Book-A-Holic Anon

Claire has always been the resident good girl. You know the ones who never do wrong and always fit the perfect mold? She's making it on her own with a very successful floral business but has always had a soft spot for resident bad boy Jake. When Jake actually makes a move on her at her friend's wedding she can't help but give in and take something for herself this one time. Unfortunately this one time ends up being something that will change her life forever and also provide her with something that is more than she could have ever dreamed possible. She's strong, sassy and at the same time extremely vulnerable but I loved the undercurrent of steel she has to have dealt with some of the things she has. Sure to everyone else she's always perfectly put together but man does she have some demons of her own that get put to rest in this book. I loved how much she tried to keep herself guarded against what seemed too good to be true but she also did let him in when the moment was right even though he hurt her to the core.Jake…. sigh… Jake! Man he has some explaining to do and groveling to accomplish. Not only did he have sex with the minister's daughter, ya know the man who saved him from himself, but he also left without saying much of anything then was gone for 6 weeks working without so much as a it was fun speech. He's always played outside the lines but when you find out what has driven him all these years your heart will break for the kid who should have never had to deal with what he did and the man that kid has become. When he finds out the repercussions of that single night with Claire he is floored and wants to truly do the right thing. He works extremely hard to prove to Claire that he is going to do right by her but she wants more than he believes himself worthy of. I admit to shedding a tear when his past comes out but I also loved how her father and his family truly stepped up to do right by him when the truth finally came out. This is a man who deserves every bit of happiness he and Claire will have in the future and I hope we get to see more glimpses of them from Ms. James.Thanks to Entangled Publishing for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review. I definitely will keep my eye out for more by Ms. James.

Ummm Stacy… sweetie… You can breathe again! You gave me another fun story with two people who are truly meant to be together even with their different backgrounds. I adored the two of them even when I wanted to yell at the heroine to see him for who he is now not the legend.Payton didn't have the best childhood with her mom and dad. She was definitely a daddy's girl and when he died the last thing tying her to her hometown was gone. She's made a life for herself as a successful pediatrician in Houston but decided to come home for her high school reunion in order to put the ghosts to rest. Instead we get to see her really take stock of her life and start to want more than what the logical side of her is willing to contemplate she could have. I liked her ability to see Wiley in a different light from everyone else in most respects but honestly got frustrated with her putting him in the same box as others do when it came to his ability to love. She tended to judge people fairly quickly which did make sense after what she dealt with growing up but admittedly it did get me a little frustrated.Wiley was something else. He really wants to put the high school reputation to rest but when you live in a small town nothing is ever forgotten. Does he like women? Yes. I appreciated that he owned up to his reputation but I also felt that he tended to take too much on the chin and not speak up at how much it was getting to him to those who kept bringing it up. He's a great guy and when he realizes who the beautiful woman is at the reunion he just can't help but want to get to know the grown-up version of the only female outside of family that really got him. He truly did see behind her mask in high school and when he realized that he hurt her by his teenage behavior he apologized and owned up to it.Their relationship is quick, hot and filled with a bit of angst as they both realize that they have something special that might be worth holding on to. I'd love a chance to see them in a few years just to see how things are going so if Stacy wants to write more about Bitterthorn I'd be happy to read it.Thanks to NetGalley.com and Carina Press for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

3.5

A nice twist on the whole one virgin in the couple. I liked that this time the hero was a virgin and the heroine was more experienced.Avery isn't looking for anything other than someone to scratch an itch and she is enthralled by a man she sees at a party. The only issue is he doesn't seem to be interested in her but his friend is and she is a bit stunned to find that even though the friend would scratch her itch she doesn't really want him. Instead she heads home alone to think about this stunning man only to find her mystery guy lives upstairs from her. She's startled awake later by strange noises and a man attempting to break in but of course our lovely mystery man comes to save the day. As she spends more and more time around him she finds herself wanting more than to just scratch an itch which terrifies her due to her past. I liked how she handled his announcement and even though I did find myself frustrated at times with her pushing this amazing man away I was happy when she finally let him in. She's been burned so many times and to see her finally let her walls down for him was nice to see. I liked her strength and her own acknowledgement that what she's been doing maybe isn't what she wants but fear held her back for so long.Bennett is one sexy man. I loved his reasoning behind being a virgin still and appreciated that while he was one he didn't look down on others who chose to have sex. I understood why he felt the way he did and adored how persistent he was with Avery. He showed an amazing amount of patience every time she pushed him away but when he first saw her he knew there was something special there and didn't want to risk letting it go. I liked that he didn't accept her reasoning during the last conflict but he's such a great guy he is willing to wait everything out because in his heart he knows they have something rare. He's sexy, protective without being smothering and tattooed… who could resist??? I would love to have met someone like him when I was younger to build a relationship with.Overall this was a nice read and I would gladly read more about them or more about their friends...Thanks to NetGalley.com and Intermix for giving me the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Other than a I'm on birth control so we don't have to use a condom even though we really don't know one another moment I really enjoyed this title. The whole don't use a condom thing for a first time new hook-up is a pet peeve thing of mine but hey we all have our moments.Ainsley is in trouble. She's fled California with just what she's wearing and her purse but nothing more. She's driving on a backroad in Montana when she almost runs over a tiger?? really a tiger??? in Montana?? She's understandably thinking that she must be hallucinating due to stress and the fact that she's freezing in this piece of junk truck with no heat she bought with cash but she didn't really just see a tiger in the snowstorm did she? She ends up telling jokes to it as it stares at her through the window of her truck until a deputy shows up to help her get out of the now totaled vehicle. When she ends up in a bar begging for work she knows she's hit rock bottom but where else can she go since she doesn't know if it was her uncle or brother that tried to have her killed? She was a lot tougher than people made her out to be and I found her to be a perfect foil for our hero. I liked how she wanted to earn her own way and not rely completely on others but also liked that she really did work to understand what was going on around her even while her life was falling apart. She takes finding out about the existence of shifters in a rational way, if locking yourself in a closet with a tray of brownies could be considered rational. I wasn't quite as fond of her treatment of Luc at the end but I did understand it even though it sort of was over the top.Luc knows from the moment he sees her that she's going to be nothing but trouble. He's determined to send her on her way but as he learns more about what is driving her he just can't do it. He's also instantly attracted to her which also makes him really want to run the other way as he can't take letting someone get close to him again after losing his entire family in a dam break. He's a goner though and we all know it which makes this a fun story. I felt for him when he gets news that rocks him down to his core and understood why he behaved like a complete and utter jerk to her. I didn't like it but I really did understand it. I loved how he goes out of his way to try to help everyone in town as they have become his new family even if he doesn't completely want to admit it. He's gruff but so sweet and gentle with Ainsley as she heals and seeing him be so afraid of hurting her was heartwarming. I also admit he pulled my heartstrings when he struggles to help his old friend, Ian, come back from shapeshifter hell.This was a fun title with a bit of angst with both the main players and a secondary character that I want to see more of. I want to see Ian get his HEA and find what he needs to make him whole again. I have to say thanks to Entangled Publishing - Covet - for giving me the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Caitlyn is minding her own business but in a life-changing moment ends up saving a man's life. She doesn't know it at the time but this one moment is going to bring her something she never imagined and a life better than she dreamed possible. She's got some major issues in her past with a father that was extremely abusive and an ex male friend who was grooming her to be his possession. I liked how even with all this she still was willing to let Spencer in but was not happy with her lack of trust for someone who worked his ass off to make her comfortable. I understood it but it did get me a bit frustrated. She's strong and the fact that she was willing to put herself in harm's way to help people made her worthy of anything she ever desired but was afraid to hope for.Spencer is almost back to the top of his game in rugby but his past keeps haunting him. He was at the pinnacle in his youth but a stupid mistake almost cost him everything and has kept him from being willing to have anything more than off-season flings. When his grandfather almost dies but is saved by a beautiful woman he is thankful and of course attracted to her. He decides to pursue her even though once he finds out her secret he wonders can he really do this. They come to an agreement that this is no-strings and has a definite end date as she is leaving plus his rugby season will start soon. Of course as they spend more time together he finds himself craving her for more than just sex but for the conversations they have and the way she makes him feel. He thinks he is finally away from the horror of his past until at the worst possible moment it comes back to haunt him. I adored his patience and his caring nature hidden behind the rugby player.I hope that Kat tells us more stories about his teammates as I really enjoyed seeing the interactions between them and the support (hard time) they gave Spencer at key moments. Thanks to Carina Press and NetGalley.com for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

I found myself truly enjoying this book and the ways it brought up how the public perception of a gay man's behavior colors the choices that they may have for employment. The images that Ms Belleau brings forth as Christian tries desperately to deny his identity in favor of becoming a kindergarten teacher were heartbreaking as none deserves to have to suppress their inherent nature in hopes of a job. Unfortunately I do know many instances of having to hide the fact that you are homosexual for a career even today and for me that is fundamentally sad. Christian is wound up so tight it is even funny but if he wants to be a kindergarten teacher he has to fulfill a certain public image of straight, conservative male even though he is not truly like that. When he takes a room at an unconventional house he ends up being forced to face up to his life and the choices he is making that deny everything core to his psyche other than his need to teach. He gets some horrible news about the only person who loved who he truly is and ends up having to take risks to save what she built, Rear Entrance Video… a porn store that also sells some fun extras. He knows if anyone finds out about him working there it means the loss of his dream but when confronted with his aunt losing her livelihood and passion he just has to do the right thing. Along the way he ends up having a hidden affair with Max but finds that he isn't sure if his dream of teaching is worth the damage he is doing to his relationship. Does he really want to hide who he is (other than the store) or does he want to be accepted as a gay man who wants to teach?Max is a wild child with many hidden depths. He ends up with money but no one knows what he does for a living and Christian first guesses drug dealer. He is open with his sexuality and forces Christian to not only confront the insanity of his suppressing their attraction but also forces him to open his eyes and realize that sometimes taking a risk to help the ones you love is worth it. Not taking the risk would be more damaging that anything that could come out of helping and the guilt you would have would choke any joy you possibly could have from teaching. He's very willing to be open with Christian and gets fed up with being a hidden secret as their relationship heats up. I liked how he was willing to be patient with Christian initially but then pushed him out of his shell to become the man we loved at the end. He's something else and I can't wait to see more of them as the stories come out.This is a very good read with some hard moments when you are witness to how much some people are willing to sacrifice just in order to conform. This makes me sad as I believe people should not be judged by if they love the same-sex or opposite sex but by their actions to the world at large. I have to thank NetGalley.com and the wonderful people at Riptide Publishing that gave me access to this title with no restrictions on how I chose to review it or if I did. I really enjoyed the title and am looking forward to more.

*Sigh* where do I start with this one?? Well I guess I first start with an apology to Dee because I’ve had this for a bit on my Kindle but have been a bit sidetracked on what title released what date. So Dee I’m extremely sorry that it took me this long to fall in love with Locke but now that I’ve finally read it I’m truly kicking myself for taking so long. He’s just amazing and the fact you gave him a partner that won’t let him roll all over her is just amazing.As much as I want to gush about Locke I’m going to start with talking about the woman who was lucky enough to catch his attention and his devotion. Susie owns the local lingerie and other fun items shop but other than this she’s a bit of a mystery to the town. Sure she’s close to Amanda Jackman but otherwise she’s a bit private in her off-hours and other than one incredible interlude in a remote cabin is not involved with anyone. Does she harbor thoughts about the big man across the street who can get her revved up with just a look? Yes… is she hiding something huge from her past that makes her feel like no matter how badly she craves him she shouldn’t lead him on? Yes. Is she hiding something more pressing from him than her past? Oh yes she is but with her history she’s not going to spill the beans on this time bomb until she can have 3 more days to fret and worry. She’s strong but with her history carries an amazing amount of baggage that will make you truly feel for her as much as you want to yell at her for pushing Locke away. She just can’t see beyond the past to a future she really does deserve with a man that would do anything to make her happy. Ok … I can’t hold out on gushing over Locke any more… I just can’t. He’s just an amazing character that you wish was waiting around the corner for you to find and have fall in love with you. He can be a bit overbearing but you can tell it really does come out of a place of love and not out of a need to control every action you make. He’s put his life on hold to raise and keep together his family after the death of their parents but he really doesn’t feel that he made a huge sacrifice as his family means the world to him. When he sets eyes on Susie he knows that this woman is the one for him and also senses that she’s not going to make the pursuit of her easy so he just works on being a part of her life until the one day when their mutual lust explodes at his cabin. Once they get back to town she’s even more determined to keep him out but he’s even more sure that this is the one for him and will do what he can to make her understand. When her secrets come out he shows an amazing amount of patience and compassion while doing everything he can to prove that she can trust him and trust in them. I have to say watching such a strong man struggle with his need to protect the woman he loves and her need to prove her own strength was amazing. I’ve also got to say he broke my heart a few times as we watch him brought to his knees by some of her actions (trust me she means well but man seeing him in pain was just….). Ok Locke love-fest over as man I could continue talking about him for a very very long time. Thanks to Dee for sharing this story with me with no expectation of a favorable review… I adored him!!

This is going to be a very short review as it is a fairly short story.Zola has gone thru hell and back watching her sidekick get killed in front of her threw her in to a mental breakdown that she still doesn't feel healed from. She's given up being the main planner for the superheroes guild but isn't really living life yet. She's brought back in to the fold when 3 major criminals get loose from the psychiatric facility they've been held in but she's still not convinced she's really ready to be what people desperately want from her.Fort was the one who managed to get Zola functional but has his own major secrets that he holds on to until the very end of this story. He's sexy but you always get the sense that there is something holding him back from really taking what he wants from Zola. I liked him and loved what he risked to help her. He's very much more than just a doctor but is really a great match for Zola.This was a very neat take on superheroes and I am looking forward to more from this series. I can't say much more because there is a nice twist in this story that deserves to stay hidden until the reader finds it. Thanks to NetGalley.com and Entangled Publishing for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Cute… 3.5I really enjoyed this sweet story of a man who wants someone to love him for him and a woman who wants to be someone who matters.Michelle is not having a good first week. She's trying to get her timesheet printed for her boss but for some reason the stupid printer won't work. She ends up running in to a guy from the help desk that manages to figure out that she's pointed to the wrong printer but she also ends up finding herself flirting with him. She's very naive and yet has such a great heart that you can't help but wanting her to find happiness in the big city. She's so excited to be working for such a wonderful company that she overlooks quite a few instances where her new boyfriend tries to explain who he really is and where if she'd pay attention the facts would have come out much earlier and in a much better fashion than they did. I liked her but I found myself wanting to yell at her to quit falling back to the whole I'm just a small-town girl thing when stuff doesn't go her way.Noah… I loved Noah. Yes he did something sort of shady by not letting her know who he actually was but I understood why he acted the way he did. It wasn't anything meant to hurt or embarrass her he just loved being wanted for who he was and not his money. He really did try to let her know but was always so afraid to come completely clean as he didn't want the relationship to change. I loved what he was willing to do to make things right and his true understanding of who she really is and what value she has to him and others around her was refreshing. He didn't look down on her for not finishing school but instead loved how her ideas were fresh and truly inspired. He just had a knack for bringing out the best in people around him and I hope that his next venture really does bring him long-term happiness.Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Entangled Publishing for giving me the chance to read this sweet story in exchange for my honest review.

Now this is a dragon story I can get behind and adore. I'm excited that there are three titles planned for this series and cannot wait until I can get my greedy little hands on them. I was lucky enough to read this a few months ago because of the fabulous Angela James and read it again from a NetGalley copy just in case anything changed between then and now. The story is still as charming as it was then and I can't wait until more people get to read it. You'll laugh at some of the antics that our heroine has to deal with but I hope you'll fall in love with the world that Lorenda creates.Myrna is having a crappy year and today just seems to be icing on the cake. Between having to calm a hysterical pregnant dragon and dealing with an irate farmer she just isn't in the mood to deal with much more. She just wants this nightmare to end and time to go back to when she had a job she loved plus a boyfriend who was on the way to being the love of her life until he disappeared with important documents that she wasn't supposed to have at home. She's forced to become a secretary for the unit she thought she'd be a supervisor at one day and do her bosses job since he's an incompetent fool. When she learns that her ex is in the employ of the North American Dragon lord and that she'll have to work with him on an important job it just is too much to bear. She's still struggling with the fact that she wants him even as he continues to keep secrets about what exactly his purpose is and a huge secret about exactly what he is from her. I liked her spunk and willingness to put herself in harms way in order to get to the truth and that she really did work hard to do what was best even though a part of her just wanted to run away. Trian knows what he did to Myrna was cruel and awful but he had to do it for reasons he couldn't share with her. He's a good guy and really was caught off-guard by how much he came to care for her but there was more at stake than just a single relationship. He still wants her once he sees her again but knows it is going to take a lot to get back in her good graces. I liked how he didn't want to risk her life but also didn't seem to completely try to hold her back. I did get frustrated with how long it took him to actually come clean to her about why he did what he did but I understood how he was caught in a bad spot with information that couldn't become public. I especially loved his major secret and cannot wait to see more of how this impacts the world at large. He's loyal to a fault but with good reason and you have to give him credit for really feeling like crap about how his actions impacted the woman he loves.About the only thing I would have liked to see more of was the main pair together and working on their relationship. There are so many outside forces in this story that they got a bit lost but I still enjoyed it overall. Thanks to NetGalley.com and Carina Press for giving me this copy for review with no expectations on what my thoughts would be.A huge thank you to Angela James for giving me a crack at this months ago as it really made my dragon-loving heart happy. :-)

Just like Mystic Cowboy Sarah takes us back to the White Sandy in Masked Cowboy. We get to see Rebel and Madeline again but this is about Jacob and his lady-love Mary-Beth with a side visit to the reservation. We get to see who has been behind the poisonings and find out more about the town that surrounds the reservation.Mary-Beth has always kept moving away from things that seem too much like relationships. She always leaves her romantic entanglements and isn't looking for anything other than the chance to get her new veterinary practice off the ground away from everyone she knows. When she gets to see the show that a masked cowboy puts on she's incredibly drawn to this mysterious sexy man but is more intrigued by the little girl she sees him pick up. Who is this little girl and how can she help with her? As she gets drawn in to the mystery of poisoned animals and the little girl she also finds herself spending more time with a man who gets under her skin in a way she never has experienced. I liked how outspoken she was and especially appreciated how much she was unwilling to let Jacob treat her as if she didn't matter. She pushed him to open up to her but in a way that you were rooting for and not one that turned you off. My heart broke for her at the end but man Jacob knew what to do even if it didn't seem like it at first.Jacob is obviously hiding something as he wears a mask but he also keeps to himself and doesn't let many people close to him since the incident that left him scarred. He's got a child no one knew about and is working for a man no one likes but there has to be more to the story than people understand. What we find out is a man who is stuck in a holding pattern protecting everything he holds dear from a man bent on destroying the reservation. He hides behind the mask because of the damage he sustained when he lost his first and only love but also uses it as a crutch to keep others at bay. He's determined to keep Mary-Beth at a distance because he doesn't believe himself worthy of love but after a stormy interlude in a remote cabin he just can't do it. When the worst thing imaginable almost happens to Mary-Beth he reacts in such a heart-warming way that you can't help but want him for yourself. The level of trust he puts in her very early on was amazing and seeing her return his trust with equal abandon was wonderful even as they both kept a bit distant. Your heart will break for the hell he has been through at the hands of an insane individual but will sing when you see him let Mary-Beth in.This is a couple who don't have an easy path to love but it is a love you know will last as it is built on mutual respect and need plus a good dose of friendship. I cannot thank Sarah enough for sharing a copy of this with me early as I really enjoyed it. I'm ready for more in the series especially… Nobody!!!

2.5I'm going to have to admit that I struggled with rating this book for one major reason:I'm a huge, huge, huge dragon fan. You tell me something has a dragon in it and man oh man do you have someone that wants it. This makes me very susceptible to reading titles that I would normally run away from or not finish. This being said we are going to do this review a bit differently from my normal reviews as I can't do my normal paragraph about each main character to sum up how this ended up with a 2.5 rating. My likes (what will get me to try the next book if there is one):The world - I loved the idea of dragons hiding in plain sight in Las Vegas. This fascinated me and I can't help but want to see another story about them.The fact there is dragons… did ya not see my initial comment??? LOL I know I'm easy but as some saw when they met me at RT you say dragons and I PERK!The hero - While he had his issues I liked how much he wanted his people to be safe and have a place to live where they could be themselves. He also handled finding out his mate was human in a very good way even though he tended to ignore the issues between them unless they were forced on him.The implications of mating vs no mating - I found it interesting that if a male dragon does not find his mate by a certain age he loses his form. I mean it does cause him a lot of pressure but I liked that the author made it where the females do not have that same sense of pressure. If they don't find their mates or find that the mate is lacking in some form they don't have to complete the bond. Does it suck for the men? Yes in a way but no as well… it can force them to actually listen to their female to make them happy which in my opinion could help everyone in the long run.My dislikes (which is why this got a low grade):Joey - The heroine's brother is just such a lowlife you just can't help but want to smack her for wasting so much damn time on him. He's childish, spoiled and inconsiderate of anyone around him. His head is so far up his own ass for 99% of the book that you just don't get why she tolerates his stupidity and obvious attitude that she doesn't matter. I must admit I wasn't happy with something that happens right at the end with him but if he isn't the hero in the next book and we get to see him maybe start to grow up in the next title I might be able to handle seeing his book.The heroine - Dear Lord I don't even freakin know where to go with her. She does stuff in this book that pissed me off to no end in hopes that she might finally save her brother from being a moron. She's got this amazing connection with our hero and yet every chance she has to tell him what is going on she doesn't even though she knows that what she's doing is harmful for him. When she's confronted with exactly what he is does she then tell him her own secret… of course not… What does this wonderfully supposedly smart individual do? She plots to steal from him in order to save her idiot of a brother who has already proven she doesn't freaking matter to him! I mean she calls him desperately needing help and what does this ass do? He keeps pushing her to get him in good with a mobster by stealing from the man who has done nothing but help her. I swear I just wanted to scream at her to open her freaking eyes already.Ok so now that you have found out my dirty little secret weakness… I wanted to love this title but the heroine and her idiotic brother just really worked my last nerve and I just couldn't recover completely. While I think I will check out the next one in the series, if there is one, I probably won't be in a huge hurry to do so but hope that the side characters we met in Alec's retinue will get their HEAs and they will find a partner that is worthy of them rather than one who has so many TSTL moments you just want to scream.Thanks to Entangled Publishing for giving me the chance to read this as I did enjoy the world the author built but wished both parts of the main pair were worthy of each other.

Where do I start with this one? My heart broke watching three damaged souls find one another as they all in one way or another gave up when things didn't make sense. We have a Dom that feels like everyone leaves, a female submissive that buries her own sexuality under what she feels society expects and a switch who is so damaged by his past he feels unworthy of anything good. Yeah this will make you cry for all of them but man oh man you'll also find something heartwarming as they find their ways to heal one another and become strong.Allie is repressed. She's successful in her career but she's got such a narrow view of what is acceptable in love and relationships she's keeping herself locked down. She was raised by a very religious household so she has a very puritanical view of sex and relationships that has been tested by watching her friends fall in love with Doms and also her own attraction to Seth and Tyler. She ends up doing some things to keep herself separate from them but finds that maybe her narrow views aren't exactly right but how can she make this unconventional thing work unless she's willing to put herself completely on the line.Seth has lived his life always trying to take care of others and yet keep his distance. He's comfortable in his own sexuality and finds himself drawn to both Allie and Tyler. When he gets drawn in to stop a horrible scene he gets the chance to have something that could be everything his heart has ever desired. He finds that directing Tyler and Allie satisfies a deep-seated need to control but also allows him a freedom to just be loved. He pushes both of them to be everything they can be sexually but there are so many layers of secrets between the trio that as much as he tries to keep it together he finds it falling apart. He takes responsibility for the mistakes that the three of them all make and for that almost loses everything because of his need to protect. I loved how much he was willing to do for them but his patience and true caring made me adore him.Tyler… sigh… He broke my heart in so many ways. When we first meet him he's at rock bottom acting as a whore for men and has just been brutalized by a client in The Den. He's been told that he's worthless his whole life and now being an escort/whore has made him really believe that he's never going to be worth anything more than this. He's got a lot of work to do during this and watching him struggle with believing that Seth and Allie really do see him as a human being worthy of love and compassion just made me cry. He's also incredibly sexy in both his submission to Seth and his dominance of Allie that I wanted to see more of them loving one another. There is such an amazing amount of joy when they all three come together that you just feel pouring off the page. Seeing him spread his wings and heal with the help of therapy was amazing as he has such a huge heart and finding that he was worth love meant everything to him.I have to thank Carina Press and Netgalley.com for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review. I know the review does not do this book justice but go ahead and read it. I think you'll melt as you see three people find something they all thought they'd never have.

This was a very well done start to a new series that I hope continues for quite a few books. I enjoyed the main pair but the questions surrounding Nero and exactly what Sebastian's end game might be had me wanting more.Lana hasn't had the best of lives but recently when she thought it couldn't get any worse she gets a huge wakeup call in the form of a hard-headed man. She's been tossed from foster home to foster home and since she hit 18 she's been dealing with once monthly (at the new moon) memory lapses that have ended up with her having blood on her hands (squirrel) with no recollection of what she had been up to the night before. This has made her doubt everything and yearn for some sense of family or belonging but due to being chased by some unknown people with tattoos on their arms of a lion's head she just can't rest or stay put for any amount of time. She makes due with freelance writing jobs and a strong sense of self but craves companionship and love. I liked how strong she is and how real it felt when she did struggle with her emerging feelings for our hero but also got frustrated with some of the stupid, reckless things she does to find out the truth.Adam isn't expecting to find his mate in the shape of a woman who happens to be a species his Pack would never accept. When he meets Lana he is bowled over by her lack of knowledge about what she is and also by his primal reaction to her. He knows this can never work but also knows that he cannot step aside and let her go. He works with her to find out the truth about what she is and why the Nero group is hunting her but as he does so he realizes he will have to make a choice - stay with his Pack and let her go …. or stay with her and leave his Pack. He's got such a strong sense of self but when he finds his true partner he really struggles with what is the right thing to do. I liked that nothing was easy for him but he still wanted to do the right thing even as it caused him pain. He really is an honest man and to see him struggle with what was right for him versus what would work for the Pack he's been groomed to rule was painful at times. I felt for him as he had to work on his relationship with Lana while at the same time keeping something that should be a cause for rejoicing so quiet and hidden from his family and friends. I appreciated that he realized how much keeping her a dirty secret hurt her on a fundamental level and even when he said some really horrible things to her I never lost faith in his realizing they weren't warranted.Both of the main pair have major issues to work through and while they both make mistakes they were understandable. I especially enjoyed the side-characters and hope you will as well. I know I can't wait to see more of this series and will be keeping a close eye out for more.Thanks to Entangled Publishing for giving me the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

4.5Kelly has a dream job as a publicist for the San Francisco Blaze baseball team. She loves her job but also would love to have a love like her sister has found. She's got some major issues with the fact the team brought in a catcher to replace the catcher that is out due to an accident. This catcher is the same man who insulted her to no end at a dinner with her sister and now she has to work with the train wreck that is Matt. She also finds herself incredibly attracted to this infuriating man but has her own body image issues to work thru. She's strong, feisty and definitely able to stand up to such a strong man. I loved how much she was wiling to put herself out there to try to help an intern and also to help our damaged Matt heal. She was such a strong character and I found myself proud of what she had accomplished even as she fell apart at the seams. I also loved how much she put on the line with Matt even as things got rough. Matt is such a great hero even when he behaves like an ass. I adored him as we got to know him and watching him struggle with his past was heartbreaking but seeing him open up to Kelly was lovely. He's such a hard person to like initially as we do not know what exactly is causing him to lash out but I liked that the author gave us a chance to see his own inner struggle. Even as he says and does things that are hurtful you got to see that it wasn't as callous as he was making it seem but that he hated himself even as he was saying or doing those things. I adored when he did let the softer side show and also that he was so amazing when Kelly shared her own struggles. I understood why he did what he did towards the end of the story even though it pissed me off royally. He really put his heart out there for Kelly even though he didn't say the words until it was almost too late but when he does it was just beautiful.Thanks to NetGalley.com and Carina Press for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.