“You fell in love with a monster. I never hid what I was or what I did. You knew it all—the only person in the world who had seen the place inside me where there should have been a soul.”
The hollow sound of a casing hitting the floor.
The clicking of heels walking in a misty alley.
The ability to tie a cherry stem with her tongue.
A haunting song no one else knows.
That's all that's left of Jane's memories.
What would you do if the life you lived was a lie, and everyone knew but you?
Where do you run when there is no one on your side?
Jane discovers that deep inside her mind there is a map.
What she doesn't know is that there is also a man who will do anything to get it.
But what he doesn't know is that Jane hasn't always been honest about the things she remembers.
There are paces inside of Jane that even she doesn't like to go.
What would you do if the secret you kept was the only thing keeping you alive?
But keeping it meant someone else had to die.
See Blood and Bone by Tara Brown in:
ARC received via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review but it didn’t affect my opinion about this book.
I have never been so thoroughly mindblown in my whole life. This book had me on the edge of my bed, trying to figure out what on God's green earth was happening.
Jane Spears was a normal person living a normal life. She was working in a shop, she was dating a handsome doctor with a magic cock who loved her, flaws and all. Yes, she considered herself as the luckiest woman alive. That was until a mysterious man suddenly mistook her for another person who died six years ago. At first she shrugged it off, there were many people in the world who looked alike but weren't related at all, right? But when her curiosity won and she searched for this twin she had, Jane's world was rocked. Not only did they looked alike down to the scars, the dead person even had her cat named the same as hers.
Questions started swirling in her head and she started to look for some answers. Jane discovered that everything in her life had been a lie, even the love of the person she adored. How much is real love, and how much is lying to protect us?
If you think that the blurb covers the story, think again. It's just the tip of a ginormous iceberg. I'm pretty sure that by the time you finish reading this book, that summary above isn't going to be relevant at all. Even the preceding quote. I'm still trying to process things in my mind while writing this review. That's how big the impact of this story was for me.
“Layers are in there, in our minds. We can't always see inside the layers. We can't stop being who we are in there.”
You could hardly predict anything in this book. Just when you thought you have it all figured out, another piece comes out and bam! You're back to where you started, attempting once again to connect dots that wouldn't motherchucking connect at all.
“I need to go back to that place. That beautiful oblivion that sits there waiting for me…”
I loved how clever the characters were made. Tara Bone portrayed her heroine in a way that I could get attached with her easily and I felt myself unraveling with her, gradually getting baffled by everything that's been thrown at me. There were also times when I couldn't explain why a character did something or why s/he was acting like that. But as it turned out, it was all part of the plot.
“…You can run and you can hide, and I will chase you because we are meant to be. We are each other's light.”
Now, Derek. He made me go loco. I loved him but at the same time I found him creepy. I didn't know what to feel about him up until the end.
For countless times, the bizarreness of the story had my brain in a daze, trying to unlock every twist and turn that it had. When you thought that a character was on your side, it turns out that he was not. But so were the characters who were already on your side too. Then you find out that the former character was just doing things for your best so he was actually your ally but he's not really. So on and so forth. It's almost drove me crazy at first, but I continued reading it and it was totally worth it.
While a lot of people might be disappointed in the end, I wasn't. Not that it was a cliffhanger but there were still many questions that were left unanswered. Which ones were real and which ones were woven from her mind?
If you think this a love story, think twice or thrice. It may seem one at first but everything isn't what they seem to be in this book.
Blood and Bone is for people who are into mind games and not for those who couldn't handle eccentricity and craziness. It could confuse you when you're not really confused at all. See? I'm not making any sense at all. Like this book. Usually, I'm not fond of that theme but this book has made it quite appealing for me. Oh, and if you plan to read this? Better finish it it in one sitting.
“I want to do all sorts of things to you, Ms. Baird, just not in public.”
Gabriel Bishop was a former professional rugby player, but after suffering an Achilles tendon injury, he was forced to retire. With his MBA, he decided to venture in business. Everyone thought he was fooling around but after proving that he had skills, he was now a widely known businessman who had a knack of saving a company in a brink of shutting down. He was recently hired as the CEO of Saxon & Archer, another company that was in its bankruptcy.
There he met Charlotte Baird. She was shy and an introvert. But hidden beneath her shapeless suits and prim glasses was an intelligence and competence that Gabriel needed to help him rise the company from its state. He then hired her as his personal assistant, despite her initial protests and timidity. Gabriel was determined to make the woman he saw only in glimpses come out.
A few months later, Charlotte’s shyness around Gabriel disappeared. He decided to pursue her. But with Charlotte’s past trying to hinder them from moving forward, will there be a happy ending for Charlie-mouse and the T-rex.
See Rock Hard (Rock Kiss #2) by Nalini Singh in:
ARC received via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review but it didn’t affect my opinion about this book.
I LOVED THIS BOOK. And I'm not saying it just because I love Nalini Singh and I adore her Psy-Changeling series. I really love this book.
The progress of the story was just right, it wasn't too fast or too slow; the plot wasn't your typical 'boss falls in love with secretary' type of story; the characters had depth. Basically everything in this story is perfect.
But what I loved most were the characters.
Gabriel Bishop was really magnificent. Dreamy sigh. You know, before I read this story, if you asked me who my favorite book boyfriend was, I would probably give you at least five names because I couldn't decide who to say. Not because I love them all but because none of them had the perfect combination for me. Some were way too possessive, too territorial, too controlling, too intense. But now, I could say it right away, it's Gabriel Bishop and here are some of the reasons why:
• He knows when to apply the macho Neanderthal attitude.
Holding her against him without trapping her in a way that might make her panic, Gabriel tried to temper his rage. Charlotte didn’t need him to be a macho stud right now.
Why is this a big deal for me? Men like Gabriel were very protective of the people they love which might sometimes drive them to be impulsive. When he found out what happened to Charlie, I expected him to be like, "What's the name of that bastard? I'm gonna kill him blahblahblah" but he wasn't. He knew what Charlie needed. Instead of putting himself first, he prioritized Charlie's comfort over his anger ang frustration.
• Gabriel works. I read a lot of stories where heroes held high positions in a company. They could leave work right away or have a lot of free time or something. (I thought that happened when they retired.) They always made it seem that their work was easy when the really it wasn't. Gabriel worked more than twelve hours a day, seven days a week. How he managed that was beyond me.
• He was an athlete then a businessman. As if it wasn't enough that he was athletic, he had to be smart too. You couldn't ask for more.
With Charlotte Baird, I had to give it to her. She was also amazing. I've always admired women who managed to move on after their abuse.
• Charlie proved that you didn't need to be assertive in order to be strong. Despite what happened to her in the past, she didn’t allow that to pull her down, instead she strived to become a better person.
• Even if Charlie was timid, she kept Gabriel on his toes with their banter.
“When did you get so bossy, Ms. Baird?”“Self-defense against a certain T-Rex.”
• She threw a cupcake at his head. Oh, and did I mention that she also threw an industrial-sized stapler at him too?
I'm pretty sure my review didn't give the book justice on how good it is. *sigh* Up to this moment, it still brings a smile on my face whenever I read from how they started, how Gabriel was really patient with Charlotte, how they were finally together. I know this kind of story is common nowadays but the delivery of this story is perfect for me.
You stole my heart fifteen years ago and you still haven’t given it back.
Two
different people. One meeting that changed their lives forever.
Salome has
always thought that following Prophet David is the right thing, that what he
says is the way of God. But when her blood sister dies, Salome runs away from
The Order, where she grew up her whole life.
River
"Styx" Nash could never forget the girl with wolf eyes he once met in
the forest even though people thought he was only imagining her. Now he is the
president of the Hades Hangmen Motorcycle Club. All his life, he's been raised
in a very dangerous life led by bikers.
One night
changes it all as Salome finds her way in Styx's turf, injured, after surviving
from running away from The Order. She then faces what life is like outside,
that it really isn't what The Order made her believe it was. And River is
determined not to let go of the girl that had his heart for years already.
See It Ain’t Me Babe (Hades Hangmen #1) by Tillie Cole in:
You couldn't ask a more unconventional couple than this two. Their differences were literally like heaven and hell and yet they found an unbreakable bond that even time couldn't dissolve.
The story was told in dual pov and I had to give it to Tillie Cole because successfully did what other authors usually fail to do when they use dual povs, or in some cases, multiple povs. It isn't enough that the characters see things in their perspective. They also have to sound unlike from each other because, really, they didn't have the same upbringing and mindset. It was evident in this story and I was ensnared by how it went. I really couldn't make a concrete prediction because I've never encountered a story like this at all.
Add to that, the main characters in this story had so much depth for me. It wouldn't be easy to forget them, nor that I want to.
He had no idea of the life I had lived, of the tenacity of my spirit or the multiple horrors I had to endure on a daily basis. I am a survivor. The scars he found so repulsive were a testament to my strength. I cannot, will not, be ashamed of actions thrust on me by others.
As God is my witness, I was a child!
Salome, or Mae, as she was called later on, was a really courageous character. If you could just read what she went through, it's amazing that she didn't go insane. She was also a force to be reckoned with when she's determined. I was just sad that she had to go through all of those things that The Order subjected her to. And their reasoning, god, it was so insane.
Also, it was disturbing for me when I realized that what happened to her was actually inspired in real life, albeit exaggerated.
‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’ was inspired by the testimonies of ex-members from several NRM’s and the leaders that abused the power they had over their members—especially the women.
The female protagonist in this novel, ‘Salome’, endures situations inspired by real events told to me personally by survivors of such groups.
Styx also didn't allow his disability to hinder him. Although he was called the Hangmen Mute, people still feared him which was really amazing since I expected them to look down on him for his stuttered speech.
“Mae… You need a b-better man. It ain’t me, babe, no matter how much you th-think it is… or want it to be.”
He had always thought that he didn't deserve Mae, that he deserved someone better than a man who sometimes got pleasure in killing.
“Persephone, the goddess, lived with Hades, did she not? She supported him even when others thought she was wrong to do so?”
I nodded slowly.
Her long lashes met her cheeks, then fluttered up. “She fell in love with the dark lord, even though it did not seem right, did she not?”
I nodded again. Where the hell is she going with this?
She sighed happily and blushed. “Just like I have done with you.”
But they complement each other. *sighs dreamily*
Looking forward to reading the next book! Though I’m especially excited for the third one!!
"The man who fell in love with you wants to fight for us, not for selfish reasons, but for you. If you’ll give me another chance, if you understand sometimes I’m an idiot and slap me upside the head, I will fight to be worthy of you."
Summer heats up in this third book in the No Weddings Series, where Cade Michaelson strives to balance his and Hannah Martin’s new relationship with the growing demands of his financial success.
Waiting for Hannah has been the best and worst kind of torture. Now I can claim her as mine. We believe we’re done with the past and can move forward together.
Hannah grows stronger than ever as she trusts in me—trusts in us. And when obstacles appear, she shows a surprising fierceness that rivals my own.
However, all is not perfect in paradise. Things get chaotic while I try to juggle multiple businesses, an ex from hell, and a girlfriend I’d do anything to keep. And in the middle of the whirlwind, I recklessly think I can handle everything.
But when all the madness is over, will I have everything I want—will I still have Hannah?
Overview from Goodreads
See Two Bar Mitzvahs (No Weddings #3) by Kat with Stone Bastion in:
ARC received via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review but it didn’t affect my opinion about this book.
The No Weddings Series is back with Cade narrating again. Ah, yes. I really love it when we get to be inside Cade's head.
The floodgates have opened. Hannah and Cade are officially together but there are still troubles in paradise. Cade is trying to balance his time between his new relationship with Hannah along and his booming business. Add to that, there's also an ex on the loose determined to sabotage what they have.
This time it's all about how the characters deal with the changes brought on by their new relationship.
I like Hannah better here because she's really optimistic about their relationship to the point that it rivals Cade's. It was nice that she is because she has always been doubtful that their relationship will succeed and Cade always assured her that it would work. I've been worried about Hannah's pessimism in them because it might tire Cade out to keep on encouraging her.
“We have to talk more. I need you to know what we need to talk about. In fact, don’t decide what is and isn’t important to share with me, it all is—from the mundane to the shocking. If something upsets you? Tell me. Make me a part of your life in such a deep way that I don’t feel separate from it. I don’t ever want to feel like you’re keeping things from me again, even if it’s unintentional.”
She's really positive about everything now and she trusts Cade.
Now the ball is on Cade's court. Aside from getting annoyed with his ex from hell, I also wanted to slap some sense in Cade's mind. He has the tendency to try to handle everything and refuses help from anyone else. Perhaps it's because of the businessman in him or he was just not in a relationship for so long that he forgets to do little things like sharing and stuff.
This book also taught me that little things left unsaid might cause big problems. Case in point, again, Cade trying to handle things which led him to not share things with Hannah.
When they had an almost falling out, I was like, "Oh, no. Is this for real?" It was really unexpected because I expected that to happen on the next book. And for once, the pace was finally "normal." Let's face it, the story was slow, even for me.
This is probably the best book in this series yet because it really reflects what the series tackles. While other novels out there are all about how two characters met and found love, the series not only shows how they started but also answers the "what happened then" question.
I would like to say that this is the peak of their relationship, but I can't say that since there's still a fourth book in my queue right now. Really looking forward to it.
