Category: Reviews

The Scars Between Us

July 2, 2017 | Reviews | Leave A Comment

 

THE SCARS BETWEEN US – by MK Schiller

Wow! This story was so much more than I was expecting. Both Emma and Aiden have heart-breaking stories. Emma was the girl who grew up in the ideal family with loving parents who stove to give her a safe and happy environment. Still, she has experienced her share of pain. Aiden’s upbringing was hell on earth and he carries some serious baggage around with him, preferring to surround himself with animals rather than people in adulthood. His demons are not dead, and in order to put them to eternal rest, Emma is going to suffer through a journey in hell with Aiden.

The author does an excellent job of slowly letting us into the minds and hearts of Aiden and Emma while dropping in bits and pieces of backstory through dream sequences. There are definitely scars between the two protagonists, both physical and emotional. Every new detail is more shocking than the last. I did NOT see the black moment coming and felt both Emma’s and Aiden’s pain. Just wow!

Overall, I loved Emma and Aiden’s journey. The relationship developed at a reasonable pace and we got a lot of deep POV with both characters. But honestly, this is more Aiden’s story than Emma’s. He is so broken and it’s wonderful to see how Emma helps him put himself together again. 

A couple of the scenes didn’t work for me, and these two characters were more mature than a typical new adult story. At one point Emma acted in a way that felt completely at odds with her personality. Unfortunately that pulled me right out of the story at a critical point. But the author brought the story back on track quickly for me. The ending was truly beautiful and satisfying.

 

WARNING: This storyline has themes of abuse that may be triggers for some readers. 

I highly recommend this book. 4.5 Stars. Thank you to the publisher and author for a complimentary copy on NetGalley in exchange for my voluntary and honest review.

The Art of Ruining A Rake by Emma Locke

March 25, 2017 | Reviews | Leave A Comment
4 STARS
 

Where to start… I ran hot and cold with this story. The opening chapter had me laughing out loud. The situation was absolutely stunning and not funny at all for this time period. But I couldn’t help laughing. Roman certainly is a rake and he starts out as a horribly selfish person. These kinds of stories are always hard to pull off because I inevitably wonder what it is about this ‘hero’ that the heroine is so attracted to – other than the obvious – his looks. Gasp! Women aren’t allowed to pursue men for only their looks.

Only it turns out that some women do exactly that. I’ve never read a story about a male harlot – or cicisbeo as they were called. [I learned a new Regency term!] Roman sells his body to several young widows. A man’s got to make a living somehow… and when your father gambles away the family fortune, there are few options for carrying on the lifestyle expected of a marquis.

Oh… what a delicious beginning. This story gives a whole new meaning to the concept of a rake. Why can we forgive men who are only sating their loins but we cringe at the idea of a man offering sex for money? If sex is ‘just’ sex, then why does it matter that money or goods exchanged hands? This is one of the many questions Lucy must grapple with.

I will say my heart broke a little for Roman when Lucy treated him exactly like the whore he was. Because she was dear to him. He didn’t want ‘just sex’ between them. No, that wasn’t enough. He wanted her complete and utter surrender. He wanted her to love him. This story takes us on quite a ride. Both characters have moments when I didn’t like either of them. But in the end I was really happy they found their HEA. Still, after reading the entire story, I’m not sure I entirely understand why Lucy was so fascinated by Roman from the onset. A young girl’s silly infatuation, I guess.

On a side note, I began reading this series with “The Danger in Daring a Lady” which is book #6 in this series. Oh my god, am I glad I read that first. Lord Darius Alexander, the hero in book #6, is Roman’s brother. And I despised Darius in this book. He is a reckless gambler and a horrible person! Seriously, if I had read this book first, I don’t think I would have taken the time to read “The Danger in Daring a Lady”, which would’ve been a pity because I rated that book 5 stars. It is one thing to be told the hero was ‘a rake and bad person’ and quite another to be shown his character.

If you enjoy historical romances that take you down a dark and untrodden path, then I can highly recommend this one. This is not a story of young misses meeting their prince at the ball. An unconventional and delightful story.

 
 

Eight Days in the Sun by MK Schiller

March 21, 2017 | Reviews | Leave A Comment

5 STARS

Eight Days in the Sun is a story of healing and acceptance. And it will make you cry. Around halfway through the story, when I could finally see the direction where the story was headed, I knew MK Schiller was going to make me cry by the end. Oh, the ending.

I loved both Mason and Kiran, each unique personalities so perfect for each other. Fans of insta-love stories will gobble this one up. Are eight days in the sun really enough to build a foundation for a lifelong relationship? I say, YES! We’re with these characters day-in-day-out for eight glorious days and we get to experience the falling in love phase with them. My heart was breaking along with them when they went their separate ways … and when they reunited.

When the story begins, Kiran and Mason are both 22 years old. I’m usually wary of new adult aged protagonists in my stories because of the drama associated with that phase of life. But these two characters were required to grow up fast for different reasons. No cringe worthy drama in this story! So, if you’re like me, don’t shy away from reading this because of their young ages.

I don’t want to give away any more of the plot than the book blurb already does. But suffice it to say that taking the journey with these characters is worth the ride. You’ll laugh, and cry. Be happy, and angry. But most of all, you’ll walk away completely satisfied and believing in love at first sight.

 

Publisher: Lyrical Shine 

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Multicultural Romance

Sensuality Level: 3 out of 5