Finding Colin Firth by Mia March

After losing her job and leaving her beloved husband, journalist Gemma Hendricks is sure that scoring an interview with Colin Firth will save her lagging career and rocky marriage. Yet a heart-tugging local story about women, family ties, love, and loss captures her heart—and changes everything. The story concerns Bea Crane, a floundering twenty-two-year old who learns in a deathbed confession letter that she was adopted at birth. Bea is in Boothbay Harbor to surreptitiously observe her biological mother, Veronica Russo—something of a legend in town—who Bea might not be ready to meet, after all. Veronica, a thirty-eight-year-old diner waitress famous for her “healing” pies, has come home to Maine to face her past. But when she’s hired as an Extra on the bustling movie set, she wonders if she is hiding from the truth . . . and perhaps the opportunity of a real life Mr. Darcy. 

These three women will discover more than they ever imagined in this coastal Maine town, buzzing with hopes of Colin Firth. Even the conjecture of his arrival inspires daydreams, amplifies complicated lives, and gives incentive to find their own romantic endings. 

Grace's Review!

Filled with so much warmth and hope! 4.5 Stars!

I have to admit, I initially wanted to read this book because of the title alone. The title makes me think of many nights spent watching the movies of one of my favorite actors. Finding Colin Firth: A Novel turned out to be so much more than what the title suggests. The quaint tourist town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine is all abuzz! Colin Firth is coming to shoot some scenes for a movie. How very exciting! Boothbay Harbor is also where the lives of three women entwine and change forever. With alternating POV in each chapter, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I got wrapped up in the stories of Bea, Veronica, and Gemma. I sympathized and cared about them so much that I kept hoping for the best for each of them as I was reading along.

Mia March has created a story full of warmth and hope. It's about unexpected pregnancy, adoption, facing and confronting demons, and accepting what is truth. This story has so many heart-tugging moments that will require tissues. It even has a tad of romance. 

Although, having previously watched all the movies mentioned in this book provided a much more enriching reading experience for me, it's not necessary to have seen any of the movies beforehand to enjoy this book. I love how Mia March cleverly weaves the movie titles in such an enticing way that if you haven't seen the movies, you'll want to by the end for sure. So, for those who want to have a little fun and have their own movie marathons before, during, or after reading this book, here are the Colin Firth movies mentioned in no particular order:

Pride and Prejudice BBC miniseries
Bridget Jones's Diary
Love Actually
Then She Found Me
A Single Man
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Mamma Mia!
The King's Speech

This is my first time reading anything from Mia March. I found her writing to be witty and poignant. I'm looking forward to reading more from her. I'm sure this book will make a wonderful book club selection. There could be much lively discussion about not only what these women go through, but also about pies and Colin Firth!

***A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review***

The Nature of Cruelty by L.H. Cosway

Her name is Lana. She wasn’t dealt the easiest cards in life. She wasn’t dealt the hardest. She has an illness, but she doesn’t let it rule her. The first time she laid eyes on her best friend’s twin brother she fell in love at first sight. It didn’t last very long. He was a hateful boy who made her miserable. The happiest day of her life was when he moved away to London six years ago.

His name is Robert. He breaks the ones who love him. He’s always liked to play games with Lana, see how far he could push her. He once thrived on her pain, but no more. Now she’s coming to London to live with his sister for the summer and this time he plans on being her friend instead of her tormentor. But Lana is scarred by his past bullying. She doesn’t trust him, nor does she have any reason to.

When the two find themselves living under the same roof, they call a truce. This summer will change both of their lives, as they put their history aside and learn one another from scratch.

When fear takes over, we use cruelty as a mask. Robert and Lana’s story will see their masks slip away as the love they felt on the inside shows its true face.

**Not suitable for younger readers. Contains strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.**

Rhonda's Review:

How awesome would it be to come face to face with the tormentor from your adolescence, the one who was cruel with their words and hurt you unmercifully and completely destroyed your self-esteem, and then to let that person see the hottie you turned out to be ? 

That’s exactly the opportunity Lana has when she leaves her home in Ireland to visit her best friend in London for the summer, Sasha. To Lana’s misfortune, the tormentor from her past Robert who is Sasha’s twin brother has been kicked out of his place by his girlfriend and comes to live with his sister and Lana for the summer. As Lana and Robert find them selves under the same roof, old habits start to resurface but they start to know each other in a new way, and the walls of cruelty start to crumble. But can Lana move on from the past and forgive Robert and trust him with her heart? 

I’m going to go over the things I loved about this book, and the things I didn’t love . 
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about this author is her ability to develop her characters so well. However, I had a difficult time connecting with Lana, I just felt indifferent toward her. Even though she was raised by a single mom that is a cop and used scare tactics to keep her away from boys, she just seemed a little unreal to me, and a lot of the time especially toward the end, I was really irritated by her. 

The next issue I had is that the story seemed to drag a bit too long with unnecessary dialogue between the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy getting to know my characters and this story was no different, but some of the dialogue did affect the flow of the story and my interest level. 

I enjoy making her miserable…seeing the ghost of pain flicker in her pretty blue eyes. -Robert 


Now moving on to what I loved about this story. 
L.H. Cosway has a wonderful voice which I enjoy very much and look forward to reading more from her. As I’m reading this story I see glimpses of brilliance with the character development of Robert, what a great character study! Robert is what held me to this story and I loved reading the parts in his POV. I also think Cosway did a great job getting him across to the reader even in Lana’s POV, but Robert’s direct POV was just the icing on the cake. I loved getting a look into his thought process. I loved that he’s a little dark, and flawed. I also liked that there wasn’t some great tragedy that happened to him that made him an “emotional sadist”. Yea Robert and Sasha come from a broken home, and his dad is an arse, but I don’t think that really has anything to do with Robert and Sasha’s make up. Does there need to be a reason? In my opinion, no. Some people are the way they are just because that’s who they are. Robert is very self-aware and I loved that about him too. No apologies or excuses and this is how I see Robert.

I wish she didn’t always look so hunted. More importantly, I wish I didn’t get off on being the hunter. -Robert 

This story contains some really great scenes, and well worth the read, so in no way should my 3 stars be a deterrent. And Cosway knows her way around the smexy scenes too. I loved Robert’s dirty talk, and the whole vibe that comes from him in this story. He’s also kinda pervy, but I mean that in the best way possible! I also loved the relationship and bantering between Sasha and Robert. I think Cosway also did a wonderful job in developing the secondary characters as well with Sasha and Kara. 


Thank you L.H. Cosway for the opportunity.

Good Vibrations (Welcome to Paradise #1) by S.L. Scott Review & Giveaway!

I grab her exploring finger just as it reaches my happy trail—a trail that if I let her wander down further will lead us to do things we can’t take back. Things like three-word phrases being confessed that would end me if I was rejected. Things like selfishly wanting to own her body and doing things to her that would make my fantasies blush. And things like making her promises too soon that won’t do either of us any good. She makes me want a future that’s not possible, and one I don’t deserve.

Listening to my ego got me into this situation. Will listening to my heart get me out?

Grace's Review

Welcome to Paradise!

College student Mallory Wray is all set for an awesome summer. She's living with her best friend in beautiful Hawaii for 2 months. Sounds lovely, right? Well, what she wasn't expecting was meeting super hot Evan. Mmmm, how shall I best describe Evan? He may be one cocky and arrogant surfer dude, but what I love is that he is honest with Mallory right from the start that he's a no relationship kind of guy.

Although things heat up pretty quickly for these two early on, it took a while for their emotions to catch up. These two make assumptions and frustrate one another so much that I just wanted them to sit down and talk already. However, I promise you that it's worth getting to the point when they finally open up to each other. They're playful and just so darn adorable together! I also love how their friends become a big part of the story, too.

“Desire bubbles inside of me. I haven't desired anyone in years. I've lusted and I've always gotten what I lusted after. But desire, desire feels like an old friend that I didn't know I missed until it returned. I desire this girl.” --Evan

Oh...Swoon! Ladies, you have got to let Evan welcome you to paradise!

Good Vibrations ends on a good note, so no cliffhanger, but there are issues left open. I'm curious to see where Evan and Mallory's story goes. S.L. Scott did a superb job with the setting. I truly felt like I was escaping to the tropical beaches of Hawaii, the land of gorgeous surfers and juicy pineapple. I wanted to book an island getaway right away!

Good Vibrations is definitely a great choice if you're looking for something easy to read for the long, hot summer days at the beach or pool. It's one fun-in-the-sun, steamy-licious and romantic read. Just be sure to have your ice cold drink on hand, because you're going to need it to cool off afterward for sure. Aloha!

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This Is Who I Am (Masters of Shadowlands #7) by Cherise Sinclair

When trying to save a woman from slavers, Sam screwed up. Royally. Now Linda wants nothing to do with him. Or with BDSM. She won’t even admit she’s a masochist. As a dominant and sadist, he can give her what she needs, and when an opportunity arises, he slips into her life, intending to make amends. She’s everything he knew she would be…except for her bullheaded determination to be ‘normal’.

Now the horrible time is past, Linda just wants to return to her small conservative town, pick up her quiet life, and be normal. But how can someone who likes pain be ‘normal’? To her dismay, when someone spray-paints her home with obscenities, Sam shows up to rescue her. Again. Doesn’t he understand that the last thing she needs in her life is a sadist? He’s amused by her objections. But his dry sense of humor can’t disguise that he’s tough as nails and dominant and stubborn. He’s not going to let her drive him off this time. Soon she realizes she wants him to stay.

When he takes her to the Shadowlands, she feels as if she’s found a home…until she hears a voice from out of her nightmares.

Holly's Review

I need to start by saying what a huge fan of the Masters of the Shadowlands series I am!! I think I kinda forget how much I love everything about these books and characters until I dive back into their stories. 

I have been anxiously awaiting Master Sam's story for quite some time now. For a few reasons really. One is that, unlike some BDSM books, there is a lot going on in the background of these books. In the last installment we saw some of the key players at Shadowlands involved in taking down a part of a human trafficking ring. Linda, who is our heroine, was held as a slave and rescued and she is having a hard time dealing with Sam since he had to play a rather hard part in the rescue operation. Now I realize this all may sound a little vague if you have not read any of these books - and if you are a BDSM fan of any kind then I have to ask, why the hell have you not read these books?? 

Anyway, another reason I have been looking forward to Sam is because not only is he an older man, and Linda an older woman, and by this I mean old enough that they have grown children. But that Sam is a Sadist! For you newbies that means he enjoys inflicting pain and Linda is a Masochist, which means she enjoys receiving pain (even if it takes her awhile to admit this, seeing as she wants to be normal and all)!! Sam is the one man who can give her what she needs and make her feel safe, if only she'd let him.

This book was a beautifully emotional read. Watching Linda try to resume her life with the whole world knowing was held as a sex slave. Let me tell you, I really wanted to jump into this book and bitch slap the fuck out of some of these ignorant, narrow minded assholes that think she deserved that because of her penchant for pain and kink!! FUCK THEM I SAY!! We all have kink, even if we are too closed minded to admit it!! OK, sorry, minor rant!! Y'all that know me know that those slip into my reviews sometimes!! :)

Like I said before, if you are a BDSM fan at all and haven't read this series - get your ass out there and get them! Cherise Sinclair rocks my socks!!

Brace yourselves for Master Sam....

Safe Word by Teresa Mummert

A chance meeting with a stranger can turn your entire world upside down. 
When Colton ‘Colt’ Bishop enters a bar in New York City, he has a plan. His job is to find an easy target and take her back to his place for a few days. He is working his way up the crime ladder doing a job he never wanted.
Lily Hilton has it all, but is hiding from a troublesome past. When she enters a bar downtown, and runs into her old high school crush, her entire world is turned upside down. She is determined to make him notice her, but that plan may work better than she expects. 
Colton does not hesitate to take Lily home and use her as his new pawn, but their past begins to catch up with them as their secrets unravel and he must decide what is more important to him, protecting Lily or himself.

Holly's Review

I was so incredibly excited for this book that I actually pre-ordered it, which is really something I never do unless it is a long awaited sequel or something like that. But this book intrigued me from the moment that I read the first teaser, only I have to say that it was actually NOTHING like what I though it was. Needless to say I really enjoyed it!!

My only real complaint is having a bit of a hard time understanding what everyone's real deal was, but then I guess that was the way the author intended.

When Rose/Lily comes back into Colt/Cole's life it is kind of a crazy, confusing roller coaster at first. You know they have a prior friendship but that is really it. The entire book bounces back and forth so that you can get an idea of why both of them are as fucked up as they are now. As I said it could be a bit confusing at moments but when I finished and sat and though about it, I couldn't deny it was a great story! I am just going to give everyone a heads up though because like me, with a title like Safe Word, you may naturally assume this is a BDSM novel, it is not. Don't get me wrong, there is quite a it of Hot Sex and Colt is quite the Alpha with Rose but that is where that ends. The 'safe word' is from when they were children(that's all I'm giving you) :)

The thing that really made this book for me though was the Epilogue!! Kudos to you Ms Mummert! I know not all authors put them in but some books simply need them and this was one!! LOVED THE EPILOGUE(and the whole rest of the book, of course)!!