The Romance Vault

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♥
4.5 stars - loved it.

Rockstars, romance and a heart wrenching past. These are just some of the ingredients that fill the pages of this really well presented and written love story.

My emotions were on overdrive during this book. Oh my God does Stacey spin a fantastic emotional cauldron of tear jerking moments mixed in with happy smiles and a family/friendship feel all round.

If you can't handle the explicit sex scenes that are written nowadays then you'll love this book, very tastefully presented that will satisfy all true die hard romancers. Add the heady mix of rockstars in and voila your in sexy heaven! This errs on the gentler side of romance, it's very sexy but not steamy and done so tastefully I didn't care that it wasn't explicit. There is even the angry ex although her role is very down played but nonetheless it's there in the background adding some drama.

Nicole is struggling to come to terms with her bereavement and needing to feel like living again and how her story is written is just so emotional, I absolutely loved it. The loss of Mark and Andrew is presented so well you honestly feel they are your loss too.

I loved every bit of this romance and I will definitely be reading more of Stacey Lynn.

First thing I really liked the book cover and I liked the synopsis and thought this would be an enjoyable billionaire, BDSM kink read. Oh boy was I wrong to fall for the cover and the blurb. All I can say is thank heavens it was free. This was awful. So hard to connect to Sophia, I really disliked her character. I really disliked the story and as for the ending that wasn't sexy or erotic, that was strange and slightly perverse and when I say that I don't mean the F/F/M action was perverse I mean the professed love and only accepting a relationship because of it. That was just too weird, non romantic and not even close to being readable.

I have read many many and I mean many erotic novels from Dark and depraved to light and sexy but this doesn't fall into any catagory other than what you should be reading in a dirty mag. The vernacular is very sleazy. This is not a sophisticated erotic read at all. I can read books written this way and have indeed read many, but coupled with the extremely poor story and character depiction, none of it works in this book.

What Sophie did to her herself to get Sand, to her Fiance and to Sand himself was so - god - I don't know just downright awful. She even treated her best friend strange, one minute caring, the next sexually interested, then not, then is and then not and then is again! I mean does this girl really not know where her heart lies! I actually liked Sand a little bit, he kind of redeemed it to make me finish it.

Even the synopsis does not warn you that this will contain, breathing control, cheating, demeaning sexual acts and F/F/M action. So I caution this will not read anything like FSOG or any books similar to that, it doesn't even read like a a highly charged erotic novel, it is just extremely strange, very poor vernacular and an extremely up and down female who seems to not have a clue what she really wants until the end and then treats us to the most strangest ever 'go get my man' scenario I've ever read!

This really does not leave me interested in reading anything else by this author.

In two minds to read this, as it would seem it's going to be a poorly edited read. The pull to read a biker book though is big but honestly if the books reads like the synopsis then I am best to stay away.

Arghhhhh........ Will I? Won't I? Decisions decisions!

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. And the first thing I need to say is; Thank you very much Netgalley!

I didn't know what to expect going into this book as I am not a reader of historical romances in fact the last historical book I read was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel! But I have to say this book just may have well changed my mind on that. I really enjoyed this romance, it is set in England in 1815 when social standing for women was not by how brainy they may be. The heroine Olivia though, can boast of having both brains and a pretty face but not just that she is a very likeable character as is Will the lead male. In fact I have to argue that all the characters in this book play their parts well and help bring this story very boldly and colourfully to life. It's a book that interacts with your feelings on various levels.

If like me you shy away from romances like this then I can honestly say you won't be disappointed to pick this up. I was engulfed into the pages very quickly and I had to read on to the end and then was sad when it was over. You will be getting a history lesson but you'll be getting it in a way that is so absorbing and engaging that you will enthralled with everything you learn without feeling like you've just had a lesson. What a way to engage with history! Nicky Pentila is a fine writer and one that I will definitely keep a look out for new and lalso previous releases.

I really was completely frustrated with this, it started out fairly promising and I was indeed enjoying it until I hit the 60% marker and then bam what happened next completely threw my outlook and my perception of this romance. I actually no longer felt it was viable, romantic or believable after what Mark did the week before the wedding and to top it all it was then all brushed aside and Sophie kinda took the blame for how things panned out. Well I am sorry I just did not get how Mark could be so secretative and do all the things he did leading up to the rehearsal and not expect any kind of repercussions and I have to say if my boyfriend decided to go house hunting with another woman no matter who she was and me expect to be elated that 'they' chose the house I would be living in then well I would bash him over the head!

I also really didn't like Layla, what kind of sister speaks to her younger sibling like she did when all hell broke loose at the rehearsal? Yes maybe Sophie jumped to conclusions but actually after what she had been through she did a right to be a bit suspicious and the fact that Mark had been a confirmed manwhore. I found Layla totally selfish, happily agreeing to have done all she did (I'm trying to be elusive so I don't wreck it for anybody else), and even later on in the book when she was explaining that she had only spoken to her sister twice since the rehearsal and then followed it with blah, blah, blah I wanted to strangle her! She did not come across as a nice person at all in my eyes. the whole sitation at the reheasal I think was not delivered well at all. I also really struggled with the massively instant relationship between Layla and Mark. Let's face it Mark and Sophie had only just met on the holiday and the next thing we know Mark is making a secretative phone call using words like 'date' and love you, love you, love you - absolutely totally off the wall strange, because this phone call is to a person he's never met before!

I'm sorry but I didn't find this book a romance after 60%, there were loads of scenarios that didn't add up to a viable story after that and for that reason my rating had to drop to 2 stars from what started as three. The characters became less likable from then to me the whole tempo of the story changed and in my eyes it did not change for the better.

I too wonder what I read compared to everybody else, because after all the books I've consumed if only counting the past year this book falls short and really doesn't have a lot of depth and 100% likeable characters.

First I've got to say that 390 pages for 49p was excellent value for money, secondly I'll have to say that 390 pages went rather quickly, it's a read you find you don't want to put down. This is a read that absorbs you in straight away. You feel each and every blow from Jasper towards to Riv and you feel her absolute terror when faced with an angry Shan and other situations. God but Riv's character was written pretty much flawlessly, same too for Shan, heck all the characters you come across reach your brain loud and clear. Some might argue that Riv's trauma was dragged out, I would absolutely disagree, I felt each and every episode was relevant not knowing how she was going to deal with certain things added to the angst.

As for the sex scenes, well what can I say, written well and sexy as hell as was their blossoming romance.

The start of the this book totally grabs you, Marsha Sue has your palm twitching for some action, Shan has your head shaking at his temper, Jasper has your mouth wide open at what he is doing and Riv has your eyes watering from what's she dealing with and then recovering from. The middle of this book though is where it lost half a star for me, it kinda dragged a little, not a great deal but I did feel slowed up just a smidge. The last quarter picked right back up again and although you knew what was coming really, it didn't detract at all from the fact it wasn't a surprise, my only gripe would be I don't think the it was fully wrapped up how it should have been, there were some trails left open and I didn't like that. Unless this has been done on purpose and there's a book two which in all honesty I hope not. I hope that this was their full story but I can see it being taken further.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I am going to have to review this one differently to normal because some bits I loved and some bits I found hard to take.

Characters - 4 stars
Characteristics of the lead characters 3 stars
Dialogue - 2 stars
Storyline - 4 stars
Romance - 3.5 stars
Sexy bits - 3 stars

So I liked the characters but I didn't enjoy their characteristics sometimes. I found the dialogue very much on the mono side a lot of the time and often stilted. I struggled with Abby's character in so much as for someone coming from a missionary lifestyle and the pastors daughter she sure did know a heck of lot of swear words, how to mix with well known rockstars and not be intimidated. She one minute came across very shy and unwordly and then in the next full on and very world wise. Very Jeckyll and Hyde.

I did like the band members, they were very colourful. Jake was a bit bi-polar sometimes, one minute doing hit utmost to get Abby and then in the next doing everything he could to send her away. From page to page I didn't know if the yo-yo was swinging up or down with him.

All in all an ok read, there are much better rockstar romances out there but this is passable but I honestly don't think it cuts into the 'big' rockstar romance reads.

This really is a fun and easy read. Yes it's predictable but the comedic deliverance along with the usual stupid macho alpha male moves that create tension and leave you feeling so bad for the poor heroine, it just romps along at a great pace. No flowery puffed out waffle, just Rand and Haley's story passionately told.

You'll be hard pressed to not have a cheesy grin on your face, a few laugh out loud scenes and a couple of eyes wide moments when your at the 'oh my god he didn't just do that' moments too.

Very, very likable leads, Haley's sunny personality shines off the pages which only makes the reader feel her heartbreak more when Rand acts like a complete jerk. Complete with a total bi-a-tch of an ex, adorable 5 year old child and the antics of a sensitive dog who once was a sixth level Italian duchess in a previous life (yeah I know but it totally works!) and Phyllis, I absolutely cannot forget Phyllis and her very strange ways and how she stands there and just delivers the information about Delphine (the dog) as though you would be mad yourself if you didn't believe it!

Great cast of characters, fun and very nicely written romcom, not steamy but errs on the saucy side. If your wanting a pleasant bit of escapism that has you smiling a lot and an easy read then look no further; this will surely tick the right box for you.

I am flitting between 3 and 4 stars, mostly because although this isn't a page turner it was exactly what I was wanting to read at this time. And it was a quick read, I read this in a couple of hours.

After just reading Karina Halle's The Artists Trilogy, I needed a softer romance that wouldn't clash with where my head was at after the whirlwind read I'd just experienced. And I have to say this ticked all the boxes of a gentle, slightly old fashioned and rather predictable and typical billionaire romance. Which like I said above is exactly what I was wanting to read.

I do agree with the other reviewers the ending was really rushed and could have been explored a lot further, I also thought it could have gone into more depth of how she was feeling only seeing him at his office when she did. I also wanted to see whether his workload had been dispersed better when they got their HEA, and I think some kind of vilanous character would have taken it up a notch too.

This book does contain sex scenes but are written on the tame side and a bit flowery as in you'll be reading words like 'pleasure centre' 'blissful explosions' to give you an idea but having said that they were still a little bit steamy and quite readable. If you are not into toned down steamy sessions though, then I would advise that this book will probably not be what your looking for. His apparant constant position swapping was a tad annoying as was his lack of a good aim (you'll have to read the book to get that one!)

All in all a pleasant albeit predictable read that is totally a typical billionaire read, which sometimes is all we need as we want to just relax and get our billionaire fix.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review.

OK where to start. I actually really struggled with book. I found the text to be extremely long winded more often than not. Even during the sex scenes I felt the author had this annoying need to go off point and go off on a tangent. For instance when Tally and Linc first got together their steamy scene started and then Katherine went off reminiscing about Ms Kenner a past health education teacher, then we go to the part when it was Tally that told her parents about the crash, then onto about her crying earlier. Then 8 pages from the start of him skimming her lingerie they climax together but we've actually hardly read anything about their coupling but a whole pile of not needed text instead.

This happens all the way through and makes this an extremely long read that could be cut in half and pack much more of a meatier punch.

Sadly I just could not connect with the lead characters and I honestly did not enjoy this book which I really am sad about because I really wanted to connect with them. I tried so hard to do just that but it just never happened for me.

It is very rare that the third book in a trilogy hasn't lost any fizzle and I can wholeheartedly say that this book hasn't lost any fizzle at all and in fact it oozes more and surpassed itself if that's possible!

Now some are going to argue that this didn't pan out how they were expecting, heck it had so many ways to go that if we truly stop and think about it we could all argue a different ending. Because of this it may have a different effect on each and every reader and how they engage and react to the story as it concludes. I do feel though that Karina finished this trilogy in the most perfect way possible. I did have a different ending in my mind but I can hand on heart say that how this is written is just the most perfect and befitting end to their journey indeed.

I said it in my last review that I could see this as an adult action movie and Jesus I want to re-iterate that. I absolutely want to see their story and especially their journey through the jungle on the big screen. This to me is like what Twilight brought to the paranormal genre. Not by matching it for literary purposes (this is way better), but for knowing that the public are going to be very excited about this trilogy, they are going to rave about it, chat and discuss it, recommend it and it will be absolutley loved by all that read them. This whole story has got everything, passion, heartache, steam, extremely heady love triangle, danger, mystery, love, loss, revenge, manipulation. Let's put it in another way, this is one of those 'the whole package' reads, it's got every ingredient you could possibly want to deliver an excellent read.

This is a story that will stay with you for some time, not because you're an emotional mess but because if anyone reads this trilogy and doesn't have the whole cast and scenery explode in their head in multicolour high def and their own mini motion picture playing out then I will be shocked.

Freakin hell does Karina knows how to spin a good tale! Her dialogue is as ever good as in the first book, the characters have now seeped into my very being and I can totally see this being turned into an adult action movie. Crikey all manner of things explode before your eyes as you devour this second book. The love/relationship I had with Javier, indeed the love/hate relationship I had with some of the things that Ellie does. It all just makes for totally mind absorbing reading.

There is so many veins running throughout, so many scenarios that have you wondering which way are things going to pan out but mostly what I love is that it's probably one of the first books that I absolutely love all three lead characters - flaws and all.

Kudos to Karina for keeping the story flowing as good as book 1 and possibly even better, I can't wait to see what happens to them all and I really do mean all, not just the leads.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? So let's keep it simple..... If your after something a little different to what's usually on offer in NA romance, as in a whole host of characters that are going to be your best book buddies for a while, excellent dialogue, fair bit of steam, troubled leads (all three of them), the foundations being laid for an excellent journey between Ellie, Camden and Javier then you will absolutely love this.

It's a whole lot more than what your thinking your going to be reading and going by this first book it's in an extremely high position of being a top notch trilogy.

3.5 stars

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I am another reader that this is the first time I have come across Jessica Lemmon and I am glad that I have now been introduced to this author. I am sad though that I didn't realise this was book 2 until I went to write the review. I wish I had read book 1 first.

I enjoyed - for want of putting it any better - the sweetness of their story. Aiden had walked away from Sadie for very noble reasons when he unceremoniously dumped her and this is their journey getting back together and I have to say was an enjoyable read. I can't say it blew my mind and was unputdownable but it was definitely an enjoyable and certainly engaging romance. If I am brutally honest I didn't warm to Sadie as much as I did Aiden. I found the reveal about her a bit hard to swallow especially after the way she behaves with dating so many men, but I did like her strong character.

I think everyone is going to love Aiden, he's got a Harley - there's one tick. He's got a tattoo - there's two ticks. He's got flaws and baggage - there's three ticks. He's not your ususal alpha dominating male (although in some bits it would have been better if he was.

Glad I read this, just wish I had read book 1 first but from reading this I will go and read the first and then continue with any other books from the pen of Jessica Lemmon.

I am truthfully swinging between 3 and 4 stars for Big Sky.

Boy I have read Kitty before and knew I was in for a ride but hell I didn't know whether to cling on, jump or throw up during this ride. Dark is the word you have to keep forefront. Dark content, dark characters, dubious consent, a heroine you find yourself muttering at the pages just run girl, just run!

And the ending I can't enlarge on the ending but it absolutely wasn't what I was expecting and left me feeling so many different emotions. Which is good that I was questioning the outcome.

So many uncomfortable scenarios happen to Ronnie and I mean really uncomfortable situations but I can't deny it was delivered well. I was teetering on the periphery of complete uncomfortableness and the need to read on, (which I think a lot will feel) but I am glad I read on, the ending I actually loved; different from the norm but my inner romantic struggled with this one.