Cruel Prince by Ashley Jade

”Kiss me like you’re mine. I dare you.”

First off, let me say that all you angst addicts will not want to miss this one! Definitely, a one click recommendation! This ticked my angsty box checklist all the way! This book sent me on such a whip lash kind of journey, the hot and cold that our hero put our heroine through was enough to turn me to the bottle! But oh how much I loved it! Now, enough over my freak out and to the review.

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WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone. And when I say bad, I mean they are assholes with a capital A. If you're looking for a safe, sweet romance, this series is NOT for you. At all! Please don't say you weren't warned.

Welcome to their kingdom...

I never thought I'd step foot in Royal Manor again.

But four years later, here I am...back to finish my senior year at Royal Hearts Academy.

And forced to face Jace Covington.

My first friend. First crush. First kiss.

The one I left behind.

Only—he isn't the same boy I gave my heart to.

This new Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.

And he's determined to make my life a living hell.

Along with the rest of his glorified family and crew of tyrants.

They expect me to worship the ground they walk on like everyone else, but I'd rather eat dirt.

If Jace Covington wants me gone...he'll have to try harder.

Because I've never been the kind of girl to play by the rules.

WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone.

This series is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language and sexual content.

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THIS BOOK WAS A SURPRISE!

Dylan and Jace were besties four years earlier when they bonded. That was the defining moment when Dylan officially made Jace hers. Losing a parent each made their friendship even more dear. Little by little she creeps under his skin, just when it seems like they are going to go from friends to more within a blink of an eye their lives are changed forever and she's whisked away to another town as her father starts a new career.

“Nah. Why would I dip my dick in some dry, mediocre meatloaf when I already have a nice juicy piece of filet mignon waiting for me whenever I want it?”

This quote pissed me off when Jace said it about Dylan. Boy, I was ready to punch him! Of course, he redeemed himself as the story progresses. Especially when Tommy abandons Dylan in the middle of nowhere and the boys come to her help. Ashley has scored once again with this heart touching story of Love gone wrong in horrendous ways. This High School Bully romance gets right down to business from page 1. It shock and stuns with brutal honesty about not-so-innocent High Schoolers heavily indulging in alcohol, drugs, sex and bullying. 

“The bad doesn’t always erase the good,” I whisper. “No.” His eyes cut to mine. “I think it just blends.”

The love that Jace and Dylan had for each other was beautiful. It was heartbreaking. It was raw and emotional but it was so damn perfect. Their journey was not easy. It was not kind. But it was raw and real and everything that I’d hoped it would be. I went into this expecting Jace to be the biggest a-hole I’ve ever read, but instead found him to be angry and misinformed but also utterly broken with the weight of the world on his shoulders. This may have been the first time I’ve ever connected more with the male protagonist over the female. I could feel his pain coming off the pages I read.

“Is that why you wore this sexy little shirt tonight?” His warm breath tickles the side of my neck. “Hoping to get my attention.” “No.” That earns me a husky chuckle. “Too bad.” He presses his lips against my throat. “Because it’s working. You have all my attention.” He walks his fingers down my torso. “Question is…what are you going to do with it?”

Dylan, Jace, Oakley, Sawyer, Cole and Bianca will have you wanting to know more. It was easy to get sucked into Royal Hearts Academy. Everyone has secrets. They are all struggling with their pasts. Friendship and love bonds them. They all have their own story’s to tell.

"I’m destroying the kingdom. And just like a game of chess. You have to take down the queen before conquering the king. Or in this case, the prince."

Rating: ★★★ ★ ☆
Overall, this was SO GOOD! I loved it and find myself reading certain scenes because it was just a beautiful story. The characters are very well defined and their sizzling chemistry sets the pages on fire. Sarcasm is heavy and strong, words cut open wounds and scathing attacks are splattered everywhere Scintillating story with a lot of heart. A truly heartbreaking love story that will break your heart and then fix it all over again. This book makes me more excited over who I already know is going to be my favorite couple in this series; Cole and Sawyer!

“Please. You wouldn’t know a study group if it slapped you upside the head and crawled up your ass.” He (Cole) licks the tip of his beer bottle suggestively. “Oh, baby. I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

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I Hate You by Ilsa Madden-Mills RELEASE!

I want you . . . even when I hate you.

I Hate You, an all-new enemies to lovers sports romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills, is available now!

Blaze Townsend: I hate you.

Charisma Rossi: I hate you more.

She’s been expecting this ever since their latest showdown. She had good reason.

Hottest guy she’s ever seen.

Former fling.

Dumped her in front of her friends.

At her own party.

So no, she’s not about to forgive and forget just because he sits next to her in class.

He thinks all he has to do is turn on those baby blues, and she’ll melt right back into his arms. Please.She’d be crazy to let this cocky player affect her again. (Tell that to her body.)

Charisma Rossi.

Nerd girl with a dash of bad.

The one who got under his skin.

The one he cut loose.

Blaze knows she’s the riskiest prospect at Waylon University, but none of the interchangeable girls he hooks up with have ever made him feel the way she did. There’s absolutely no way he can have the girl and the game.

So why can’t he stop trying to win her back?

Can this wide receiver score the girl or will he make the biggest fumble of his life

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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About Ilsa Madden-Mills

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies. Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4. A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero. She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online. .

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Broken Knight by L.J. Shen

You guys...I am broken! My heart has shattered and I don't know what to do. Someone please send help because I.AM.CRYING! L.J. Shen has given us a book full of broken hearts and possibilities. She took it to the next level and I can't deal. All of her books have been favorites of mine but this one...this one is the first to EVER make me sob like Will Ferrel in the telephone booth.

Let's get to the review:

Not all love stories are written the same way. Ours had torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending. 

Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower. 

Sweet. 

Caring. 

Charitable. 

Quiet. 

Fake. 

Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language. 

Who taught her how to laugh. 

To live. 

To love. 

Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero. 

Gorgeous. 

Athletic. 

Rugged. 

Popular. 

Liar. 

This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna. 

But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore. 

When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes. 

Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy. 

nkjm

From here on till the end of this review, it will be full of spoilers because I need it!

Roses were red. The sun rose in the east. A seahorse could move its eyes in opposite directions (Moonshine told me that herself), and Luna Rexroth was going to be my girlfriend, then fiancée, then wife. 

Knight Cole, you little sneak! When he revealed that he was a virgin this whole entire time because he was waiting for Luna was shocking. I assumed he had already lost his virginity because during Pretty Reckless he was very...affectionate with the opposite sex. But nope, homeboy was waiting for Luna. Knight fits his title perfectly. He is broken, shattered beyond repair for most of the story, spiraling into an abyss. He hides behind the perfect facade, punishing himself with his love for Luna. Like his heroine, it is hard to watch the self-destruction, hard to see this compassionate, caring soul crumble under the weight of perceived unrequited love and loss. Plus seeing him going through the process of knowing his mother, his other love, dying was just...ugh.

“Sorry to disappoint. Then again, I was adopted. Mom, at least, had a choice.” “There was never any doubt you were a Cole, Knight. You weren’t a choice; you were destiny.” I waved her off. 

Luna Rexroth is small and silent, but mighty. She is a force, and as the novel progresses she develops her own power, no longer being the weak one or the one who needs protection, but the one who protects and cares for others. Her development over the course of the novel is phenomenal, one of the best I’ve seen from Shen, because her evolution is about needing to be an equal in a relationship. Luna recognizes that the power dynamic between her and Knight isn’t right, she makes hard and mature decisions for them both which aren’t always received well, but are needed nonetheless. I am so in love with the person Luna becomes, the rock she is for her family, and the love she emanates for all those around her. She fills a vital role that is needed by all in this book.

“Some?” “You. Edie. Knight.” “Since when?” “Since…a few weeks ago.” “Luna,” he whispered. “Dad.” “Say it again.” “Dad.” I smiled. He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. “Again? Please.” “Dad.”

Rosie LeBlanc Cole...I'll miss you. I have been crying for the past hour and I don't know how to cope with her death. She has been my second favorite character in L.J. Shen's world and to know that she is gone...yeah I was a mess. Her and Dean's last moment together was what set the waterworks off. All scenes with Rosie and Dean hurts. I couldn't highlight anything in their chapters. I found it heartbreakingly beautiful that Rosie only wanted Dean when she took her last breath. No Knight, no Lev, no Millie. Just Dean, the love of her life. I honestly don't know how I will ever recover from this. When their chapter ended, Knight and Luna's finally began.

“Thank you.” My wife had smiled up at me. “For this life.” 

“Thank you,” I’d answered. “For making me worthy of giving it to you.” 

BITCH!


Plus, we got scenes of Vaughn! I am so excited for his book to come out. Like hurry up already. I already know he's going to ruin all these guys for me. If he's anything like his father then...yep he's going to own me. The Vaughn moments in the book. I died because I know he wasn't trying to be funny, but he was hilarious. The way Knight described him, and seeing him from Knight and Luna's POV, that was so funny. I'm still so curious about him. Why doesn't he eat in front of people? Why only blow jobs? Knight said he didn't like people touching him. He clearly cares about Knight. Vaughn said to Luna he didn't care with his heart, but I think he does.

“I bet he carved his name on the walls of your uterus, too, warning off any potential future siblings. The bastard.”

I do love how the book was wrapped up in a beautiful orange bow. Knight and Luna are going to be together forever and no one is going to pull them apart. Daria and Penn finally got married. Vaughn will get his head messed with his new girl. What I am having a problem with is Dean getting together with Knight's real mom. Like no, my girl Rosie is NOT going to be replaced.

“It started with an abandoned toddler in a soiled diaper, but the plot twist was a boy with busted knuckles and a heart of gold…” 

Rating: ★★★ ★ ☆

Overall, this is one of the best books of 2019. I know it's going to be on my top five and it will also be one of the saddest books I've read so far. This book had so much love and angst that it was basically made for me (sorry Sassy Sparrows). This book is a total recommend to anyone looking for heartbreak, loss, and just romance, get this book. Luna and Knight's romance both faded and bloomed in this book in a way that made sense. There were some parts where I wanted to scream at them to just talk but communication was hard for them at a time. Anyways, this book was amazing and such a good read that I know I am going to be rereading it after my therapy sessions due to this book.

He kissed my ear, trailing the kisses down my neck. “Ride or die,” he whispered. “Ride.” I closed my eyes, smiling. “Always ride.” 

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Coming Up Roses by Staci Hart

My girl, Staci Hart, is back with a new tale of love and...roses. Yes, I did that. If you have been following me for a while, you will know I am a huge fan of Staci and have enjoyed her books ever since I read A Thousand Letters. That books was one of my favorites of last year and ugh I just love it. Well, she is back with a new book titled Coming Up Roses which was released on August 1st. What better way to start the month with a new book. That's enough chit chat...
Let's get to the review!


First Synopsis:

Everyone hates parts of their job.

Maybe it’s the paperwork. Maybe it’s the day-to-day grind. Maybe it’s that client who never knows what they want, or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave.

But not me. I love every corner of the Longbourne Flower Shop, every flower, every petal, every stem. I love the greenhouse, and I love Mrs. Bennet, my boss. I love creating, and I love being a florist. I don’t hate anything at all.

Except for Luke Bennet.

The Bennet brothers have come home to help their mom save the flower shop, and Luke is at the helm. His smile tells a tale of lust, loose and easy. He moves with the grace of a predator, feral and wild. A thing unbridled, without rules or constraint. 

When he comes home to save Longbourne, I almost can’t be mad at him. 

Almost.

He doesn’t remember that night I’ll never forget. That kiss, touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him.

Everyone hates part of their job, and I hate Luke Bennet.

Because if I don’t, I’ll fall in love with him.

So, Coming Up Roses was introduced as a standalone novel but I'm pretty sure it's going to come off as a series because of so many characters we were introduced. Especially the Bennet children (Yes, it is what you think it is). This is an enemies-to-lovers romance with a second-chance trope in it. Tess Monroe is loving her life and especially her job as a florist in the Bennet's flower shop. She loves everything about it, especially the Bennet family. Well, besides one person: Luke Bennet. Luke comes back to Longbourne to save the family business and he is surprised to find a Tess that seems to hate him. Does she really? Well, read the book and find out!

”She was as familiar to me as she was a discovery, the girl I’d known, the woman I’d come to need.”

Tess was endearing but the complete opposite of Luke in almost every single way. She definitely has her hurt pride and prejudices against Luke, and they are not unfounded. I did find their chemistry authentic. I like that Luke made Tess more outgoing and willing to take risk, and in exchange Tessa made Luke more settled and responsible. When it is revealed what caused a riff in their relationship...I'll be honest I was on my girl, Tess's side. She did what she had to do to protect her heart after he broke it.

While the plot was not really filled with large surprises I was drawn in by the retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I thought her rendition of the Bennett family was spot on. I love the carefree nature of Luke as the youngest Bennett, the love arduous Mrs. Bennett, and even the father. I cannot wait to see what she does with the rest of these characters.

Not to mention on how Tess and Luke compliment each other. They balance each other perfectly. Where Tess needs to get more wild, Luke shows her how to live a little. And where Luke needs more stability learning to be dependable, Tess gives him exactly what he needs. Everything comes to them naturally and they just live with the flow without realizing it.

”She was as familiar to me as she was a discovery, the girl I’d known, the woman I’d come to need.”

Tess is real, beautiful, thoughtful, cautious, caring, loving. She gives with all her heart and is afraid to live her life a little more adventurous. But who can blame her? Aren’t we all afraid to get hurt or afraid of consequences? I love the way the opens up naturally after Luke is back in her life. It’s like two puzzle pieces fall back in place together. 

”Be wild. Because life is lived in the moments you don’t see coming”

Lucas is the perfect example that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. You only see the top of the iceberg and you underestimate its depth. Can someone bake me a man like Lucas? I’d really like to meet him and fall in love with him.

One character I couldn't stand and was glad she was gone from their lives was Wendy. I wanted to throw stuff at her so she can just let them be but nope. I love that Staci added her in this story because there are so many guys and women who find themselves 'trapped' with people like her. 

Spoiler: Working every day with Wendy at the flower shop and teaching her skills, offering her job security and benefits after she lied to Luke and tried to trap him by saying that the baby she carried was his. She did this because his previous actions always told her that she could manipulate him and that he would come running. He was reliable, honorable and would always be there if the baby was his. Had she not been caught she would have totally been fine with living this lie when her actions could have destroyed both Luke's and Tess's lives. I understand there was mental illness involved, but she still has to be accountable for her actions. There's also the fact that she mentioned oh so nonchalantly before she knew that Tess and Luke were together that she and Luke "did it" on almost every surface of the workshop. Some things can't be unknown.

”In this man was a heart too big to contain, with patience and love beyond the bounds of comprehension. And he was mine.”

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much. It just proves me, once again, why Staci Hart has the fanbase that she has. Every story is different yet they carry so much truth in what some of us experience every day. The pace, the slow-burn, the natural interaction of all characters, the emotions, the story-flow, the well dosed drama that lead to the angsty part of the story and on and on I could go with this. Coming Up Roses is a beyond beautiful book with a strong message that everyone should read.

”Love happens in moments.”

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