Blogger Chick Chat ~ The Pact ~ Karina Halle

The Pact by Karina Halle
Narrated by: Lydia Dornet and Shaun Grindell
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Audible
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome-a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He's also on of Stephanie Robson's best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she's known him. Beautiful, funny, and an ambitious businesswoman, Stephanie Robson is one of Linden McGregor's best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he's known her. But some relationships can't be boxed, can't be classified, can't be tamed. Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty. It sounded like fun and games at the time but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life. Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line. The pact is about to change everything.

Both Lexxie and I had The Pact in audio and so we decided to do an audiobook buddy 'listen'. ;) Here's our book chat:

Lexxie: Both Kayla and James really, really piss me off!!! I'm almost at the end of The Pact.

Brandee: Me too! I almost couldn't stand James.

L: How can Steph be happy for James? I would kick him in the nuts if I were her. (They're about to go to NY after Linden's helicopter accident)

B: I completely agree. He was a total schmuck. So self-centered. I'd kick him in the nuts twice! :)

L: hehe
I've finished listening now :) And I did enjoy the story, even if I found it a bit frustrating that Linden and Steph has to meet so many roadblocks.

B: Yeah, I got to that point as well. I wasn't happy that Linden gave her up for James. I didn't feel like that was a best friend move - at least on James' part. In a way I thought the roadblocks were contrived to keep the story going. But I still loved it. :)

L: And I found the Scottish accent to sound a bit fake in this one...

B: I was wondering what you thought about the accent. There were times when I thought it was real because his American accent sounded funny but I liked the female narrator's Scottish accent better. So you don't think he's (the narrator) a Scot?

L: No definitely not a Scot! In the beginning, it really peeved me, and almost made me stop listening. Thank goodness Linden had much less chapters than Steph! And I thought the female narrator was better, too.

B: Okay, well I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't necessarily like the male narrator. I got used to it though.

L: Oh me too! By the end I was OK with him...but just wait until you listen to The Offer.

B: I'm looking forward to it.

L: James acted like a total douche! Especially if he had understood from the beginning that Linden and Steph were seeing each other! He should have realised how happy they both were.

B: Yeah, I don't know that I'd have remained friends with James but we weren't privy to his conversation with Linden when he apologized. So we don't know what went down there but Steph - I guess she was okay since things worked out in the end.

L: Yeah, but no matter that James said, he was really only thinking of himself - accusing Linden of not understanding him (James) and all the hardships of his life... Whereas he was not at all trying to see anything at all from Linden's POV.

B: I agree. A narcissist.
Totally.

L: Totally.
heh



We are SO good at this!
I found Kayla to be a hypocrite, too! Even if James later said that Kayla had told him about Linden and Steph when she was drunk...

B: Yeah, I'm interested to read Kayla's story to see if she's redeemed at all because yeah, she was a hypocrite. I almost felt like she was jealous.

L: Kayla's story will be the next one I listen to, and I can't wait either. And I liked Kayla better in The Offer, too.

She may have been jealous, especially because Linden and Steph were always close - friends, but always with the kind of possibility for something more - especially for those looking in from the outside of their relationship.

B: That's how I felt about Kayla. She didn't want to give Linden the benefit of the doubt with Steph since *she* didn't get him to stick around. I'm glad I'll like her better in The Offer.

L: So you do know you'll like her better, eh? ;)

B: Well, I'll like her better if you did ;)

Did you feel like all their baggage was appropriately resolved?

L: Linden and Steph? Or everybody?

B: Linden and Steph

L: I think Linden and Steph came to just accept that being best friends AND lovers was possibly the greatest thing ever for them.

And I'm not sure if anyone can really resolve all their baggage...but if most has been dealt with and they are trying to move forward in a positive way, things can definitely work out.

B: I agree and I was thrilled that they realized best friends make the best lovers. Because they do and their couplehood was a long time coming.

L: Yes! And I think that being both best friends and lovers make for the best relationships - especially long term :) <3

Knowing each other well, and appreciating each other, having things to talk about...that's just as important as the passion.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Linden and Steph was how they were always cheering each other on. Linden helped Steph have the courage to start her own clothing store, and she made him feel balanced and loved - even before he could admit that love was possibly the most important ingredient in their friendship.

B: Exactly. And by that time Steph and Linden had had plenty of time to marinate in all the goodness that taking their relationship to a higher level would be. Even if it was scary. Although Linden seemed quite certain of them having staying power. :)

L: Yeah, if it hadn't been for James screwing everything up for them with his jealousy and his pettiness...

Good thing Linden survived his accident!

B: LOL Yes, definitely a good thing!

Absolutely. Their friendship was much deeper than what they had with James in my opinion. And I adored that Steph gave Linden validation - well that have validation to each other. Something they both needed  and didn't get elsewhere.

L: True! Their friendship was always stronger than what either of them had with James. They spent more time with each other than all three of them, and even felt somewhat bad about that at times.

B: I'm looking forward to continuing this series. And I get to see Karina this weekend. ;)


Final thoughts:
I had a hard time putting The Pact away, spending extra time cleaning and on the daily walks. ;) I enjoyed the format, dual POV between Steph and Linden - as well as how Halle worked the time line. And despite the angst, The Pact was a lot of fun!

Sunday Post #16 ~ Knock, knock...

As y'all probably all know, the Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share my news from the week whether it be book, blog, or just life news. Since I read so many of your Sunday Posts and I wanted to add something new in 2016, I've decided to join in the fun!

***

Alright, it's mid-October and company has arrived! Sky is home for her fall break (we *all* are so happy to see her, including her kitty) and my MIL is visiting so that she can see Sky as well as see Berk and Jax perform in a marching band competition and an orchestra concert. Whew! It was a busy week having projects needing to be completed as well as getting ready for company.

Let's see, week before last...gosh! I can't remember so it must have been busy! ;) This past week, I attempted to implement a new daily schedule so that I can be in the groove once I start NaNoWriMo. Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to get up 30 minutes earlier (4 a.m.) so I'm not sure I'm going to be able to swing this new schedule! *haha* We'll see how this coming week works but I may have to adjust things from a "start time" of 4:30.

I didn't get as much read these past two weeks as I'd have liked to. I did finish listening to Bossman by Vi Keeland and According to Hoyle by Abigail Roux. Both were fantastic listens! I'm currently listening to The Baller by Vi Keeland. I finished Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis (look for the review soon), Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, A Tour of Souls by Diana Modica, and With Ties That Bind #2 by Trisha Wolfe. I'm almost finished reading Jaxson by Alisa Woods and up next are Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie, and Mr. Mysterious by JA Huss.

I admit I did a lot more listening since I spent a lot of time cleaning. ;)

Did y'all have a good week?!? Here's to hoping this upcoming one brings some awesome fall weather and some great reads! :D

***

Challenge Updates

I'm continuing to plug away at some of my challenges. Here's how I'm doing by the numbers:

#ShelfLove - 62
Blogger Shame - 10
New Release - 41
Goodreads - 118
#2016HW - 8
Blog Ahead - 8/31 posts so far

So far for my OctobeRec Fest I've read 7 books. And one of them counted towards my 2016 Bookish Resolutions because it was a recommendation from Jax! ;)  I've started lining up reads for November and December which will focus on Traveling to the Terminus - where I do some catching up in series that I'm woefully behind in. ;)

How are y'all doing with your challenges?

#OctobeRecFest Review ~ Sweet Thing ~ Renee Carlino

Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino
Sweet Thing #1
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Nook
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Recommended by: Teresa @Readers Live a 1000 Lives
Goodreads

Synopsis
"You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together... then you'll hear the sound of your soul."

Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use or exploring music, her true love.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays hot to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions--for him, for music--but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.

Ah, Sweet Thing. This one's been gathering virtual dust on my nook for quite awhile. Teresa's review pushed me into one-clicking this one. I'm just sorry it took me so long to get to it. This was Carlino's debut and there were things that signified that but the story, by far, outweighed any debut issues. Here are a few of the reasons I loved Sweet Thing and why I'll be reading more from Carlino:

1.  Well-defined characters. Will and Mia are so well fleshed out I feel as though they're my friends. I understood them, their strengths, flaws, vulnerabilities. Even though there were times when they, especially Mia, made me want to bang my head against my nook, I got what made them tick. And I loved them both. They both had some growing to do, again especially Mia, but I enjoyed being on the journey of self-discovery with them.
   
   I'm going to mention secondary characters here as well because they added depth to Will and Mia and to the story overall.
2. The journey. I mentioned this above but Sweet Thing is a journey of self-discovery and that's something I enjoy reading. What I particularly liked was how Carlino conveyed the impact of having a specific perception and how it can shape your thinking. I also liked how she related the consequences of having that perception shift.
3. Music! Y'all know I'm a word girl but I'm also a huge fan of words set to music and Carlino's use of music and songs in Sweet Thing was in perfect rhythm with the story.
4. I met Carlino and she is the sweetest thing in person!

If y'all haven't given Carlino a look or if, like me, you've had Sweet Thing or another of her books on your ereader for awhile, I urge you to grab one or unearth the one you have. I'm giving you my word you won't be disappointed.

Release Day Review ~ Tempting Tempo ~ Michelle Mankin (@MichelleMankin)

Tempting Tempo by Michelle Mankin
Tempest #5
Release Date: October 13, 2016
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Kindle but I beta read as well
Rating: 5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2016NewRelease
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N

Synopsis
HE SEES HER IN A WAY SHE COULD NEVER SEE HERSELF.
SHE HAS NEVER FELT MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN WHEN SHE WAS IN HIS ARMS.
Sager Reed, the strong and silent bassist of the rock band Tempest, is well acquainted with loss. The thoughtful artist's own tattoos only hint at his turbulent youth. He buries his guilt about it deeply within his troubled heart.
Melinda T. Belle, the daughter of a dysfunctional rock legend, as a rule avoids emotional entanglement. In fact, she has turned her back on nearly everyone and everything she has ever known. Now she is alone, trying desperately to find fulfillment in the one dream she has left, competitive skiing.
CAN SAGER OVERCOME HIS DARK PAST AND FINALLY BELIEVE THAT HE IS WORTHY OF HER LOVE?
WILL MELINDA REALIZE TOO LATE THAT HE IS THE ONE THAT REALLY MATTERS?

**PSA - The first FOUR books in The Tempest Series (Irresistible Refrain, Enticing Interlude, Captivating Bridge, and Relentless Rhythm) are currently only 99 cents each!! You're welcome!**

Also, because I love y'all and Tempting Tempo is an incredible story that works as a standalone (although I *highly* recommend you read the whole series) I'll gift a copy to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment to be entered. I'll use random.org to pick the winner.

Now, here's my review. ;)

It's been awhile since I spent time with the Tempting Men of Tempest and I must say I relished being back with them. Oh, a few of them made me want to smack 'em for their behavior but that seems standard when spending any time with these bad...er reformed bad boys of rock. Of course, for most of them their behavior significantly changed - for the better - as they've settled down with women who captured their hearts.

In Tempting Tempo, it's Sager's turn. Sager, serious Sager...who's so into Melinda aka Blue that he jumps at the second chance he's given with her. These two get first got cozy in Relentless Rhythm, the previous installment. But betrayal, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings put distance between them. With Tempest reconvening in Vancouver and Sager and Blue bumping into one another, the connection as well as the sparks rekindle.

As per usual in a Tempest novel, Mankin takes on a social issue. This time she targets anorexia. Blue, having grown up in a less than loving home, has a skewed body image. Being a ski cross competitor doesn't help as she feels a lower weight would likely aid her on the course. And then there's her impulsiveness when it comes to making decisions, which generally leads to poor ones. Essentially, Blue feels the only thing she can control is her food intake. Sager sees more though. He sees all her flaws and still seems to love her. A love she finds it difficult to trust.

Sager, naturally, has had his own share of hard times. Growing up in Southside with an abusive dad and drug dealing older brother led to no good. Luckily he found a family with King. That enabled him to get a handle on his anger. Music and art became his outlets but he never believed he'd find someone to love all parts of him. Til Blue.

Of course, the road to love and happiness is bumpy. And I appreciated how Mankin created the obstacles she threw in their way - particularly the life-altering event Blue experiences that allows her to change her perspective, especially regarding herself. I think these two have a few challenges ahead but can weather them together.

I enjoyed that the other members of Tempest and even Brutal Strength are present in varying degrees - some with integral parts. I liked getting glimpses of what life is like for them now and am extremely eager for King's story. And possibly Mary's as well. Oh, but I delighted in seeing past that woman's icy facade.

Full of emotion, a gripping story, smexy scenes that may fog up your reading glasses, and characters that are engaging and genuine, Tempting Tempo is another gem in the Tempest series.

One of the things I've always appreciated and admired about Mankin's Tempest series is her desire to bring awareness to social issues via the story. In Tempting Tempo, she wields her pen for eating disorders. Mankin's son helped her put together the book trailer and a video interview based on questions the National Eating Disorder Association recently posed to her. They worked together on the project for weeks and when they finished, he told her how proud he was of her for speaking publicly about her personal struggles. Here are the trailer video as well as the interview:

Review ~ A Tour of Souls ~ Diana Modica

A Tour of Souls by Diana Modica
Release Date: August 8, 2016
Genre: Anthology, Contemporary, Fantasy
Source: Purchased on Kindle
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2016NewRelease
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis
A Tour of Souls is a compilation of poems and short stories touching on various lives. Take the story, Henry, for example - a young albino man in the 1800s falls in love with an African giantess while they tour with the Circus of Freaks. In Living with Ghosts, a woman tries to cope with the loss of her husband and daughter. Pathways finds a woman lost in the woods, revisiting a scene from her youth which she thought was a dream. A desperate reporter in The Interview seeks the meaning of life from a homeless woman. A Tour of Souls gives the reader glimpses of souls that may reflect or repulse their own feelings.

A mix of poetry and short stories, A Tour of Souls is an exploration of humanity via different people and their different perceptions of life. 

Katherine - a story of a daughter's love, Katherine is harsh, gritty, and cathartic. It details a mother's life, her dreams versus her reality. It's lovingly told, although the least smoothly written due to the personal nature. Modica honors a woman's life, both the good and bad, hopefully finding understanding, forgiveness, and peace.

Desperation - real life or a daydream? Desperation is a quick story of a women daydreaming about an encounter with the an of her dreams only to awaken and realize he wasn't quite dreamy. The takeaway for me was that real life isn't always as glamorous as we envision.

Henry Bloom - richly conveyed, a sort of retelling of Romeo and Juliet - two people brought together by their vast differences, kept apart by prejudice. I liked the detail and the play on Bloom in the title and its meaning throughout the story.

In the End - ultimately, a story of hope, In the End takes us on a journey with twelve souls traveling Earth for centuries looking for life, questioning faith, existence...

Island Princess - a story of a young woman losing herself in an attempt to attain perfection. I felt this story made a statement about vanity.

Living With Ghosts - heartbreaking story of loss. Living With Ghosts explores how loss affects a person, how a person might go on living as a shell of their former self.

Pathways - a story about life, treading a certain path, getting lost or taking the wrong path but eventually finding your way home.

The Elephant and the Sparrow - a parable or a fable about humanity and our disregard for others, for Earth, in our quest to fulfill all our needs.

The Interview - injecting a little humor into the collection, The Interview deals with prejudice as a homeless woman tries to teach her interviewer the meaning of life.

Storm - I think Storm is a statement on how/why children of Earth wreak the havoc they do - and what will become us Earth if something isn't done. In the end, I felt it was hopeful.

Life - this poem really spoke to me:

I Stand
Shoulder the load
Heavy, but manageable
I try my footing
Awkward, but steady
I gaze down the road
Beautiful.

The Bell - one of my favorite stories, The Bell explores the consequences of choosing a path in life and later deciding maybe you chose wrongly but knowing that with the right person by your side, you'll persevere. 

The Bus Stop - once again, ironic humor is injected into the collection. The Bus Stop tells the story of a woman who witnesses all the goings-on in the neighborhood where she waits for a bus every day. The irony is in her thinking the folks of the neighborhood probably have certain perceptions of her or don't notice her at all and her being guilty of the same.

All the poems and stories flowed well together, the poems harbingers of what the stories would entail. A few of the stories, I'd have to dig deeper into to make sure I'm understanding but I felt they all conveyed a message. Each of the poems and stories incorporated themes which were introduced in Katherine and I felt it made the collection cohesive. A Tour of Souls is a tour of life, each poem and story a study in a facet of humanity - beautiful and ugly. In the end we find humans have myriad foibles but there is hope for us.

#OctobeRecFest Review ~ The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright ~ Tessa Dare

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Genre: Adult, Historical Romance
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Recommended by: Lexxie @(un)Conventional Bookviews
Goodreads

Synopsis
(Originally appeared in the e-book anthology Three Weddings and a Murder.)

Miss Eliza Cade is a lady in waiting. And waiting.

Because of a foolish mistake in her youth, she's not allowed "out" in Society until her three older sisters are wed. But while she's trying to be good, she keeps bumping elbows--and, more distressingly, lips--with notorious rake Harry Wright. Every moment she spends with him, she risks complete ruin.

The sensual passions he stirs in her are so wrong...but Eliza just can't resist Mr. Wright.

Omigosh, this was so much fun! I was in desperate need of a palate cleanser and Miss Eliza and Mr. Wright served well!

Eliza is exactly how I'd like to think I'd have been if I'd lived in Regency England - feisty, free-spirited, and a girl who bristles at convention. It certainly made her lively and entertaining as I was always curious to see what she'd say or do next. Some might think her selfish but in getting better acquainted with her, I saw she was a very generous soul.

Mr. Wright certainly seemed a rake! From his first meeting with Eliza, he did his absolute best to rankle and get under her skin. He accomplished his goal with great skill. This made for snarky banter as well as incredible sexual tension. Getting to know him better though, I learned he had a good heart and could make a good match for Eliza.

I think my only complaint would be that things wrapped up rather quickly. That's not to say the story wasn't well-crafted because it was. And I obviously adored the characters. It was just that things went quickly at the end. I do, however, look forward to my next meeting with Ms. Dare.

#OctobeRecFest Review ~ Becoming a Jett Girl ~ Meghan Quinn (@AuthorMegQuinn)

Becoming a Jett Girl by Meghan Quinn
Bourbon #1
Release Date: May 29, 2014
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Source: Purchased on Kindle
Rating: 3 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Recommended by: Naomi @Naomi's Reading Palace
Goodreads

Synopsis
How did I start the Lafayette Club?

Well, I'm in the business of saving tarnished souls. I hand pick girls from the street who have no options left in life and give them an opportunity they can't possibly refuse.

They come to work in the Lafayette Club which is full of EXQUISITE DEBAUCHERY, where influential men come to conduct business and lap dances are considered a fine art.

The girls are trained, they are morphed, they are educated, they follow the rules of the club and they know to submit to me. They live by my motto, no relationships, no love, just sex.

They are never touched, only by me, they are never completely naked, only with me, and their personas are entirely anonymous. The only person who knows who they truly are, is me, Jett Colby.

If these girls were ever seen on the streets of New Orleans, you would never know they were a Jett Girl.

I met Meghan Quinn recently and told her I'd just finished reading Becoming a Jett Girl. She asked me if it was scandalous. ;) Let me tell you, I was properly scandalized for sure. Becoming a Jett Girl had a bit of everything in it - sadness, angst, romance, suspense - and overall, it was purely entertaining. Scandalously entertaining.

Goldie/Lo is a young woman who's been down on her luck since Hurricane Katrina. Barely making ends meet as a waitress in a strip club, she's even resorted to less than acceptable means to pay her bills and those left to her when her parents died. Then, out of nowhere, comes an offer she finds it hard to refuse - a miracle - a means to left herself out of her miserable life and into a much better one.

Jett is rather enigmatic when we first meet him. Little by little we see more about him and realize the reasons and good intentions behind the Lafayette House. He's very noble in his intentions and with Goldie/Lo, he finds himself breaking all his self-imposed rules.

In some ways, this felt like a debut. There were issues with the writing - transitions were a bit clunky and there were editing problems. But the story and its characters were rather unique and that helped to make up for those issues. I will admit that Goldie/Lo's mouth had no filter - the cursing and other things that fell out of it were, well, scandalous. *winks* As Jett said,

"What comes out of that mouth of yours is never a dull moment."

Seeing Goldie/Lo and Jett get acquainted and start falling for one another was sweet though. With Goldie/Lo being so brash and feisty and Jett being so controlled, you'd think they wouldn't fit. But they meld together quite well, giving the other the ability to do things - like have calm or loosen up - that they can't achieve on their own. They also allow the other to see their vulnerabilities and that was powerful.

Even though there were editing issues, I quite enjoyed Becoming a Jett Girl, am fully invested in these characters and their stories, and am eager to see where they all go from here.

#OctobeRecFest Review ~ The Rest Falls Away ~ Colleen Gleason

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
Release Date: January 2, 2007
Genre: Adult, Historical Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Recommended by: Lorna @Rabid Reads
Goodreads

Synopsis
Beneath the glitter of dazzling nineteenth century London Society lurks a bloodthirsty evil...

Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long ago taken control of the world.

In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake. But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her dark, dangerous duty.

And when she comes face-to-face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make a choice between duty and love.

Prepare yourselves for a gushing review. I picked up The Rest Falls Away because I was in the mood for vampires and Lorna had recommended this one. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided vampires but it absolutely hit the sweet spot!

Gleason delivered a well-crafted introduction to the Gardella world in Regency England. Her conveyance of the life of a daughter's duty, life among the ton, etc., was very well done. Her creation of a vampire mythos and a class of people dedicated to eradicating the world of the evil of vampires was fascinating. The characters, both primary and secondary, were robust and compelling and Gleason didn't shy away from making any of them possibly unsavory, morally questionable, and the like. I found each of the characters to be interesting in their own way and they all added something integral to the story.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't draw comparisons between Victoria and Buffy. *wink* That this vampire slayer lives in the 1800's only added to my enchantment. Max and Aunt Eustacia, the Marquess, Sebastian, even Verbena, all made for a colorful cast that I'm completely invested in.

The ending...GAH! That was gut-wrenching but then I was also torn in my feelings - which I suppose make it all the more gut-wrenching. But it also made it very difficult to turn off my kindle and move on to my next read considering I have the boxset and book #2 was sitting there staring at me.

Honestly, I could go on and on about all the reasons The Rest Falls Away tripped my trigger. Bottom line though: It did. In a big way. I can't wait to continue. Thanks, Lorna!