It’s rare that I read a book from beginning to end without a single break, and even more rare that I award a trope-filled book with such a high rating.

That’s just some context so you’ll know I mean it when I say — I LOVED this book. It ticks all the “trope” boxes without anything really “different”… but OOH! It does it so, so well.

The Pros & Cons

Despite the hot millionaire man-whore-seeming boss and quasi-virginal assistant trope that has been done to death in modern romance literature, these characters actually bring something fresh and genuine to the genre. You want to love them, and root for them. You feel their dilemmas. You fall into them so easily, and revel in the slightest flash of fire in their dialogue and interaction.

Yes, this story’s been told before… but usually not quite so well. In this case there’s not TOO MUCH domination from the boss angle, and ENOUGH feistiness and reservations from the assistant angle so that you’re not rolling your eyes in annoyance from chapter to chapter (I admit, I tend to do that a lot — and I didn’t, at all, with this one!).

There’s also JUST the right measure of steamy scenes at JUST the right time with JUST the right pacing so it’s not too tame, too soon, or too needlessly pornographic. For once, for ONCE… there is enough F*%$%#$#%KING STORY amongst the sex scenes, to actually enjoy them when you get there! I’m a picky reader — and an even pickier ROMANCE reader — and for once… for ONCE… I approve!

Oh, and no spoilers, but… the flower thing… EPIC!!!

The friendships on both sides also brought a lot of colour and life and laughter to the tale — Zoey’s best friend is believably proudly slutty and yet fiercely protective, and Easton’s crew is believably a bunch of d%&kheads with good hearts! And in both cases their command of dialogue when they meet each other’s friends made me smile. You feel like you know these people. They’re not overdone or overwhelming, but just the right measure of camaraderie and coercion and cockiness to enjoy their scenes in between focusing on the main squeeze! I can see the other books in the series being fleshed out quite easily, and would love to read more.

I do have to be balanced in my reviews, and I’ve gushed to this point, so let me see… my only real niggle that prevented the full 5 stars was that a “significant event” happened pretty late in the last few chapters… so, in terms of pacing it felt like it should have happened earlier, or there should have been a bit more story before the eventual resolution, because the ending felt a *wee* bit rushed.

Conclusion

I wanted just a little more squirming of “will-they-won’t-they-what’s-going-to-happen” before the eventual sigh of relief as it slid into its happily-ever-after. Maybe I was just enjoying it too much for it to end so soon! Nevertheless, I was thrilled for the entire joyride of this book and highly, highly, highly recommend to anyone… and particularly if you are a picky reader who needs something in the romance genre to rock your world!

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This book is by a popular bestselling author and has loads of fabulous reviews, so I was pleased to dive in and looked forward to it. It’s a good enough read that I can easily recommend… but it just didn’t take me nearly as far into a “romance reader high” as I hoped it would.

The Pros & Cons

First, my likes: stylistically, it’s written very well. It opens with a catchy first few lines, and I was hooked! OMG, what an enticing open! I settled in for the story, thinking I was guaranteed the entire range of emotions from swoons to hair-pulling frustrations to emotional highs to crushing lows.

…But it just didn’t happen.

Notably, the sexy parts are sizzling, and if you’re looking for a sexy read that’s minimal on the story, this is perfect for you! But as it dealt with such a heavy, serious topic… the sexy bits seemed oddly placed at times.

Other readers noted (and I agree) that the dark-past-flashback moment shifted WAY too fast into the wild-sex… but that wasn’t even my main sticking point. For me, it was the more subtle things that stood out. Verbal self-deprecation in front of your boss prior to a business event??? Making the first move — on your boss — in public, after insistently turning him down prior to that? Er, okay. It felt like the character had done a complete 180-degree shift from independent-hard-worker to insecure-girl-in-lust. I expected more control… as she kept *saying* she was so controlled, so reserved, so cautious… but really, she wasn’t.

Also, based on the title, I thought there would be some “player” behaviour in the present, but he’s already reformed for awhile by the time he meets her… and her initial “hard to get” persona (which piqued my interest from the blurb) disintegrated disappointingly fast. I like saucy girls with swagger, so I was hoping for more frostiness before they actually get together… more drama, more verbal barbs… more something (their initial meeting was so awesome!). Also, the “mystery” of her dark past was revealed so soon… I had hoped for more build-up to this point!

So overall, though I was enjoying it and kept reading, I didn’t really feel the gut-wrenching drama I’d been looking forward to. The dark past was barely a blip of a shadow in their relationship, as they seemed to be falling over themselves in lusty love despite that. The “action” parts of the plot were subdued, her run-in with the guy from her past was over so quickly, and her parents’ re-entrance into her life was just too simple. There was POTENTIAL here to get me more involved emotionally, but there were parts where I felt like I was having the story told to me, rather than 100% feeling it myself.

Conclusion

I did, however, love the overall message of how love can redeem damage if you find your soulmate. I also really enjoyed the rhythm of the writing, the relationships we glimpse through friends and family, and the general premise of the story. There were also laughable moments (I loved her meeting of the other Walker brother!), and the dialogue throughout was engaging. And ooh… did I mention the sizzling sex? I think I did. So again, if that’s what you need… it’s here for you!

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and it was easy to read in its entirety in a short space of time. It also piques the interest for the other stories in the series, which seem intriguing and I’d be happy to pick up. I liked this one, but I just expected and wanted more drama… more “kaboom”!

*Side note… her panties are WAY too easy to rip off. What kind of cloth are they made of?????*

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This book was awesome and awful and beautiful and ugly at the same time. I finished it in one sitting. And I have feelings. I’m just not entirely sure what these feelings are. I felt schizophrenic reading it, because I teeter-tottered throughout the book. But a review has to convey more than utter confusion, so let me try to be eloquent.

***First I should mention… there is cheating. I’m cool with that (in books!), but just a heads-up if you’re not.***

The Pros & Cons

My likes: I loved that both characters are difficult to love. I hate run-of-the-mill heroes and heroines… that’s just not real life. And sure, we often read for escapism, but I write “real-life romance” so I appreciated reading one as well. But this one is painfully real at times.

Missed chances, mixed signals, hot moments, emotional outbursts, a loooooooonggg drawn out torturous friendship, and frustrating memories of a dead “hero” who was far from the ideal hubby. It had me in an emotional twist, and I wanted to fling my phone at the wall sometimes. But I kept on reading.

There are sweet elements here similar to Ahern’s “P.S. I Love You” with the instructions from beyond the grave… but then the notes reveal awful characteristics. There are elements here of sweet romance… but then it gets really filthy. Oh, and there’s a shocking twist that was a true WTF????? moment. The book cover and blurb led me to believe it would be a sweet romance with maybe a racy moment or two, so as I read on, I was like “OMG, what am I reading?”… But I kept on reading.

From a stylistic point of view, it’s worthwhile to note a lot of the key moments happen in the past before the actual story starts, and the jumps were jarring sometimes. I can see some readers having an issue with it, but I’m a trooper who can roll with the punches… so I kept on reading.

What I didn’t much care for were the overly-heavy FSOG comparisons. The writing, the storyline, and the author’s talent — all great on its own merit, and so it all would have easily survived without that FSOG shadow. Sure, most erotica these days would get compared to that, but in this case it was just *too* on the nose… still, I kept on reading.

And eventually, finally, I finished it.

Conclusion

I must say I loved that the book was unpredictable, that it was unique, and needs to be in its own category. That’s high praise. And I must mention here again that I don’t mind tropes (in this case “friends-to-lovers” & “best-friend’s-ex”)… once there’s something different about it, and this one definitely brings “different” to the table. Dollops of different.

But I must also admit it was a difficult read at times. There’s a LOT to unpack here. You need to prepare yourself before you go in. You will be frustrated. You will have feelings. I’ll let you decide exactly what those feelings are.

Overall, I did enjoy it, and rated it highly (for me) BUT I don’t know if I can handle another by the author anytime soon. This romance was RAW… I think I need to read about murder and crime after this! 🙂

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The Pros & Cons

I flew through this book in record time. It felt much shorter than its actual length due to the short, choppy chapters and fast-paced writing. It starts off a little slow but quickly picks up pace and strength as the writing flows. It begins as a simple tale: a weirdo seeking justice, and then when he picks the wrong guy to mess with… it goes dark, and fast. I didn’t expect it to get that dark, but it was a welcome surprise!

I’ve read other reviews mentioning the main character’s poor judgement and actions, and I agree… but characters aren’t there to be perfect or knowledgeable or (to put it bluntly) that bright. They’re just people, and people can be misguided, foolish and rash. Which he is. Case in point: it’s one thing to overshare to just about everyone about his “hobby”… but it’s another thing entirely to announce himself to the predators he targets.

I’d hoped he’d remain anonymous and that the “bad guy” would track him down in spite of that… but it was far too easy for him to wind up paying the price for his stupidity. This was my only sticking point… but still, I put it into perspective as I read. This is a twenty-something-year-old guy with serious emotional damage from his past. He’s not going to be the most eloquent, thoughtful or forward-thinking, so he’s not likely to be the most sympathetic character. Readers… deal with it! 😛

Kyle is NOT the typical hero figure, and for half of the book I was wondering if he’d been mistaken about his father, or if his motives were cloudier than his own concept of himself as a vigilante hero. The writer leaves you guessing right up until the end. There are head-spinning twists and turns that leave you breathless, and thankfully the payoff is a satisfactory ending despite the journey that had its gut-wrenching moments.

From the way it was going, I was actually expecting a darker end (and that could have easily worked in this instance) but there was a blossoming emotion of levity after all that heavy darkness — a bit *too* saccharine-sweet maybe, given the emotional thrill of a rollercoaster that preceded it. That’s a really, really tiny gripe though.

Conclusion

This was overall a stellar read, with a refreshing writing style and a plot with enough of a punch to keep the reader intrigued from beginning to end. I’ll recommend to anyone that can stomach a darker tale.

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My first MMF romance/erotica, better than expected

The Pros & Cons

As my first time reading this type of book, I went into this expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised.

I did get a free copy, and I admit that I likely wouldn’t have read this otherwise, as I’m not familiar with the sub-genre. But the opening page drew me in, and the writing style is eloquent, steady and easy to follow.

Despite the three viewpoints, I did not get lost figuring out who was speaking at any given time. The story was well rounded with enough background and nuance to have a solid story beyond just being all about sex.

The main characters communicated well and I liked that the conflict was resolved quickly without dragging it out over half the book. I also loved the portrayal of modern religion: that you can be observant of your religion, but allow for adaptation rather than extremism.

My only peeve was that it seemed unlikely that a gay couple adding a woman for procreation would jump into sex without even a doctor’s visit… especially as Shahid worked as a nurse in a hospital. If he had ANY other job, yeh, okay. Seems silly to nitpick, but it did bother me!

Conclusion

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book overall, and it’s a nice story. I look forward to read more by this author.

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The Pros & Cons

I enjoyed this book for the most part, and again — it’s one of those I really wish I could have rated higher. Clearly I’m in the minority because it’s by a bestselling author, and most of the reviews are stellar. There’s a lot to love in it, but as I’m a writer, I am an even more picky reader! I want more. I demand more. And this one had so much potential to blow my mind, but just fell short.

The dialogue is engaging and the writing is really good, easily flowing between the past and present and allowing you to get involved with the characters. I love the interaction between the two main characters, but there were parts of it that just felt choppy.

The tragic event at the beginning was a shock — and a well-written one that had me riveted to the screen. But then, it was quickly followed by a lot of bad behaviour on all parts. An engagement fizzles into nothingness, with little remorse it seems, and everyone seemed far too okay with it. I forgave that, as I did love the main pair, who clearly had a lot more history and love between them.

But then there was a great build-up that crescendoed into… well, not much. He couldn’t stay; she couldn’t leave. But then she did. And that apparently fixed the entire conflict. The ending just happened way, way, way too fast. They jumped ahead two years. What????? No. I waited through this entire rollercoaster for more than this! I wanted more. I needed more.

Conclusion

It continues into Dean’s story, and I would be happy to read on in the series. The preview of his story is just stunning. So I just hope that there’s redemption somewhere down the line because I felt like I didn’t get the time, energy and effort I invested into this book.

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I’ll admit this isn’t my typical genre to read. While I often watch crime movies or TV shows, it’s rare that I’ll pick up a book to read on the subject. This is because I find it’s difficult to translate the action of the criminality of “hood life” to paper. That said — WOW. This knocked that notion out of the park.

The Pros & Cons

I had this book for awhile (received a free copy upon sign-up to author’s newsletter) and finally delved into it today. I breezed through the entire novella in a couple of hours.

It was raw, gritty, and felt so real. The small touches were so detailed: the description of a chicken box blowing, dust coating a room, the smell of weed, the sounds and vibrations of music pumping, the colours and textures of the sheets on the king-sized bed. The undercurrent of danger is palpable from beginning to end. It’s rare that you stumble across writing so vivid that it seems seamless to transpose to film.

Conclusion

This was a fast-paced and powerful read, and I highly recommend. I only wish it was a little longer. The ending was a gut-punch.

But it leads into the “Target” series (and introduces the main “Target” character in this one), so I can see a lot more happening in this world — and look forward to it the next time I’m feeling up for a gritty read like this.

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I think the genre of this was supposed to be adult romance, but I call it like I see it. Which is fine, if that’s what you’re looking for. I was hoping for more story than sex with this one, so I was disappointed.

The Pros & Cons

The tropes were predictable — best friend’s sister, stalker mystery (which wasn’t really mysterious), bad boy, virginal girl — who suddenly turns into not-so-virginal girl the moment he enters the picture. The “best friend” was nowhere around for most of it, so the title and overall premise left me wondering if parts of the story were tossed in JUST to hit the tropes.

I don’t mind a trope or two, if there’s something different in it. The “different” in here only seemed to be that despite “needing” a bodyguard (the whole premise of the plot) — woop! woman power!… and possible *spoiler alert* — she ends up having to save herself.

…Which is probably because her “bodyguard” seemed to only be popping in for the sexy times, for the most part. He was off doing a zillion other things, leaving her unprotected a lot. So plot-wise, it had some bits lacking there. I kept hoping for more story, but all I got was more sex.

Like I said — GREAT… if that’s what you’re looking for. And sometimes it IS what I’m looking for. Just not with this book, as there was potential to have a LOT more drama and conflict. For instance, I hoped that the relationship would have been discovered by accident by their friends and families… rather than it just being TOLD over the phone. I could see many more moments like this where I needed MORE STORY… I could see MORE happening… but… it just didn’t. The folks who love the sexy bits have a lot to enjoy — and it is sizzling — but it was a bit much for me.

Conclusion

Nevertheless, the writing itself is quite good, the story is easy to follow and keep turning the pages, and there are punches of humour and laugh-out-loud moments, so I did enjoy the book overall. I may pick up another in the series, but I just hope it has a bit more story than this one.

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I liked the overall premise of this book, so I’ll give it a solid 3 stars for effort… but honestly, I felt like the story just ran out of steam. Literally and figuratively.

The Pros & Cons

It’s a women’s fiction, so I took that in stride and set my expectations accordingly in terms of how much “relationship” to expect. In this case, not much. I’ve read various levels of “relationship” and “sex” in this genre (and I write both into my own “women’s fiction/romance” series), but the point of the genre is the development of women, so I’ll be fair in judging on that basis.

Here’s what I DID like: I loved the characters of the village — they each seemed to have their own story from the glimpses we see through Ava’s story. I liked how Ava evolved from the beginning of the story as a self-centred trophy widow to a caring, nurturing person that even went the extra mile to help someone she barely knew who reminded her of herself, and then to make an effort to smooth things over with her late husband’s daughter.

The female relationships are strong, sweet, and caring — from the elderly Lady Stokeley in her 80s to the young Alice in her early 20s. All of this was beautifully done, and I could just imagine the maternity-clothes parade, the giggling ladies, the tea party; all of these — truly lovely. This was all nicely done and brought a lot of colour and life to the reader’s imagination.

My problem was the love interest, Jace. I liked that he had a dark past, and that he was not the typical “hero” — this was AWESOME. More books need to have characters like this that aren’t perfect. I was happy with him as a character, mind you. My issue was the relationship between him and Ava. Relationships need not be the focus in a women’s fiction, sure. But the problem with this one was that it seemed like it would be… but then this didn’t pay off.

If there was no guy at all, I’d have been okay with that. But having him there seemed like he was tossed in last-minute, at times, to fill some “there must be a man” quota. I’ve complained about books with way too much sex (to the level of gratuitous!) but I really wish this one had a *bit* more steam. Not sex, necessarily. Just steam. Something. Anything beyond friendship that blooms into a sudden love declaration from seemingly nowhere!

Conclusion

Sigh. There was potential for this book to do more for me, but I did enjoy it for the most part. I would perhaps read on to learn more about the other women of Willoughby — I just prefer if the men were kept out of it entirely so the focus wouldn’t stray from the beauty of the female relationships.

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Unfortunately for the book’s genre, the comparison to the Harry Potter series is inevitable, which is perhaps its downfall. Preteen children coming into powers — check. Family legacies and elderly know-it-alls with lots of powers — check. Magical castle-house and environs — check. Evil antagonists wanting to steal powers — check.

The plot twist was a doozy, and I expected something totally different! But then, after the plot twist, the ending felt rushed. I know it’s meant to continue into another book, but I wish there was a bit more writing in this one to tie things up.

That said, there were parts of the story that were fresh, the descriptions of the house were imaginative, the brotherly relationship was sweet, the pacing was good, the dashes of humour were interwoven nicely, and the writing style clearly shows talent.

Overall, it was an easy and enjoyable read. I just expected too much. I admit I may not be the ideal target for this book, but I would highly recommend it to preteen children, as they may not be quite as picky as older HP fans.

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I don’t mind a series, or books that end in a cliffhanger — I do, however, mind “piecemeal” stories that don’t even give you enough in the first installment to really want to bite into the larger story and continue reading. So that was my major problem here.

The Pros & Cons

The pacing of these first 158 pages is my main issue — it is PACED for a much longer story. The inner day-to-day flow, the dialogue, the events that unfold — it needed at least 30% more pages to feel somewhat complete as a full story arc. Anyway, let’s focus on what WAS here.

The characters were great, and the dialogue was punchy and on point. I loved the elderly Aunt as well as Blake’s teenage daughter, and even Addison’s friends — these scenes were quite sweet. The development of her career as a baker was beautiful — just to imagine being able to start your life over and do something you actually love… I liked reading about that. I also appreciated that both of the main characters were mature and able to understand where the other was coming from — he has a child who he must put first, and she’s coming out of a bad marriage with emotional baggage. Despite there being an instant attraction, it did take awhile to bubble into something, and I was grateful it didn’t go TOO fast with that, as it would have felt unrealistic given their circumstances.

It’s just, well… honestly, not much really happened.

Conclusion

At only 158 pages, I didn’t and couldn’t have expected too much, but I have read even shorter novels that had more story. In fact, I just reviewed a crime novella that blew me away — and in just 144 pages! So it IS possible to write a story in a short form.

…This, however, wasn’t that. This is a well-written INTRODUCTION to a story. It just wasn’t enough of a story in its own right.

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I read this book easily in a few hours over two days, and enjoyed it.

The Pros & Cons

The background of the pilgrimage provided a nice context for the reader to imagine, as did the description of the luxury hotel. The steamy moments were not overdone, and had the right level of heat that I actually read through them rather than skipping through as I often do (I’m not a prude — I just think some writers WAY overdo it for no reason at all, and what’s meant to be sexy just turns out to be repetitive).

The characters were believable and (THANK GOD) both mature, and their connection felt genuine and deep. I appreciated that there was no stupidness keeping them apart — just the direction life sometimes takes. The sibling interaction was also great, and I have no doubt that all the other books in this series will also be rich with these family relationships.

The only reason I docked a star was that the the storyline’s overall conflict seemed too simple. Like, all along I thought something would HAPPEN… there was a build-up. But no real “action” or “event” led to the eventual resolution, so the ending felt rushed.

Conclusion

Nevertheless, overall the writing style is strong, the pacing is nicely done, and it was a good weekend read. I look forward to more by this author.

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First M/M romcom I’ve read… enjoyed! 

Definitely not my usual cup of tea… but I got a free copy and thought, why not?

I finished it in half a day while at the office (not much work got done!)……

If you are someone who offends easily, this is not the book for you. I’m not, so I’ll be fair.

Writing : It rambles on at times, and could use a closer eye at editing. Slight distraction but nothing *too* glaring. I enjoyed the rollicking adventure of scene-jumping.

Storyline : not the best, but the writing is hilarious and makes up for it. Some of the best sex scenes I’ve read (and better than many F/M scenes I’ve read).

Overall, there’s something very unique and special in this book.

Worth the read!

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I accepted a review copy with NO time on my hands to read, and figured I’d get around to it in a couple of weeks… but then I started browsing the first few pages and found myself caught up in the story. (There went my plans for the day!)

The Pros & Cons

This was an easy one-sit read with fast-paced writing — sometimes a little TOO fast, which was the only reason I docked a star. It seemed like some parts zipped by so quickly that the reader learns in past tense but didn’t get a chance to experience it. I love stories like this, and I could feel the POTENTIAL to get me 100% emotionally involved, so these “passive” moments became its only drawback… as I wanted more!

When the couple finally gets together, the pace seems to shift drastically, and takes you along for the ride. The relationship feels real (all of the relationships, actually), and it’s touching and emotional. The steamy scenes are tastefully written, which I appreciate thoroughly as it manages the delicate balance before tipping off into the deep end of “gratuitous” as so often happens when writing about older/younger couples.

One more thing (nothing lacking re: the writer or the story; just my own thoughts!): Given Casey’s *swoon-worthy* involvement with her kids and the couple’s age disparity, I’m surprised the topic never came up about any plans to have kids of his own. But hey, maybe their story isn’t done yet, or maybe we can just imagine they’ll figure that part out in time.

Conclusion

Anyway, all in all this was a good women’s fiction story, tastefully done and well written. Totally worth chucking all your plans for the day!

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3.5 stars… close to 4.

I really, really, really wanted to like this book more — and thought I would, as it’s by a popular bestselling author. It was good, and the writing itself was excellent, but the storyline had the potential to be great and just fell short for me.

The Pros & Cons

I’m grateful that the male character Jaime wasn’t unnecessarily super-alpha as many male leads seems to be these days, and loved his character. He was just the right mix of cocky and cute to stay with you long after the book was over.

…But I struggled with the female character Quinn. Mind you, I LOVE having characters that are difficult to love, so I have to explain this properly. She seems to be all over the place, getting what she wants but wanting it her way, and having what she needs and pushing it away. No problem; I can be like that sometimes, so I was happy reading about a messed-up chick for no evident reason. It was refreshing and I was going along for the ride. It’s just… well, I thought it was all going to lead to one big reveal… but it just didn’t. I kept waiting for that part of the plot… and it didn’t happen. She figures out her past led to how she is today, but her past was so banal that is isn’t even a spoiler for me to mention it here. It went from “Let me try therapy” to “Hey, I’m cured”… and the reader is like “OK… WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”

So an entire star fell off for me, because of that. It was going SO, SO, SO GOOD… until that point. It’s a shame, as I wanted to give this a higher rating.

Conclusion

Apart from that major plot point in my mind, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The writing is fast-paced, the characters are easy to fall into, the sexy scenes are just the right mix of naughty and sweet, the supporting characters fill it out nicely, and it ticked a lot — a lot — a lot — of boxes for me. The author is talented, I understand how she’s so popular, and I would love to read more by her.

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Among relationships, random sex, budding parenthood, runaways, drug addicts, kiddie porn, and incest and molestation so casual and commonplace it is its own character in the book, Ezra “Easy” and his best friend Jake “Love” both endure their first real loves and turn from boys to men in this novel.

The fresh, resplendently rambling narration hops from one thing to the next, and still flows so beautifully to weave a story that is original and heart-wrenching and darkly funny all at once. All of the main characters are physically visible to the reader, practically leaping off the page.

I don’t even know how to categorise this book — it’s part Young Adult, part Erotica, part Action, part Drama. I can’t remember the last time I read a book cover to cover in one sitting, nor can I remember the last time I gave a 5 star rating. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and feel like my life has shifted somewhat, by the time I was finished. This is exactly what a novel is supposed to do. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. However, I have zero obligation to say nice things, as I do not know the author personally!

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