LEFT DROWNING

Review...
Left Drowning by Jessica Park
My rating: ★ 5 Breathtaking Stars ★

~ Even when you're drowning and so far under, there is always time to reach for someone who will teach you how to breathe again. ~

I have read some amazing books
Books that capture your attention, entertain you and even break you.
Some books are even more amazing, that they take you to places that you have never been before, somewhere that you never would of expected. Evoking emotions that take a hold of you.

And then there are the books like Left Drowning.
Where every word slowly pierces your heart.
You feel every hit, every intense emotion, you find yourself holding your breathe.

Sometimes you just get it.

You live it, you breathe it.
You sit back and think… This book was written for me.
You are so blown away that an author is able to touch every part of your heart with words. Words written on paper.
Words that left you hanging on for more but at the same time you want it to end. You don't want to feel these feelings.

Left Drowning is in a league of it's own.
It's one of those books that leave you so unprepared with the events, the emotions, and even the connections.
It has this ability to destroy you.
Your holding on to the hope that not only will the people in the story will be ok, but you to will be ok.









The loss of her parents and the estrangement with her younger brother, has Blythe purely existing in her life.
Spending her days just making it through college and her nights spent with alcohol. Blythe plays the role, just pretending, holding out hope for a connection.


~ "I can't look at myself because I cannot stomach looking at a girl who has so little hope left, who is inexcusably weak. I am humiliated by my own inability to do better." ~

Grief
Guilt
Pain
Depression.

Blythe's whole life is about to be turned upside down by the Shepherd siblings.
We first meet Sabin.
Sabin, Sabin Sabin. Sigh my gosh I loved Sabin. You can tell in Park's writing that Sabin is someone special to her.
Sabin is Blythe's first friend, he situates himself in her life, no questions asked and from the very beginning you just know he was going to be one hell of a character.



~ "You caught me! In my case the question should be why am I up so late?"
I smile shyly. "Oh, I see."
We sit without speaking for a few minutes, my hand still in his, while he looks at me expectantly. I should take my hand away, but I simply can't. He is to odd and too endearing. ~


Then we meet Chris....





Chris wakens Blythe from the first moment. Her connection to him feels one-sided but as we get more of the story we learn that Chris is as much damaged as our Blythe.



~ "I went too far with you and I shouldn't have. I'm not really boyfriend material."
"Did you ever consider that I'm not girlfriend material?"
"Yes, you are. You're outstanding girlfriend material. I'm the one who's all kinds of fucked up. Trust me." ~



Chris pulls Blythe from the darkness she has been living in. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery.



~ "Feel me." He inhales and his chest press into me.
"Breathe," he tells me. "Breathe with me." ~



Chris would have to be my favourite character to date.
His relationships with his siblings was just beautiful. You could see the man he was just by his actions with his family.
Yes, he doesn't commit to Blythe, he is totally upfront with her about that. His honesty doesn't take away that their connection is real.
And yes I hate that in books when the male can't commit, but I just felt that Park paced their story so perfectly you knew in time he would grow.



~ He is a fighter. I am not. And yet we are unquestionably linked. ~


I have read plenty of steamy sex scenes. And there has to be something said for Park's ability at intense and raw description. My God was the sex intense. You could feel the raw passion come at you in waves reading Chris and Blythe together.



~ Chris starts to slide in and out a little faster, staying deep when he goes in and then pulling almost entirely. Each time he enters me sets off another wave of hunger for him. I feel absolutely out of control, but for once its in the best way possible because its the most natural sense of exhilaration I've ever had. ~



But their relationship was so much more than sex, love or the strong friendship they held. It was so much more. It was a connection like no other and while your reading and falling in love with them both, their connection is what takes hold of you.



~ When Chris and I touch, it's different. I think of the feel of water. The way it is when you wade into the ocean and a small wave cascades against you, swirling sand over you and awakening every pore. ~



But Chris's past still holds him back.
This is where I just felt so broken. So helpless for Chris and Blythe. My heart was hurting so much that you would do anything to help them.


~ "How can I possibly say good-bye to the person I am so hopelessly, deeply, and permanently in love with? Because I love you, Chris. I do. I will always be in love with you, even though you'll never love me back. you have been my sanctuary this year. You saved me. Do you know that? You saved me. And I wish that you would let me save you." ~







Just how Chris Saves Blythe, It is Blythe that saves Chris and his Family from the truths of their pasts.




~ "Don't you see, Chris? You and I are supposed to be together. Not because we have to be together. There is always a choice. This is not an obligation or a duty. But our lives are entwined, they have been, for good reasons. I've know that from the moment I set my eyes on you. It never made sense to me before. How I felt so deeply connected to you before we'd even spoken. But I did, and I do. I have loved you since that day on the dock. Probably even before that. I feel as though I have loved you my entire life. Please, Chris, I'm right here. I want to go through life with you. I am begging you, Christopher. Begging you with all of my heart. Let me take care of you the way that you gave taken care of me." ~



There is no possible way for me to finish this review this without giving away key elements so all I am going to say is that YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!
There is no maybe or thinking about it guys. THIS IS A MUST READ.

Left Drowning is a beautiful love story full of pain and hurt, love and passion but it was just as much a story about family, about beautiful sibling relationships. About letting go of the past and learning how to survive. It's about living, breathing and healing.







I am constantly blown away by the pure talent of some authors that its mind boggling.
Jessica Park not only had to put Blythe, Chris and their siblings back together, she had to put me back to together!
Her writing was heartbreaking but cleansing. She held me captivated from the dedication.
She will take you on a ride that will have you begging to get off, but at the same time want to line right back up to get back on.



~ Our connection elicits the past and the truth from each of us. He thinks that's crazy, but I don't. It defies my lack of belief in God and fate, but I know this to be an absolute and unexplainable truth. ~

~ ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

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Jess xxx 

Fight With Me

Fight With Me by Kristen Proby
My rating: 5 Spanking Stars






Well spank me cross-eyed!

This was freaking hot!!!


NATE..... OH. MY. GOD. You can eat crackers in my bed any day!
Super hot Alpha, Bad Ass Biker, who is tattooed AND pierced. HOLY SNAPPING DUCK SHIT!!




Well damn I need to change my panties!



5 STARS are NOT enough!

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On the Island

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
My rating: 5 Life Changing Stars












I have had this on my kindle for months and months!
1st impression,
I don't think I will be able to read this.






BOY WAS I WRONG!!



I should be ashamed with myself!


This was amazing!
Not at all what I was expecting.
I'm in love… absolutely love love loved it
Just thinking about this I get goosebumps!


Thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring Sixteen year old T.J. Callahan
Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.
Days turn to weeks, and then months, as T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island.
Anna and T.J's relationship turn from tutor to friendship, growing stronger everyday.

To be honest I didn't think I would be ok with this story line
Being a 28yr old woman I couldn't picture myself having a relationship with a teenager.

I was worried but intrigued how they were going to get to that point of their relationship.
The way they got there was slow and built so beautifully you really don't even think about it.
By then I started seeing T.J as a man and not a teenager.



To go through what they went through, endured all that together, you would be concerned they didn't have a connection.

The build up was perfect, I couldn't wait for it.
T.J really was just perfect.

"You weren't supposed to fall in love" she whispered.
Well, I did," I said, looking into her eyes. "I've been in love with you for months. I'm telling you now because I think you love me too, Anna.You just don't think you're supposed to. You'll tell me when you're ready. I can wait."






At one point I didn't want them to be saved….

I know right! Crazy



By the time they had returned home I was a mess, I didn't want to read what I knew was coming.


I really loved that both families didn't push them apart.
Though concerned they didn't interfere or cause any drama.


"What kind of relationship did you and Anna have? she asked.
"Exactly the kind you think we did."
"How old were you?"
"Almost nineteen," I said. "And Mom?"
"Yes?"
"It was definitely my idea."


If I hadn't already loved T,J I would of fallen over right then!

I thought T.J handled the transition so much easier.
You really do see him grow to an amazing man. He knows what he wants.

I felt so sorry for Anna.
My heart broke when she returned, You could feel the hurt, pain and confusion she went through.
She really does struggle to figure out where they both fit in each others life.
She is so conflicted.


“I don't fit in your world."
"Neither do I," he said, his expression tender yet resolute. "So let's make our own. We've done it before.”


“I never wanted anyone else, T.J. I just wanted what was best for you."

"You are what's best for me," he said, cradling my head in his arms, his legs intertwined with mine. "I'm not going anywhere, Anna. This is right where I want to be.”




I guess at the end of the day, being in the situation that T.J and Anna were in you can't say how one would act.

All I know is I really did connect to this relationship.
It was real and believable.
I want to go back and experience it all over again for the 1st time. I love it when a book does that to me.

Don't be a fool!
Go and read it now!


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Falling for the Ghost of you

Falling for the Ghost of You by Nicole Christie
My rating: 5 FANTASTIC STARS








So this was EPIC!! Loved every second of it!!!!

YOU HAVE TO READ THIS LIKE NOW!!!

This is how it played out...







Serioulsy pissing myself laughing so hard!!


Then I'm all like






OHHHH they about to get it on…..





The tension in the pool!
Some one come fan me!!


Then like out of the blue, BAM I'm all like….






What the Hell??
But after that I was straight back to






In the end I stayed up till 3am to finish this hahahha and I was just like

Nicole Christie

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The Heart Has Reasons

The Heart Has Reasons by Martine Marchand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

~“The Heart Has Reasons 

That Reason Knows Nothing Of.”~

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR….

So yes he kidnaps her, but do I care.. No I just want to see them get it on!!

What the hell did I just read…


Chase is retired Special Forces.
Missing the rush of a mission, Chase is bored with his civil life and is looking for something to pump up his adrenaline.
He decides to take on a job recovering the runaway wife of a wealthy businessman.

2 years ago, Larissa got attacked by a serial killer in her apartment, managing to shoot him as he escaped.
Larissa has been living with fear that Brian Sparrow is coming back to finish what he started.






Brian Sparrow wants his revenge, hiring ex-Special Forces operative Chase, Sparrow knows that to get the job done he must spin a story that is believable. Under a fake name he tells Chase that Larissa is his wife, and he just wants her back, so their children can have a mother again.
Chase believes Sparrows story and agrees to do the job.
He must transport Larissa from her home in the east coast to the warm California.

Taking her from her home in the middle of the night is easy. The 4 day trip together not so much.

Larissa can't believe that she is about to be handed over to the devil. She will try anything to escape. Even if her sexy Kidnapper sets her on fire.



~“I don’t want you touching me.”
“Really? I find that hard to believe in view of the fact that you slept practically on top of me all night long.”
“I did not!”
The warm pleasant sound of his laugh startled her.“You were wrapped around me so tight I thought I was sleeping with an octopus.” ~



Chase refuses to believe that he is delivering Larissa to her death sentence, no matter what she says.
Larissa is not what he was expecting. Being warned that she was a skilful liar, Chase finds it hard to tell if anything she says at all is the truth.

Chase and Larissa have crazy chemistry.
They were so funny at times


~"Are you alway this bitchy in the morning?"
"Only after I've been drugged and kidnapped."~


Despite the circumstances Larissa starts to feel very attracted to her kidnapper.
They both feel the connection, and after the second night things start to heat up.



~"I just wanted to apologise for kissing you earlier. Under the circumstances, it was inappropriate and unprofessional." ~

"Unprofessional? You're telling me kidnappers have a code of ethics?"~

Hhhahahahaha….



Things start to go further between the two and lines will be crossed. Larissa will do anything to save herself from her fate of death. Even if she has to seduce her kidnapper.
But is that the only reason why she has to do it?


~ "Put your hand down my pants."
"Why?"
"So I can prove that I really do want to."
Knowing he was making a mistake but unable to stop himself, he slipped a hand under the elastic waistband and slid it down the sold of her lower belly to the smooth and hairless juncture of her thighs. "Ah Jesus, you're wet." ~







They definitely share some sizzling chemistry.
I was hoping he wouldn't go through with delivering her. Surely he believes her.



~"Larissa?"
"Yes?"
"I wish we could could of met under different circumstances."~



But NO he delivers her to Sparrow.


But after leaving her with her Ex, with a clear head he starts to realize something is off.
So he heads back.
What he sees when he walks back in, leads to the death of Sparrow and Larissa covering for him.


But Larissa's story has some major gaps. The police believe she is suffering from Stockholm syndrome, and protecting her kidnapper.
When Chase is arrested, Larissa is adamant that Chase was NOT the man that Kidnapped her.

Larissa has feelings for Chase.
But is what everyone saying true? Are her feelings a product of Stockholm Syndrome or do Chase and her share something more?







I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. It had it all, romance, suspense, action, and passion.
I had no idea where this book was going to go before I started. I loved the after math of piecing together if Chase was the Kidnapper.
It's tough because YES, Chase did kidnap her, but you really want these two to have a happy ending.

I really wish there was an epilogue.
I think they needed it.

I hope one of Chase's special forces mates get their story told.

Definitely a must read!





Buy it.
Read it.
Love it.

Waiting for You

By Shey Stahl


My rating: 5 AMAZING, EYE OPENING STARS

~ Just like the sky, a change, a thought, a feeling, doesn't happen right away, for me anyway. You don't see it at first. It's nothing but chalky warmth, a glow in the distance completely humbled to the magnificence of Helios. As a dawn starts to shake the ash from the night, revealing the bright red scarlet of morning that ran riot in the sky, a decision is set, but you don't know it. There's something refreshing about a sunrise, It's just as unpredictable what a new day would bring. ~

A child hood that had been scripted for a girl, Bailey Gray.





Bailey Gray is tired of her perfectly planned life, she has perfect grades, the perfect friends, a perfect boyfriend, life was perfect...or so everyone thought.
Bailey can't stand her life, HATED her life. Going to a certain school, her parents picked her friends, a certain boyfriend forced upon her.
During Graduation Bailey snaps right before her Valedictorian speech.

"The truth is that my entire life has been planed out for me. Did you know I couldn't even buy my own underwear? My mom does that for me," I said with a laugh.
My dad, who had shot out of his chair in embarrassment, had reached the stage by then grabbing my arm. Straining to speak into the microphone, I needed to say one more part that was important.
"Looks like my time is up but I just wanted to say one last thing to everyone… Fuck off!"

Bailey Runs,
Runs right into town bad boy Dylan Wade





Dylan was Bailey's 1st kiss, growing up across the street from each they were childhood friends.
But when Dylan's mum died in a car accident, a part of Dylan died with her. He started acting out pushing everyone away. Bailey and Dylan haven't spoken in years.

Embarking on road trip the unknown, they re-discover a friendship they once knew.

~Sometimes you just know a person. It doesn't matter if you never talk. You know them. You have a silent connection. We had that. ~

Bailey questions what she wants out of life. What would you do of a piece of forever? What would you do to love more, feel more, and live more?

~More than anything, I wanted to feel alive. I wanted to feel and appreciate a passion for something that I loved. For most of my life, I felt like a puppet on strings and I wanted that feeling gone.~

Together they experience life, live it, breathe it, enjoy the moment, be present and take a risk.

~When I got in that car, It wasn't a thought out decision. The decision to want something more from my life was but Dylan, what was happening now, that wasn't planned. To me that was the best part of it though, the unexpected.~


Their Summer was spent on the open high way chasing sunsets.
Creating a bucket-list, learning about themselves and each other.

~ You know those moments, whether you're in them or not, you feel something more than you intended to feel, what you wanted to feel. That was right now. It was like watching a sunset, one that I expected to be an average sunset and know what colours would be and the specific setting I would use, but then, with so much as a shift in the clouds, a sunset you never expected is revealed. It's a stolen heart in the rain, sprinkled ray of light that kiss your skin and dance in the rain to sounds of thunder and rolling growls. ~




Slowly Bailey learnt that a lot of times, the best things in life didn't rely on being planned. On that summer road trip Dylan and Bailey feel hopelessly in love.

~To me, love was like the colours of the sun bleeding and spilling over the best part of you and him together and highlighting what needed to be. Love doesn't necessarily mean anything. It's a word, a phrase you give to someone that bleeds the same colours you bleed, feels those same lines.~


Lessons are learnt and secrets come to head threatening to destroy everything they had.
What would you do? Deny the truth?

"I love you, please remember that," he whispered tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. "Half of me will be with you, barely breathing, watching your sunset."


That one summer, taught Bailey to open her eyes on a lot of things, her family, life, a world she never knew and world she can be herself in.
She lost so much but gain a lot more..


'Waiting for you' is a story of kisses, lust, passion, youth, mistakes, lies, hiding, stupidity, judging, but most of all, love.

~We loved. We made memories. Our love was dangerous. It was asking me to come with him. It was dancing in the rain on the hood of his car. It was making dents that only we knew. It was living in the moment and making memories and deals. It was being in love and having your heart ripped from your chest. Here you take it, I don't want it anymore. It was that kind of shit. It was please don't do this, not here." It was hear me now, listen to me. It was waiting. I waited, and we waited. Nothing.
It was remembering every detail, everything that made him Dylan Wade and remembering nothing at all. ~


When I start a book I normally know what I'm getting into. I know what type of mood Im in for.
I will, most of the time read through a few reviews weighing up my options.
There are some books that make you laugh, cry, swoon and even angry. Some leave you on a cliffhanger making you beg for more. I love all the emotions you feel when reading a good story.
I Love getting lost in a story, love being taken in to the pages, to feel everything I'm reading.

Every once in a while I will be taken on a journey that I wasn't prepared to take. I will be thrown head first into the lives of the ones I'm reading. It invokes all the wonderful emotions you want to feel plus so much more. It's a feeling of pure excitement when my adrenaline kicks in.
But most of all, it's the words that you read that connect to you.
It's like the words are flowing out of my kindle wrapping around me, caressing me, comforting me pouring into my body and soul and speaking to me.
It is freaking amazing when I feel that. It resets you, It opens your eyes to everything around you.

Shey Stahl's 'Waiting for you' invoked all those emotions for me, I can't even begin to tell you. I was not expecting such an intense pull.
Her words came out at me, wrapped around me and opened my eyes.

~Some say a sunset can be too beautiful for words. I'd agree with that. There are a lot of things too beautiful for words for me.
To me, it was the earth's way of saving the best for last.~







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Dare You To

 by Katie McGarry
My rating:  ★ 5 Amazing Stars ★




















Ending up in Jail to protect her Drunk mothers boyfriend is just one of the many issues that Beth deals with in her life.
Beth really has dealt with so much ugliness in her life, constantly protecting her mother is all she has left.
All that changes when her Uncle bails her out of jail with the condition she goes to live with him and his wife.


Ryan Stone, the town's golden boy, baseball star has secrets he can't tell anyone.
With his family reputation and image on the line, Ryan carries on life like everything is fine, while his family is falling apart.

When Beth, the skater girl with major attitude, who made him lose his bet, moves to town, things start to get interesting.


~She's small. Smaller than I expected. That attitude is so big I hadn't noticed her height or size. ~


Beth is well aware of the perfect Jock and his need to win his 'Dares.'
All she is interested in is getting out of town, last thing she needs is the drama of Ryan Stone.


~Guys like him don’t go for girls like me. I’m a toy to them. A game. And these types of guys, they all have the same rules of play: smile, trick me into thinking that they like me, then toss me to the side once I’ve been used.~



However what begins as a Dare becomes an intense attraction.
Ryan and Beth develop a friendship, soon Beth learns to trust Ryan. And Ryan starts to see who Beth really is as a person.


~"By listening, I found a person loyal to those she loves. It was the first unedited glimpse into a girl that holds everything inside" ~


He sees past the hard persona Beth puts on. She might be feisty with a bad attitude but something about Beth, pulls him to her.


~“You’re beautiful when you laugh. You should laugh more.”
“Life hasn’t given me much to laugh about.”
“I could change that.”~






As their connection grows their secrets are slowly revealed. Ryan pulls Beth into his life and breaks her down.
He helps her to overcome her fears, showing her unconditional love.


~“You're a lot like that bird in the barn. You're so scared that you're going to be caged in forever you can't see the way out. You smack yourself against the wall again and again and again. The door is open, Beth. Stop running in circles and walk out.”~



But will Ryan be able to stand up and face his family secrets. Stand up for for what he really wants?
Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all


~“I won't let you go." I blink. As if he could stop me. "You won't let me go." "No, I won't let you go. You're mine and I don't lose.” ~






It's beautiful to watch as Beth grows from an angry, lonely girl to someone who accepts love for herself. She open's herself up to being loved and Loving Ryan.


~“There are times when you stand on the cusp of moments so huge, you know you'll remember them forever. This is that moment for me and for Ryan.” ~




I loved it. I loved it even more that Pushing the Limits.
I loved Ryan, sigh he really was so sweet, and loving.
I was worried I wasn't going to like him, because I was rooting for Isaiah, however Ryan won me over straight away!
I really connected with Beth.
My heart was just breaking for this misunderstood girl. She was so brave and tough. At some points I was angry that she wouldn't open up to her Uncle. I hated that we could see this beautiful caring person and other people didn't because she hid it behind her attitude.


~" My heart has been ripped multiple times and each time I repaired it on my own. I know my limits and if someone rips me apart again, I'll never find the strength to pick up the pieces."~




I need more Katie McGarry. I love her writing style. It's smooth and just flows off the page.
You go through all the emotions, she pulls you in and keeps you there.
Definitely looking forward to Isaiah's story.



Buy it.
Read it.
Love it.

~ ARC courtesy of Harlequin via Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review

Own the Wind

by Kristen Ashley


My rating: OMG AS IF I WOULD GIVE IT LESS THAN 5 STARS 














Well I'm a firm believer that I will never ever be able to give a good review when it comes to K.A.

So I'll just totally gush and swoon a be total freaking Fan Girl!!!

I can't believe I had to wait an extra day to get this......




I stayed up like a stalker on my laptop refreshing Amazon...



I waited all day :( with no book, I HAD to do housework!!!!




When I finally got it..







Total fangirl.
OMG LOVE Tack
Love Chaos
LOVE SHY… OMG Shy (sigh)







Like seriously Shy….
I know I say this every time but he is now my Favourite.. Hahaha I do say this every time I can't help it....





Loved Tabby and Shy standing up for their love.. Hell yeah!
When Tab gives it to Ty-Ty



And Shy giving it all up...



And Landon, and Elvira's man... Malik omg omg omg HOT H.O.T HOT!!!

Love love love


But now it's over



I read too fast!!!!!



Now I just have to get through my K.A book funk…





Kristen Ashley you can do no wrong....









How long is the wait for the next one.........