Showing posts with label Kristen Ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kristen Ashley. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Release Day Blitz: KALEIDOSCOPE by Kristen Ashley






Kaleidoscope


Author: Kristen Ashley
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Series: Colorado Mountain #6
Pages: Paperback, 416 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 16, 2014



Summary:
When old friends become new lovers...anything can happen.

Sexy, gifted, and loyal, PI Jacob Decker is a tall, cool drink of perfection who had Emmanuelle Holmes at "hello." His relationship with Emme's best friend kept them apart for years, but things have changed. Now that a case has brought him to Gnaw Bone, Colorado, the road is wide open for Emme and Deck to explore something hotter and deeper than Emme dreamed possible. So why is she sabotaging the best thing that's ever happened to her?

It isn't easy to catch Deck off guard, but Emme does just that when she walks back into his life after nine long years. The curvy brunette had her charms back in the day, but now she's a bona fide knockout . . . and she wants to rekindle their friendship. Deck, however, wants more. Emme's always been the one; she excites Deck's body and mind like no other woman can. But a dark chapter from Emme's past overshadows their future together. Now only Deck can help her turn the page-if she'll let him . . .

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Review:


To be honest I was a little anxious before I started reading Kaleidoscope, because despite the fact that KA is one of my favorite authors and I can countlessly re-read some of her old books I really had problems enjoying some of her last releases. Also, I know, that for some readers their favorite authors can't do no good, but it's not my case, and Jagged, the previous book in this series, was not only a huge disappointment but an almost DNF for me. Fortunately, even though it doesn't have the magic of the firsts four books in the Colorado Mountain series, that wasn't the case with Kaleidoscope.

We met Deck in Breathe, he's Chace's best friend. He is a gorgeous genius and a PI who isn't afraid to use unorthodox means to reach his goals. When Chace asks for his help in a difficult case, he accepts the meeting:

"So, before we talk this through with you, you know that if you take this on, you do this by the book. You're deputized, you report, you take orders and I'll repeat, you don't go maverick," Mick continued and Deck drew in breath.
Then he stated it plain.
"My understanding of this meet is, if I wanna take this on, and seein' if I do, my usual charges will need to be significantly discounted considering you can't afford to pay them as I charge them, it'll need to be somethin' I really wanna do. And you got a reputation I admire, Shaughnessy, so I hope you take no offense but I don't take orders. I work a case how I feel it needs to be worked. I report what I feel is necessary. And last, I only do maverick."

Emme ex-best friend was Deck's girl friend. They haven't seen each other for years and now, she somehow is in the middle of the case Jacobs is investigating. Although she wasn't my favorite KA heroine and I didn't understand why she did some of the things she did in the book, she was an ok heroine.

Also, a thing I would never understand is how fashion accessories can turn plain heroines into knockout girls. Sure, clothes, make up, the right hair do, the attitude,... can help enhance a person, transform her from plain to pretty. But from plain to totally gorgeous? No.

The things I really liked in this book are, Deck, his relationship with Emme, and last but not least, the participation of Chace, Tate, Ty and Max.


Rating: 




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About the author:

Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up. And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

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Excerpt



I looked out my office window, down to the yard, my eyes to the bustling activity, and I did this tapping my phone on my desk.
I should be working but I wasn’t thinking about work.
I was thinking about Jacob.
More precisely, I was thinking about calling Jacob, had an overwhelming urge to do so.
I was also trying not to do so because I had a boyfriend, even though he was a boyfriend I wasn’t all that sure about. He was sweet, he was into me, but he was just… off.
Then again, I didn’t have a lot of experience so what did I know?
Additionally, after my dinner with Jacob last night, within an hour, I’d called him after ten at night and now it was only eleven thirty the next day.
I didn’t want him to think I was psycho, and calling him would imply psycho behavior. Further, when I called him last night, I’d asked him to dinner, which was dinner two nights in a row with a woman he hadn’t seen in nine years, a woman with a boyfriend, and that was semi-psycho.
Okay, maybe it was totally psycho.
I didn’t want Jacob to think I was psycho.
Ever.
But I wanted to hear his voice. I wanted to connect with him on the phone. I’d missed him and I liked having him back. I liked it a great deal.
I also missed him a great deal.
And I needed to ask him something. Further, he was the only one I could ask.
I looked from the yard to my phone. My mind telling my thumb not to do it, my thumb not listening, I found Jacob’s contact and hit go.
I put it to my ear.
“I’m a psycho,” I whispered and luckily finished whispering two seconds before Jacob’s voice sounded.
“You okay?” he answered.
He kept asking that mostly, I figured, because I kept calling when I didn’t need to so he probably thought something was wrong.
Or that I was a psycho.
“I need to know if you don’t eat anything,” I lied.
Actually, it wasn’t a lie. Although I remembered a lot about Jacob (most everything, in all honesty), I couldn’t recall if there was something specific he didn’t like to eat.
I could recall how beautiful he was, how tall he was, how strong he was. I could recall how smart he was and how funny he was. I could recall how cool he was with me. I could also recall how much I missed him. But I couldn’t recall if he didn’t like chicken.
But that wasn’t the only thing I needed to know. I needed to know something else too.
Much like last night, when he didn’t make me feel like a psycho, in fact, the opposite and sounded like he was happy to hear from me and would be willing to talk all night, he again sounded like me psychotically calling him yet again in a precursor to stalker way was no big deal.
“I don’t eat it, I’ll pick it off.”
“You can’t pick it off if I cook with it in it or if the mainstay of dinner on the whole is what you don’t eat,” I informed him.
“You makin’ Indian food?” he asked.
“No. Don’t you like Indian food?” I asked back.
“Love it,” he answered.
“Then why’d you ask if I was making Indian food?”
“ ’Cause I hoped you were.”
I burst out laughing.
No, Jacob definitely didn’t make me feel like I was being a psycho.
When I quit laughing, I told him, “Sorry, honey, I don’t know how to make Indian food.”
“Shame,” he muttered, a smile in his deep, attractive voice, and if I was on an infrared scanner, specific parts of me would have shown up hotter.
You have a boyfriend, Emme! I told myself.
For a while, I answered myself.
Jacob is also your ex–best friend’s ex-boyfriend, Emme! I reminded myself.
So? I asked myself.
I shoved those thought aside, thoughts that, if anyone knew I was talking to myself in my head might prove I was indeed a psycho, and pointed out to Jacob, “You haven’t actually answered the question.”
“I’ll eat what you cook, Emme. Cook what you like.”
He was such a nice guy.
He always was.
Nice. Tall (very tall). Handsome (unbelievably handsome). Smart (so damned smart). Funny. Interesting. Gentlemanly. And a repeat of nice because it was worth a repeat since he was just that nice.
I liked all that about him. I liked that he wore his dark hair way too long. I liked that sometimes a thick hank of it fell over his forehead and into his eye. I liked that he was who he was and didn’t wear designer jeans or put gel in his hair. I liked that, even considering he was extortionately intelligent, in fact, a genius, he never made anyone feel less than him because they weren’t as smart. I liked that he never acted superior or arrogant and with all that was him, looks, body, brains, he was one person who could. And I liked that he liked to do what he liked to do, he did what he liked to do and wouldn’t get pushed into doing something he didn’t want.
Like Elsbeth tried to do.
He’d lost her to that and he’d accepted it. I knew it killed. He’d loved her to distraction. But he refused to be the man she wanted him to be and instead was the man he was.
She should have seen she had it all even if he didn’t make bucketloads of money and thus couldn’t give her the life she was used to getting from her daddy. Country clubs, tennis lessons, vacations in villas in Italy and beaches in Thailand, fabulous homes kept by maids and fabulous meals cooked by cooks.
She didn’t see all she had.
Stupid.


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Friday, November 14, 2014

Review: Deacon by Kristen Ashley


Deacon


Author: Kristen Ashley
Publisher: Kristen Ashley
Series: Unfinished Hero #4
Pages: Paperback, 332 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 23rd 2014



Summary:

Deacon has an ugly history, a history that broke him, leaving him a ghost of a man. Out of necessity, he left the normal world to descend into the criminal world and found he fit. So he stayed. Cold as ice and living off the grid, Deacon has no intention to connect, not with anyone.

Then he returns to some remote cabins in the Colorado Mountains and finds they have new owners. One of them is Cassidy Swallow, a young woman willing to work hard to live her quiet dream in a house by a river surrounded by aspen and pine.

Suddenly, Deacon finds he’s at war. Cassidy’s pull for him to connect is strong. He fights it, but he loses, always coming back for more. But when he does, he gives her nothing.

From the first time she sees him, Cassidy knows Deacon is dead inside. She knows he’s the kind of man who could destroy a woman. But one night when Deacon’s control slips, Cassidy takes a chance.

He might break her. He also might be her dream come true.




Review:



After The Will, I swore I was done with KA's new releases but I put her Unfinished Heroes series in my series challenge so I felt bound to read this one thinking it couldn't be worse than The Will.

I wasn't wrong but that doesn't mean that Deacon was good. Far be it.

The book started slow and I didn't mind it. Things started to go sour for me when after 6 years of short and random encounters Deacon and Cassidy had a kind of insta love thing. I could have dealt with the too sweet it hurt my teeth turn the story took if only:

1) there was an actual plot. Not only the story started slow, but it never took off. To be totally honest, I read small children stories (and by that I mean books with lots of pictures and little text) more exciting than Deacon.

2) the constant badass references to Deacon, were backed by real badass action by said Deacon.

3) if they had conversations that actually made sense. I swear, the dialogs were beyond ridiculous.

4) KA managed to make me believe in their insta love. I have nothing against insta love plots, but here it was just not believable.

5) so many things didn't make me roll my eyes. One of them being Deacon back story. How sad is that?

6) I could care for Cassidy or Deacon.

7) there wasn't BDSM. They have a vanilla relationship, and out of the blue they start BDSM plays... I'm sorry but as far as I'm concerned, even in her other books, BDSM isn't KA's forte.

8) (view spoiler) Just saying...



Thank you, V for buddy reading this with me! :-****





Rating:     boring





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This is your normal text here but the text inside these tags is a spoiler!. And then you can keep writing over here.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Review: The Will by Kristen Ashley


The Will

Author: Kristen Ashley
Series: Magdalene #1
Pages: Kindle Edition, 375 pages
Genre: Romance
Release Date: month 1, 2013



Summary:

Early in her life, Josephine Malone learned the hard way that there was only one person she could love and trust: her grandmother, Lydia Malone. Out of necessity, unconsciously and very successfully, Josephine donned a disguise to keep all others at bay. She led a globetrotting lifestyle on the fringes of the fashion and music elite, but she kept herself distant.

While Josephine was trotting the globe, retired boxer Jake Spear was living in the same small town as Lydia. There was nothing disguised about Jake. Including the fact he made a habit of making very bad decisions about who to give his love.

But for Josephine and Jake, there was one person who adored them. One person who knew how to lead them to happiness. And one person who was intent on doing it.

Even if she had to do it as her final wish on this earth.





Review:

Annnd another one bites the dust :(((

Josephine, the heroine totally ruined this book for me, and Jake wasn't special enough to make up for her. I mean, who does speak like that? I bet not even Elizabeth II of England does! *major rolls eye*
And as the book is written from uptight Josephine pov, that way of speaking/thinking became quickly unbearable. Also, the book is slow paced and if I usually don't mind, here because of my issue with Josephine I did mind a lot.

The only things I liked in this book is the kids and Amond appearances...

A big thank you to Blacky and V for buddy reading it with me, it was fun!


Rating: 






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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Review: Fire Inside by Kristen Ashely


Fire Inside

Author: Kristen Ashley
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Series: Chaos #2
Pages: Paperback, 432 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romamce
Release Date: March 25, 2014



Summary:

Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club...

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.
GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES


Review:

Kristen Ashley and I have a rather long-wound and complicated relationship. Well, actually not Kristen herself- her books and I. My first book of hers I read under duress by a reading- buddy. It was someone else's brilliant idea that I should read a book of my friend's choice as a birthday gift to her.
Now what you need to know about her- she doesn't read YA and she doesn't read fantasy. She mainly reads romance novels- and mostly the contemporary one's. Definitely no PNR. Knowing that she would make me read Fifty Shades or Avoiding Commitment, I did cleverly put in a clause, that I'll read anything but any book written by James and Linde. I felt seriously clever, until she came up with Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley. It was really not my cup of tea, way to long for me, to much drama and while i thought it was written alright, I didn't care for the plot. It was also one of my first contemporary romance novels I've ever read. I was convinced I was done with the genre and the author.
Well, then about a year ago, same reading buddies decided that we should read Rock Chick as the BotW. I grudgingly joined them- basically I ran out of excuses and was forced to join them- again under duress. To my surprise I enjoyed it. It was fun! Still it's a romance novel and I had my usual issues with it.
Then a few month ago, I was given the audiobook of Mystery Man. The Dream Man series not only being infamous in said circle of friends- some of them compared my DH to Tack.
You got to understand I can be a tad stubborn and am seriously rebellious. There was no way I was going to read that series- at least that's what I had told them... but I do like audiobooks and I did enjoy Rock Chick, so I gave it ago.
AND the result? I got the DH to buy me all the audiobooks of the series. I love the audiobooks of the Dream Man series. Honestly you have to listen to them. I truly believe that a Kristen Ashely book need to be read to you by Kate Russell. Naturally I didn't stop at the Dream Man series, after I was done, I listened to Own the Wind- being the spin-off series of Dream Man I had to give it ago even though Kate Russell isn't reading it.
So when I was offered an ARC to review Fire Inside I actually pondered for a bit. Because see this was released on March 25th as an audio read by non-other than Kate Russell.So I was worried. SERISOULY I was. Because I wasn't sure how I would feel about reading this myself...

WELL the long intro-novel cut short. Personally I will tell you- go get the audio! It's still is my favorite way to 'read' an Ashley novel. But I did enjoy reading it way more than I thought I would.
Ashley's writing style lends itself to be read out loud. It's sometimes long-wound and at other times, rather simplified. It's not your gorgeous or beautiful writing- no it's more like someone actually tell you the story, now right in front of you about themselves. Honestly it's not my favorite prose, but I don't mind it either. Which is more than enough for me keep reading Ashley books.

The story line was fun, the usual romance formula was used. Let's just face it, if you don't like Kristen Ashley's previous stories, you won't like this one. It has her MO all over it. It is your hot alpha dude going for the chick he likes- being all possessive and bossy about it, but surprisingly tender and supportive. . And there is some drama, some danger, some action and in this one a lot of back and forth.

But what surprised me while reading this is, that I have grown attached to the characters. The whole crew makes a reappearance and I was more than pleased about it. Besides that Ashley added more aspects to them, I saw different sides to them all. I was intrigued by how much I care about them. I think it speaks volumes about Ashley's character building. I shouldn't have surprised me, but it did, simply because it's done rather subtly, kinda covered by the direct way the story is told and the dramas that are unfolding.
To be honest Lanie was never my favorite character and she got seriously on my nerves at times in this as well. But I also got her, and I felt for her.. and I am looking forward to seeing her in the next installment for Chaos. Which makes me wonder, when is it going to be released? Who is it about? Is there going to be another one?!

So yeah I officially have joined the Kristen Ashley Reading Crew. Sort of- I am still more of a audio-booking kind of a gal. Which leaves me wondering if there are plans on recording Rock Chick? Let Kate Russell just read all of the Ashley books and I'll be happy as pie.

A great spin-off series and I am seriously hoping there will be more in either series!


Rating: 

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We part of the Release Week Blitz for the Paperback. Visit the previous post to read an excerpt from Fire Inside and enter the giveaway
 

Release Week Blitz : Fire Inside







Fire Inside

Author: Kristen Ashley
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Series: Chaos #2
Pages: Paperback, 432 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romamce
Release Date: March 25, 2014



Summary:

Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club...

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.
GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES


About the author:
Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.  And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

WEBSITE TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS



Excerpt:

Hop came out of the bathroom to see Lanie on her feet on the other side of the bed, panties on, hands twisted behind her back putting her bra on. Again.
He didn’t say a word. He prowled to her, reached out an arm the second he was close, yanked her to him and fell to his back in the bed, taking her down with him.
“Hop—” she started, pushing her weight against his arms, but he slid her off him then wasted no time rolling over her and pinning her to his bed.
“Sleep,” he ordered when he caught her eyes in the weak dawn. “After rest, I’ll get coffee, we’ll juice up, then round four.”
She blinked and breathed, “Four?”
“Got lots more I want to do to you,” he informed her and watched her eyes go soft, sexier, then her teeth came out to graze her lush lower lip, also fucking sexy, and her arms slid around him.
But she asked, “What about Tack and Ty-Ty?”
“I’ll make sure the coast is clear,” he told her.
“But they’ll see my car,” she told him.
“I’ll move it,” he offered.
Her hand slid up his back, around his shoulder, and then to his neck where her thumb moved to stroke him.
Her touch was light but, fuck, it felt good. He’d never had a woman touch him in an unconscious way like that, just a touch, a stroke, giving something that meant nothing at the same time doing it without thinking about it meant everything.
Shit.
Complicated.
“This is just supposed to be one night,” she reminded him quietly, but he saw it in her eyes. She didn’t even try to hide it. She’d bitten off more than she could chew.
He had too and he was nowhere near done eating.
She was cute. She was sweet. She was hot. She was better than he expected and he’d expected her to be pretty fucking good. All that wrapped in a package that gorgeous?
Yeah.
He was nowhere near done eating.
“Change of plans. A night and a morning and, maybe, an afternoon and, possibly, another night,” he amended, and her eyes got softer as her hand slid up to cup his jaw.
“I have to work,” she told him.
“Call off,” he told her.
“I can’t. I own the joint.” She explained something he knew, that she ran her own advertising agency. “And things are a bit crazy.”
Things were always crazy for Lanie. The woman lived crazy. She thrived on it. If there wasn’t crazy, she stirred it up because she couldn’t breathe without it.
“Babe,” he pressed his body into hers, “told you, got more I want to do to you.”

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