Author: Morgan

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Outcome (Aftermath #2) by Cara Dee

Cara Dee Presents:  http://www.amazon.com/Outcome-Aftermath-Book-Cara-Dee-ebook/dp/B00NML5KGI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1427768959&sr=1-1&keywords=outcome+cara+dee

outcomeBlurb

Three years ago, Chase Gallardo ran toward freedom with his fellow survivors after having spent five months in captivity. He hasn’t stopped running since. Only now, it’s the memories he’s constantly trying to escape. Haunting echoes of a man who forced Chase to play the part of another, the kidnapper’s younger brother. Chase may have survived, but that doesn’t mean he’s really living. Until one day, when his employee tells him there’s a man sitting at the bar, wearing only underwear.
Remy Stahl has given up—almost. For a year, alcohol, drugs, and faces without names have kept him company. But he has two friends who refuse to give up on him, and they lock him up in his house in an attempt to save him from himself. But never underestimate an addict’s desire to see the bottom of another bottle. Remy escapes, and he doesn’t give a rat’s ass that he’s nearly naked.

This is the sequel to Aftermath, where Cam and Austin met, struggled, and fell in love. Outcome takes us back to Bakersfield with Chase and Remy’s story. Fueled by anger, guilt, and shame, they’re not off to an easy start. But it’s only a matter of time before they learn how much they need each other in order to move on.

Review

(From previous site)

If you remember Aftermath – which you MUST read before you read this – you’ll recall that Chase was one of the captives held by Remy Stahl’s brother.  In fact, Remy was the “name” Chase was given and his role to play in the demented farce he was forced to play in the basement.  At the end of Aftermath, Chase is contacted by Remy in an attempt for Remy to express his immense regret that Chase suffered at his brother’s hands.

In this, the sequel, we pick up where Aftermath left off, Chase is a year out of captivity and he is feeling more secure in his life.  He has refused Remy’s apologies thus far and doesn’t think he will ever be ready to face him.

Remy, on the other hand, is checking out.  He is in a drug driven downward spiral that is only halted when his friend pulls him in and puts him in a forced “detox” situation.

Running from this detox, Remy runs into Chase by accident.  This spurs Chase into re-evaluating his feelings and the two enter into a somewhat strange, but infinitely mutually helpful relationship with each other.

They have many ghosts to vanquish and we see some very interesting new developments in the kidnapping case which may serve to split them apart.

**

I absolutely loved Aftermath and was so pleased to see the sequel.  This is a lot easier to read than Aftermath – mostly because we’ve already seen most of the horrors the men had to survive.  Instead, this was a delightful, healing sequel that showed us more of Cam and Austin and allowed us to see Chase and Remy come to peace with their pasts (more than just the past that they shared with Remy’s brother.)

Their love story is sweet and sexy and you will want to read this all in one seating, it’s so engaging.

I highly recommend this and give it 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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More than Chemistry Audiobook by Kate Sherwood narrated by Derrick McClain

Dreamspinner presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6288

more than chemistryBlurb

Jack Lawson grew up poor and can’t forget it. He’s a huge success in the business world, but it won’t be enough until the image of “poor little Jack” is completely wiped away. When Jack runs into his old friend, Noah Mercier, he decides that Noah’s sister, an up-and-coming movie star, would be the perfect evidence of glamorous success. If Jack can win Hayley, it will be clear to everyone, including himself, that he has truly arrived.
The problem with Jack’s grand plan is that he’s more attracted to Noah. Jack’s never worried about the gender of his conquests, but Noah just isn’t flashy enough for Jack’s scheme to set the world on fire… unless Jack realizes he has practically no control over deciding who he wants – and even less choice in who he needs.

Review

Jack is a millionaire running a chemical company when he meets Noah, an acquaintance from the past. At first, Jack (comfortably bi-sexual) is attracted to Noah and figures he’d like a quick affair with the man, but after speaking to him he learns that Noah has a famous sister and it’s her coat-tails he’d like to ride. A final bit of proof that he’s made it and is not the poor loser he was in high school.

Noah and Jack end up spending a lot of time together working on an ad campaign for Jack’s company. During this time both men seem to be falling in love but Jack can’t shake off his plan of wowing the public with a famous girlfriend, so he doesn’t act on his feelings.

Luckily, once he does manage to take out the famous sister, he’s come to the conclusion that Noah means more than glory and he sets about winning Noah’s heart instead.

**

This was a very short, cute love story along the lines of Cyrano. Noah is in the awkward position of setting up Jack with his sister but coveting him for himself.

Since it was a short story things moved ridiculously quickly but it was still a great story with a lovely HEA.

Audio

Derrick McClain is new to me as far as narration goes, but he did a very nice job with the story. He infused emotion and differentiated voices and even managed a passable female voice when needed.

I enjoyed both the story and the narration and give it 4 of 5 hearts.

4

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Saugatuck Summer by Amelia C Gormley

Riptide Publishing Presents http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/saugatuck-summer

SaugatuckSummer_500x750Blurb

Hi, I’m Topher Carlisle: twenty-one, pretty, and fabulous. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. But let’s get real. Walking the fake-it-til-you-make-it road to independence and self-respect isn’t easy. Especially since my mom’s a deadbeat alcoholic, and most of my family expects me to turn out just as worthless. Oh, and I’m close to losing my college swimming scholarship, so let’s add “dropout” to the list.

My BFF has invited me to stay at her beach house on the shore of Lake Michigan. That’ll give me one summer to make money and figure out what I want to do with my life. So of course I decide to have an affair with my BFF’s married, closeted dad. Because that always works out.

Now I’m homeless, friendless, jobless. Worthless. Just like my family expects, right? Except there’s this great guy, Jace, who sees it differently. He’s got it all together in ways I can only dream of—he’s hot, creative, insightful, understanding. He seems to think I don’t give myself enough credit. And if I don’t watch out, I may start to believe him.

Review

(From previous site)

This book exemplifies for me the reason why m/m is such a powerful subgenre.  Amelia has written two very flawed MCs and yet their love story is both powerful and sweet.  She touches on some very timely subjects: the nature of what qualifies as abuse, the boundaries and taboos of sexual desire, racial equality, societal “norms”… But she is neither preachy nor overbearing.

There are times you hurt as you turn the page, watching Topher place himself in bad situation after bad situation, but the pay out is so worth it.  You can see growth, love, and understanding.  No – it’s not all peaches and cream, but when is life, ever?

Another beautiful thing Amelia has done is to give us two MCs who BOTH have flaws, and yes, it is a Rescue Me story, but in the end both characters are “rescued”, and neither is helpless.

I found her exploration of Topher’s sexuality particularly well done.  You would expect that an out and proud man would “know” himself pretty well, but as she shows us, that isn’t always the case and we internalize so much from our environment without really asking ourselves if this is ME or THEM.  Very well done.

Amelia is a fantastic writer whose characters drive this story through aching pain and delicious happiness.  She has great editing and a smooth, writing style that is evocative and decadent without crossing over into purple prose.

It felt real, and believable, and still so sweet.  Some of this is the first person usage, which I really like.  It felt intimate and I like that – especially in an angsty book.  Though I would have loved more from Jace’s POV or even Brendan’s you definitely know what they are thinking and it doesn’t detract from the story.

This is the first in a series and the first I have read of this author.  I look forward to more.

An excellent book, I highly recommend.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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Spring Break at Villa Hermes (Brandt and Donelly book 4)by Xavier Mayne

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6231

SpringBreakattheVillaHermesBlurb
Troopers Ethan Brandt and Gabriel Donnelly celebrate the one-year anniversary of their engagement by flying south for a week of calm relaxation at the Villa Hermes, a gay boutique hotel on the beach. But when the rest of the guests turn out to be college guys on spring break (unwittingly booked into a gay hotel by a passive-aggressive travel agent), their week turns out to be anything but calm.

Ted, one of the spring breakers, has harbored a crush on his roommate and best friend, Bark, since they met freshman year. Now, on their fourth and final spring break, Ted knows they must soon say good-bye. A lacrosse star and ladies’ man, Bark has no idea Ted has fallen for him—until a storm forces the entire group underground for twenty-four hours of stress and truth-telling. Bark doesn’t want to say good-bye to Ted at graduation either. He just didn’t know how to put his feelings into words or if he could face the consequences of speaking them. Brandt and Donnelly help the college guys through their crisis by showing them what love between best friends can grow into.

Review

Ted and Bark are friends and roommates in their last year at the university. This is to the their last “hoorah” and Ted plans to say good-bye to the man who’s been his unrequited love interest for the last four years. But when a manipulative travel agency books Ted and his friends at the same gay resort as Brandt and Donelly a lot of things happen that change that plan.

**
This is an absolutely hysterical and lovely story. Ted’s friends are full of charismatic stories that get told one night as they all huddle against a storm.  Each striving to be their own man and to deal with their own sexuality in ways that none of the others ever guessed.

Xavier Mayne has given us more wonderful secondary characters with just as much flavor as Bryce and Nestor.  I also love that Xavier is not shy about letting the secondary characters sometimes steal some of the limelight.  In this case Ted and Bark’s story, though lovely and really sweet, has moments where it is eclipsed by the tale of the underwear model and the bear and a blossoming bi-sexual hippy.

I love that we continue to be awed by the love between Brandt and Donelly again – there are still layers to explore in their relationship- and it is always fun to check in on them as they get closer to marriage.

I have really enjoyed this series tremendously and I think that this comes in second as my favorite of the bunch.

I whole-heartedly recommend it and give it 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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Rainbow Blues by KC Burn

Dreampsinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5102

RainbowBluesBlurb

Having come out late in life, forty-three-year-old Luke Jordan is at a loss about how to conduct himself as a gay man. As a construction manager, he’s not interested in being out at work, but he’d like to find a boyfriend or at least some gay friends. Two years after his wife got all their friends in the divorce, he’s no closer to the life he wants.

Zach, Luke’s adult son, takes charge and signs him up for the Rainbow Blues, a social group for gay blue-collar workers. At an event, he not only finds friends but meets Jimmy Alexander, part-time stage actor and full-time high school biology teacher. Jimmy loves the stage but wishes potential boyfriends weren’t so jealous of the time he devotes to it. When he meets Luke and finds him accepting of his many facets, he thinks it’s a dream come true.

Their relationship quickly moves into serious territory, but their connection is tested to its breaking point by the offer of a juicy movie role that takes Jimmy to the opposite coast and into the path of a very sexy costar.

Review

(From previous site)

I really, really enjoyed this new book by KC Burn.

I was already a KC Burn fan through her Cop Out series, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I was excited.  When I saw that it was about an older man and another older man, my NOT twenty-something heart just about burst!

Without being depressing or boring, KC gives us a nicely more-realistic love story (I say more, because it is still a romance after all) between guys who are closer to 40 than 20.  The relationship has to survive busy careers, time management issues, long distance, kids and the two MCs have to make time for their relationship.  (When I read what I just wrote it sounds tedious and humdrum, but it wasn’t!  It was gentle, and caring, sometimes very sexy and hot and yet very really sweet and loving. )

Jimmy can be a neurotic queen, but you love each neurosis and totally root for him.  Zach, the son, is sometimes a selfish prick, but we understand his motives and love him, too.  And poor Ryan… well – you’ll have to read it to see what happens to him.

My only complaint is Luke:  he’s maybe a little too flawless.  He didn’t get to do much growing beyond his initial “I’m divorced and alone and I don’t know how to fix it” phase at the beginning.  After his son “fixes” that, he is pretty much perfect. He seems to have read and follow the  “How to be a great and understanding boyfriend” book, to the letter.

But – it works.  I just fell in love with Jimmy and Luke, and I suspended my disbelief and accepted that sometimes Hollywood will just come knocking on your door and that your twenty-four year old son will think your thirty eight year old boyfriend is a boy toy, and that your very first non-hetero relationship will be perfection…

Overall, it was great to read about older men NOT falling in love with someone half their age, (though that can be a good story) it’s a nice change of pace.  It was nice reading about a mature relationship unfolding in a way that you could really see happening to you or any of your single friends.

KC is a great writer, with lovely timing and an excellent editor.

I highly recommend this book – giving it a 4.5 (deducting only for the lack of true angst in Luke).

4.5

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Silence of the Stars Audiobook by Kate McMurray Narrated by Michael Ferraluolo

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6236

SilenceoftheStars[The]AUDMEDBlurb
A Spin-off of The Stars that Tremble

Sandy Sullivan has gotten so good at covering up his emotions, he’s waiting for someone to hand him an Oscar. On the outside, he’s a cheerful, funny guy, but his good humor is the only thing keeping awful memories from his army tours in Afghanistan at bay. Worse, Sandy is now adrift after breaking up with the only man who ever understood him, but who also wanted to fix him the way Sandy’s been fixing up his new house in Brooklyn.

Everett Blake seems to have everything: good looks, money, and talent to spare. He parlayed a successful career as a violinist into a teaching job at Manhattan’s elite Olcott School and until four months ago, he even had the perfect boyfriend. Now he’s on his own, trying to give his new apartment some personality, even if it is unkempt compared to the perfect home he shared with his ex. When hiring a contractor to renovate his kitchen sends Sandy barreling into his life, Everett is only too happy to accept the chaos… until he realizes he’s in over his head.

Review

To start – I did not read The Stars That Tremble, but I’m told that’s okay.

Sandy is suffering from PTSD, now working with a buddy as a decorator, mostly outgoing and loving life, but having a hard time dealing with the demons he saw in the war.

Everett is coming off a broken heart, his famous ex has moved on and he’s now focusing on his new career and a new residence.

The two are immediately attracted and begin an affair, but it isn’t an easy road.

Sandy doesn’t want to deal with the PTSD he denies and doesn’t want to burden anyone else with his nightmares, so he avoids sleepovers and commitment.

Everett is still a bit gun-shy, what with being a recent ex of a long relationship and he’s dubious about his own abilities to handle Sandy’s PTSD.

In the end Sandy agrees to get some help and Everett and he get a solid HEA.

**

There were parts of this book that I really liked. I loved the MCs and their POTENTIAL. The PTSD, the socialite and the working class man, the musician and the carpenter… all good mixes and rife with potential.

What I didn’t like was the lack of emotion. Even the sex seemed kind of mechanical and blah. Though they said words to the effect of “you are so hot” “I want you so much” I didn’t FEEL it.

Kate McMurray has an easy and flowing writing style, lots of attention to detail and well developed characters.

I liked this book and I would read more by this author, but I wasn’t wowed by this particular story.

3.5 of 5 hearts

I love the cover!

Audio
I mostly liked the narration by Michael Ferraluolo. He has a very nice voice that is easy to listen to. However, I thought that Everett should have the lighter voice and Sandy the deeper – so that kept throwing me out of the story. But I don’t really think that there is a basis for my interpretation other than Sandy was the Army guy… stereotypes and all that. It didn’t really diminish the overall enjoyment for me – just gave me pause now and then. He differentiated the voices nicely and dealt with the emotion that was in the story well.

4 of 5 hearts for the audiobook

4

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Running Wild (Havoc #1) by SE Jakes

Riptide Presents http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/running-wild

running wildBlurb
Embrace the danger.
Sean Rush is an adrenaline junkie. That’s why he was in the Army, why he steals and races classic muscle cars . . . and why he can’t stay away from bad boy Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant. Fortunately, Ryker can’t seem to stay away from Sean—he’s spent the last eight months breaking into Sean’s apartment and stealing into his bed, leaving Sean physically satisfied but increasingly restless.
Sean has always avoided relationships. He likes to come and go without being controlled. And Ryker is possibly the most controlling man he’s ever known. Still, he finds that he wants more from Ryker than their silent nighttime encounters.
Then one of Sean’s thefts goes bad, and Ryker’s protective instincts kick into overdrive. He takes Sean to the Havoc compound, determined to keep him safe. But Sean’s past threatens the safety of Havoc—and everything Ryker holds dear. Worse, Ryker’s hiding secrets of his own. Soon it’s obvious that the adrenaline rush can’t keep them together anymore. But maybe love can.

Review
(from previous site)

SE Jakes has done it AGAIN. This series may even top/tie with the Hell or High Water series for me. Ryker is absolutely on par with Prophet for hot, bad ass, awesomeness… but maybe I should compare him to Mal… or Cillian… he is so bad ass that he always knows what to say and when to say it and what he does is ALMOST always right. Almost. Ryker is a SEX GOD and yet so amazingly sweet that you just want to take him home with you. He. Sends. Flowers. (Insert swoon)

Sean is another great character. He is funny, and caring, and a little crazy and vulnerable, and tough… just like a good SE Jakes character should be. He is a great friend, a neurotic lover, an adrenaline junkie and an ex-soldier who suffers from PTSD. He also is Bad. Ass. He has ninja car skills and can steal a car with one hand tied behind his back. His relationship with Ryker is sweet and funny and very, very hot, and sometimes frustrating.

The story is completely amazing. It grabbed me, threw me on the back of the bike and told me to hang on! There was literally never a slow moment or place I felt I wanted (or even could) skim. It was all vital, wonderful and riveting.

The love story is so completely satisfying and … hot. Enough said.

Jakes has added some vaguely paranormal stuff to this story that added a distinct charm and mystique to Havoc and its compound. I hope for future stories from Casey, maybe Sweet, maybe Noah – you never know right?

I totally recommend this book (and all SE Jakes books) and give this book 6 out of 5 hearts – it was that good. Really.

amazing

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Rare (Roads #2) Audiobook by Garrett Leigh narrated by Michael Lesley

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5791

RareAUDMedBlurb
Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.

Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he’s feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.

Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted.

Review

Ash is recovering from his breakdown and Pete is helping him as best he can while wrestling with his own demons.

Though Pete has been the strong one in the past, his job (in general) and some tough calls (specifically) drain his energy and force him to really rely on Ash for a change.

Things in Ash’s life are changing too.  A mystery woman enters his life who may or may not be significant in his past.

There is more drama and angst – as is to be expected – but overriding it is the love that Pete and Ash share. It only deepens and strengthens as each of them grows and heals.

**

I can’t say this is a “happy” book, but it feels lighter than the first. I was grateful to see Ash healing and moving on (mostly) from his past and I loved seeing more of Pete as a real person and less the idealized boyfriend.

I felt like I connected with the MCs more in this book and thus liked this book a bit more than Slide.

Garrett Leigh is a very good writer and I really appreciate her ability to create these very deep, complex, wounded characters. When you’re in the mood for angst and heart-ache but you need to know there’s light at the end of the tunnel – I’d turn to her for a sure bet.

Audio

For me, Michael Lesley turns this book from a good to great. I just adore his take on Ash. I can almost see and feel him through his voice alone. Michael does a tremendous job of giving us the emotion, the variation in characters and the timing to draw us deeply into the story and immerse us in the character’s lives.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Hard Feelings by Morgan James and Ashlyn Kane

Dreamspinner Presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5167

HardFeelingsBlurb

Rylan and Miller’s arrangement has simple rules: Don’t stay overnight. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t fall in love. This is probably a bad idea.

Rylan Williams hates conferences: too many people, not enough routine, and way too much interaction with strangers. When he gets stuck in a broken elevator with Miller Jones, the kid who fell asleep in his lecture, he figures things can’t get worse. Then Rylan realizes he’s the same guy he just spent an hour perving over from afar.

Rylan wants to await rescue in silence, but Miller insists on conversation, or at least banter. But just because they don’t get along doesn’t mean they don’t have chemistry, and Rylan breaks all his rules about intimacy for a one-time-only conference hookup. He’ll probably never see Miller again anyway. So of course, two months later Miller shows up at Rylan’s office, having just been hired to work on a new computer program—with Rylan.

And Rylan thought being stuck in an elevator with him was bad.

Soon Rylan and Miller learn that they get along best when they take out their frustrations in the bedroom. Their arrangement goes against everything Rylan believes in, but the rules are simple: Don’t stay overnight. Don’t tell anyone. And don’t fall in love.

This is probably a bad idea.

Review

(From previous site)

From the very beginning this books hooks you in and keeps you rolling along!  Rylan and Miller are hysterical together.  Their banter is hard and fast, and so is their sex!  The chemistry between them is killer and it lulls you into believing the romance may not be so good.

But then – in a very sneaky fashion – the authors twist and turn you around and now, suddenly, you find yourself in the middle of a tender and well written love story.  Just like poor Rylan, we readers are almost blindsided by the depth of emotions we find ourselves immersed in, and it makes a good book a great book about 65% of the way in.

My only complaint of the entire story was this issue.  I wanted to either have more of the secondary characters stories laid out for me, or less.  As it stands, they are kind of distracting and not very satisfying additions to the book.  So much care was taken into creating these real, vibrant, and rich characters, I think they deserved more involvement in the story.

I had never read anything by this author, but I will definitely be looking for her (them) in the future.

I give it a 5 of 5 hearts and definitely recommend this book!

5

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Jeremy (Whitedell Pride #5) by Catherine Lievens

Extasy books presents: http://www.extasybooks.com/Jeremy/?author_id=1021
jeremyBlurb

When a small action completely changes your life, you have to learn how to make the best out of it.

Jeremy’s life is centered on his three-year-old son, Adam, and his work. He’s a single dad, and as such he doesn’t have time for friends or girlfriends. Then he meets two brothers, and with them, a tall, silent man who fascinates him. But Jeremy isn’t gay…right?

Denver thinks he’ll soon be gone from Whitedell. He doesn’t have a family or friends and is with the pride only to do his job, at least until he finds his mate. He doesn’t want to claim Jeremy, but that choice is taken away from him, and he has to learn to live with a mate and a small child.

The two work hard on creating a life for themselves and raising Adam together, but someone from Jeremy’s past works against them. They will have to fight to keep their new family together and to keep Adam safe.

Review

As with books 1-4 Denver is a shifter, Tiger this time, and Jeremy is an unsuspecting human who is also a single dad.
Jeremy, in fact, identifies as straight but open to all types of love, before meeting Denver. Denver, however, is NOT in the market for a mate and tries to brush Jeremy off.

Jamie and his brother have other ideas and push the two together. When Denver accidently cuts himself, Jeremy accidentally ingests some, thus starting their bond. Now it is up to Denver to complete the bond, otherwise Jeremy could die.

In addition, Jeremy’s ex is now wanting the son she abandoned at birth and is giving the Pride trouble.

Luckily they all figure things out and find true love and a HEA.

**

Sure, the storyline is pretty similar, but this book stands out from the rest because of the GFY element, the child/parenting element and (unfortunately) the psycho female ex element.

Though I loved the first two, the last always makes me cringe. If only (female especially) authors would just give the crazy ex some sort of vulnerability and logic that would explain their craziness it would be easier to swallow. Basically we are left wondering how our sweet Jeremy ever hooked up with the psycho beyotch in the first place!

I loved the twist at the end with Adam and look forward to Ani’s story very much!

However… I really enjoyed this book, best of the 5 in my opinion, and I recommend it.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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