The Arrangement 14, by H.M. Ward

Synopsis:

Sean Ferro is a liar. Everything he's ever told me melts away until only the truth remains and I don't like what I see. Gabe tried to warn me, but I didn't understand the depths of Sean's corruption until he let them take me away. 

After everything we've been through, I'm crushed but I refuse to accept this fate. Screw that, I'm not dying tonight. 

The Arrangement 14: The Ferro Family by H.M. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My ARC review:

CONFLICTS & REVELATIONS. Another stellar volume in The Arrangement series.

I am so emotionally invested in these characters, it's not even funny. H.M. Ward knows how to write a suspenseful story and how to play with her readers' emotions. Avery's life is filled with conflict, on ALL levels, and all I want to do at this point is give her that much needed hug (and shake her by the shoulders a bit). Every which way, she is torn & must make life altering decisions yet there doesn't seem to be a clear path towards her well deserved "Happy Ever After". What started out as a love story is now a complexe mystery, where anyone can be hiding behind lies and deceit. Sean SEEMS to have put all his cards on the table and now the next move is Avery's... what will she do? It's a Sean Ferro Revelationfest! I hope there is some happiness coming Avery and Sean's way soon; I don't know how much more my poor heart can take.

I do have the satisfaction to say "I knew it!" when something is revealed that I suspected since very early on (which is extremely rare since H.M. Ward is so unpredictable!).

Technical stuff: It took me 2 hours to read this volume.

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The Arrangement series: 

This is a love story between Sean Ferro, a sexy, powerful & slightly deranged multi-millionaire with a tormented past and Avery Stanz, a college student who resorts to being a call girl in order to survive against all odds. It is fan driven series which means that H.M. Ward listens to what her fans want or expect and writes according to their input, often stumping them to avoid predictability. As long as her fans want more, she gives us more. It’s an interactive experience like no other. For new “Arrangement” readers: don’t let the number of volumes discourage you. They read really fast and they are ADDICTIVE! (see section on "H.M. Ward's serials for more info on the format).

The Ferro Family:

This is a Ferro Family series about Sean Ferro. Other Ferro Family titles are Damaged (Peter Ferro) & Stripped (Jonathan Ferro) and The Proposition (Bryan Ferro, aka the Ferro cousin). You don't have to read the other Ferro Family books if you want to get into The Arrangement but if you like H.M. Ward's books, you may want to read all of them. The Ferro Family books are contemporary "new adult" romance stories involving characters mostly in their 20's (college aged women & slightly older men).

Reading order: Although each series is stand alone & can be read in any order, if you are planning on reading all of the Ferro Family books, I recommend reading them in the order they were published to avoid any spoilers from one series to the next since they cross-over at multiple points in the timeline.

Books in order of publication date: 
The Arrangement 1-4
Damaged 1
The Arrangement 5-7
Damaged 2
The Arrangement 8-9
Stripped
The Arrangement 10-11
The Proposition 1
The Arrangement 12
The Proposition 2
The Arrangement 13-14

H.M. Ward's serials:

Serials are shorter books (approximately 130 pages in print: 1/4 to 1/3 of a full-length novel) that come out more frequently than full-length novels (about 1 per month). They start off abruptly from where the previous book ended and end with a cliffhanger,  often leaving the reader begging for the next volume. Being shorter books, serials don't recap events that occur in previous volumes, so it's best to start off with book 1. I read at an average speed and each volume takes me about 1 to 2 hours to read.

Video Teaser:
It's finally here! THE ARRANGEMENT VIDEO TEASER. **Do NOT watch it if you aren't totally obsessed, b/c you will be.** This is so awesome, you're gonna die. Share with everyone and encourage your friends to share too... the powers that be (tv executives) are watching. If you want a Ferro show badly enough, it'll come to be. Without out further adieu... THE ARRANGEMENT video teaser.

DIRECT LINK:

http://youtu.be/CyPwLcbG5Do

The Secret Life of Trystan Scott, by H.M Ward

The Secret Life of Trystan Scott is a series of 5 novellas. An omnibus edition of all 5 volumes is  also available. Below you will find my review for the entire series as a whole (the omnibus edition) as well as my reviews for each individual volume. This is a high school romance story. Perfect for teens (and adults wanting to relive their youth!).

The Secret Life of Trystan Scott Collection by H.M. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review:
The Secret Life of Trystan Scott is a series of 5 short books that start off as a high school teen romance and slowly progresses towards young adult romance. This series is the prequel to the upcoming novel "Broken Promises" which will be about Trystan, a couple of years after the events of "The Secret Life of Trystan Scott".

This series is not the typical reading I usually go for (due to the age of the main characters and high school setting) but since it's was written by my favorite author, I figured I'd give it a try. I love H.M. Ward's style of writting. It's witty, fun, full of angst, palpable tension and anticipation.

Trystan is the school hearthrob and has the reputation of messing around with lots of girls. Mari is more of a wallflower-type girl that doesn't really date much. They are good friends and they both secretly have feelings for one-another. Trystan has issues and so does Mari. Family life isn't easy for either of them and it just gets more and more complicated as the story evolves. The friendship and romance also evolve as they lean on each other for strength and support. Can they be each other's salvation? The secondary characters (Katie and Seth) are hilarious and provide most of the comic relief in these books. This series deals with issues of parental abuse (physical and verbal), bullying and parental pressure.

In true H.M. Ward style, my emotions were all over the place by the end of the story. This book tears you appart, wanting one thing, then another, then back again. Decisions are made and along with these decisions come sacrifices. It's romantic, sad, happy, bittersweet... The end had me happy and sad all at once. I loved the entire story!

If you have read or plan on reading the Ferro Family books by H.M Ward, I recommended reading this series if you want to understand Trystan and Mari's characters better (they make appearances in the various Ferro series).

Synopsis:
Fame has a price and Trystan doesn't want to pay. Everything he worked so hard to hide is about to be revealed. Nothing he can do will stop it. Within a few short hours everyone will know about his father and the sordid details of his past. 

There are four words Trystan's father said that haunt him--four words that he ignored--never fall in love. But it's too late. 

This is the complete collection of the prequel series to BROKEN PROMISES (A Trystan Scott novel).

My reviews for each individual volume:

Collide by H.M. Ward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review:

The Secret Life of Trystan Scott is a series of 5 short teenage romance books that can also be enjoyed by an adult audience (if you are a Ferro family fan, read on!).

I love HM Ward's style of writting. It's witty, fun, full of angst and anticipation. Trystan is the school hearthrob and has the reputation of messing around with lots of girls. Mari is more of a wallflower-type girl that doesn't really date much. They are good friends and they both secretly have feelings for one-another. Trystan has issues and so does Mari. Life isn't easy for either of them and it just gets more and more complicated as the story evolves. The secondary characters (Katie and Seth) are hilarious and provide most of the comic relief in these books.

I recommended reading this series if you want to understand Trystan's character better going into "Stripped" (a Ferro family novel by HM Ward) and into "Broken Promises", a novel on Trystan Scott as an adult that is due to come out sometime in 2014.

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Backdraft by H.M. Ward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

High school romance with lots of tension - TELL HER ALREADY! GAH! :-)

This series is not the typical reading I usually go for (due to the age of the main characters and high school setting) but since it's from an author that I really like, I figured I'd give it a try. This is book #2 of 5 in the Secret Life of Trystan Scott series. The books are fairly short and read fast. Good entertainment when you don't feel like getting into something too lengthy. The story is between 18 year old Trystan and 16 year old Mari who both secretly have feelings for one another. HM Ward is great at putting the reader in a state of constant anticipation and these books are no different, although more on the teenage side than some of her other stories.

If you have read (or planning on reading) Stripped from the Ferro family saga (which occurs 3 years after the events in this series), you may want to read The Secret Life of Trystan Scott to get a better idea of Trystan Scott's backstory (he is a secondary character in Stripped). 21 year old Trystan will be the main character in a novel entitled "Broken Promises" due out sometime in 2014.

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Riptide by H.M. Ward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"There were few things in life that were certain, but I knew this was real. We were meant to be together." - Mari

Book 3 out of 5 in The Secret Life of Trystan Scott series. A high school romance that is told over the course of 5 short books. It is also the story behind the rise to fame of Trystan Scott, who's character appears (3 years after the events of this series) in the book "Stripped" (a Ferro family novel) and "Broken Promises" (due out sometime in 2014). In this volume, we learn more about the family drama in both the main characters' lives. The romantic tension and anticipation is always palpable (it's an HM Ward book after all!). This book deals with domestic violence, bullying and parental pressure.

View all my reviews

Shattered by H.M. Ward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"He really needs to make up his mind and pull her in or push her away." - Trystan

Intensity is pushed up yet another notch in this 4th installement of the 5 part series The Secret Life of Trystan Scott. Trystan & Mari each try to deal with their abusive (physically and verbally) fathers while leaning on each other for strength and support. Their love for each other is so strong and the way each sequence is described, you can't help but feel the tension along with them. Can they be each other's salvation???

To fully enjoy the experience of these books, you have to start with the first one and work your way on up. Since these are serials, they are short and don't have room for recaps of what happened in previous books. They start off from the previous cliffhanger. This book ends with another zinger, making you crave the 5th and last book.

An older Trystan Scott makes an appearance in the book "Stripped" (a Ferro family novel) as Jonathan Ferro's best friend. Reading The Secret Life of Trystan Scott will give you a better appreciation of his character in Stripped. Trystan will also get his own set of novels as the now-famous, 21 year old rock star (due to be released sometime in 2014).

View all my reviews

Revealed by H.M. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a tough review to write. My emotions were all over the place by the end of the book.

As with all of HM Ward's serials, the 5th and last installement of The Secret Life of Trystan Scott starts off exactly where the previous book ends. Mari and Trystan's futures are being decided and not necessarily in the same direction. This book tears you appart, wanting one thing, then another, then back again. Decisions are made and along with these decisions come sacrifices. The secondary characters (Seth and Katie) are hilarious!

Romantic, sad, happy, bittersweet...

The end had me happy and sad all at once. Thank goodness there will be more of Trystan Scott (and hopefully Mari too!) in the "Broken Promises" novels due out in 2014. Loved the book!

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Revenge, by J.J. Knight

*** Edit to my original review: I don't like blogging about average to bad reviews but since I have already posted reviews for the 2 first books, I feel it's my responsibility as a reviewer to let the potential reader know what to expect for the remainder of the series. I have finished the series of 5 volumes. Although I gave 4 star ratings to volumes 1 and 2, it was not the case for volumes 3 - 5, unfortunately. I had really high hopes for this series, as it started off strong but the quality of the writing, character evolution and storyline lacked as the series progressed. It almost felt rushed, as if the author was writing on a deadline to get the books out at a faster rate. I, for one, prefer waiting just a little bit longer in order to have better quality content. As for the main characters, Dylan remained a very interesting character to read about but Jess was harder for me to like. Her character evolved only in the last part of the last book. ***

I received an ARC (advanced reading copy) from the author in exchange of an honest review:

Synopsis:

Jess moves to LA for her dream job as a music intern. On her first day, she bumps into Dylan busking on a street corner. Dylan Wolf has a gritty voice. His eyes are soulful. His incredible body is to die for, tattoos and all. When Dylan looks at Jess, she feels emotions she's never had before. He can be sweet, but his dark moods scare her. When he sings, the whole world falls away. Jess and Dylan's meeting hasn't gone unnoticed. At her job, Jess is summoned to the mysterious ninth floor. Her new assignment is to get close to Dylan. By seducing him. Jess is shocked. She's an innocent girl. Selling her body would be immoral. It would be wrong. But strange things are happening at the company. No matter which decision she makes, she might be in danger. One thing is for sure: If she takes this assignment, Jess will never be the same.

My review:

Revenge by J.J. Knight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very good start to what seems to be a promising romantic series of novellas (approx. 110 print pages each). The premise of the story is good : Farmgirl moves to LA to start a career in the music industry and meets a gorgeous aspiring musician. By the end of book 1, we don't know yet why the series is called "Revenge" but we get the feeling that Dylan has more going on than just the regular "aspiring artist" mojo. He seems to have a mysterious darker side to him (don't they all? LOL!). Most of the book stood at a 4 star rating, as it introduced the various characters and set the scene for the upcoming plot and built up the attraction between the 2 main characters. Good quality writing & an entertaining storyline kept it at 4 stars throughout the book but once I got to the last chapter, I fell into the story, hook, line & sinker and now I can't wait to get into book 2!

Told in the first person, from Jess' point of view. Book 1 of 5 novellas in the contemporary romance genre. All 5 books are scheduled to be released by the end of March 2014. As for the extent of sexual content, it's hard to tell from book 1 since there is none... yet? It took me 2.5 hours to read it.

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Save Me From Myself, by Stacey Mosteller

Title: Save Me From Myself (Nashville Nights #1)

Author: Stacey Mosteller

Genre: New Adult Romance

Release Date: January 15, 2014

 

Synopsis

Lyric Hayes spent the first 22 years of her life trying to be the perfect daughter and the perfect girlfriend. After a tragedy and her fiance’s betrayal, she's running. Starting over far away from the person she used to be.

She's made herself a vow - no relationships. She's trying to heal, not complicate her life further. David Pearson has it all. Confidence, awesome friends, successful business. But, David's dealt with loss too. He knows better than anyone not to judge by what's on the surface. Drawn to Lyric despite her inability to trust, he'll do anything to own her heart. Will secrets and misunderstandings send Lyric running again? Or will David finally save her from herself?  

Buy the Book

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes  | Google Play

 

My Review:

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Save Me From Myself (SMFM) is book 1 of 4 in the "Nashville Nights" series. It is also Stacey Mosteller's debut book.

My thoughts: This is a wonderfully down-to-earth story about starting over & getting a second chance at love despite past baggage. Lyric & David are very smart, lovable & relatable characters, qualities, insecurities and faults alike (yes, oh-so-sexy David has faults too!). The secondary characters are also wonderful and I look forward to reading about their own lives in the other books. SMFM is a refreshing read. It isn't weighed down with overly exagerated & unrealistic events & reactions that tend to accompany the romance genre (no eye rolling, I promise!). This could be a friends' story being told. While reading, I giggled, fanned myself (there's some hot lovin'), got frustrated and sad (my heart clenched at times)... an overall very good, entertaining, sexy & refreshing read.

Technical stuff: Narrated in the 1st person from Lyric's POV (occasional chapt. from David's POV). SMFM can be a stand-alone. Sexually descriptive content but not too much (emphasis is placed on story and character developpment). The characters' ages range from early 20' to early 30's. I'm a slow reader and it took me 15 hours to read SMFM.

Excerpt:

I watch him as he walks away from me, realizing that even though I’ve only known him a couple of weeks, I’m falling in love with him. So much for that “no relationships” vow I made before moving here. He’s stomped all over it. I just hope he doesn’t stomp all over my heart.

Anna’s arm wraps around my waist, startling me, and she looks as me with narrowed eyes. “What?” I ask her.

“You have total sex hair. Did he screw you into the wall? Or was it his desk?” She is completely serious, and my hands fly up to check my hair.

“I do not have sex hair, Anna!” I respond as I glare at her. “Besides, there was no actual sex. Against the wall or otherwise.”

She fixates on the word “actual”, practically yelling in my ear, “That means there was something! Come on, you have to tell me what happened! He was staring at you from the bar while you were dancing, and I swear, I almost flooded my panties!”

Jesus Christ, this girl is crude! “Anna! What the hell?”

“What?” she asks, trying to look innocent, “You know he’s freaking sex on a stick! Especially when he’s looking at you that way. I wish a guy would look at me like that.”

“Like what?” I can’t believe I just asked her that. I’m not sure I even want to know. Oh, who am I kidding, I desperately want to know!

Anna rolls her eyes, she knows exactly what I’m doing. “Like you’re every birthday and Christmas present he never thought to ask for,” she sighs. My smile is huge because that’s exactly how I feel about him.

“Sometimes, I don’t know how he can be real. He’s pretty much the perfect guy, Anna. How could he possibly want me?”

She just looks at me. “You’re so stupid, Lyric.” I stiffen, but she continues, “Why wouldn’t he want you? You’re funny, smart, loving. The list is pretty much endless. He’s be crazy not to. And he doesn’t strike me as crazy.”

David looks up to see us both staring at him and raises an eyebrow. Anna just grins and waves. He smiles back, then, shaking his head he goes back to helping customers at the bar.

About the Author

I am a 32 year old wife and working mom to 3 boys, ages 15, 13, and 8! After spending the first half of my life in a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA, my parents moved my brother and I to another small town outside of Greensboro, NC. I moved to Hickory, NC after marrying my husband. We dated a total of three months before getting married, and we’d known each other for a total of six! People thought we were crazy, but 2014 marks our 10 year anniversary, so it obviously worked out! I’ve always been a huge book lover, even though I hated doing book reports in school! I could never figure out the main idea, but I could quote the book word for word. Back in 2012, I found Fifty Shades, and after staying up all night one Friday to read all three books, I was hooked! I started a book blog, and kept reading everything I could. Then, I found Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines, and couldn’t stop reading. My husband told me that I should write my own book since I was spending so much on Kindle books – by June, I’d read over 500! – and after blowing him off for a few months, I decided to try to write the story I kept seeing in my head.  I had an idea for a story about a girl who’d been raised by her brother, but when I started writing, the brother of the main female kept taking over, to the point I was writing things in his POV instead of hers, so I shelved it, and started writing Save Me From Myself instead. I finally told a few fellow book bloggers about my story, and they started encouraging me to finish it, so here we are! It’s been an absolutely insane ride, and I can’t wait to share these characters with everyone!

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Damaged 1 & 2, by H.M. Ward

I know, I know, I've posted a blog entry for these books before. The reason I'm RE-posting it is because I've just finished listening to the audiobook version of Damaged, volume 1 and wanted publish my review on it (and it has NOTHING to do with the fact that this is my favorite book, by favorite author! *smirks*)! Below, you will first read my Damaged 1 audiobook review, followed by the remainder of my Damaged 1 & 2 book reviews, as previously posted.

Damaged, Volume 1 on AUDIOBOOK (narrated by Kitty Bang):
As far as audiobooks go, I'm not an expert. I haven't listened to many audiobooks so far but I do know what I like and Kitty Bang, the narrator of Damaged, is AMAZING! She doesn't just narrate, she acts! She puts so much emotion into her narration! I've read the book over and over (and over) again and listening to the audiobook just brought it to life even more! I know the story by heart, yet listening to the audiobook still got me all shivery! Peter and Sidney are my favorite fictional couple and Kitty Bang is my favorite narrator so it's a perfect match... like magic! Kitty Bang has a way of capturing the listener's attention and never let's it go. She also has a knack for creating very distinct voices for each character. She is also the narrator for all of The Arrangement and does a stellar job there too. 

The Ferro Family:
Damaged is a series of 2 novels in the Ferro Family. Damaged is centred around Peter Ferro (Granz). Other Ferro Family titles are The Arrangement (Sean Ferro), Stripped (Jonathan Ferro) and The Proposition (Bryan Ferro). You don't have to read the other Ferro Family books to understand Damaged but if you like H.M. Ward's books, you may want to read all of them. Reading order: If you are planning on reading all the Ferro books, I recommend reading them in the order they were published (starting with The Arrangement 1) to avoid any spoilers from one series to the next since they cross-over at multiple points in the timeline. The Ferro Family books are contemporary "new adult" romance stories involving characters mostly in their 20's.

Damaged by H.M. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So I've gone from "Pleasantly Surprised" to "Now my favorite book" to "Now my favorite author"

I bought this book for light summer road trip reading, not expecting much more than passing entertainment. It was inexpensive and got good reviews and book 2 had just come out so I figured, "why not?". Boy was I wrong about the "light" & "passing entertainment" parts! I have read it 3 times already and I am planning on reading it again many more times over (edit: I have lost count how many times I've re-read it!) & everytime I re-read it, I get the same reactions and emotions over and over and over again.

I loved the characters (main and secondary). I love the way Sidney thinks. It was great fun being in her head. She is smart and sassy and strong. And Peter... Don't tell my husband, but I think I'm in love with Peter Granz! The constant banter between the characters is hilarious! A contemporary teacher-student forbidden love story of 2 people who've been "damaged" by past relationships. Full of heart-pounding hotness, LOL funny and DANCING!!! OMG!!! Once the dancing began, I was a hopeless case.

Another thing I loved about this book: THE ANTICIPATION!!! What a tease this book is!!! I love it!!! Who knew that non-sex scenes could be sexier and hotter than full-on descriptive sex! This is what seperates "okay" writters from "awesome" writters. When a writter can make you feel like your heart is going to come out of your chest by describing simple things like 2 foreheads touching, lips only a breath appart without anything else happening... that's when you realise the power of the written word and how the writter has mastered it's use.

Damaged 2 by H.M. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Damaged 1 & 2 are by far my favorite books! I would have loved a trilogy!

Let me start by saying that of all the romance novels I've read over the last while, Damaged (1 & 2) are my favorite! I have read both books over and over and plan on reading both of them again. H.M. Ward has now become my favorite author as well.

If you haven't read book 1 (Damaged), I strongly suggest that you do so before reading book 2 because it starts off abruptly into the events of the previous book. I would have loved this series to have been written as a trilogy because I loved it so much and didn't want the story to end (book 2: the roadtrip; book 3: New-York & New Jersey). I love Peter and Sidney and their story is awesome. The angst, the anticipation, the laughter, the mess left by their pasts... *sigh*.

LOL... loved the bit about Mr. Turkey! I have trouble not laughing out loud when I get a mental image of the damn bird! H.M. Ward will often surprise her readers by adding unexpected hilarity like that.

I really missed the dancing in this one. Not enough of it!!! The dancing in the first one captured my heart and hooked me into the book.

In book 2, you meet up with Sean & Jonathan Ferro, Peter's brothers. Sean is the main character in "The Arrangement" series and Jon is the main character in "Stripped". You don't have to read the other series to understand "Damaged" but I have read all of the Ferro family books published to date (The Arrangement, Damaged and Stripped) and I love them all. They criss-cross at various points, making the reading experience a little more intriguing (H.M. Ward leaves little teasers and clues about her various series through these cross-overs). Damaged is my favorite.

Having learned more about Peter Granz's past in Damaged 2, I'd love to see a "Damaged" prequel about his life before moving to Texas, when he was Pete Ferro, the playboy who got into fights & who eventually got tamed by Gina.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, by Kady Cross

Synopsis:

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review:

This short novella has a good flow & is well written. Finley Jayne, the main character, is very strong willed and determined. She has a bit of a multiple personality disorder that makes her über strong & fearless when emotions run high. I really enjoyed her character. Being Steampunk, there are a lot of clockwork devices, automatons and a mad scientist. The story has a bit of a gory "Frankenstein" feel to it, in fact, Mary Shelley's story is referenced a couple of times. There's a bit of humour in the way the story is told. Finley sometimes comes up with funny thoughts and comments that make you smile. The action starts around the 50% mark. Before that, it's mostly character background and story setup. I am a hopeless romantic so I was disappointed that there was no love interest for Finley. I will probably read the 1st novel in the series, "The Girl in the Steel Corset" and I'm hoping that there is more romance in it.

Technical stuff:

"The Strange Case of Finlay Jayne" is the prequel novella to the novel "The Girl in the Steel Corset" from Kady Cross' "Steampunk Chronicles". Set in a fictional London, 1897 where clockwork and automatons are the new technology. Written in the 3rd person from Finley's point of view (with a little exception where we get a little bit from Lord Vincent's point of view). It is only available in ebook format. Teen Steampunk: violence and a little gore (no sex, no course language). It took me 2.5 hours to read.

"Beautiful Bastard" series, by Christina Lauren

Since I've read all 6 books from this series, I figured I'd write one blog post, reviewing the entire series as a whole with a brief review of each individual book. I must say, before I start, that my 2 favorite books in this series are "Stranger" and "Player". They are "I'll re-read many times over" good! Warning: Highly descriptive & frequent sexual content and course language.

The series:

Erotic contemporary rom-com set in a young (the female characters start off as graduate students),  professional & urban setting. These books are so hilariously funny! I've found myself literally laughing out loud uncontrollably at times. The highly descriptive sexual content is very steamy & quite frequent. The love stories will melt your heart and have you "ooh'ing" and "aaaah'ing". The characters are loveable and amazingly described. The women are smart, strong willed and funny. You feel like you are "part of the gang". Each novel in the series (see below) could be read as stand alone books since they each are about a separate couple, all within the same circle of friends and wraps up nicely (no cliffhangers). The novellas are fun add-ons to the novels. They are the answer to "I wonder what happened to so and so after the events of the book".  Congrats to both Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings on an wonderful series! I can't wait to read more from you!

Books in the series (type and individual ratings):

- Beautiful Bastard (novel; 4 stars)

- Beautiful Stranger (novel; 5 stars)

- Beautiful Bitch (novella; 3 stars)

- Beautiful Bombshell (novella; 4 stars)

- Beautiful Player (novel; 5 stars)

- Beautiful Beginning (novella; 5 stars)

Reading order:

Above is the publication order as well as the reading order as suggested by the authors, however, the events of "Bitch" happen before the events of "Stranger".

Individual reviews:

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book pleasantly surprised me. The humour and sarcasm present is wonderful. The story is told alternately from Chloe & Bennett's point of view. Both characters have amazing personalities. I love a book with a smart, head-strong leading female character and a strong-yet-able-to-admit-he's-vulnerable leading male character. In BB, we get both! BB is set in a corporate office setting, where Bennett is not only Chloe's boss but her MBA internship supervisor as well. To say that their tempers clash is quite tame. World Wars have been started over less! The bickering, banter & passion is quite heavily felt throughout the entire book and there is a nice gradual evolution to the relationship. BB gave me a whole new appreciation for underwear ("power panties"). The sex scenes are highly descriptive (hot!).

The only slightly negative comment I have about this particular book (which is not an issue with the other books in the series) is that there were too many descriptive sex scenes for my taste (about 1 per chapter) and not enough character, event or emotional description. I understand that the basis of their relationship at first is the physical attraction to one another & their inability to resist but it would have been nice to have a bit of a breather in between sex scenes.

Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book!!! I've read it twice already and will go back for more! 

I was so surprised by the characters of Max Stella (Bennett Ryan's college friend) and Sara Dillon (Chloe Mills' best friend). Sara moves to New York after a bad breakup and wants to start a new life, away from the social pressure of her previous life. Max is a beautiful British socialite who's name and picture frequently makes the headlines, especially in regards to the women hanging on his arm. A chance, one night adventure turns into so much more! It is funny and sexy and it will get your heart beating fast, I promise! Whereas "Bastard" is more of a power struggle between 2 headstrong people, "Stranger" is a more delicate romance built on secret desires and trust. Told from Max and Sara's point of view, alternately.

I loved that Max doesn't fit the usual typical alpha-male character that we often read about in romance novels. Yes, he is rich and beautiful and self-assured but he has a niceness about him that you rarely see in a leading male character in a romance book. He's nice, she's nice... and this book is HOT (don't let their niceness fool you!).

There should be a warning on the cover of this book saying that once you start, you can't put it down until the end. It's really addictive!

Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although I love Christina Lauren's style of writing and this entire series, this novella was just "okay" for me. I was not stealing minutes here and there to squeak in a couple pages throughout my day like I did with all the others (which were impossible to put down). I think the constant back and forth between present time and flashbacks might have contributed to that. It was harder to get into the story because the reader is constantly jostled from one time to another and back again. I wonder what it would have been like if the story had been written in chronological order... Max Stella and Sara Dillon have minor parts.

A quick entertaining & fun read!

Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An entire novella told from Bennett and Max's point of view, alternately... priceless!!! Bennett, Max, Will and Henry (Bennett's brother), go for a guys' weekend of drinking, good food and gambling in Las Vegas. Put in the hands of Christina Lauren, you KNOW that this is not going to be a tame trip!

For Bennett and Max fans, this book is a MUST! For Will fans, his character is set up nicely for the upcoming events in "Player".

It took me a little over 3 hours to read "Bombshell".

Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sexy, heartfelt & funny.

This book follows Will Sumner, Max's friend & business associate. We first meet Will in Beautiful Stranger and he is also in Beautiful Bombshell. Will catches up with Hanna "Ziggy" Bergstrom, a college friends' youngest sister. As a favor to his friend, Will has been asked to help Ziggy become more sociable, since she lives and breathes for her scientific work in the lab. A deep friendship develops under unusual circumstances. Friendship develops into something sexier, completely turning Will's world upside down.

So many ROFL moments along with some hot and steamy, heart pounding, temperature rising, descriptive sexy moments. Told from Will and Hanna's point of view, alternately.

I loved the passages where we see the characters from the previous books (Bennett, Chloe, Sara & Max). The chemistry & the friendship in that group is so heartwarming. I was really glad to read about Max (seeing as he is my favorite character of the entire series thus far).

Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*sigh*

Well, it's done. The "Beautiful" series is complete. This last book definately came through and it ends "Beautifully". For all the Bennett, Max & Will fans, there was a lot of "swoon" to go around. Although the book is told from Chloe & Bennett's point of view alternately, you get to see a lot of what goes on with the other 2 couples. I love to read about the guys interacting with each other. Their friendship is awesome!

I was really glad to see that Bennett has not lost his Bastardly ways. I was getting a little worried as of Beautiful Bitch and onwards that he was becoming a little too whipped by Chloe and losing his edge. Boy does the Beautiful Bastard live on strong!

I really hope that Christina & Lauren consider writting more novels with these characters in the future. It would be nice to read more about the couples as they enter the mysterious & sometimes terrifying adventure called marriage and parenthood!!!

The Arrangement 13, by H.M. Ward

The Arrangement 13: The Ferro Family by H.M. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review:

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review: PURE GENIUS! Torture, but genius nonetheless!

My emotions are so jumbled right now. H.M. Ward has a way of playing with our emotional heartstrings and then, out of the blue, completely rips them out, stomps on them and leaves us begging for more. Yup! She did it again! I'm such a mental mess and I want MORE! Luckily for us Ferro addicts, this is not the last book.

The Arrangement 13 starts off intense. "As usual" you say? Well no. This time she starts off from Sean's point of view. A first in The Arrangement series. And what a delight it is to finally see the inner workings of this "Crazy-ass to the second power. Completely bat shit crazy. Cray cray" man (quote from The Arrangement 6). The rhythm, as told from Sean's point of view, is so very frantic, it's wonderful! We also get to see more of the darker version of Sean Ferro. This volume is frantic, sad, dark, erotic, suspenseful, frustrating & I LOVE IT!

More crossovers are included, adding information relevant to upcoming books in other series. If you've read all of H.M Ward's books, you'll be able to spot subtle details in what the crossover characters do and say. Of course, there are a lot of LOL, quirky comments from Avery. I love Avery. She cracks me up! She says the most unexpected things.

Now, the ending (NO SPOILERS, I PROMISE!). We have come to expect the unexpected with H.M Ward but THIS? Kudos H.M. Ward! I don't know how you do it but you stump everyone, every time. I cried, I cringed, I screamed... I'm usually a patient person but not this time: I NEED THE ARRANGEMENT 14 NOW! I read at an average speed and it took me 1.5 hours to read it. Explicit sex.

Official synopsis:

***Warning Sexual Content***
Dark. Sexy. Epic. 'I can't lose her.' Those are the words that haunt me, the phrase that repeats in an endless loop in my mind. Images from my past collide with the present until I can no longer tell them apart. I try to hold onto what's real--hold onto her--Avery, but death is looming and it seems that no matter what I do, I can't save her.

The Arrangement series: 
This is a love story between Sean Ferro, a sexy, powerful & slightly deranged multi-millionaire with a tormented past and Avery Stanz, a college student who resorts to being a call girl in order to survive against all odds. It is fan driven series which means that H.M. Ward listens to what her fans want or expect and writes according to their input, often stumping them to avoid predictability. As long as her fans want more, she gives us more. It’s an interactive experience like no other. For new “Arrangement” readers: don’t let the number of volumes discourage you. They read really fast and they are ADDICTIVE! (see section on "H.M. Ward's serials for more info on the format).

The Ferro Family:

This is a Ferro Family series about Sean Ferro. Other Ferro Family titles are Damaged (Peter Ferro) & Stripped (Jonathan Ferro) and The Proposition (Bryan Ferro, aka the Ferro cousin). You don't have to read the other Ferro Family books if you want to get into The Arrangement but if you like H.M. Ward's books, you may want to read all of them. Reading order: If you are planning on reading all of the Ferro Family books, I recommend reading them in the order they were published (starting with The Arrangement 1) to avoid any spoilers from one series to the next since they cross-over at multiple points in the timeline. The Ferro Family books are contemporary "new adult" romance stories involving characters mostly in their 20's (college aged women & slightly older men).

H.M. Ward's serials:
Serials are shorter books (approximately 130 pages in print: 1/4 to 1/3 of a full-length novel) that come out more frequently than full-length novels (about 1 per month). They start off abruptly from where the previous book ended and end with a cliffhanger,  often leaving the reader begging for the next volume. Being shorter books, serials don't recap events that occur in previous volumes, so it's best to start off with book 1. I read at an average speed and each volume takes me about 1 to 2 hours to read.

Video Teaser:
It's finally here! THE ARRANGEMENT VIDEO TEASER. **Do NOT watch it if you aren't totally obsessed, b/c you will be.** This is so awesome, you're gonna die. Share with everyone and encourage your friends to share too... the powers that be (tv executives) are watching. If you want a Ferro show badly enough, it'll come to be. Without out further adieu... THE ARRANGEMENT video teaser.

DIRECT LINK:

http://youtu.be/CyPwLcbG5Do