Book Review: Sweet Addiction Duet by J. Daniels

Book 1: Sweet Addiction

SYNOPSIS:

Wedding hookups never amount to anything.

Those who partake in this wicked little activity know the rules. Get in. Get laid. Get out. There's no expectation of a relationship. It is what it is.

Dylan Sparks knows the rules. She’s familiar with the protocol. And she engages in the best sex of her life with a complete stranger at her ex-boyfriend’s wedding.

Reese Carroll doesn’t care about the rules. He wants more than just one night with Dylan.

And Dylan finds him too addicting to pass up.

Sweet Addiction is the story of one woman’s struggle to keep things casual, and one man’s desire to never let her go.

Book 2: Sweet Possession

SYNOPSIS:

A sassy, in-your-face baker. A panty-stealing, dirty-talking accountant. And a bathroom quickie that changed their lives forever.

Wedding hook-ups never amount to anything.

Unless that hook-up knocks you on your ass.

For Dylan Sparks and Reese Carroll, the big day can’t arrive soon enough. Dylan, stressed to the max from overbearing mothers and last minute preparations, struggles to keep her sanity. As for Reese, he’s fighting to not only keep his bride-to-be safe from creepy investors, but also to make it to the actual wedding day without losing his mind in the process.

Throw in a crazy group of friends, and a bachelor/bachelorette party weekend getaway, and you have a recipe for the sweetest wedding of the year.

Reese Carroll and Dylan Sparks cordially invite you to read Sweet Possession.

MY REVIEW: 

 If there was an award for authors who knew exactly how to establish character connection, J. Daniels deserves the crown. The instant Reese and Dylan met, there weren't sparks. Sparks are for teenagers, love. When they met, there were fucking pyrotechnics and some really loud sexy music.

Going to her ex-boyfriend's wedding wasn't something that thrilled Dylan into attending. All she wanted was to see how people would react to the cake she made for the wedding, and she was out. But the night turned out to be something she will thank for forever when she fell on the lap of hot and handsome accountant Reese Carroll.

They spoke the same language when it came to relationships: nothing serious except serious fucking. Both of them were extremely attracted to each other so they decided to act on it without getting deeper into a relationship. But there was a problem. They can't seem to get enough. And the moment they took more, they started falling for each other.

Dylan was a sophisticated woman who wasn't exactly interested in a serious relationship. I loved her femininity, I loved how she withheld her feelings and played the woman she thought Reese wanted, but I also loved how she was transparently inlove with the man but denied it with her life for the fear of getting hurt.

Reese Carroll is a total panty-stealer. I swear to God, his royal possessive hotness was written so profoundly yet seemingly effortless. His character was one of the major shiz that got me so glued on the story and also one of the reasons why this book just blew me away. He was hot, beautifully dirty, utterly charming, attractively possessive, and a freaking great boyfriend. How J. Daniels managed to make such a beautiful contradiction work, I don't know. But thank you, J. Daniels. Thank you. My ovaries are dead but thank you.

J. Daniels has done it again, rendered me useless while reading her book. There was just something about her writing style that could suck a reader up into her world and keep her there. Her writing prowess is so interesting and entertaining that you can't seem to spare time to glance at what page you're at and just keep reading and reading and reading. Her secondary characters added up to the story's deliciousness! Juls and and Joey (even Brooke!) were characters that definitely added to my love for this book! They were funny yet sincere, loud but loving, fun-seeking but supportive, my, they could even be our representations of our very own best friends! 

Although I was completely satisfied with the first book and didn't actually need a whole book of a supposed-epilogue, I still enjoyed reading Sweet Possession. In this book, Reese and Dylan were "suffering" from waiting for the wedding day. I love that Miss J. Daniels took the liberty of writing about what happens after the book's happily-ever-after. That a love story doesn't really end up with just the proposal of marriage but goes way beyond that. Sweet Possession took me deeper into Dylan and Reese's relationship and I reveled on the mixed sensation and tension of the story. I loved Reese more in Sweet Possession. He was definitely destined to become my husband...I mean Dylan's husband ;)

I don't usually like books that has a lot of sex scenes but this steamy read has a core story and characters that a lover of sexy contemporary romance would totally love. It was sensual, sexual, wild, tame, hot, tender read with a tinge of angst and a whole bunch of romance!

Book Review: All I Want (Alabama Summer #2) by J. Daniels

SYNOPSIS:

Luke Evans is a heartbreaker.
I didn’t want to give mine to him. Not when he kept me out.
He gave me enough, just enough to make me fall in love with him. I say this to convince myself. But I know the truth.
I would’ve fallen in love with him at a distance.
Handing my heart over to Luke was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I was naive when I wished for more, when I hoped he wanted the same things I did.
I try to hate him. I try to forget him.
But it’s not that easy.
Love is a ruthless bitch, and I’m her latest victim.

Tessa Kelly is a man-eater.
When she sets her sights on you, she doesn’t just consume your heart, she goes for your soul.
What we had was perfect, real, and all I would ever want.
But she destroyed it.
She destroyed us.
I try to hate her. I try to forget her.
But it’s not that easy.
Love is for people who have hope, and I have none.

 

MY REVIEW:

I totally love this one better than the first book! J. Daniels knows how to keep a reader entertained because the moment I read it, I was glued. The tug and release happening between Luke and Tessa has kept me turning pages, anticipating the time when both of them will finally succumb to their real feelings...well, at least most of that should come from Luke.

I liked Tessa on Ben and Mia’s story but I saw her there as a happy-go-lucky, careless, and a girl who just wants to have fun. But in this story, I found a deeper woman in her. A woman who wants to settle down, have babies, and be loved back by the man she loved with the same honesty and intensity that she had for him. Tessa turned out to be a very relatable character. In Where I Belong, there was a side story there that Tessa thought she was pregnant with Luke’s baby and broke up with him when he admitted that he didn’t want a family. In All I Want, she struggles with the need to forget the man she loved, thinking sex with other guys will set her feelings for him free. Nice try, love, but even I can’t forget Luke Hot Cop Evans.

Luke Evans has been in hell for 12 years caused by his mother’s death and how his father used alcohol as a means of coping. He never added relationships to that set of burden. Not until he met Tessa. He was smart enough to know she was something special and important in his life but he wasn’t stupid enough to drag her into that dump-of-a-life he had. And the only solution he thought was to prevent her from getting into his life. He wanted out but the problem was, Tessa wanted in.

The pain and resistance between Luke and Tessa was what really kept me glued. Miss Daniels’ writing is so precise but light. It states exactly what feelings are like that at some point, I could really feel Tessa’s pain and found myself hurting and crying with her. There were many times when I found Luke unreasonable and wanted to hit him with a rock so he would see logic! Because dammit, Tessa deserved all of him because she gave all of her! See how affected I am?

I think this book would suit those who love a mix of sweet romance and something that sizzles. It has the right amount of hotness to be considered a contemporary adult romance but the romance was sweet and light that I think young adults will also enjoy. J. Daniels is a new writer I will definitely look out for!

Book Review: Where I Belong (Alabama Summer #1) by J. Daniels

SYNOPSIS:

When Mia Corelli returns to Alabama for a summer of fun with her childhood best friend, Tessa, there's only one thing keeping her on edge. One person that she’d do anything to avoid.

Benjamin Kelly. World’s biggest dickhead.

Mia hates him with a fury and has no desire to ever see him again. When she decides to start her summer off with a bang and finally give away her v-card, she unknowingly hands it over to the one guy that excelled at making her life miserable, learning a valuable lesson in the process.

Always get the name of the guy you’re going home with.

Ben can’t get the girl he spent one night with out of his head. When she leaves him the next morning, he thinks he’ll never see her again. Until he sees her lounging by the pool with his sister.

Mia is determined to hate Ben, even though she can’t forget him.

Ben is determined to prove he’s not the same guy he used to be.

What happens when the one person you wish never existed becomes the one person you can’t imagine being without?

MY REVIEW:

 

This book is a sweet and light read that tugs at heart strings. Mia was Ben Kelly’s younger sister Tessa’s bestfriend. They were mortal nemesis when they were kids and were set to hate each other forever. Mia had to leave town at some point until years later, she was convinced by her aunt that she should spend a longer summer with Tessa. On her way to Tessa’s, she met a hot and sweet stranger and decided to give him her virginity on a supposed one night stand as a sign of her quest towards a fun life. That one-night stand turned out to be "nine-inch amazing" and Mia will forever remember that night with him. But there was a problem. The stranger was named Ben Kelly.

Individually, Mia and Ben are interesting characters. Mia was an epitome of a good girl. She’s serious in life and takes care of her dying mother religiously, causing her to neglect her own happiness. Ben, on the other hand, was a hot cop who had his share of fun and wild in his life. Together, they spark two of my favourite kinds of couples in a romance novel—bad boy meets good girl and enemies turned lovers. Whether they hated and loved each other, I enjoyed the intensity of Ben and Mia’s connection. Even when they were sparring with words, I totally felt the spark between them. There was just this certain assurance and an unspoken love that was exclusive between the two of them. I praise the writer’s ability to sustain and even escalate that spark until the end of the book!

In all honesty, there was little intrigue at the start of the story because it was quite a predictable circumstance (I kinda saw it coming that the one night stand would be Ben). However, as the story progresses into a sweet, easygoing rhythm, I found myself thoroughly enjoying. The secondary characters are also fun and interesting! Miss Daniels certainly know how to keep the readers interested and anticipating the stories of the other characters. Tessa is Mia's best friend and Ben's younger sister. She's an honest and happy-go-lucky girl whose in a complicated love-hate relationship with hot cop/ Ben's best friend Luke whose a total douche until Tessa rattled more than his body. Reed, a character I am definitely excited in meeting, is a playboy but is a really great and caring friends. And just when I thought I couldn’t get more hooked, Little Sir Nolan appeared on the scene. I have a softness towards kids in stories and I definitely liked him!

The spark between Ben and Mia wasn't immediately felt but it progressed into a sweet dance of courtship until it reached a deeper point of love. It wasn't a mind-blowing read but it's definitely romantic and captivating. It's a fast-paced light read that will awaken tender emotions of familial love, friendship, acceptance, and a whole lot of romance.

Book Review: One to Love (One to Hold #4) by Tia Louise

SYNOPSIS:

 

It’s the one thing Kenny and Slayde have in common. Until the night Fate throws them together and everything changes.

Their chemistry is undeniable, their love blazing hot, but is history destined to repeat itself?

It’s a story about fighting. It’s about falling in love. It’s about losing everything only to find it again in the least likely place. And it's about the one hit you never see coming.
 

MY REVIEW:

This is the fourth book of the One to Hold series and I'd have to confess that it just became my favorite of the series—-maybe even one of my favorite books!

Kenny was a character that immediately took my interest when I met her in One to Keep but she was also a character that I had a hard time warming up to because I was on Elaine's side and it kind of hurt me when she had a baby with Patrick. I know, I know, that was judgmental of me but it’s the first time I’ve read something like that so just give me a chance to absorb it, ayt? I just cannot help but be jealous for Elaine when Patrick shared something so special (a cutiepatootie baby Lane) with Kenny that he doesn’t have with Elaine (Please give them a baby, Miss Tia :(). I guess you could say that I was joining Elaine with the process of accepting the situation. Anyway, whatever holding back I had on Kenny’s character was completely erased by this story. When I found out she had a story, I was very interested on how the author will ease my mind. And my, I wasn’t disappointed!

This story just ruined me in a way that I haven’t been ruined before. It enslaved me from the moment I opened the first page until I was happily sobbing at the end. It had me flipping pages at odd hours because I just can’t let Slayde and Kenny go! I don’t know why but the moment I read the name of Kenny’s hero, I already felt the spark. I loved how the unspoken attraction between them played wonderfully, enflaming each page with an effortless spark of passion and desire. It was impossible to tell myself, “One last chapter and I’ll sleep” because I wasn’t even mindful of the time while I was reading it. There was a combination of wanting to know what will happen and the reluctance to let Slayde and Kenny go. I love everything about them; their scars, tattoos, stories, pains, past, fears, every fucking perfect thing! I was presented with so many new raw emotions in this story that it successfully embarked its characters in my mind (in my life, even). I will think of them when I see daisies and lilies, I will think of them when I see heart tattoos, and I will probably think of them when I see a couple holding hands.

The progress of the story was passion-filled, emotional, and unpredictable. It will draw all possible emotions out and will render you breathless with unexpected twists and revelations. The conflict of the story blew me away and caused a strong surge of pain in my chest. Each emotion was so honest and affective that you’ll find yourself feeling and experiencing with the characters. The story had the right amount of everything and even more. Each page will pull you deeper in the story and drown you in emotions that will render you ruined. I am ruined, Tia Louise. Thank you.

So far, this is Tia Louise’s best!

Book Review: One to Protect (One to Hold #3) by Tia Louise

SYNOPSIS:

 

When Sloan Reynolds beats criminal charges, Melissa Jones stops believing her wealthy, connected ex-husband will ever pay for what he did to her. Derek Alexander can't accept that--a tiny silver scar won't let him forget, and as a leader in the security business, he is determined to get the man who hurt his fiancée.

Then the body of a former call girl turns up dead. She's the breakthrough Derek's been waiting for, the link to Sloan's sordid past he needs. But as usual, legal paths to justice have been covered up or erased.

Derek's ready to do whatever it takes to protect his family when his partner Patrick Knight devises a plan that changes everything. It's a plan that involves coloring outside the lines and taking a walk on the dark side. It goes against everything on which Alexander-Knight, LLC, is based. And it's a plan Derek's more than ready to follow.
 

MY REVIEW:

 

  The scarceness that that I felt in One to Hold was completely filled by this book and gave me even more. I realized that the first book really had the slight intention to make readers feel unfulfilled because One to Protect will fill all the holes. The moment I read the first scene of the book I knew it was already going to be a 5-star read.

In One to Protect, I got deeper into Derek and Melissa's life and entered places that I searched for in the first book. Here, I saw more of Derek's past as much as Melissa's on the first book. And my, I loved Derek more! His tenderness towards Melissa tickled all my romantic bones. The little things they shared as a couple sustained the romance 'til the end. I loved getting into their heads and knowing them more

The author's expertise with words still entertains and I must say, it got better! I didn't even notice it was already three in the morning when I finished the book! The story will keep you flipping pages with the mixture of suspense, romance, curiosity, anticipation, heat, and in my case, the undeniable bloodlust to have Sloan's dick cut off. It didn’t happen in the book, though. But my, was I very satisfied with what happened to that asshole!

The story took me to new heights. The author has successfully shocked me and I thought I am already immune to shock with all the books I’ve read. The writing was flawlessly honest, direct, and hits the right kind of emotion needed in every scene. Tia Louise gets better and better!