The Summer He Came Home by Juliana Stone (The Bad Boy Of Crystal Lake #1)

Available: April 2, 2013 Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

Sometimes the best place to find love is right back where you started…

Falling asleep in a different bed every night has made it easy for Cain Black to forget his past. It’s been ten years since he packed his guitar and left Crystal Lake to chase his dreams. Now tragedy has forced him home again. And though Cain relishes the freedom of the road, one stolen moment with Maggie O’Rourke makes him wonder if he’s missing out on something bigger than fame.

For Maggie—single mother and newly settled in Crystal Lake—love is a luxury she just can’t afford. Sure, she appreciates the tall, dark and handsome looks of prodigal son Cain Black. But how long can she expect the notorious hellion to stay?

The last thing either of them wants is something complicated. But sometimes love has its own plans.

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I. Loved. This. Book. That’s all folks, just read it……………..

Ok fine, I guess I can tell you a few more things that made me love the book since you seem to need more. Cain has come home for a sad occasion. Jesse, one of his best friends funeral. Though Cain hasn’t been back to the small town in many years when he hears of the death he hurrys  home. He left the town and his three best friends destined for stardom and years later he has achieved that status on the stage as lead singer for popular rock band. His personal life wasn’t so lucky and one failed marriage later he’s not in any hurry to start anything new.

The first person he sees upon returning is a precocious little boy who he immediately likes. He also falls hard and quickly for the boys mother Maggie who seems to be a loner of her own choosing. Maggie makes him feels as if his life of fortune and fame has been missing something. A spark he wasn’t even aware of.

Maggie is hiding from her past and more specifically an abusive husband intent on tracking her down and taking her son from her. The small town offers her a place to earn a living that won’t result in her being found. Dating Cain isn’t smart and the threat to being found is heightened if pictures were to get out. Not to mention every woman in town wants a piece of him too and Maggie is just everyones maid.

Juliana Stone weaves a romantic story from start to finish that gives readers everything they could possibly want. The emotional turmoil she gives her characters makes for great reading. Cain is so conflicted. Not only with himself and dealing with the death of his friend, but with his surviving friends as well and how they have grown apart in the years since he left town. Each guy having had a life of their own that didn’t turn out exactly as planned.

The subtle warming of Cain and Maggie’s relationship felt fluid and right. There was never a boring part of the book and I felt entwined in the story. Maggie is skittish, rightfully so, and Cain has to tread lightly if he wants to get anywhere with her. Finding a woman who doesn’t care that he’s a rockstar is a breath of fresh air to him and he’s determined to make it work.

Jake (the brother of Jesse) and Raine (Jesse’s wife)  have the next story and I can’t wait. Well I’ll have to since it’s not until December but I’ll deal. They have a dark back story that seems to be taunt with tension and now guilt for the reemergence of feelings after Jakes death. Raines insistence to use stored sperm to have Jesse’s baby puts Jake over the edge knowing that it’s mainly her grieving that’s driving her.

The Summer He Came Home is an excellent contemporary romance wrought with emotion that guarantees readers will be sucked into the story for it’s entirety. Stone’s transition to contemporary is seamless and a sure fire win!

I give The Summer He Came Home by Juliana Stone 4.50 stars!

 

Collide by Juliana Stone (The Barker Triplets #2)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self Pub

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

A second chance never looked so good…

Bobbi-Jo Barker has been in love with the wrong man for years. A man who doesn’t fit into the perfect, controlled life she’s created.A man who not only broke her heart but nearly destroyed her. So the fact that he’s back in town shouldn’t matter because he’s all wrong for her, or so she thinks…

Shane Gallagher, prodigal son, ex-con, and all around hellion, has returned to the small town of New Waterford to mend fences and get his life back. What he doesn’t count on are the feelings he still has for the one woman who can break him—the one woman who is totally wrong for him. 

And yet, as Bobbi and Shane are thrown together and begin to navigate a life with each other in it, neither can deny the attraction they feel, or the emotions that come with it—the good and the bad. And so the question becomes… can these two damaged souls survive a second chance at love?

After a lifetime of wrong decisions Bobbi-Jo has been trying to live life the adult, responsible way. Giving up on passion life can have to settle down with a man so wrong for her, they haven’t even been intimate in a long time. But he offers security and Bobbi-Jo craves that above all else. On the day of her wedding her need for freedom wins out over her need for security and she high tails it out of there, leaving the jilted groom to pick up the pieces.

It may have been years ago, but the sight of Bobbi-Jo sitting at the bar still leaves Shane shaking with lust. It’s not smart, and Shane can’t be the man she deserves but his craving for her only grows as they are pushed together and soon they are sucked into a cyclone of need so strong, someone is bound to get hurt.

I loved this book. LOVED! Juliana Stone created characters that burned so bright it blinded me. The onslaught of emotional turmoil make this a read I can wholly recommend. Shane comes from a dark place, having been on the wrong path for such a long time. When he hit rock bottom years ago and ended up in jail at the hands of his own grandfather, he knew it was time for a change. With the passing of his grandfather and a huge inheritance Shane isn’t sure he’s ready or worthy of, he knows it’s time to make amends and start fresh. Dealing with his past with Bobbi is the last thing he wants to do. They may have lava hot attraction but everything else about them together is always horribly wrong.

Bobbi runs very hot and cold. She takes forever to decide what she wants and that got a bit grating for me. Poor Shane LOL. She is torn between wanting him and wanting to push him away. Plus her lack of job, her other sisters and her ailing father weigh heavily on her mind a lot. I enjoyed her sassy mouth and her tenacity to figure out her life…even if it wasn’t what she had planned for herself.

The one thing I wished was different about this book was the secret Bobbi held onto about a shocking night long ago. I wished she would have revealed things to Shane sooner because it felt very rushed to get to the end after she did.

Book three will be Betty’s book and I am really looking forward to it. Her hard attitude has to be hiding some deep emotional pain. Though everyone else sees her as a washed up model with an addiction problem, I think something really bad must have happened for her to react so viciously with those she loves. There is a definite wall around her and the man who is finally going to break it down will have to work twice as hard.

Juliana Stone delivers with the excellence of a seasoned author! Her contemporary romances are a home run hit and I am always eagerly awaiting her next release!

 

I give Collide by Juliana Stone 5 stars! 

Offside by Juliana Stone (The Barker Triplets #1)

Available: Now Amazon

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self Pub

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

When hockey phenom Billie-Jo Barker returns home and decides to play in the local Friday night hockey league, all hell breaks loose. Not because Billie’s talent is in question, but because Billie is a woman. And though these are modern times, some of the local guys still have a problem letting a girl into their ‘men’s club.’

Soon, Billie is at the center of a small town battle of the sexes, with everyone choosing sides. Her sisters. The townsfolk. Her friends. And yet, the only person whose opinion she cares about doesn’t seem to care much at all. Logan Forest, the man who broke her heart when she was eighteen and the man she now shares the bench with every Friday night.

She’s got a lot to prove and though Billie Jo Barker scores on the ice, will this girl ever score with the man of her dreams?

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Billie-Jo Barker, one third of the Barker triplets, is back in town and she’s not that happy about it. With her professional hockey career cut short by injury she has slunk back into town with nothing to her name but a small nest egg and her equipment. Her relationship with one of her other sisters, Bobbi, is strained and she has no idea where her life is headed now.

When she sees a local hockey tournament sign up sheet she instantly decides to join regardless of her health and past injuries. The men in town aren’t fond of the idea though and they go out of their way to tell her. Now, I don’t know much about hockey myself but these men were downright cruel. Billie handles the jabs quite well but I have to wonder how much of these attitudes are true and why if they are she’d want to subject herself to it. The men even resort to getting physical in a non physical tournament.

Logan didn’t realize that the sporty Barker sister had grown up quite so nicely. He’s instantly attracted to her but his past with who he thinks is her popular sister Betty leaves him in a gray area and he isn’t sure how to proceed. As Billie and Logan get closer each will have to come clean about past transgressions. I would have liked a bit more evolution to their relationship. The sex is great and the  tension is well done but everything seemed to turn for them quickly. They were declaring their love and that was that. More courtship would have been better suited for this one. In fact Logan doesn’t get much of a say at all. Most everything is from Billie’s perspective and I wish I would have gotten more from him. More face time and more understanding. He’s there but because we don’t get much from his perspective he’s kept on the back burner and becomes almost a secondary character.

Bobbie and Billie…These two sisters have a tumultuous relationship stemming from Bobbi’s jealousy and bitter feelings of being left behind to be the adult while Billie had her hockey career and Betty had her modeling. Feeling solely

King Of The Damned by Juliana Stone (League Of Guardians #2)

Available: November 27, 2012 Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Avon

My Copy: Edelweiss

Reviewer: Nikki

For millennia the struggle between light and dark, between the upper and lower realms, has been policed by a secret group of warriors culled from every fabric of existence. They are both otherworld and human, male and female. They are light and dark themselves and known to each other as the League of Guardians. Their pledge, to protect the line between dominions and make sure neither side grows too powerful. If they fall, so shall the earth, the heavens and hell. And there will be no more.

With darkness all around him, The League of Guardians is his only means of redemption…

Azaiel, the fallen, has been given a second chance to atone for the sins of his past. With demons gathering and threatening the league, he must find out if their circle has been breached. What he doesn’t foresee is a woman—a fierce warrior—who will turn his world upside down and awaken his tortured soul.

Rowan James is a powerful witch out to avenge the death of her beloved grandmother, but she needs an ally. Will she be able to trust a man with secrets as dark as the sorrow in his eyes? Loving Rowan means risking salvation and yet Azaiel cannot ignore the hunger burning hot between them—his one last chance at happiness. With danger all around them, will these two desperate souls finally find love in each other? Or be forever damned…

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Rowan has been running for years. Running from her past and her family legacy. Excelling at her job and finally in a “safe” relationship she heads home to Salem for a much needed visit with her grandmother only to be confronted with her death. Salem is slowly being infiltrated by demons intent on making her family suffer in their search for her. Long ago she was given to a high level demon. She’s thwarted his attempts to find her by shutting down her mark burned into her skin in the past. Now faced with the only solution of taking him down, Rowan must tap back into her power along with her new found friends and family in a fight to the death.

Centuries ago Azaiel let lust be his downfall and he vows to never fall victim to a woman again. It cost him his position with his brothers and banished him from his home making his less then them but still more then human. He knows he can never allow Rowan to be taken by the demons because the power she harnesses could be the destruction of them all but he soon realizes that killing her isn’t an option. The witch is slowly breaking the mile high walls of steel he has built around himself.

King Of The Damned by Juliana Stone simply put is freaking awesome! I loved this book and the series is really starting to heat up! What I loved most was how capable Rowan was. She’s a heroine who has unimaginable power (think witch on steroids) on her own and she really doesn’t need help. She doesn’t shy away from confrontation and she lets the men tag along with her. I love a woman who doesn’t NEED help. A woman who can take care of herself. What made it even better was how Azaiel knew this and let her grow into her powers on her own while he stayed vigilant in the background watching her back for her. Azaiel….oh man, that was one hot hero! I fell just a little bit in love with the self loathing man. He was so hard on himself because of his past and his fall from his brothers. I enjoyed watching him wriggle with all the new emotions that Rowan evoked in him and his inner turmoil of letting her in. I do love to see the characters suffer before they get together and Juliana Stone wrung every drop of emotion from their stubborn bodies.

I have no idea how book one and book two are going to tie together but I think I’m going to like it. This is an ambitious story arc that includes a lot of different players…ok, mostly otherworld players. From shifters, angels and fae to witches and gargoyles  this one has got something for just about everyone. Though Stone doesn’t go into it to much in this book it’s obvious there is a breach in security with the guardians that will eventually catch up to them. Packed with action scenes to get your blood pressure up and smoking sex scenes to get your heart pounding. There’s this one public sex scene that seriously sent me over the edge. Probably one of the hottest scenes I’ve read this year. I may have read it twice….ok three times. *wink wink*

Rowans resentment of her mother fuels her need to break the curse that marked her as a demon lords property. Her weak willed mother holds the key to finding the spell capable of taking him down but she sold it to fulfill her addictions. Rowan holds such animosity towards her mother for her inability to overcome her own destructive personality. In addition to a strained relationship with her own twin brother and half her extended family, just about everyone is both standing in her way and trying to help her out. Stone goes out of her way to set future story lines for Rowans brother who hasn’t come into any powers yet. Their lineage is revealed and his own legacy is mentioned shrouded in mystery. Though he currently holds no power, I have a feeling he’ll be quite fearsome when he finally starts to change.

King Of The Damned is a book about redemption, sacrifice,  faith and forgiveness. In order to survive both Rowan and Azaiel will have to move on from the past to have any future. Full of surprising secondary characters who all need their stories told including a mischievousness charmed donkey (ok, maybe not his story but he is flipping hilarious). I have it on good authority that Priest and Nico will both get books in the future.

I really enjoyed this one and look forward to continuing this series in the future. I recommend you read these in order for the best understanding but it can also be read on it’s own fairly easily . Juliana Stone makes her world jump right off the page and putting this book down just isn’t an option!

I give King Of The Damned by Juliana Stone 5 stars!

Wicked Road To Hell by Juliana Stone (League of Guardians #1)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Avon

My Copy: Edelweiss

With the legions of the underworld gathering and chaos close at hand, Sorcerer Declan O’Hara’s deadly skills will be tested. But nothing will sway him from his duty, not even her… 

Rescued from eternal darkness, vampire Ana DeLacrux owes her life to a mysterious stranger who asks for only one thing—her absolute allegiance. She serves this master without question until Declan, the one man who can make her forget her vow, returns. His magic is stronger, darker…more compelling than ever. His blood awakens a hunger she must resist, or risk deadly consequences. 

As Ana and Declan join forces, the streets of New Orleans become a dangerous place for both humans and the otherworld. And the most dangerous place of all is a road Declan’s traveled before…the wicked road to hell.

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Recently rejoining the living, well sort of, vampire Ana has only one thing she needs to do…protect a important artifact that also happens to be a teenager she has grown to care a lot about. She will stop at nothing to keep him hidden away. Even when the man she craves and equally loathes shows up wanting to take him from her.

Declan went to hell once, spent a lot of time there, and he doesn’t want to go back. When faced with the one woman he thought was dead he soon realizes that for her, he’d go anywhere, do anything. Ana awakens feelings in him that he swore he wasn’t capable of feeling anymore. The clock is ticking to figure out what one teenager has to do with an impending apocalypse that would let loose a hell on earth even the demons don’t want.

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Now, don’t throw things at me but…..this is my first Juliana Stone book. I know, I know. It’s not the only Stone book I have, but it is the first one I’ve gotten to read. When I heard Juliana had a new series coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it and I am so glad I did! I was entranced by  Stone’s writing style from the very first chapter. Wicked Road To Hell drew me right in and I found the characters highly engaging and entertaining.

Declan (LOVE that name) was a simply awesome character. He was half light and half dark and the constant battle he contended with is what made me like him so much. He tries so hard to contain the dark side of his nature not believing that he can come back from another venture to the dark side. He is scarred from his time at the hands of the demented demon Lilith and the idea of going back to that level of hell isn’t something he wants to even think about. I enjoyed the fact that Declan and Ana had previously met (before the book starts) and how Juliana filled in the details of their past. I never felt like I didn’t know what was going on.

Having recently come back for the un-dead, Ana was immediately given a job, keep watch over a surly teenager who is one of the marked 7. Her boss, Bill, gives her this job and then disappears. Unbeknownst to Ana, Bill also told Declan to hunt down the kid as well. For reasons unknown to either of them they need to work together. Not a good idea for Ana, who as a pure blood vampire, and who can’t mate with any other type of paranormal or human. I liked the warped mindset and it reminded me of racism in cultures today. Not being “allowed” to love who you want. I also enjoyed how completely kick ass Ana was. She packs a lot of punch into her tiny vampire frame. I do love a heroine that can hold her own and I definitely got that with Ana.

The story line was interesting and kept me wondering about the twists and turns…including some that will most likely be revealed in the next book. The presence of the 7 was really cool and I can’t wait to learn more about them. I want to know whether they will embrace the dark or lean toward the light when they come together. There is so much potential with the directions Juliana can take this and…I ….can’t….wait! The descriptions of Lilith’s version of hell were so different than anything I had read before too. Completely fascinating and morbid at the same time.

Wicked Road To Hell is a really well wrote, fun and steamy paranormal romance that I think readers will really enjoy! I am looking forward to the next installment, King Of The Damned, in November!

I give Wicked Road To Hell by Juliana Stone 4 stars! 

Winners! Blogiversary and Juliana Stone Giveaways!

Happy 4th of July Weekend everyone! Guess what? I’m on time for listing winners today. I know, shocking right? So let’s get right to it because I have a tons of books I need to read…and Ghostbusters is on tv. Can’t resist Ghostbusters. I’m a child of the 80′s thru and thru.

First up is the winner of my blogiversary contest. Winner will receive book of their choice from thebookdepository.com up to $10 in US moolah:

AubreyLaine

And then there is the winner of my Juliana Stone giveaway…winner will have their choice of either The Darkest Hunger OR The Darkest Embrace in print.

Stephanie M

Congrats to them both! You have 2 days to get back to me or I will pick new winners

*winners picked by random.org*