The King by J.R. Ward

** 4.5 'LONG LIVE THE KING' STARS **

I guess I'm part of the unpopular opinion when it comes to wanting to read more about Trez and Selena, Assail and Sol, and Xcor and Layla. Although I intentionally thought the book was going to be ONLY about Wrath and Beth, I'm still super satisfied with how things turned out. Personally, I thought Beth and Wrath had enough parts throughout the entire book! Besides, how can you not love the other couples?! My feelings and emotions were literally all over the place when it came to those three couples. All in all, I thought the WARDen did a wonderful job with this one. Also, I freaking loved Beth's sense of humor!

Wrath and Beth
From the very beginning I have always thought their romance went a little bit too smoothly and in The King, their relationship definitely takes a turn. It's not always easy watching a couple you love and root for fight one another but it's necessary for them in order to grow stronger. Beth has been wanting a child after spending much of her time with Layla and Nalla (Bella and Z's child). However, Wrath just does not want to lose his mate to childbirth! Furthermore, Wrath is still struggling to come to terms with his blindness as well as a whole mess of other things like his recent assassination attempt from the Band of Brothers and the Council's insistence on his throne as the King.

Assail and Marisol
God, these two broke my heart. Not sure if I'm the only one, but I'm one of the few who actually liked reading about Assail and Sol. What happened to Sol was absolutely horrible. Kidnapping and attempted rape? That can seriously devastate and haunt anyone forever. Assail pretty much went psycho crazy just trying to find her, while leaving a trail of bodies on the way of course. I don't know about you, but Assail reminds me of Rhevenge in a way. He pretty much took over Rhev's "job" as a drug dealer. Oh, and when Assail realized that he loves Sol? It just took my breath away! I'm already tearing up just thinking about it. It's so obvious that these two have FEELINGS for one another but sadly they're not acting on it. And the way the WARDen left these two? Damn it, I need to know! Will Sol and Assail ever be reunited again? I certainly hope so![Will Sol and Assail ever be reunited again? I certainly hope so! (hide spoiler)]

Trez and Selena / iAm
What a complicated situation these two have. Don't get me wrong, I still love reading about these two but damn it, I just can't help but wish the best for them. Trez has his whole issue with the s'Hibe on his back while Selena has her "problem." I can't out dish too many spoilers, but it's not good. I've been interested and probably invested in their relationship since the last book, Lover At Last. Both certainly have problems of their own in addition to their growing feelings for one another. The WARDen gives us a glance at what these two and their chemistry can possibly become but... like I've said before, Trez has a lot of problems and he doesn't feel worthy of Selena. I am so happy that the next book will be about Trez and iAm! (x) And how can I possibly forget about iAm?! He is one of the most loyal, amazing, funny, and precious character ever. As the complete opposite of Trez, he is almost always calm and rational. Plus, I find his relationship with Beth's cat to be hilarious. After everything with Trez, he definitely needs his own happy ending!

Xcor and Layla
Although Xcor has done a lot of horrible things, I can't help but like him. Especially when he's with Layla. He's in love with her. I'm not sure about Layla, but I think she has some sort of feeling towards him. These two didn't get as much attention as I had wanted but I'm positive that their relationship with will become more important in the long run. I thought Layla's deal with Xcor was rather interesting. Xcor seems to be done with the throne but I'm just not sure about Throe? I'm actually surprised Xcor agreed to it in the first place because he's so in love with Layla. But because he has such low self-esteem, he's taking whatever he can get of Layla. Throe will most likely play a key role in the future books because of his reaction towards Xcor and Layla.

Rating: ★★★★★

Pulled Beneath by Marni Mann

** 4 HEARTBREAKING STARS **

Pulled Beneath by Marni Mann tells the story of a young woman who goes through tremendous heartbreak and devastation after the murder of her parents one evening. Mann does a great job of captivating the reader's attention as well as conveying Drew's thoughts and emotions throughout the book. In addition, I also thought the author did a wonderful job capturing the imagery and setting of the story. Although I was rather hesitant and unsure about Drew at first, she definitely grew on me. I thoroughly enjoyed her relationship and chemistry with Saint, our heroine's main love interest. From their very first meeting, readers can instantaneously sense the attraction as well as the beginnings of a sweet romance between the two.

However, Pulled Beneath is also about Drew's journey in finding herself and essentially her place and 'home' after losing what she thought was her only family. Drew struggles to move on after the death of her parents but eventually is blind-sided when she finds out that her parents have been keeping a secret from her: she has grandparents. When Drew meets Saint, she finds in him a kindling soul because he also has survived a devastating loss in his life. Overall, I truly enjoyed reading this and I look forward to more of Drew and Saint's journey in the future!

Thank you to Booktrope Publishing and Marni Mann for generously providing me with an ARC

Rating: ★★★★☆

Still Life With Strings by L.H. Cosway

** 4.5 BEAUTIFUL STARS **

Still Life with Strings by L.H. Cosway tells the story of two 'broken' individuals and the slow-burning romance that ignites between them. There is just something about the way Cosway writes that's just so darn beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Her heroes are always a contradiction and Shane is no exception! While shy and reserved in public, Shane is both commanding and sexy in private with Jade. Wow, who'd have thought?! I'm still shocked by how dynamic and explosive their relationship was!

From the get-go, Jade and Shane's first meeting would come to signify the beginning of their unique relationship throughout the book. Despite insisting on being only friends, Jade quickly becomes confused over her feelings for Shane as she continues to spend more time with him. On the other hand, Shane already knows whom he wants and that’s the one and only Jade Lennon. Every so often, Shane would touch and caress Jade... their relationship is filled with intense emotion and sexual chemistry, which was just torture by the way! And when these two finally decide to give in to the need... readers will be in for a ride.

However, there is more to their relationship than just the slow-burning romance between them. Jade and Shane are two individuals who are evidently broken by the life in which they lived in. All I can say is, everything came full circle. In the end, Still Life with Strings is a story about overcoming one's past and essentially finding love again. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic release by L.H. Cosway and I'm definitely looking forward to more!

Rating: ★★★★★

The Professional: Part 2 by Kresley Cole

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece! As one of my favorite authors, I always knew Kresley Cole could write some seriously hot intimate scenes... but this? This came as an unexpected yet delightful surprise. Sevastyan and Natalie are amazing together! While there are definitely some issues that these two really need to fix and talk about, their chemistry is freaking explosive (as shown in the first part). From lust to possibly love, Sevastyan and Natalie's journey together won't be something that you'll want to miss!

Natalie proves to be an interesting character albeit very frustrating and annoying one at times. At a certain point in the book, I literally wanted to bitchslap her because her stupid actions and words when she spoke them without thinking about the consequences. *SPOILER* She sort of "redeemed" herself to Sevastyan after the loss of Paxan and Filip. Damn that traitor! I'm still heartbroken over Paxan's death though. *END SPOILER* By the end of the book, Natalie does change for the better and becomesmore sure of herself regarding her desires for Sevastyan. You go tell him what you want, girl!

On the other hand, Sevastyan is an intriguing, dark, and complex character who I would love to know more about. His actions and personality can be contradictory in regards to his feelings towards Natalie. Furthermore, his relationship with her is rather unstable due to his inability to talk about his past and emotions. However! The one thing I love about Sevastyan is his possessive and alpha tendencies for Natalie and considers her his.

Like I've said before, Sevastyan's sexy possessiveness makes for a super freaking hot coming together between he and Natalie. Holy wow! The things that they do together in this installment... and I'm already looking forward to more. Overall, this was another wonderful addition to The Professional even though Cole ended Part 2 with another cliffhanger. At least we won't have to wait too long for the conclusion of Sevastyan and Natalie's journey!


Rating: ★★★★★

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

First book review of the new year! 

I'm not sure why, but I didn't like this one as much as I did when I read Ares' book. Limos was a great heroine- until her lies started catching up to her. The more she continued to lie, the more guilt festered and the worser she became. I initially liked her relationship with Arik and was actually interested in it... but in the end, I thought it was okay. It was nice seeing past characters again and I enjoyed reading about Shade and Runa. I would actually like to re-read their story again. Wait no, probably the entire Demonica series again because I've mostly forgotten certain details and etcetera.

I personally found Reaver and his relationship with Harvester to be quite fascinating. His dirty little secret was interesting because it further hints of his desires towards Harvester and future books of course. (Which obviously came true!) Although he'll most likely want to kill her first after what she did to him. I also liked Thanatos and Regan's burgeoning romance despite it ending in disaster. *SPOILER ALERT* I'm still pissed at you, Regan! You better redeem yourself because forcing yourself on Thanatos was just NO. That was really stupid on the Aegis' part.[You better redeem yourself because forcing yourself on Thanatos was just NO. That was really stupid on the Aegis' part. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER* Pestilence, aka Reseph, continues to be number one asshole material and villain who should just die in a fire or get pushed off a cliff. I'm mildly joking, of course; but seriously, he needs to be good again! I hate what he's doing to his siblings and would like to see a glimpse of the person he was before he became evil. I mean we do get a few teases and hints but I want more!

In the end, while I didn't enjoy this one as much, Larissa Ione continues to deliver! I'm really looking forward to reading Thanatos' book and then Reseph's and Reaver's. I doubt Thanatos will forgive Regan for what she did right away. It's definitely going to be interesting.

Rating: ★★★★☆