Book Review #27 [Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley]

Lauren Grahame has spent her whole life thinking something special was going to happen. She didn’t know what it was, she just knew it would one day be hers. But she learned the hard way that special wasn’t on offer.

So, after divorcing her cheating husband, Lauren searched for nothing special and she thought she found it when she landed a job as a waitress in a biker bar in Carnal. It was perfect: a nothing job in a nowhere bar in Nowheresville.

Then Tatum Jackson walked in. Part-owner of the bar, he took one look at high-class Lauren and wanted nothing to do with her. And he made this known, loudly.

Tate’s angry insults seared in her brain, Lauren decides the feeling is mutual and she doesn’t want anything to do with the gloriously handsome Tate Jackson. The clash of the bartender and barmaid begins but, even though Tate makes his change of mind clear (in biker-speak, a language Lauren is not fluent in), Lauren is intent on going her own way.

Until a serial killer hits Carnal and Lauren finds out Tate isn’t a bartender, he’s a bounty hunter. He stakes his claim for Lauren before he goes on the hunt for a killer but Laurie doesn’t speak biker nor does she understand bounty hunters and Tate comes back from the hunt to find his old lady has moved on.

Life throws curveball after curveball at Laurie and Tate. As secrets are revealed, women are brutally murdered, and Lauren tries to find her inner biker babe.

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*Disclaimer: I just want to point some things out about Kristen Ashley's male leads and books. These guys are unapologetic bad-asses. Not one- NOT ONE- is perfect, or even exhibits "perfection-like" attributes. A quote from one of Kristen's interviews: 

"....They are who they are, they do what they do, there’s a reason why they do it and they understand it isn’t socially acceptable and they don’t give a crap. This is not to say I agree with their takes on the world."

Now about the books, Kristen is a self-published author, she's not apart of a company or whatever. So, the editing or the writing is not perfect. If that's a peeve for you, then she may not be for you. But, if you can get past that, enjoy her AMAZING books then YAY! And, also there is good amount of foul language in the Colorado Man books and the Dream Man series. So, if THAT is a peeve for you, you might not want to read those books. (lol)

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Say what? I'm doing another Kristen Ashley book? Damn right I am. I'm on a K.A trip (!) right now. She's officially on my favorite authors list. I mean, honestly guys she's THE COOLEST.

Anyway, this is the first review of another K.A series - Colorado Man. In this book, we follow Lauren Grahame and Tatum Jackson. You can pretty much get the jist of the story from the summary above so I'll get straight to the core.

Lauren, our female lead, is a woman looking for a place for where she belongs. She's trying to figure out what it is she wants and where she wants to go. After leaving her no good husband, Lauren finds herself in Carnal, Colorado eventually getting a job as a waitress in the local biker bar. Lauren in the beginning is lost which is understood considering the situation she just came out of. By the end of the book, Lauren finds her inner "biker babe" and becomes a strong woman who know what she wants....

And, she finds that with the help of our alpha male/local bounty hunter - Tatum Jackson. Ugh TATUM JACKSON. I...*BREATHES* I will tell you right here in the beginning of this book and part of the middle Tate is AN ASS. He is, he really is. Tate has a foul mouth, a short fuse, protective, aggressive, straight-talker, hardworking, loyal, and devoted. Negative to the positive. When your reading this at first you don't like Tate, esp when it comes to the VERY FIRST thing that came out of his mouth about Lauren was a totally jackass-like comment. But, give it time because I can guarantee if you continue reading you will LOVE Tate by the end. Most of you will probably will WANT a Tatum Jackson of your own.

Besides the romance which by the way is hottttt. *whew* We also have a very serious problem down in Carnal. Someone is kidnapping and murdering young women. And, it's up to Tate and the DPD to figure out who. What we don't realize along with everyone else, is that this case hits closer to home than anyone realizes.

The side characters of Sweet Dreams are well....full of character. Not so much humorous as Tex or Shirleen from the Rock Chick series. But, still enjoyable. My favorite is Jonas. Tate's 10 yrs. old son. HE IS SO ADORABLE. Literally, a mini-Tate. And, I love when he first met Lauren and automatically called her MILF. (lmao)

(side note: We see two familiar faces show up in this book, Hank Nightingale and Eddie Chavez from the Rock Chick series!! *squealsss*)


Sweet Dreams is my favorite out of the Colorado Man series, always worth a re-read.

Rating: 5/5

Quote:  (Jonas and Lauren)

"I'm not goin' on dates. I'm playin' the field." 

Dad burst out laughing but I glared and snapped. "Jonas!"

Jonas looked at Dad. "I gotta keep my options open, make sure I get a good one." I looked at the celing. "Lord, deliver me," I implored and looked back at Jonas when he poked me in the ribs.

"Laurie, I'm ten." He used my words against me then grinned cheekily again. "Like I said, gotta keep my options open."

LOL Oh Jonas....

Book Review #26 [Rock Chick Renegade by Kristen Ashley]

Jules has got a score to settle against the drug dealers of Denver. Vance has made it his mission that Jules won’t get dead while dishing out vigilante justice. Jules doesn’t have time for romance, she’s too busy saving the world and she enlists Zip (the gunstore owner), Heavy (an ex-PI) and Frank (a mysterious recluse) to help.

The Rock Chicks of Fortnum’s Bookstore get involved to provide romantic advice and guidance, none of which Jules accepts at first. The Hot Bunch of Nightingale Investigations adopt Jules as one of their own. Even though Jules tries to hang on to her inner Head Crackin’ Mamma Jamma, the Rock Chicks; Hot Bunch; Jules’s long-suffering Uncle Nick; Jules’s friend the rotund, African-American, Jackie-O wannabe, May; and especially Vance will stop at nothing to wear her down.

But Jules makes some bad guys pretty angry and one is dedicated to taking her out. Vance and the Hot Bunch have to pull out all the stops to keep her alive. At the same time, Jules and Vance learn the true meaning of home but once they find this precious entity they’ve been searching for all their lives, will Jules’s enemies tear it away?

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And, were back with another Rock Chick adventure in Rock Chick Renegade. In this story, we follow Jules Lawson aka "The Law" and her quest to clean up the streets of Denver. As a social worker, Jules is very much attached to the kids she takes care of. So, when one of them ends up dead because of taking drugs; she starts a personal vendetta against the dealers. Now, I say this with love but Jules is - well to me - the only Rock Chick that is capable of defending herself. For obvious, reasons of course. She knows how to handle a gun and she can kick some serious ass. I, direct your attention to the club scene when she was with the other girls and one of Vance's old hook-ups show up. HOT DAMN JULES WAS ON FIREEE~~. She laid down the Law. hehe

Now, one night during her patrol she comes across resident Hot Bunch Guy- Vance Crowe. *SWOONS*  Do you hear the angels singing? Because I do every time this hot piece of  I DON'T EVEN KNOW walks on to the scene. All Native American with his long black hair, brown eyes, not to mention his mischievous shit-eating grin.....whoooo someone hold me. Vance is third in command at Nightingale Investigations right after Luke Stark (who you will meet later on :D). He's the best tracker there is, but has a criminal record as well. Arrested for grand theft auto, he changes when he meets Lee. Like every other alpha male in existence and similar to his fellow Hot Bunch brothers, Vance is very protective of the people he cares for and Jules is no exception. So, when she gets in trouble he's on the case!

Despite the sighs, rolling of the eyes, and the "REALLY?!" moments I had while reading this, I enjoyed this. Laughter was expected because I knew the same old antics and secondary characters would make an apperance again. There was some rocky road between the two when another Hot Bunch boy comes for some time, but it all worked out in the end.

But, there was a scene where I was shocked. Something happens to Jules towards the end, and it gives me feelings. Like, I don't know whether I should beat the crap out of her or hug her and never let go. I mean damn.

Is this the end? Uh NOPE. There are more Rock Chick adventures coming your way!

Rating: 4.2/5

Quote: (when Jules first meets one of Vance's old hook-up. LOL. warning: kind of long BUT READING IT TRUST ME YOU'LL LOVE IT. :D)

"Have you slept with Vance?' I asked, even though I knew.

She learned forward with a catty smile. "It was the best night of my goddamned life."

"It's good you'll have that memory." I stated calmly as if I was truly happy for her.

"You bitch!" she screamed. Then she came at me, hand out probably to grab my hair.

I was getting that opening a lot these days. I planned my feet, caught her wrist and flipped her on her back on the floor without barely moving.

Vance did move. He has his wallet out and threw some money on the table. Everyone was staring now most of them had turned to us enjoying the show.

I took a step toward her so I was looking down at her. "Stay away from Vance." I warned.

She was struggling to get up. "Fuck you!"

"That's Vance's job," I retorted.

Vance had me around the waist and was pulling me toward the door as Jackie made it to her feet. "I won't forget this!" she yelled.

"I hope not!" I yelled back at her, fighting against Vance's arm. "That way, next time you'll keep your fucking mouth shut or you won't find it so easy to get up!"

The moment I fell for Jules. LMAO

Book Review #25 [Rock Chick Reckoning by Kristen Ashley]

Stella’s the lead singer and lead guitarist of the Blue Moon Gypsies and Stella used to be Mace’s girl. Mace broke up with her though and the loss of him rocked her world. But Stella gets a call, late at night (again) from one of the members of her crazy band. She has to go play clean up (again) and runs into Mace (and a shed load of police) and ends up getting shot.

Mace finds he doesn’t like it much that his ex-girlfriend got shot, right in front of him but it’s worse. A very bad man has thrown down the gauntlet and ALL the Rock Chicks are in the firing line. Stella doesn’t want Mace to be the one to keep her alive but she has no choice… mainly because Mace isn’t giving her one.

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So, I decided to start putting up reviews for other books I read that are far very far from YA world more often. And, I'm starting with this - Rock Chick Reckoning by Kristen Ashley. Let me start by saying this is the SIXTH book in the series not the first. Weird, I know. But, I decided to take my time to read this series and not in order. It's told from multiple POVS, but don't worry you never get confused. At least, I didn't.

[The low down? The Rock Chick series consists of sassy, fiery, STUBBORN women (Rock Chicks)  and their uber SEXY ,annoying, bossy alpha males (Hot Bunch) who get themselves involved in whirlwind adventures with guns, kidnappings, etc..]

Reckoning is Stella and Mace's story. Stella is the leader of a rock band in their hometown. While Mace is one of the private investigators in Nightingale Investigations. Stella is fiery, she's stubborn (-________-) and I gotta say somewhat wishy-washy. There were moments (and I mean MOMENTS!) were I was like "REALLY, STELLA PLEASE PROCEED TO GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOU ASS AND OPEN YOUR EYES!"...and then there were moments where I was like "Oh, okay okay. You alright." Because of her, I didn't enjoy this story and I had hoped but there was a light...


You get me? (sidebar: If you read, Kristen Ashley books before, you know where that phrase comes from. XD).
Mace, on the other hand, talk about sexyyyyyy *faints* Whew~ I loved Mace but he wasn't without his faults of course. Mace showed signs of seriously losing his temper a lot, but the reasons are explained. And, I gotta say what he had to go through. Damn. I'm surprised dude can continue living sanely. 


Let's talking about Stella and Mace's relationship. Both are broken, both are frustrating, both are stubborn, both needs a good slap but they fit well like a puzzle and healed one another. I'll be honest not a huge fan of this couple especially Stella she was too stupid sometimes that I just wanted...SFDNVJDVLSDHNGIOHEGN! 


*breathes* But, still I won't make rash judgement and choose them as my fav couple because there's at least 5 more to go. Besides, these two we get a whole barn full of wacked out characters. My favorites so far are: Tex, Luke, Lee, Jet, Vance. And, I'm serious when I say this cast IS FREAKING CRAZY! AND I LOVE IT! Man, if I ever had a chance to hang out with them...esp the boys. *wink wink*


I know this series is filled with TSTL main ladies. (too stupid too live) getting into situations where you find yourself sighing SO MUCH. But, I'll hold back the impatience & ride this wave 'till the end. Until, the next Rock Chick book...

Rock On!

Rating: 3/5

Quote:

"Tex! Stop saying 'fuck' so loud!" screamed Indy

"Fuck" screamed Tex. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" 

LMAO I love Tex. best ever!

Book Review #9 [Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire]

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The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. 

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

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REVIEW TIME! First I want to say - sorry for being absent. But, you guys know how it is. Life and all that. Anyway, I've come back with a new book review of a new genre! It's Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire.

OMG. OMG. 

^That alone explains my reaction to this book. oh wait and this.... WHAT?

We have our two protagonists. Abby and Travis. AND OH LORD....JUST *HEADS EXPLODES*

I can't or won't rather reveal stuff about these two, because the synopsis up top there, says it all. And, please excuse my language. BUT HOLY SHIT THESE TWO ARE CRAZYYYY. Weird review right? But, trust me on this guys, when I say you will 95% likely feel the exact same way when or if you read this. 
Abby and Travis are such a destructive couple. They go through so much between each other; with all the misunderstandings, not admitting to their own feelings. 

I mean, people there are instances where you have to step back and be like..."Really, now? What the hell?" But, not exactly in a bad way. 

They have a lot of obstacles, though when I say that you may think "Oh, you mean like people coming between them?" 

Well...no not necessarily. The obstacles are created by Abby and Travis themselves. The side characters and best friends to our main - Shepley and America - are really good in helping the two come together. 

I'll be honest the plot of the book is nothing new and has been done a hundred times over. 

BUT! There is just something that keeps you from closing the book, from putting it down (to be honest I think it mostly has to do with Travis..but whatever lol).

If your looking for a hot steamy, UTTERLY frustrating but quite a page turner of a contemporary/chick lit romance. This is your book.

Rating: 5/5