Release Blitz Playlist + Giveaway: Forbidden Promises (The O'Malleys #4) by Katee Robert

Forbidden Promises

(The O'Malleys #4)

by Katee Robert

Publisher: Forever

Genre: Contemporary romance

Release Date: May 30th, 2017

Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads | Kindle | B&N | Books-A-Million | Google Play | iBooks | Indiebound | Kobo | 

Some lines should never be crossed...not even for love.

Sloan O'Malley just left her entire world behind-her family, her wealth, and even her real name. For the first time in her life, she's free. She can live the "normal" life she's always wanted. A life without fear. But there's nothing safe about her intensely sexy next-door neighbor.

Jude MacNamara has no room for innocence in his life. Only revenge. Still, he's never been able to walk away from the forbidden, and Sloan--who is every inch of pure, mouthwatering temptation--has forbidden written all over her. Only after it's way too late does he discover the real danger: claiming Sloan as his puts a target on her back. To protect her, Jude is willing risk everything...and to hell with the consequences.

Forbidden Promises Playlist

Spotify Link

Relax My Beloved – Alex Clare

Alive – Sia

Parachute – Chris Stapleton

River Lea – Adele

Perfect – Ed Sheeran

Laura – Flogging Molly

Ride – Chase Rice (feat Macy Maloy)

Forever Yours – Trey Songz

Hold Me Down – Halsey 

Brave Enough – Lindsey Stirling (feat Christina Perri)

Devil’s Backbone – Civil Wars

Heavy in Your Arms – Florence + the Machine

Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande

Cold Day in Heaven – Delta Rae 

Not Afraid Anymore - Halsey

I See Fire – Ed Sheeran 

Touch – July Talk 

John Wayne – Lady Gaga 

One Woman Man – John Legend

Review:

Lisa: I started Forbidden Promises right after finishing An Indecent Proposal, which is just an okay read for me, and got hooked almost from the get-go. Sloan was in the background in the first two O'Malley books so I was pleasantly surprised that she decided to take charge of her life and leave the O'Malley family in the third. The more I read about her, the more I love her. She was the quiet one in the family, the kind you didn't expect to do crazy things or rebel. I love how resilient she was, and how she's determined to make her own way. Jude at the beginning of the book was a broody asshole, which is obviously my type. What happened to him was tragic; I understood why he had a one-track mind and that is to avenge his family and eliminate the Sheridans. The tension between Jude and Sloan was off the charts, and I love how their relationship developed from sexual to something else bigger than the two of them had planned. I'm especially weak for the age gap (Jude was 11 years older than Sloan) and how Jude called her sunshine. 

"You're my sunshine, and my world is fucking bleak without you."

Also worth mentioning is the buildup between Dimitri (who I surprisingly began to love; I loathed him in the second book but boy he's so annoyingly attractive) and Keira; it was so great I can't believe we're only getting their book next year. Aiden too has redeemed himself in my eyes; I can almost forgive his assholish treatment of Carrigan. Almost. 

Can't wait for the next book!

Eri: I actually haven't read most of the other books in this series, but I knew some of the backstory with the mob families and such. Even without being too concerned with that part of the story, I really enjoyed Jude and Sloan as a pairing and both of the characters individually. Katee Robert always writes excellent chemistry and build-up; I was definitely fanning myself a lot during this book. I love that Jude calls her sunshine, for some reason that nickname hits a soft spot in my heart, and Sloan's inner strength was great to see, especially because she seems to be the quiet one in the O'Malley's series. Jude's dark past and the revenge that it fuels was sad to read about, especially as he keeps struggling between that and his growing attachment to Sloan. I love seeing when people are protective of their significant other and seeing mutual affection grow, although I will say because this book deals with mob families and other stuff, the romance can be a little fast-paced at times.

Also, I'm super intrigued by the two pairings we're going to get in the future books, particularly Dimitri and Keira, since they had some intense scenes together on the side.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the review copy.

The O'Malleys Series

The Marriage Contract, #1

The Wedding Pact, #2

Indecent Proposal, #3

Forbidden Promises, #4

Undercover Attraction, #5

About the Author
Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who learned to tell stories at her grandpa's knee. Her novel The Marriage Contract was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it "a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension." When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads

Follow Forever Online

Website | Facebook |
Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Mini Review: Haven (Beards and Bondage #1) by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Haven

(Beards and Bondage #1)

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Publisher: Rebekah Weatherspoon

Genre: Contemporary romance

Release Date: April 25th, 2017

Rating: ★★★

Goodreads | Kindle | B&N | Kobo 

A week-long getaway…

City girl Claudia Cade's carefree life is plunged into chaos when a camping trip with her brother in the national forests of Northern California turns into a deadly dash for her survival.

A solitary world turned upside down…

Nature photographer Shepard Olsen has resigned himself to a quiet existence, with only his dog by his side, until a woman in need of his protection shows up on his doorstep and throws his universe into disarray.

Two lives linked by tragedy…

Claudia is desperate to heal from her traumatic loss, but can’t stop thinking about her run-in with evil….or the grizzled mountain man whose quick thinking and good aim saved her life. When she shows up on Shep's doorstep again, she finds she isn't the only one who can't move on.

…saved by bliss.

The two begin an intense, passionate relationship of Dominance and submission, pleasure and pain, but with dark memories haunting them and decisions about the future rapidly approaching, Claudia can’t help but wonder...how long can they be each other's haven?

*** WARNING: This book contains a sexual relationship between a fashionista and a cranky mountain man who are dealing with physical and emotional trauma. And a very big, cuddly dog.***

Review:

Lisa: I'm a big fan of Rebekah's Sugar Baby trilogy (I mean, who can resist Michael Bradbury and his *coughs* oral skills?) and I was excited for this one purely because a) bearded hero, and b) sex in the woods. Hey, pretty much all I need a book, to be honest. Unfortunately I'm a tad disappointed that I didn't enjoy this as much as I hope I would, and I managed to pinpoint it to two reasons.

Firstly I applaud how the story started because it definitely grabbed my attention and made me go what the hell (I am, obviously, among the people who sometimes don't pay attention to book blurbs), but the momentum sort of fizzled out by the third chapter. Things did pick up again by the 60-70% mark so there's that, but I wish I was hooked from start to finish instead of struggling to make it halfway.

Secondly, I love both Shep and Claudia (extra love to Shep's dog), and I especially found it entertaining to be in Shep's head. I love how Shep is so gentle with Claudia despite his appearance and grumpy rep, and how Claudia challenges Shep all the time, and they're sure as heck hot together, but I feel like there's something missing? I'm not opposed to the insta/fast love in books (Shep and Claudia were technically only together for a week, after all) but I need that Moment, the Turning Point when Everything Becomes Clear, you know? And it's not present in this read.

There are some cute moments (the ending bit was my ultimate favourite) and sexy times are sexy but overall, I wish I had loved this more.


Eri: Like Lisa, I liked this book, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to or the hype surrounding it made me want to. Rebekah writes so well and I have really enjoyed her other books I've read but this one was a tragic case of it's not you, it's me.

The beginning is definitely a bit startling since the action starts you right off and it really hits you on the back of your head, but after the initial shock, I really liked how the book began with the intense connection that Shep and Claudia form. The pacing afterward did feel a little slow for me, before picking up again towards the end, which I struggled a bit with.

Something I really liked is while instalove books are quite common especially in romance, they're often rarely backed by a solid ground that builds on the intital attraction. With Haven, the characters are well aware that they're in over their heads because they've only just met and the characters around them express that fear as well. I did think that their time together was depicted well, but I'm not sure how much I buy into the emotional love connection.

Shep is surprisingly soft for a dominant hero, considering how often they aren't, and while he does turn intense and broody once he is in that headspace, he is so caring and sweet towards Claudia and I found that rather endearing. I liked how serious he was about his lifestyle and being careful with intitaing Claudia into bdsm, especially because I find often that my biggest frustration with the depictions of bdsm is a lack of official warning or explanation to the heroine about the lifestyle.

I do like how Claudia is direct and she maintains good communication with Shep throughout the book, and while Shep might be the one who intially protected her, she is equally protective of him and the fact that they do care about each other is clear. Also the sex was pretty good, quality smut is always a bonus. I also loved the ending and the grand gesture, which I found really sweet.

All in all, this is one of those books that I would recommend to others, because it seems like something that just didn't work for me personally, and if you're not as into bdsm, this is a good starter as Rebekah does a great job with easing you in.

ARC Review: A Crown of Bitter Orange (La Vie en Roses #3) by Laura Florand

A Crown of Bitter Orange

(La Vie en Roses #3)

by Laura Florand

Publisher: Laura Florand

Genre: Contemporary romance

Release Date: January 24th, 2017

Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads | Kindle | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

Childhood friends.

Tristan Rosier might have asked Malorie Monsard to marry him when he was five years old, but things had only gone downhill from there. She’d spent the rest of their lives ignoring him, abandoning him, and destroying his perfumes. Now she was back, to wreak who knew what havoc on his life. 

Lifelong enemies.

Tristan might choose to dismiss the generations-long enmity between their two families, but Malorie didn’t have that privilege. Like all the other privileges wealthy, gorgeous Tristan took for granted that she couldn’t. But if she was going to restore her family company to glory, she might just need his help. 

Or the perfect match? 

They’d known each other all their lives. Could these childhood friends and lifelong enemies ever uncross their stars and find happily ever after?

Review:

An actual transcript of the texts Lisa and I sent each other about this book would, unfortunately, be quite spoilery and would be entirely made up of many exclamation marks and all caps words. It's become quite the tradition to have enthusiastic discussions about our favorite books, and of course, A Crown of Bitter Orange became one of them. No surprise really, considering how much we both adore her books. 

For this review, we've broken down things we like into bullet points of a sort:

Laura Florand's Descriptive Writing

Lisa: I think what attracts me from the beginning about Laura Florand's books is how descriptive her writing is. In Amour et Chocolat series, for example, the way the chocolate making is described in The Chocolate Thief, and macarons and hot chocolate making in The Chocolate Touch, is just so realistic it makes you hungry for them. 

It's the same thing with this series; the way Laura described the rose and jasmine fields or in this book, the orange blossoms is just so picturesque. I love how the description of each scent is so vivid.

Eri: I actually picked up this series because of Lisa's very persuasive love for Laura Florand, but I definitely agree that her writing is one of the things that stood out to me when I read her books. She writes the details of desserts and fragrances so well that I can almost see or smell them. It doesn't just stay with the fragrances in this series of course, and I was able to imagine the locations so vividly, it was like I was there in person, in addition to feeling the tension and chemistry in every scene. 

The Plot

Lisa: Another thing that I like about this book and also this series as a whole is how it features different flowers in different books. Like we have roses in Once Upon a Rose and jasmines in A Wish upon a Jasmine and now orange blossoms. 

Also, don't forget about the mystery of the missing heirlooms! The longtime fight (or is it?) between Jean-Jacques Rosier and Colette Delatour with Jean-Jacques accusing Colette of stealing the family heirlooms are priceless, and so are the reactions of the Rosiers when they began to turn up one by one by the end of each story.

Eri: Yes to all the things that Lisa said, but I also love that each of the books focuses on a journey or quest of sorts for the heroine. In this book, it's Malorie wanting to restore her family company, and I like that in each of the books, the heroine's dreams or goals aren't secondary to the grand Rosier legacy, but balanced well.

The men in this series are all Rosier men, and they each play a different role in the family business, so that was interesting to see as well. And while they might be terrible at expressing their intent or motivations (*coughs at the thought of Damien*), they are quite supportive of the heroine and I like that both parties are on equal footing, for the most part. I never found the perfume industry to be so enticing, but this series has given me a whole new appreciation to it. 

The Rosier Family

Eri: I adore the Rosier family. Laura always writes relationships well, and in her other series, there's some very strong friendships, but this one has the addition of the heroes all being part of the same family, and I love seeing how close they are to each other. They all tease and mess with each other, but underneath is that Rosier bond, holding them together, and seeing the other members of the family, like the mothers and of course, Tante Collete and Jean-Jacques, being so supportive is wonderful as well.

Lisa: Ugh, I agree, the Rosiers are the best. I envy their close-knitted relationship with each other, and how the cousins have each other's backs despite their differences. I love the distinct role that Laura set for each and every character; like how Matt is the land and Damien the warrior, and Tristan the glue that keeps everybody together. 

Tristan Rosier & Malorie Monsard

Lisa: Okay, I'm always about dark and broody guys, but Tristan Rosier captures my heart so effortlessly. He intrigued me ever since we met him in Matt's book; he's so playful and full of life it's hard to not like him. I love how he dances around his cousins, teases them and gets away with it, and I love that we get to find out why he behaves that way in this book. We also get to see another side of him when he's with Malorie--he's so protective of her, and she's the only one who gets under his skin and makes him angry and frustrated, so that kind of adds another layer to Tristan.

I adore Malorie too! She kind of reminds me of Jess, the way she's so determined to make her own way and how hardworking and diligent she is. I love that she slowly learns to trust another person other than herself and that she doesn't have to do everything alone.

Eri: Honestly, I knew I would love Tristan's book just because he's so charming and playful, and with a heart of gold, but when I read the synopsis for this book I was ecstatic! The whole childhood friends/enemies type of set up is what I live for in romance books, and I knew Laura would do it justice, so I went in expecting to enjoy it, and ended up falling head over heels for Tristan.  He's a little mysterious, as Lisa said, since he seems to be light-hearted about everything in the other books, so getting to see beneath that veneer and into the depth he hides behind it was great. When he's around Malorie, you see how that light-hearted attitude backfires on him a bit, and seeing him lose his cool around her just made me love him more. You get a hint from the synopsis that Tristan has feelings for Malorie for a while and seeing that longing manifest into the cloak of protectiveness and genuine caring was a delight.

Malorie is a wonderful heroine too, and I really loved her independent spirit, she tries and works so hard. She's less open than Tristan, but the way she slowly lets down her guard around him as the book goes on was so sweet, and I like how she may feel the family vendetta strongly, but it doesn't stop her from knowing who Tristan is and appreciating his good qualities. As per usual, Laura writes books where the characters are well-matched for each other, and this was no exception.

Final Thoughts

Lisa: Jess and Damien are still my ultimate couple but Tristan and Malorie come close! Well, they tie with Matt and Layla because I can't choose between those two for the second spot. I can't wait for the next book in this series; I need Lucien's book like last year.

Eri: For me, Jess and Damien probably tie with Tristan and Malorie for first spot now, though Matt and Layla are a very close second. I feel like I say this too often, but every new book of hers seems to be a favorite, they're just that good. Likewise, I want to read Lucien's book so badly but I definitely am curious to see whether Antoine will get his own book, I am dying to know more about him, and I have a lot of theories right now.

I hope we've done a satisfactory job at convincing you to pick up this series and Laura's other books and do drop us a line if you have read them :) Here's to more fun reviews headed your way and all the romance for everyone!

Thank you to the lovely Laura Florand for providing us with a review copy.