No One Crosses the Wolf by Lisa Nikolidakis

This is a memoir about a troubled childhood full of abuse and neglect. It’s not an easy read and I wasn’t looking for one. It follows her growing up years with her brother and parents and all the trauma you can imagine.

Her father is a piece of crap, to put it lightly. He is an alcoholic that spends most of his at-home hours terrorizing his family. When he isn’t home, they dread his coming home so they are never truly free of him. After reading her recollections of him, I can understand that fear.

And her mother isn’t much better in comparison. She doesn’t abuse the kids but she doesn’t stop the abuse either. She puts her head in the clouds and pretends that everything is just fine. Domestic violence doesn’t go away because you want it to, you have to stop it! Her mother failed them all.

When her father finally snaps, I expected more somehow. More untangling the emotional threads of her life. More in-depth onion peeling. I wanted to see her do the hard work to undo all the lessons that her upbringing taught at such high prices. But she did none of it. She drank, slept around, and went to Greece. I’m healed!!! The end. What?? Yeah, I’m confused too.

My first inclination was to give this a 2-star review. I mulled it over though, for several days I might add. Three is as high as I can go. She writes well. She knows how to create an atmosphere and add texture and shade to a story but in the end, there’s no story. There’s no healing final chapter. There’s no Oprah “Aha!” moment. And that is a true letdown.

⭐⭐⭐ /⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brothers Best Friend by Natasha L. Black

ARC REVIEW

Cole left behind his family money and became a self made man. He worked hard and established his own good name. He started two businesses and rehabbed a old Victorian. He has a loyal best friend and life is good good for him until…

His sister Susie chose a different path and it took her down some dark corridors. Her decisions didn’t just affect her though. She had a darling little girl named Millie. Unfortunately she dragged her along in her more perilous pursuits. When Cole is forced to stand in as a parent, life changes fast for everyone involved.

Millie might be a little girl but she’s seen more than most and bears the scars. She bursts on the scene and wraps everyone around her little finger in record time. She’s a big personality stuffed into a tiny body and makes her presence felt on nearly every page.

Layla has a cozy life with her students and her dog. She’s close to her family and has good friends. Her life is a perfect except that she hasn’t moved on from a personal tragedy. She’s moving forward but not really. Her best friend thinks she knows why, but does Layla?

Lance is Layla’s older brother and best friends with Cole. They are as close as he is with Layla. They have always been there for each other through everything. As adults, that hasn’t changed. He steps up to the plate when Cole needs him but is shocked when Lance reveals something that will change the dynamics of their relationship to each other and to Layla.

This is an ARC so even though I found some minor errors I won’t be detracting points or detailing them here. It will be further polished before publishing I’m sure. I did find some other issues however and will be discussing them below.

The story starts off a bit slow but rolls along in a pleasurable enough way to keep reading. There isn’t a ton of angst and drama so you really shouldn’t read it for that. It’s a lighthearted read despite some of the heavier stuff in the book.

It has broad appeal. I mean, a sexy man, a cute little girl, an overprotective brother, a somewhat clueless woman, a meddling family and two Dachshunds. What more can you ask for in a book?

My major complaint is simple. I haven’t verified this by going back to the book but I would say up to about 60% of the book Layla comes off almost prudish. (You’d expect that from a schoolteacher of small children so cool, right?) After that point she becomes some sort of a femme fatale and is like a foul mouthed bombshell. (She’s had two chaste kisses and suddenly she’s asking for shower sex as a first time between them?) It felt rushed, and very uncharacteristic and threw me out of the story.

I never really bought this new side of her character so I enjoyed the last part of the book less than the beginning. The whole thing with Holly and all that follows just made me read it to get done, not because I was actually rooting for them anymore. That honestly breaks my heart. (Yes, I have one!)

As for the sex. it wasn’t unnecessarily acrobatic and it didn’t make me giggle but it definitely didn’t make my Kindle catch on fire either. More’s the pity.

Can I recommend this book? My first inclination was three stars. However, after some thought as to the subject matter and careful consideration of the whole story, I had to give it four.

Remember #PleaseReview. Authors love feedback.

Beautiful Lies (The Beautiful Series) by Emery Rose

In Brief

Ava Christensen grew up loved and safe. She had close friends and always knew where she fit. When she started high school all that changed. She fell in love with a sweet boy and was then forced to watch from from the sidelines as he destroyed his life to feed an ever growing addiction. It broke her. It broke him more. She knew that and tried to fix him. She wanted to heal him and make him see what she had always known – that she loved him, even when it hurt.

Connor Vincent grew up in the shadow of his older brother. They grew up close because of an abusive, alcoholic father and an absent mother. Killian took on both roles for Connor. When he turned to drugs, Killian tried desperately to get him clean. It never worked, until Connor was doing it for the right reasons. Now Connor feels immeasurable guilt because of his past choices and deeds. He’s working through it and wants a life with Ava. He’s willing to do the work to repair their broken foundation while he works the steps of his program. He’s changed and has to make her see that.

They’ve both grown up a bit and are still very much in each others orbit. They want to try again. Can they invite the pain? Can they get through it together? Will family issues, mysteries and drama bring them together or rip them apart forever? In the end, is love enough?

Nutbarn Notes

Before I start my review, I just want to say this one will be slightly different. I was gifted an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this story. I may make note of technical issues but they do not affect my overall rating.

The Writing

This story is very full. There are new characters introduced, subplots being threaded throughout, tons of emotional angst, and growth for the main characters. It’s a rollercoaster with enough highs and lows to make you feel drunk. It’s hard to read after becoming emotionally invested in these characters. You want them to have a HEA without any effort. You simply want them to be happy NOW. The push/pull is happy torture.

Maybe you couldn’t choose the person you fell in love with. Over the years, I’d tried so many times to steel my heart against Connor, but he always came in like a wrecking ball. He knocked down all the walls, destroyed the foundation, and left me with the rubble. Our brand of love would never make an after-school special. It was ugly and gritty and soul-destroying.

Technically Speaking

Each chapter is written from either Ava or Connor’s POV. That gives us a much richer, more in depth understanding of the characters and their strengths and weaknesses. I really love that.

I didn’t find any problems with punctuation, grammar, etc. Continuity was maintained throughout in regards to names, physical descriptions, etc.

These characters haven’t had easy lives. They each have battle scars. Some very heavy topics are discussed and are not in any way limited to alcoholism, abuse, sexual assault, drug use and abuse, and murder.

The Sex

Sex is also prominently featured. Rightly so! It’s sweet, unkinky, and perfect. It’s more about rediscovery than orgasm. I wouldn’t change a word. It’s handled in mature language without crude descriptors.

Cons

My only issue with the book (and it’s most likely unique to me and would never bother another single, solitary soul) is that there are flashbacks and memories peppered throughout the story. I found them a tiny bit distracting from the current storyline. They added to the it in the end, but it was distracting.

Overall

This IS a standalone, but I highly recommend that you read the first one, Beneath Your Beautiful, so that you get the entire arc of the characters and fall in love with each one of them as much as possible. You can do that on Amazon, or your favorite bookseller. It’s currently free in Kindle Unlimited.

Rating

Can I recommend this book? Yes. It’s has all the right elements and characters that I loved.

Pre-order your copy today!

Remember #PleaseReview! Authors love feedback.

#BeautifulLies

#TheBeautifulSeries

#EmeryRose

Wrong Then Right (A Love Happens Novel Book 2) by Jodi Waters

Beckett is a retired SEAL, now doing some civilian security work for a group called Scorpio Securities. He’s seen combat, killed men in battle, and is an all around badass. He also never lacks for a lady’s attention so during a friend’s wedding reception he scopes out his next carnal target.

Hope is funny, sarcastic, and sassy. She is also fiercely independent and willing to work hard. She is working for a caterer but barely making ends meet. She is so goal oriented and driven that not much else in life matters but obtaining her degree. However, when she spots Beckett, she immediately begins to fantasize about him but still can’t believe her luck when the impossible happens.

Beckett propositions her; she can’t say no. After one quick and dirty rendezvous in a hotel room, they part, but not for long. When circumstances beyond her control force her into homelessness, she needs a place to stay that doesn’t have a Toyota name plate on it. Beckett happens to have a room. Okay, so the way that they come together is a bit of a stretch in believability but I loved the characters too much to quit. I think you will too.

The relationship builds slowly in some areas and quickly in others. The emotional growth takes time. Each character has roughly a crap ton of baggage and it makes for some stumbling blocks in their paths. The sexual aspect comes up quicker than Beckett Jr. and that is saying something, my friends. The sex is steamy, and thankfully, happens often. It’s handled quite well without any attempts at porn pillow talk. It’s what a good sex scene should be, really.

Read for the sex, stay for the humor. Seriously! I laughed out loud probably every chapter. In a few instances, I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. I was simply stuck doing that gasping, wheezing, silent version of laughing and loving every second of it. The writing jumps off the page right from the start and never stops.

Hope Coleson only knew a few things for sure.

First, you could never trust a guy with two first names. A sense of entitlement went hand in hand with anyone named John David, and you could bet the family farm he would cheat on you with some girl named Tiffany the first chance he got.

Second, there wasn’t an acrylic top coat on the market that could keep her nail polish from chipping only a few days after a manicure, no matter how careful she was when using her thumbnail as a flathead screwdriver.

And third-and this one was a biggie-unless you happened to be his blushing bride, it was a sure thing that ogling the groom at his own wedding was a first class, nonstop ticket straight to Hell. And it didn’t matter how drop-dead gorgeous he was either, because the Almighty simply didn’t care. Whether a girl believed in an afterlife or not, she should be aware of the possible ramifications, just in case there was a purgatory for the dirty-minded.

This is the first two pages!! Tell me you aren’t sold. I wouldn’t have walked away at gunpoint. I knew it was only going to get better. And it did. They aren’t the only characters in the book. There is a complete roster that includes her brother Asher, several of Beckett and Asher’s co-workers, Marshall the siblings father, her BFF Val -a gay man – who teaches her the finer points of handling Beckett’s merchandise, Bridgett a waitress and part time stripper, and a few other more minor characters. There isn’t a dud in the bunch.

While it’s a stretch to believe how the two main characters were brought together it didn’t detract from the story for me. I kept reading because of the fun conversational style of the writing. It was escapism in all it’s written glory.

The book isn’t all light-hearted sass and sex though. Beckett has an addiction that has him by the throat. He’s fighting it minute by minute, and sometimes losing. Someone has stolen Hope’s money, and is sending text messages with violence simmering just beneath the surface, and Asher is probably more difficult than both of them. If they gave awards for protective older brother, Asher would win before the votes could be tallied.

The ending is beautiful and sweet, without a heavy application of syrup marring it’s surface. It fit the story, the characters and the circumstances surrounding Beckett. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Covering all the technical stuff on this one is easy. It was all good. I didn’t have issues in any of the normal categories I cover: spelling, grammar, punctuation and word usage. Continuity was the same. Flow was also great from first page to last line. It’s a complete standalone even though it’s part of a series. This author is doing it right!

Can I recommend this book? Yes. It would have been 5 eggs if not for the Lifetime Movie-esque way the two mains finally start living together. I hated to, but I had to break an egg.

I highly recommend the book (I’ll be reading the others in the series as soon as I can) and the author. She’s new to me but I already love her. Pick up a copy today. Snag it. Its currently free in Kindle Unlimited but of course, also available to purchase. Check the price before you 1-click!

Remember #PleaseReview. Authors love feedback.

#WrongThenRight

#JodiWaters