Release Day Review ~ Passion Rising ~ JA Huss & Johnathan McClain (@JAHuss, @MisterJMcClain) #2018NewRelease

Passion Rising by JA Huss & Johnathan McClain
Original Sin Series #4
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Source: I received an eARC from the authors. This did not affect my rating and I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2018NewRelease
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis
Old demons are back.

Maddie's dealing with the fallout of her choices. Safety and happiness are relative, elusive things she's desperate to have. But they will forever remain out of reach until the demons of her past are laid to rest.

Tyler's mistakes resurface to haunt him and he's just beginning to understand that money can't fix a broken relationship. He must open his heart and search for answers he'd rather not find.

She wants peace in a world made of chaos. 

He wants to rid himself of a lifetime of guilt.

They're soul mates, but that's no guarantee.

They'll need to rely on each other to find their happily ever after.

Because the fight never ends - it just gets easier with someone at your side.

Wow. Passion Rising was honestly the perfect ending for this series as well as the perfect way to wrap up Huss & McClain's first foray into being writing partners.

Passion Rising did a one-eighty and went from being more action to more...cerebral. And that wasn't a bad thing. At least not for me. It made me stop and think - really examine the story as a whole. And I appreciated that. Maddie and Tyler have been through so much in their young lives. Things that would have broken lesser individuals. But while they were both damaged, the each continued getting up each day, putting one foot in front of the other because they felt there had to be something more. They've been through quite a lot since they reconnected as well. They were both in very dark places and I don't know why they had to experience even more "bad" together except to say that it couldn't have worked in any other way. They've endured tragedy before but in experiencing it together they realized that together is better...or at least makes handling it easier. And in each other - or maybe simply with each other - they found what they needed to fill in the cracks of their damaged selves and they maybe, just might have found purpose...which is something I think we all long for.

See? Cerebral. But don't worry. It wasn't all contemplating life's purpose, love, etc. There was an injection of suspense as well as plenty of steam. But again, Passion Rising made me take a stap back and look at the entire picture of Maddie and Tyler's story...put all the pieces together...and I was just pleased as punch with how it all came together.

As a sort of an aside, going into this book as a longtime fan of Huss, I think I had certain preconceived notions of what I'd get from this series despite her partnering with McClain. Passion Rising pushed home the point that this series is not a Huss book, it's a Huss-McClain book and therefore I got something a little different. And I must admit to enjoying the experience. I look forward to seeing what these two come up with next.

Release Day Review ~ Flesh into Fire ~ JA Huss & Johnathan McClain (@JAHuss @MisterJMcClain) #2018NewRelease

Flesh into Fire by JA Huss & Johnathan McClain
Original Sin Series #3
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Source: I received an eARC from the author. This did not affect my rating and I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2018NewRelease
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis
Payback is owed.

And Maddie Clayton is going to collect. This time Carlos and Logan have gone too far. People are dead, lives have been changed, and she's had enough. Plus, she's got the Devil on her side, so when an enemy turns into a friend with an idea of how to take Carlos down, she's in.

Tyler Morgan has been fighting back his whole adult life. He's ready for anything when it comes to payback. But endangering Maddie can't be part of the deal. Unfortunately for him, once Maddie gets an idea in her head, there's no stopping her.

Her debt has been paid in blood and she wants revenge.

His fight is still there, but now he's got more at stake than himself.

The end is coming.

But even if they win against Carlos, they can still lose each other.

Flesh into Fire reignited my interest in Maddie and Tyler's story. I felt like there was quite a bit of character growth on both Maddie's and Tyler's parts and there was more action and, um, less sex in this installment. The plot moved forward although I still have no idea where Huss & McClain are going with this story. But I'm once again delighted to be on the ride. Here are a few highlights and observations:

• I found it interesting that Tyler always saw Maddie as his angel - even dreaming of her in this way and how she's letting her "devil" rule. Because of him? Or has Maddie always been this way? I think the dreams are important...I just can't figure out how. LOL
• Of course there would be a curve ball I never saw coming which changed the trajectory of the story - not that I'd figured out the trajectory but I feel certain this curve ball changed it.
• There's a new catch phrase in use in this installment and I'm not really a fan. It wasn't used in the earlier installments and now everyone is saying it. *frowns*
• When we're in Tyler and Maddie's heads, their voices are distinct but sometimes in the dialog they sound very similar. It kinda took me out of the story when I'd be reading Maddie saying something and it sounded so much like Tyler that I had to double-check who was speaking.

At times I wanted to shake Maddie and Tyler for their decisions and there were times when I was rolling my eyes at the over-the-top-ness in certain situations. The twists in the plot though made things exciting and I'm going to mention again the character growth because I *liked* it. Both Maddie and Tyler had some very insightful moments where they realized some profound things about themselves and each other as well as themselves as a couple. I'm still speculation as to where they're headed - I really have no clue. But Flesh into Fire had more action, more excitement, more humor, and *ahem* the character growth so I'm thrilled to learn where Maddie and Tyler are going and I'm grateful I only have a few more weeks til I find out.

New Release Review ~ Angels Fall ~ JA Huss & Johnathan McClain (@JAHuss @MisterJMcClain ) #2018NewRelease

Angels Fall by JA Huss & Johnathan McClain
Original Sin Series #2
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Source: I received an eARC from the author. This did not affect my rating and I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 3.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2018NewRelease
Goodreads ~ Amazon


Synopsis
Sometimes angels fall.

Maddie doesn't really owe drug lord, Carlos Castillo, money. So she hadn't taken his threats seriously. Until now. He wants it, whether she owes it or not. And if she doesn't have it in six weeks he's gonna take her as payment instead.

Tyler would save the world if he could. That's a fight that lasts forever. And if there's one thing he's good at, it's fighting. So if Maddie thinks she's gonna deal with an insane drug lord on her own, she's crazier than he is.

She's got a debt she can't pay. He's got more money than he needs.
She's not gonna fall for his charm. He's gonna make sure that happens.

They're destined to be together. Even if Maddie doesn't know it yet. 
Sometimes your soul mate isn't who you'd choose, it's who you need.

Good thing you don't get to choose.

While Angels Fall didn't resonate quite as strongly with me as Sin With Me did, I'm still completely invested in Maddie and Tyler and eager to see where they go from here.

Angels Fall, well I think it suffered a little from that sophomore slump. It did some character building, which was important, but not a lot happened. There was more angst than action in this installment. The angst was courtesy of a very stubborn Maddie and while I appreciate her fierce independence, sometimes it's smarter - proves your intelligence - to ask for and/or accept assistance. She spent a great deal of time digging in her heels and I wanted to shake some sense into her. Tyler spent a great deal of time doing everything he could to earn her trust and that made me fallfor him that much more.

So this time around Huss and McClain pulled me along on Maddie and Tyler's journey and I trust they know where they're going...I just didn't enjoy the ride as much. However...that ending!! OMG!!! It has me chomping at the bit to see what Maddie and Tyler do next. I'm certain there will be more angst, more *ahem* steam, and more action. I'm vibrating in anticipation.