister’s injury and the way it had changed her family dynamics. Overall I just wanted her to win - on the tennis court and in life.

This book was a 5 star read all the way! I hope Miss Dangelico is writing as fast as she can because my hand is about ready to press pre order on her next book in this awesome series!

I loved the cameos from old characters! It was great seeing how their love continued to be adorable!

Visit Miss Dangelico here...and thank me later!

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf: Something About You by Riley Hart

Ok first things first this book had me pushing the boundaries of what I typically read. There was an element of kink I had never read about before but I was actually able to see and dare I say...understand.

This book is the story of Saint and Lucky, a suave city slicker and family orientated family guy small town guy who couldn’t be more different if they tried. Saint has grown up within the supportive cocoon of his parents and has been alone since their death when he was 18. When he gets an email from Lucky (who everyone else calls Tyler) telling him about a grandmother he didn’t know he had, he’s stunned. That doesn’t stop him from driving down to meet this grandmother, much to the surprise and displeasure of Lucky.

Saint and Lucky had an antagonistic relationship that made me laugh but also had me hooked from the beginning. They were such polar opposites that it was a wonder the two fell for each other in the first place. Saint lives this city life in a high rise apartment, is openly bisexual and is focused on his flourishing career in PR. Lucky is also bisexual but has never dated or been with a man, is the baby of his huge family who worry about him endlessly. When Lucky introduces Saint to his grandmother Alice (a firecracker if I ever read of one!) and the two have to collaborate on the refurbishment of Alice’s family home, sparks fly!

I really loved this story. It was about so many little things pulled together. It was about a sad family history, love spanning decades and Lucky and Saint navigating the past and a potential future. 

I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Alice and Saint develop. It was like they got a second chance to enjoy each other and heal wounds that they didn’t necessarily know about. I loved Alice’s spunk, her zest for life and her bid to drive Saint’s Corvette! 

Riley Hart knows how to do steamy sexy times and this book was no exception! She had me fanning myself at times! It was so great to see the love between these two characters grow and I honestly hope she selves back into this universe soon! 

The book was a 4 star read and if you’re interested in checking it out go here.

TK MAJ