Amy's 5 star ARC Review of Backfire by Keri Lake

STANDALONE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE 

No matter how unbreakable he may seem, every man has a weakness. 

A year ago, my home became a bloodstained crime scene. That night marked the beginning of my hell—the same night I was tortured by my enemies and tossed into an underground prison to die. 

They failed. I survived. 

Now that I’m free, only one motive burns in my soul: revenge. 

Lucky for me, they think Jase Hawkins is dead. Maybe I am. I’ve got nothing but a cold, merciless rage, and Black Betty, the sharp steel blade that never leaves my side. 

Then she drifts into my life. 

Lucia wants answers—so much so, she’s willing to fall into the darkness where my enemies lie in wait, to kill her for what she knows. 

Or to take her for the depraved fantasies her body alone can rouse in a man’s mind. 

Me? I want her for the fire in her touch that feeds my addiction, forces me to feel what has become numb, but my appetite for bloodshed runs deeper than flesh. 

For my own sanity, I’ve vowed to stay away from her. Because she’s my only weakness, an obsession that leaves me craving more—one that could make even the most steadfast plan backfire. 

**Not recommended for readers under the age of 18. Trigger warning for violence, drug abuse and scenes of rape and torture. 

BACKFIRE is a spin-off of RICOCHET and can be read as a standalone.

5 absolutely dark stars

So if you don’t know I LOVE me some dark reads and Keri Lake is the master of masters. If you don’t remember how crazy I was over Ricochet then you need to go back and read my review. It was my first read of hers and now Backfire is my second …. And I cannot get enough. I know there will be at least one more in this series … These books are standalones but dear lord go get Ricochet and read it with this one. Nick will freak your mind. 

Jase Hawkins is with his brother planning to stay at his grandmother's house on Devils Night. He can't understand why the woman won't leave her home and move to a safer place in Detroit but she refuses. The boys have gone back and stayed each year in order to keep her safe and make sure no one messes with her. Protecting her, the last person he loves beside his brother, is the most important thing left in his dark life. Nothing has ever happened while the boys are around until now … the masked men in her house have no desire to leave any of them alive. How do they seem to know his little brother and why are they calling him by his name no one should know. Eleven months later after being held captive someone has given him the opportunity to revenge his family’s death. Nothing will stand in his way. 

Lucia Novakova is a photographer who captures the beauty in the run down spots around the city. Knowing she needs to leave these places before night begins to fall she gets caught up in the old slaughterhouse capturing the shadows in the empty building later than she should ….. being in the wrong spot and the wrong time has just catapulted her into the Seventh Circle …. Being hunted by these men is like throwing a sheep to the wolves. 

Im not going to say another word about what happens and how/why Jase and Lucy come into each others lives. What I can tell you is that it is NOT a love story of skipping through the meadows singing a sweet love song together. Holy shit it's nothing like that. I have never in my life wanted to be a fly on the wall watching this entire horrific and brutal story unfold. Fear, vengeance, brutality and complete disregard for spewing blood everywhere is all over the pages of this sick and twisted story. You will find that there are characters that are not who you think they are. Dear lord I wish there would have been more. 

I seriously feel like a twisted individual after loving these two books so much. I feel like I need to be trudging through the streets in all black leather looking for the bad guys. I do need to warn you. If you do NOT like violence in any sort in the most twisted of events do not click this book. If you loved Ricochet definitely slam your finger over that buy now button. If you aren’t certain.. think along the lines of 8mm … remember that movie … yeah …. I can tell you there isn’t a ton of graphic information but there is some on that particular subject --- I know --- sick and twisted – that’s me and I love it. 

Oh! Also I thought I was going to have to say nope Im done concerning a part involving dogs and fighting but in the end the dog wins ….. so I let out my breath and moved forward. Kill all the humans you want but when you go after my pups … you're done … I won't finish and I won't read you again. So thank you Keri because I thought for a minute I was going to have to toss it! 

Thank you Keri for an absolutely fascinating and traumatizing read. Thank you for trusting us with another ARC! I can't wait for the next release. 

Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Amy's 4 star ARC Review of His To Protect (A Fireside Novel ) by Stacey Lynn

A warm home for broken hearts, the Fireside Grill serves up hope and healing in equal measure. Stacey Lynn’s sensual, deeply emotional series heats up as a jaded restaurateur falls hard for a woman who’s hiding from a damaged past.
 
Declan James lost his last ounce of trust the day his wife walked out the door, leaving him to save the restaurant they built together. Throwing himself into his work, Declan swears off women—or at least, women who expect him to stick around in the morning. But when he discovers a skittish beauty scrounging through the Fireside’s trash to feed her dog, Declan offers her a job and a place to rest her head. There’s just something about her that awakens his protective side. And soon, not even that mangy mutt can stop Declan from caring for her.
 
After one too many trips to the ER, Trina Wilson finally gathered the courage to leave her husband, taking only her car and hyperactive boxer. Unfortunately, life on the run proves harder than she anticipated—until Declan takes a leap of faith on her. But even as Trina starts to see beyond his gruff exterior, she can’t relax, even for a moment. Not with her husband still tracking her down. What Trina doesn’t know is that in Declan, she has a powerful ally—and, if she would only follow her heart, a devoted lover.

Advance praise for His to Protect
 
“Stunning characters and a bright, refreshing voice drew me in on the first page. I didn’t want to put it down!”—New York Times bestselling author Claudia Connor

“There’s just something about a damsel in distress that gets me every time. Add in a strong woman and a dog? I’m done! I loved this book!”—New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker

“His to Protect will have you on the edge of your seat the entire read. I swooned one moment and held my breath the next. Stacey Lynn will leave you wanting more—so much more!”—New York Timesbestselling author Kelly Elliott

“If you’re looking for a hero who might be a little rough around the edges but has a heart of gold, then Declan is definitely your guy. His to Protect is a great read!”—USA Today bestselling author Alexis Morgan

Praise for Stacey Lynn’s His to Love
 
“Stacey Lynn writes sweet and sexy characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. I was swept away by a romance that practically sizzled off the page.”—New York Times bestselling author A. Meredith Walters
 
“Stacey Lynn brings the heat and the heart in this moving second-chance-at-love story.”—Elisabeth Barrett, author of The Best of Me

“I absolutely adored this story! His to Love is a fantastic second-chance romance with page-turning tension, passion, and heart. Tyson is a swoon-worthy hero readers will love.”—Brenda Rothert, author of Blown Away
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Declan James is the owner of Fireside. He’s done trusting women after his wife walked out on him leaving him to man the restaurant they built together by himself. All he needs a woman for is to satisfy his needs and then he is gone. Anything else isn’t happening – he has too much work to do and not enough time to consider much less want to have someone constant in his bed. Noticing someone has been digging through his trash outside the restaurant he decides to confront the culprit and warn them to stay away. The last thing he needs is more trouble. Never did he imagine to find a beautiful woman pilfering through the riddled bags --- not only is she not afraid to do what needs to be done but she is doing it to feed her dog. Shocked … this is definitely not what he ever dreamed he would find when he stayed late in the shadows. 

Trina’s husband had hit her for the last time. She will run as far away as she can so that his hand will never reach her. Stopping along the way to feed her dog and herself she does whatever she needs to in order to make sure she isn’t being followed or can't be found. In her plans to cross the border to Canada she meets the man whom she has been taking from. Is the man promising to help her worth her trust or is he another man trying to hold her captive with empty promises.

This was a good read. Things moved quickly but the story kept my attention. I enjoyed the characters and we are left with a new release coming along based on two additional characters. I loved the friendships and the way that Declan worked for Trina to trust him. The book is definitely an easy read and good one to throw In your bag on the way to the beach or the pool. Click this one up if you want an easy feel good read in the end. 

Amy's 5 star ARC Review of All The Rage by TM Frazier

They call me Rage. 
My real name is like a shadow, always close behind, but never quite able to catch up. 
I fly under the radar because no one ever suspects I’m capable of the kind of brutal violence I commit each and every day. 
You see, I’m a girl. I’m nineteen. 
And I'm a killer. 
This life is all I know. It’s all I want to know. It keeps the shit buried that I need kept buried. It allows me to live without thinking too much. 
Without dwelling on the past. 
Until him. 
It all changes when an ordinary boy becomes my next target. 
And my first love. 
I have to choose. 
The only life I’ve ever known has to die, or he does. 
Either way, I’ll be the one pulling the trigger... 
All the Rage is a STANDALONE. 
The Kindle book also includes an exclusive preview of GUN SHY by Lili Saint Germain

5 pissed off stars – yeah I'm pissed. 

We all have been waiting for this release from TM not any more or any less than the rest of the books in the King Series as I call it. All The Rage is a standalone so if you have not read King, Tyrant, Lawless or Soulless you can of course read this book but I encourage you to go grab the rest. 

Let's start with the cover. TM is becoming famous in my eyes for her brilliant ability to put together a cover that you will not forget. The cover speaks to you and this one is no different. A single tear holds the image of a man and woman both fighting confusion and looking for self worth. 
As you know I won't say much about the books events because each sentence is woven into an intricate story necessary for you to read yourself. What I will write about are my emotions upon turning those pages. I felt pain for Hope (Rage). Trying to be someone you are not; trying to pretend in order to fit in with something you believe you need to be for acceptance is a tragedy in itself. Her best friend Cody made me furious suggesting the things that he did. I hated him for it. I hated him for the words that came out of his mouth. Instead of acceptance, and Rage knowing no different at her young age, hung on his words she felt were words that could save her. 

Smoke I loved until I didn’t. That’s all I'm saying. He wasn’t sorry ….. not in the least. He needs to shut his lying ass up. I hope at some point we will get his story and he so guilt ridden he’s torturing himself. 

Nolan Archer is a man that I cannot describe in words. Fierce, loyal, demanding …. How do you describe someone in words alone that not only accepted Rage but celebrated her just as she was and is. How do you paint the picture of the man who was cut from the cloth exactly how Rage needed someone to be for her and with her … TM did it solidifying that her characters are more than words on paper to her. 

Here is your shocker --- TM I'm so pissed off at you I can't see straight. I loved this story .. find me a word that means more than love from the deepest place in you and place it on this book … then rip it apart and burn that f**king word until it's nothing more. One particular moment in this absolutely mind consuming tale had me screaming at the top of my lungs. I was so irate and threw the kindle down, topped off the volume on the stereo and slammed the weights around leaving cracks in my patio stones. Not enough I rope climbed and ran until my legs were raw from the burns of climbing up and down the crossfit rope. Only then did I feel some relief from the words that danced in front of my eyes on those pages. So why am I giving the book 5 stars after being that pissed off? Because when an author brings that much sensation to the surface and it burst from you with no regard for the repercussions then THAT my friends is a book I will read over and over again. 

I don’t know why it had to happen – I don’t know if we will learn more or if it will be left alone – I don’t know if there is more significance – Only time will tell --- but I didn’t want to read it – I didn’t want to accept it and I didn’t want it to happen.

All I can tell you is TM is a brilliant author. Although I want to throat punch the person on my left and then dick kick whomever is next in line harboring my “I can't f**king believe it because there had to be another way -- what the f**k - TM” --- anger stage Im in right now, it's her best read yet. I had that same reaction with Bear concerning a specific incident but at that time I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and felt I shouldn’t write what I thought. Now that I know she is going to do this to me every mother-junking time at least once in each release --- Im letting it fly. 

I LOVE THIS SERIES – TM Frazier I still love you but --- you ruin me; is that freaking necessary every damn time? Thank you for the ARC --- I'm honored to have received one and for the trust to put it in my hands – Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Amy's 3.5 star ARC Review of Storm Bad Boys of X-Ops Book 3 by Rie Warren

What happens when the boss lady teams up with a badass alpha male during an outlaw MC takedown . . . 

STORM 
I’m headed back to the Blood Legion MC in New Orleans, my old stomping grounds. Guns. Thugs. Broads. Cocaine nightmares. A Mexican cartel, cracker coke runners, and now there’s a new international threat in town. 

Blaize Carmichael is my only partner in this op. Blaize. As a biker babe. Jeeesus. I’ve had a bone for her from day one when she walked into headquarters—haughty, superior, and always in charge. 

There’s a goddamn good chance we’ll get made, played, and put in the grave as government-issue traitors. But I can’t help it—I love to get rough, raw, dirty, and dominant with her. 

No more yes ma’am, no ma’am. Blaize is about to find out I don’t always takes orders as issued. 

BLAIZE 
I can’t stand the way Storm calls me woman or cher or sexy. As soon as we’re back in DC, I’m going to wipe that infuriating wicked smirk right off his dangerously handsome face. 

I’m always prepared for every scenario. I’ve built my career on complete professionalism in and out of the field. But when Storm comes at me with wild animal lust—when he opens up to me—when he opens me up, I can’t say no. I don’t want to. 

We’re in danger every single day we stay in NOLA. There is no way we can make it out alive. Not together. Not this time. 

Please note: This story includes a discussion of rape. This painful conversation is necessary for the growth of the couple's relationship. 

Bad Boys of X-Ops—four part series:
Walker: Available now
Justice: Purchase now!
Storm: Right here, right now
Bane: Coming in June

3.5 stars

Storm is crushing on his boss Blaize and the guys are giving him hell. Walker and Justice need to mind their business and let it alone. Getting together with Blaize is NOT a good idea. The tension is too much and walking away is exactly what needs to happen. 

Storm and Blaize are headed to NOLA to finally take down the Blood Legion MC. Running all kinds of illegal things Storm knows their play all too well. Pretending to be something they aren’t takes these two on a wild ride between what should and shouldn’t happen between them. Getting the bad guys is the goal and the easy part. Making something work between the two of them is the most explosive and dangerous mission yet. 

I'm really trying to love this series but I just am not connecting with the characters. I was so taken with the other men that Rie brought into our lives I think that I just can't let it go. I'm not going to give up on the series but I think my first love is her first series of alphas set gifted us. This is definitely for you if you love the drama, suspense and all the bad stuff a Black Ops man can do. Click it up and don’t miss out on Walker and Justice either. 

Thank you for the ARC -- Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Amy's 4 star review of the Forsaken Sinners MC Series by Shelly Morgan

Synopsis - 

When life gives you lemons, it’s time for shots of tequila. 

That’s my new saying in life, and trust me, life has handed me lots of lemons. 

My name is Danielle DeChenne, and for eighteen years I took every punch “destiny” threw at me. Now I’m no longer a naive girl. Traumatic abuse will do that to you. I was forced to grow up too fast, and the one person I depended on—that gorgeous Marine, Zane—turned his back on me. So now I say screw the lemonade and just give me a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, because I don’t believe in destiny anymore. 

There is no pre-destined path set out for each of us. That crap doesn’t exist. 

Sometimes bad things happen…it’s just how the world works. It sucks, but you have to pick yourself up and get on with your life. Even if it’s an impossible task. 

I’m done sitting around and waiting for my life to change or something good to fall in my lap. It took me awhile to understand, but once I stopped being the doormat for destiny, it was time for me to take control. Now I decide where I go in life and what will happen. It won’t always be pretty, it will sometimes hurt like hell, but I will make sure I live my life to the fullest… 

Then the gorgeous Marine from my past returned with a vengeance—except this time, I was ready for him. 

It's time to rewrite destiny.

Review - 

Book One gives us Danielle and Zanes story. We meet the two main characters while they are in their early years. While holding onto each other and being inseparable a terrible event takes place crushing their road together to a road of broken and separate travels. Danielle’s life is changed forever leaving her hardened and sporting jagged edges. She meets Mack, the President of the Forsaken Sinners MC while staying across from his tattoo shop. Needing a better place to stay other than the motel she is currently seeking shelter in; she takes the room available at the tattoo shop. Coming into her own years later she hears the voice of a man who left her wounded and on her own …. How can this be the same person she lost so long ago and why does he have no idea who she is. 

Synopsis 

With a dark past of abuse, Toby Smith full-on raged against life. 

After years of neglect from his junkie mother, Toby turned to the one thing that made his fury go away—mixed martial arts. Now, as an adult, he lives and breathes his training club and fighting, inside or outside of the cage. But when a mousy blonde walks into his gym for a self-defense class he's teaching, that all fades away. 

Sara Carmichael was always a doormat—until the day she took her life back. 

Struggling to cope with years of physical and emotional abuse from a boyfriend, things take a turn for the worse. Drunk and in rare form, he nearly violates her in unspeakable ways. So she leaves and escapes from New York to California, hoping it’s far enough away that he won't find her. 

Sparks fly in the most uncommon places. 

When Sara and Toby meet, they never expected it would be in a sweaty gym. When they are together, Toby feels things he can’t understand. But when Sara’s past clouds their present, will she be strong enough to defend her new life? Or will Toby snap and become the man she’s always feared? 

It’s one thing to fight for love, but it’s another when you’re…Fighting Destiny.

Review-

Fighting Destiny
This is the second release in the Forsaken Sinners MC series. Both of these characters suffered from emotional and physical abuse. Beware if you have triggers. Toby and Sara. Sara is running from her past of abuse from boyfriend. A man who took things from her she cannot replace. Refusing to be a victim any longer she hopes she can run far enough away from the monster that threatens to control her. Sara needs to learn how to defend herself just in case he comes to find her or her current job puts her in the line of fire. Sara refuses to ever be a victim again. Being in control is something she needs for herself to make it through healing from her past. Toby helps his trainer out at the gym, does some underground fighting and is a member of the FS. Dani and Blaze are happy and Toby wonders if he can have the same thing they do. Both fought to survive and came back from the dark so maybe he can too. The secondary story in this release deals with some members not agreeing due to an incident which I believe leaves a prologue and a sneak peek into our next release.

Synopsis - 

Twenty-six-year-old Louie Creighton knows there is something inside him he can’t control… 

Ever since he can remember, Louie has had a short fuse. People always said he’d amount to nothing. He wasn’t smart enough to get into college. He wasn’t tough enough to be a Marine. No one believed in him. 

No one except his father, Mike Creighton… 

Louie’s father always taught him to turn the other cheek. He was a true mentor, teaching him how to be a man in a world of cowards. But when his father is murdered the day after scratching a winning lottery ticket, Louie’s inner monster can’t be contained. He becomes determined to track down the suspect at any cost. All along, he struggles to live by his father’s motto—To find out what you live for, you have to discover what you’d die for. 

Then he meets Harlow McPherson… 

Her entire life has been a battle. Harlow grew up in the system, bouncing from one foster home to the next. Most weren’t that bad, but some were hell. 

The only comfort was the fact she wasn’t alone. Her twin brother, Hendrix, was always there—until he took his own life years later, abandoning Harlow in a cruel world. Unable to forgive, it’s Louie who reminds her there’s still hope. 

When Louie unleashes his inner monster, and Harlow finally faces her demons, will they lose themselves to the darkness, or risk it all Defying Destiny?

Review -

Defying Destiny
Louie is trying to control his demons. His father has been his guide and now that he has been taken from him there is no way to control what lies beneath the surface. Finding the man responsible for taking his only solace away will be the last thing he does no matter where it lands him. Harlow fought the system moving from place to place never wanted. The only person that kept her going was her twin brother Hendrix. He was always looking out for her but now he is gone. She wont forget and she certainly wont forgive. Being alone she is tainted and the world is black to her. There is no light and no hope. Two lost souls need to find their way out together and hope they can help each other heal in the third release. Stories need to be put to rest and chapters need to be turned and ended .. doing it is going to be very complicated and brutal. 

Synopsis 

An uncertain future is all Dani DeChenne ever expected—and she was right. 

A woman usually has a sixth sense about being pregnant. But a tattoo artist who never intended on being a mother—not so much. Instead, she passes out at the gym, and her boyfriend, Zane Hendricks, is the first to find out while she is still unconscious. 

To say Zane is over the moon would be an understatement. But Dani’s lonely childhood with an absent mother makes her afraid of becoming a parent herself. What if she sucks at it and her child ends up hating her? 

With every fear, there’s hope for a brighter future. 

Once Dani gets over the shock, her heart is set on the family she and Zane will build together. But the bliss is short-lived as her pregnancy progresses and Zane’s duties keep him away. Depression sets in, and Dani feels more alone than ever. 

It isn’t until an old high school friend drifts into town that Dani has someone to talk to. Jax Reynolds is there on business, looking for a permanent job in security. When Zane catches wind of some guy hanging around his pregnant girlfriend, hospitality flies out the window. But by some miracle, the three become good friends, and Dani finally has the stability she always wanted. 

Or so she thought. 

When tragedy strikes, every second makes the difference between a bright future or a disastrous fate. And beyond the immediate danger threatening to ruin Dani and Zane’s lives, an even more treacherous secret might be the one thing that can destroy it all forever.

Review 

Born Into Destiny
This is a continuation; a short novella of Danielle and Zane; expecting parents. Dani isn’t sure of how she is going to handle motherhood but Zane knows she will be fantastic. In usual form Zane is behaving like an obsessed man after finding out his girlfriend is pregnant. He isn’t allowing her to do anything or much less even act like a functioning person. When in old friend comes back into Dani’s life things start to get a little interesting. Zane seems to not be where he says he is going to be and secrets start to unfold. The toll on the relationship hasn’t even begun yet .. you thought it did in their release but nothing like what we see here. Not to give anything away you are going to be frustrated and think Dani and Zane are never going to get it right …. Keep turning the pages and don’t hold your breath because it’s a wild one. 

This was a pretty good series. The characters were fairly well written and the storylines were good. We get to revisit old friends in the books and continue with the stories of the member of the MC we have already met in some form. All of the characters have some sort of brutal past they are trying to overcome or something they are fighting for. If you are an MC fan go ahead and click this series up. Give the first book a whirl and if you enjoy them click up the rest. They are all free on Kindle Unlimited. The next release is Owning Destiny which is Macks story. 

Books provided by the author for review. Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 
Thank you for the good reads and the chance to review!