REVIEW: Unstoppable (Beachwood Bay #5)

Unstoppable (Beachwood Bay #5), by Melody Grace
To Be Published September 19, 2014
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-book, obtained from the author
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon 
 
Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) A secret scar…

Tegan Callahan has sworn off bad boys for good. Growing up on tour with her rock star brother, she knows first-hand the damage they can do. She’s looking for a nice, safe, stable guy – until a chance encounter with a devastatingly sexy stranger makes her question everything she thought she wanted.

A troubled soul…

Ryland James arrives in Beachwood Bay on the run from his mistakes. He knows he’s the last thing Tegan needs, but somehow, he can’t stay away. There’s something about her fierce beauty that draws him in – and makes him vow to protect her, whatever the cost.

A passionate destiny…

Their bond is undeniable; the stakes, higher than ever. But the past won’t stay gone forever, and soon, Ryland must make the ultimate choice: will he risk everything he treasures in the world, or keep Tegan safe – and sacrifice her love forever?

Oh my goodness... this series. I just love it so much. These books just keep getting better and better. Although Emerson's book will always be my favorite, I think Unstoppable may run a close second. Ray Jay was the little-seen member of Emerson's and Brit's family. Referred to, but rarely seen. Well, now we've seen him. Wow, have we ever. 

Ryland and Tegan met by chance in Las Vegas the night he won his freedom back. Weeks later, they bump into each other in Beachwood Bay as each tries to start over after tragic pasts. Despite Tegan's desire to keep her distance, she soon realizes what a fruitless endeavor that is. When all seems to finally be going their way, though, Ryland removes himself from the equation in an attempt to keep all he loves safe. 

 Ryland and Tegan are so well suited for each other. Both are so strong and have dealt with some crazy bad stuff in their lives. Both have siblings that love them to a fault. And they seem to need each other in incomprehensible ways. 

Tegan is so prickly when she and Ryland first meet. She's not just coming out of a bad relationship - she's coming out of a disastrous one. And, she's not eager to jump into anything with anyone, much less Beachwood Bay's resident bad boy. She is really not nice to poor Ryland for awhile. Luckily, he's got confidence in spades and good humor about the whole thing too. I loved his resilience. He knew he'd have Tegan from the moment he saw her, and he didn't let her doubt get in his way. 

Once Tegan realized she was fighting a losing battle, the tone of the book shifted. It started with her confessing her past, which nearly sent me into tears. It was then that we saw a lot more substance in Ryland than we had before. You always got the impression in previous books that Ray Jay was a selfish bastard who didn't care much for his family. We learned in Unstoppable that Ryland was exactly the opposite. Everything he did, he did it out of love for his family. 
  
Unstoppable was told in dual POV, so we see what's going on with both Ryland and Tegan at different parts of the book. The chemistry was holy crap amazing, and when these two finally got together, it was so incredibly hot. I can always count on that from Melody Grace. She is an amazing writer in her own right, but her love scenes are some of the best ever. 

Since Ryland is Emerson's and Brit's brother and Tegan is Dex's sister, we get to catch up with all three of them at different times in the book. We also got to know Blake, Tegan's and Dex's other brother. I think we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the near future. But, for now, I'm perfectly happy going back and re-reading my favorite parts of Unstoppable over and over again. And, there's lots of them to choose from. 

REVIEW: Breaking Out (The Surrender Trilogy #2)

Breaking Out (The Surrender Trilogy #2), by Lydia Michaels
Published November 19, 2013
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-book, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult erotic romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Second in the darkly compelling, sexually-charged contemporary romance trilogy, in which two men vie for the mind, body, and heart of a woman who may never give in to their wishes—or her own…

Evelyn “Scout” Keats has left behind her painful past of surviving on the streets, and is now living in the luxurious penthouse master suite of Hotel Patras with her lover, billionaire Lucian Patras. But what she doesn’t know is the price Lucien paid for her freedom.

To protect Scout’s life, Lucian cut a deal with a dangerous man from her past, Parker Hughes. He swore to stay away from her for thirty days, even though he knows Parker will be fighting to keep them apart for good and take Scout as his own.

Yet neither man realizes that Scout is not about to be used as a prize or a bargaining chip for any man’s power play—and she falls back on her hard-earned self-respect and courage to show both men that the only person she truly needs is herself.

But Lucien has other plans…

Breaking Out was full of many highs and many lows. It made me sad and happy and really, really mad. It started on a really high, fun note, and ended on an incredibly frustrating and somber one. THIS is why I love to read. 

Evelyn has a good thing going with Lucien, but lately he's been growing more and more distant, and she doesn't know why. When he leaves her, she is more devastated than she thought possible, and it's then that Evelyn starts taking the steps to remake herself all on her own.

My favorite part of Breaking Out was watching the transformation of Lucien. In Falling In, he started out as a pretentious, angry man with nothing much to keep him warm at night except for his billions of dollars. Through his association with Evelyn, he had the opportunity to become teacher, master and, surprisingly, friend. He had spent so long chasing something more without even knowing it, that when he found it in Evelyn, he quickly embraced it. 

Evelyn, however, was much more hesitant to embrace all the new feelings she had for Lucien. She was brought up on the streets not being able to depend on or trust anyone but herself. She loves Lucien but can't tell him that, because of the power those words would give him over her. I constantly admired Evelyn's strength of self and character. Honestly, sometimes I felt like she was a little TOO strong. A little too unbendable. 

When Lucien starts to pull away, Evelyn panics and immediately thinks the worst. Her fears took over and she gave them power. It broke my heart that this strong girl didn't think she was worthy of Lucien or his love. And, then when Lucien enacted his part of the deal with Parker, and left her, Evelyn was devastated. 

I don't blame her for being scared and sad. Despite her not being able to say the words, she loved Lucien with everything in her, and then, in her eyes, he just dropped her. What was the saddest part to me is that Evelyn didn't trust Lucien enough to see beyond his actions and to read between the lines of his words to know that he didn't want to leave. That it was killing him as much as it was her. 

And then there was Parker. UGHHHHHHH. What a huge douchebag. For as smart as Parker was supposed to be, he acted so stupidly. This guy made me feel so stabby. He was certainly a huge part of my frustration while reading Breaking Out.

I loved the scenes between Lucien and his father. They relationship is strained at best, and yet, when Lucien is at his lowest, it's his father's house that he travels to. It was a bittersweet scene between these two hard-headed men whose lives were changed by women. 

I love books that make me feel in spades, and Breaking Out certainly did that. Once again, it's told in a different sort of dual POV, with a third told in Evelyn's, another third in Lucien's, and the final third back in Evelyn's. I continue to be impressed by Lydia Michaels' stellar storytelling. Her writing is beautiful. And the chemistry between Lucien and Evelyn is so palpable, it nearly leaps off the page. I loved this book so much, and I just knew that it was only going to lead into an explosive final book.

REVIEW: Black Ice

Black Ice, by Becca Fitzpatrick
To Be Published October 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: young adult suspense
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

BLACK ICE took me out of my comfortable little box in which I regularly put myself. It wasn't labeled as a "romance" (although, there is some of that in it) or "paranormal". It was strictly a suspense novel set in the mountains. Perhaps it was the cute beanie boy on the cover that called to me, or the fact that I'm a big fan of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush series. Perhaps, too, I was simply ready for something fresh, new and different. In any case, my expectations were not only met, but exceeded; Black Ice was fantastic.

Britt is ready to spend spring break during her senior year of high school backpacking in the Tetons with her bestie Korbie, enjoying the cold mountain air and trying to forget her ex, Cal. Instead, through a series of unfortunate and unexpected events, Britt is stranded in the mountains in a blizzard with two killers who have taken her hostage. Things are not as they seem with anyone she comes in contact with, though, and her experience forces her to look at them and herself with different eyes.

Britt was someone I could relate to. She's spent much of her life getting help from others. She'd like to think of herself as strong and capable, but with some reflection, she realizes that others have always carried her along. It seems as if Cal dumping her (in such an awful way, too) was her wake-up call, and this trip into the mountains with Korbie is the springboard for the remaking of Britt into a truly independent young woman. I loved that about her. She might still be upset about her breakup and hung up on Cal, but she's not allowing that to stop her from changing the things about her that she doesn't like.

I loved the mystery surrounding Jude and his true motives for being on that mountain. Becca Fitzpatrick's pacing was excellent. Small bits of his story slowly came out at the right moments to keep me always interested, yet still in the dark. Although, it was clear from the beginning that he was harboring some serious secrets and that none of his actions, at least at first, could be taken at face value. The moments when he and Britt were alone were my favorites, though, because in those moments, I knew we were seeing the real Jude, and wow - I love that guy.

The suspense in Black Ice was off the hook. The pure survival aspect of having to trek miles in snow with little to no food and tons of crazy scary wildlife kept me riveted. Who needs zombies and vampires when you have real life grizzlies and timber wolves?? Then, add on to that the constant questions of who REALLY are the bad guys, and you have the makings of one incredible story. Becca Fitzpatrick pulls no punches - people die in Black Ice. Quite a few, actually. It made the story all the more real and exciting.

If you're looking for a new and different kind of YA book, look no further. Black Ice has it all - suspense, danger, excitement, and yes, even romance.