"Ellie Parker is a master at building walls around her heart. In the twenty-five years she’s been alive, Dex Remington has been the only person who has always believed in her and been there for her. But four years earlier, she came to Dex seeking comfort and then disappeared like a thief in the night, leaving him a broken man.

Dex Remington is one of the top PC game developers in the United States. He’s handsome, smart, and numb. So damn numb that he’s not sure he’ll ever find a reason to feel again.

A chance encounter sparks intense desires in Ellie and Dex. Desires that make her want to run—and make him want to feel. A combination of lust and fear leads these young lovers down a dangerous path. Is it possible to cross a burned bridge, or are they destined to be apart forever?" (Melissa Foster)

Title: Game of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons #1)
Author: Melissa Foster
Published: 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance

TL;DR Review:

For starters, this novel was so awful that I didn't finish reading it. Game of Love reads like an angsty teenager with all hormones and emotions with no sophistication, no eloquence and certainly no skill. The writing was cheesy and exaggerated and the plot line seemed to revolve around the same issue. It got so boring that I actually went and read another book (which is equally as boring but that's a story for another day). Furthermore, the main characters were needy, clingy and desperate. We're talking about adults here with jobs, not teenagers. Another point of contention I have with Game of Love is Dex's obsessive behaviour with Ellie. He constantly guilt trips her into staying by his side and if it's not guilt tripping, it is emotional blackmail. It got to the point where Ellie decided to stay! It didn't feel like she stayed out of love but rather out of necessity because he's been the one staying all this while. It was just awful, awful, awful.

Review: [May Contain Spoilers]

For starters, I didn't finish this book. I cannot find it in me to even read to the end because it just got so extremely boring and it became a chore to read it.

Game of Love is the latest addition to Foster's Love in Bloom series, making this the tenth-novel in the larger series. The moment I scrolled through the start with Foster's list of books, I knew something wouldn't go quite right with this novel. The list was far too extensive which meant that there wasn't enough time devoted to perfecting each and every novel that she writes. I pushed through.

I loved Foster's interpretation of the gamer industry (albeit a little optimistic) and it was a career that very few leading men seem to hold. Mostly because of the fat-lazy-sloppy-disgusting gamer stereotype which although has been broken by the likes of PewDiePie, has yet to change it. I was quite optimistic that this novel would be full of feels, angst and all things that make a good romance novel.

However, once Ellie was introduced (and far too early into the story, I might add), things went downhill from there. In my notes while reading, I wrote, "While Ellie sounds incredibly educated, she also sounds extremely pathetic and needy. So does Dex. Both highly educated individuals but extremely pathetic and cringe-worthy."

I also wrote, "The writing seems to be the stuff you write as a teenager, looking for an outlet for your angst, not the stuff that someone who wants to be a professional writer writes. It's just beating the same issue around the bush and not in a clever witty way. It's laying it all out there for you and expecting you to swallow the boring bullshit."

Yes, Game of Love reads like an angsty teenager who has all these pent-up emotions that he/she needs to release and is just writing it all on the page. There is no sophistication, no eloquence. Just angsty, immature teenage writing. It is like the stuff I wrote at seventeen. I cringe when I look at what I used to write. Very pathetic, very needy and very clingy and very, very desperate. It is the same cheesy stuff that people never, ever say in real life.

Not to mention, Dex is constantly blackmailing Ellie emotionally. He seemed very, very obsessive and he seems to want a girl that he USED TO KNOW. Not the woman that Ellie is today but the Ellie he used to know.

He constantly reminds and guilt-trips her her of the night she left and how that made him feel and how she should not run again. He constantly reminds her of how he was her emotional-support-rock and allowed her to climb in through his window and cuddle. And he never stops complaining about how much it hurt. We get it, Dex, you were upset that you were just a one-night stand, no matter how much you love her. GET OVER IT. (If I was Ellie, I would have ran as well. And ran so far away from this creep)

It was so bad that Ellie decided to stay. It didn't feel as if Ellie was staying because she loved him because let's face it, throughout reading this novel, not once did I feel like Ellie loved him. Ellie respected him and trusted him but she felt no inch of love. It also felt like she was staying out of necessity for his feelings because he's always been the one to stay so now it was her turn.

And don't even get me started on the sex. It's the most boring sex I've ever read and trust me, I have read boring sex.

There is nothing more I would like to do than to remove this from my Kobo.

Some Quotes: (Fair warning, creep alert)

Chapter 1: "By the time they were teenagers, he'd craved so much more of her than just friendship, and when she'd come to him four years ago, he'd thought they'd finally fall into each other's arms for good and he'd be able to finally show her how much he loved her."
Chapter 9: "She could still feel his heart beating against hers, his hand covering her lower back, the other cupping the back of her head, and the way his embrace had felt like he was claiming her as his own."
Chapter 13: "Ellie, I'm sorry. Don't go reticent on me, please. This is so hard. I'm trying, I'm really trying to stay with you, to stay with us, but I don't know what you expect of me. I hurt, Ellie. Every fucking time that you clamp down on your feelings. Every time you shut me out, it's like a gunshot to my heart. A man can love a woman for only so long without it being reciprocated. On some level, you must know that."

Rating: 1/5
Other Details: I read the Kindle edition, approximately 230 pages and published 2014.

For the first time ever, Bookworm in Pearls brings you two reviews in one because these novels were far too short and as one Goodreads reader calls, "cheating the readers". It is very frustrating when authors do that as I lamented in my review for Bad Boy Rock Star. I find that it's very lazy and bad writing to cut your novel halfway when there's still so much more you can fit in. It speaks about how limited a writer's imagination is when he/she has to resort to chopping the novel into three/four parts just to keep readers reading and the money flowing in.

"A woman dances the same way she fucks.

Soft and self-conscious; lithe and graceful. Or wild. Passionate.

Unleashed.

It’s not just women either. If you want to know how a man will perform between the sheets, just take him to the nearest dance floor. You’ll learn everything you need to know. His stamina, his rhythm, the slow grind of his hips. Some people are born to it, others learn through years of careful study.

And dancers? We fuck best of all.

Our bodies are our instruments, and we use them in a symphony of pure pleasure. We know just how far to push you, the breathless pacing of true art. The rise and fall that will make you beg for mercy; the ache of satisfaction when we give it to you hard and strong.

Dancing is the ultimate in sensual pleasure, a timeless erotic ritual that needs no words.

I thought I knew what it was like to dance with a skilled partner, a woman who could match my every step. My drive.

My passion.

Then I met her.

Every step she takes conjures wild, dark fantasies in my mind. Every sway of those hips demands satisfaction. My hands on her body. Her lips parted in the sweet gasp of release. Easing those sweet thighs apart and sinking inside deep her, inch by ravenous inch.

Her innocence is intoxicating. My lust is fierce. Primal.

To watch her dance is to know the torment of true temptation.

She will be mine." (Melody Grace)

Title: First Position (Dirty Dancing #1)
Author: Melody Grace
Published: 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult and College Romance

TL;DR Review: 

Too awful for words.

Review: [May Contain Spoilers]

The blurb was hot, hot, hot and I was so excited to read this for I am a staunch believer in the sexual powers that dancing gives men and women. I did quite like Annalise in the beginning for she seemed like a headstrong woman who was flawed in that she liked dancing but she had to live up to her mother's name. There was also an insight into the insane dieting of ballerinas.

However, that was all ruined by Raphael, the lead male who seemed like a down right prick and of course, Annalise's reaction to him. She went from zero to sixty in three point five and one of the character's pointed out the same thing. She needs to stick her tongue back into her mouth and stop drooling over some stranger who seems to be written straight off the pages of a porn script.

Plus, Annalise is an innocent little virgin and I absolutely detest virgin stories. I don't appreciate having men teach me about sex which Raphael seems bent on doing with Annalise, the poor naive little girl. And I don't appreciate female characters who have no backbone and just fall into throes of awfully written lust and sexual fantasies. Annalise is constantly turned on by the sight of Raphael. He probably did some Italian voodoo on her or something with her lady bits constantly on high.

To reiterate, Raphael is just puke-worthy and nothing about him was remotely sexy. I kept trying to picture some hot Italian guy but nothing comes to mind.

Everything was cheesy and awful from the moment Annalise spies Raphael in a courtyard. I've never felt less turned on in my entire life.

Rating: 1/5
Other Details: I read the Kindle edition, approximately 83 pages and published 2014


"Charity Thompson wants to save the world, one hospital at a time. Instead of finishing med school to become a doctor, she chooses a different path and raises money for hospitals – new wings, equipment, whatever they need. Except there is one hospital she would be happy to never set foot in again--her fathers. So of course he hires her to create a gala for his sixty-fifth birthday. Charity can’t say no. Now she is working in the one place she doesn’t want to be. Except she’s attracted to Dr. Elijah Bennet, the handsome playboy chief. 

Will she ever prove to her father that’s she’s more than a med school dropout? Or will her attraction to Elijah keep her from repairing the one thing she desperately wants to fix?"

Title: Saving Forever Part 1
Author: Lexy Timms
Published: 2013
Publisher: Dark Shadow Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

TL;DR Review:

Saving Forever Part 1 is the beginning of a cute and adorable romance. I expect that in the later parts, there will be conflict that will give this novel more substance. For now, it seems like an incomplete piece of writing designed to just introduce readers to the main characters at stake. Also, I'm not a fan of writers chopping their books and stopping half-short just to drag it out over a couple of publications. When I finished this one, there was more than half of my book bar left and even after the four "sneak peak" chapters, it wasn't quite full. A glance at the content page revealed just a lot of book-plugging and self-promotion. I loved Part 1 but I'm not interested in getting the rest because I don't feel like having each novel cut short just to force me to purchase the next one.

Review: [May Contain Spoilers]

Saving Forever Part 1 was actually a very, very good read but I didn't appreciate that the complete bar on my Kobo wasn't even half full when the novel ended. I finished it in about an hour. Four chapters of Part 2 were given as a sneak preview. Honestly, who gives you four chapters for a preview?

Like Timms so aggressively states in the novel, this is NOT erotica and I was glad for it. I'm quite tired of reading badly written erotica that makes me cringe more than get my lady bits all bothered. A sweet little romance is just what was needed to clear my palette. Most people didn't quite like it because this novel is honestly nothing but just a prequel. There was no conflict, no anything. Just two adorable characters liking each other.

The lousy length and novel-chopping aside, Timms writes and crafts rather well. It kept me interested to see what would happen between Charity and Elijah. Plus, I did fall quite a bit in love with Elijah but I kept picturing him as Dave Franco.


However, there was a scene where I felt was out-of-place, awkward and pretentious. I don't see a bunch of late-twenties and thirty-somethings going CLUBBING. Honestly, they'd go to a bar or to some dive-in or something but not clubbing for Merlin's sake. This scene, of course, served to showcase Charity as a trained dancer and gave Elijah a chance to be hero which seemed a little unnecessary.

Rating: 3/5
Other Details: I read the Kindle edition, approximately 116 pages and published 2013.

"Hannah Sorrento never planned to be a band manager. She’s a princess. The toughest obstacle she’s had to face is finding shoes to match her outfit.

Then her father disappears and she’s left with only the money in her purse and a contract for the management of hot, indie rock band, STORM. She plans to sell the management company, one or another, then head back to law school with her designer wardrobe and wait for this whole mess to blow over.

But lead singer, Jack Colt, has other ideas and he’s messing with Hannah’s head. Not to mention her heart.

With the help of crazy rock chick, Angie, Hannah sets the band on their first steps to the big time and learns that poor people can have a lot of fun.

But this isn’t some game she can escape from and soon her secrets get exposed.

He’s arrogant and infuriating but he’s the one that’s there for Hannah when her world comes crashing down. With secrets of his own, will Jack Colt save Hannah or destroy her?" (Candy J Starr)

Title: Bad Boy Rock Star
Author: Candy J Starr
Date Published: 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance

TL;DR Review:

I am not a fan of this novel but neither do I hate it with a vengeance. Bad Boy Rock Star began rather rocky and I almost gave up. Starr's portrayal of the posh princess seemed designed to inspire hatred and dislike for her which turned me off even when the posh princess was knocked off her pedestal. The novel, however, is saved by the characters who dominate the music of the novel, a world that Starr seems to be familiar an comfortable in. Jack Colt is the epitome of the novel's title and is designed to be as swoonworthy as possible. Angie, Hannah's sidekick and punk rock groupie, is raw and real and uninhibited. She is witty, charming and street smart, everything that our female lead is not. Even Jack's band mates are colourful and vibrant. However, what really saved this novel for me is Starr's insight and experience in the music industry that lends her writing voice an experience that research is not able to provide. I wouldn't rush to get the next book but it was a good read while it lasted.

Review: [May Contain Spoilers]

I have a love-hate relationship with this novel. On one hand, I was waiting with bated breath for the ending and on the other, the novel started off obnoxious and arrogant. It was impossible to find a connection with Hannah for she constantly complained. The emphasis the Starr placed on class difference between Princess Hannah and the musicians and their fans continued for quite a number of chapters with Hannah constantly comparing her designer duds to the laid-back, punk or grunge style of the fans.

However, once I got past that, Bad Boy Rock Star wasn't such a bad read, after all. Starr crafts a very believable story, allowing readers to empathise with the fallen princess and her struggles. There was something enthralling about watching the downfall of a socialite and her very real struggle of getting back on her feet.

While I didn't like Hannah (even towards the end), I loved Jack Colt who is the epitome of the novel's title. And as always with romance novels, he has a hidden side to him that just makes your heart melt with every turn of the page. He might have been a prick at times but what girl does not want a rocker of her own?

While Hannah soured the novel for me, Jack lifted it right back up.

I also loved Angie. She was real and raw juxtaposed against Hannah's smoke and mirrors socialite (up till when she immersed herself into Jack Colt's world). It is my belief that Starr is good at writing characters that she knows and is familiar with. However, she doesn't deliver the same finesse with writing a character that is not yet a part of the band and music world.

The amount of detail that Starr goes into with anything that deals with her musicians draws on her experience as a band manager. It makes the novel seem more real than if written based on research. All the parties, all the concerts and even down to the tiniest detail such as the merchandising provided incredible insight into the world of up-and-coming musicians. I am a huge fan of All Time Low and their associated acts (but mostly ATL) so this got me quite excited. It felt like I was peeking into a foreign world.

However, I did feel as well that there are certain scenes in the novel that were extremely unnecessary. She took her characters out of their comfort zones and threw them alone together. Their chemistry could have been forged in their comfort zones around people that they care about rather than out of it.

My pet peeve with this novel is the way Starr treated her only Asian character. He is a walking cliché of Asian people with his kimchi and his Korean food.

Lastly, I hate with a vengeance self-published authors who are determined to end their novels on cliffhangers so better to prompt readers to purchase the following novels. It doesn't prompt me to get the next one, it just prompts me to Google the ending.

While I didn't find much fault with this novel and I couldn't put it down for a good half of it, I'm not a fan of Bad Boy Rock Star. I liked it and it was enjoyable but Hannah isn't a character that I adored or even championed. I loved Angie and Jack and I wanted to read so much more about the world of punk rock music but as they say, first impressions last the longest.

Some Quotes:

Chapter 3: "A band is nothing without social media these days."

Rating: 3.5/5
Other Details: I read the Kindle version, approximately 196 pages and published 2013.

"Abby Lewis never pictured herself on the survival game show, Endurance Island. She's just not the survival type. But when her boss offers her a spot on the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, she packs her bags and heads to the tropics to be a contestant. Once in the game, though, it's clear that Abby's in over her head.

No one's more competitive than sexy, delicious and arrogant Dean Woodall. Sure, he's clever, strong, good at challenges, and has a body that makes her mouth water. He also hates Abby just as much as she hates him. That's fine with her; she'll just ignore the jerk.

But the rules of Endurance Island are working against them. Abby and Dean are teamed up & alone on the beach. It's either work together, or go home. Stuck with no one's company but their own, they learn they might just make a good team after all. And Abby learns that with just a little bit of kindling, the flames of hate can quickly turn to flames of passion.

This book features enemies, lovers, enemies who become lovers, and lots and lots of tropical
heat." (Jill Myles)

Title: Wicked Games (A Games Novel)
Author: Jessica Clare (Jill Myles)
Published: 2011
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance

TL;DR Review:

I  am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with the novel, to quote Twilight. Wicked Games is a cliche novel with a predictable romantic ending, clichéd characters and brilliant crafting and writing. I couldn't put it down and I wanted so much more. The characters were witty, sarcastic, intelligent and endearing. It doesn't help that Dean is swoon-worthy and Abby is the epitome of a modern yet feminine woman. It is Judith-McNaught-worthy with a plot that follows a simple equation and characters that you can't help but love. I look forward to reading more of Myles' work if all of them are as good as Wicked Games.

Review: [May Contain Spoilers]

There are few novels where I will flat out jump for joy and tell you that I loved it with no beating around the bushes. Wicked Games is one of those. It is one of those classically clichéd novels where you can practically guess the ending and the outcome yet you are "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" to quote Twilight.

In fact, to me, this novel read almost like a Judith McNaught novel complete with dark, tall and handsome hero (Dean) but the witty, intelligent and sarcastic heroine (Abby) is not a McNaught trope. She is the epitome of a modern yet feminine woman. She chews you a new behind and doesn't need to rely on a man. Myles made the novel read-worthy with her portrayal of Abby who was Dean's equal rather than his arm candy.

The plot line was easily predictable in the typical McNaught format:

1. The novel begins with the characters not liking each other and/or fighting
2. They then fall in love over the course of many adorable instances
3. They confess their love,
4. One causes the other heartbreak,
5. The one who causes the heartbreak makes up for it OR the heartbroken one realises that the heartbreaker isn't a heartbreaker at all.
6. Happy endings.
(I guessed the plot twist in the second plot (not Dean/Abby's romance) way before it was revealed. I'm not too sure if others did)

I know authors don't like to be compared but Ms. Myles, if you are reading this, know that when I compare you to McNaught, it is extreme praise because I have yet to find anyone who writes as charmingly as she does. I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to end. It is the only book to have made me cry and assault me with feels in a long while. Even though I could guess the ending, I was shedding tears when the heartbreak occurred.

Clare/Myles has a way with words that makes you fall in love with her characters and feel the same things that they felt. Although this novel was told from Abby's point of view, at the beginning of each chapter, there is a quote from Dean from interviews. It is a clever way to show readers what Dean is thinking without interrupting the flow of the novel. I think I am biased because the characterisation of the two leads are my favourite sort of characters to read. Dean is an a**hole with a soft spot and good looks to match while Abby is an intelligent, sarcastic and honest woman.

Still, cliched characters, plots and story lines are saved by Clare/Myles ability to craft a believable and heartwarming novel.

I couldn't find fault with it at all. It came at a time when I was sick of reading ebooks (acquired for free through BookBub) with cheesy and cliche plot lines and badly, badly written characters. Not to mention, my guilty pleasure then was MTV's Are You the One?.

So, kudos to Clare/Myles for writing an ebook and self-publishing that did not make me want to cringe or throw up.

Some Quotes:

(I was too engrossed to make any notations or even stop to decide if I like a line or not. I just powered through.)

Rating: 5/5
Other Details: I read the Kindle Edition, approximately 160 pages and published 2013.

Title: Sons of Mayhem #1: The First Novel
Author: Nikki Pink
Date Published: June 8th 2014 (first published November 24th 2013)
Publisher: NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook

This review arrived much later than I wanted to as I got caught up reading Scott Westerfeld's Afterworlds (which I recommend even without a review that everyone should go out and get it). In addition to this third part, readers can expect most likely one more part to this review as I have less complaints and actually, more compliments the further I read. (Which means that there are less screenshots of atrocious writing to go through and more talking about the novel as a whole) If you haven't read Parts 1 and 2, here and here you go.

I am going to introduce a TL;DR section for those who don't want to go through my long rambles.

TL;DR Review:

Although the first two parts of this review pretty much displayed my hatred for this disastrous novel, this review finds that as the novel progressed to more than half of it's chapters, the action and a real plot starts to kick in, finally veering away from the horrifying and lackluster romance of Jase and Nicole and delving into the criminal underworld and the darker side of biker gangs. Also, while readers have previously been assaulted by boring and senseless sex scenes, in this third half, there was a beautiful sex scene that was raw and revealing and represented the sort of sex that should be written about.

Full Review:

We begin with Chapter Thirteen where a prospective looking to join the Sons of Mayhem calls Nicole and Lucy sluts. "Less talking, more kissing sluts." What an atrocious man to call women sluts but when you consider that Nicole and Lucy thought of themselves as the very same in the beginning of the novel, it makes one wonder if they're being hypocritical. So, they are allowed to call themselves sluts but someone else can't? Why use "slut" in the first place when it is a derogatory term? It makes no difference if you're calling yourself a slut or calling someone else a slut. It's a term designed by the patriarchy for the patriarchy to control the behaviour and conduct of women. Then again, the two girls beat up the prospective because he was forcing them to do something they didn't want to, eg. kiss each other. You go, Glen Coco. And then the next page, we're back to derogatory slut-name calling, "...the only person I like fucking me are slutty young bitches."

I cannot understand what's the point of calling the girls who sleep with the Sons of Mayhem sluts. Is it some sort of identity for them, especially when you put this into reality and you think of the girls who do become the arm candy for real biker gangs? (Are there any? I don't know) Is it some sort of slut-shaming on the part of Pink because Lucy and Nicole are set apart as exclusive for both their men, Brodie and Jase, respectively? Is it slut-shaming real women who sleep with bikers? Is it a reinforcement of a stereotype? Is it critical commentary? I cannot fathom but it makes the book much less enjoyable in my eyes, especially when I am constantly assaulted by the words "slut". My same discomfort applies to "bitches" which is used much too liberally throughout the novel.

I think it's very noble that Jase has been sex-free for a long time and Nicole is his return to it but when Nicole thinks, "Where's this going? I don't want to hear about all the women you've been with", I find her pretty ignorant. As we've been able to see throughout the novel, having sex freely is apparently biker lifestyle and even if she likes it or not, she's going to hear about Jase's feminine conquests, if not from him, then from someone else. I'd rather hear it from Jase than to have someone else tell me. It would feel like he was hiding something from me.

At this point, everything is still Jase and Nicole. Here is a wonderful thought Nicole had when Jase took her on the sweetest and most romantic "date" by the river: "Take off my panties. I haven't needed it like I need it now in forever. Ever." I got a little confused. Is she using Jase for the sex? Does she not know self-pleasure? I can assure you, women have better orgasms with self-pleasure than penetrative sex. Okay, I can't assure you but I think it's pretty much true. This obsession must be a product of Nicole being unsatisfied by her "gay" boyfriend. Oh, and her eyes glowed. I thought you couldn't see you own eyes unless looking in a mirror. How very peculiar.

Here's a quote I rather like from Jase: "There's a time for peace and a time for war. There's a time to forgive and forget, to negotiate and make amends, to make agreements and agree to let sleeping dogs lie. And then there are times when you have to gather your crew, grab your weapons and kick some serious fucking ass." After this moment is when the novel really picks up. Of course, there is about one more sex scene featuring very rough sex and I think, perhaps, the most raw and real sex that this book has ever written. Although when I first read it, I found that scene rather unnecessary and atrocious but looking at it again, it as raw, real and it was beautiful. Congratulations, Pink, you finally did not make me want to throw up. Here's another gold quote from Jase: "Silence surrounded them. A dark, brooding silence; the kind of silence you can almost grab and hold, the kind of silence that forebodes unspeakable violence."

After this, I was practically glued to the novel, rarely putting it down because damn, Pink is absolutely amazing at writing crimes and the criminal world of gangs. That's one thing she has done right with this novel so far. But, there is a moment of racial insensitivity that really irks me. One of the Sons of Mayhem make a deal with a Korean gang and he offers the Son a "present" in the form of a massage and he thinks this, "What the fuck? I don't want you fried rice fingers on me." I was so appalled. First, it was so racist that I couldn't believe what I was reading. Secondly, Koreans aren't famous for fried rice. The Chinese are. I should know. I am Chinese.

And then, there's a lovely moment (after a senseless tragedy) where Lucy has an epiphany that she did not belong with biker gangs and being their sex toys. But Nicole seems convinced that they do belong with Brodie and Jase and the Sons of Mayhem. At this point, I am torn between cheering for Lucy's sensibility and siding with Nicole because for some odd reason, I am feeling a little soft spot for Jase. He has grown on me, much to my fervent hatred for him in the beginning.

Although, we had another mention of vibrations once more. And some more outdoor sex. Not as nice as the rough sex though. It was just another filler sex scene. My least favourite kind.

And then, there was a rape. I can't say that rape was glamourised in this novel because Jase expressed some qualms over hearing how the Son was recounting his experience with the Asian masseuse but it certainly was treated very, very poorly. Again, giving biker gangs a bad name. Then again, only to readers it was revealed that it was explicitly a rape. To the other characters, it was just sex with a girl.

There was considerably a lot more action and decent writing in this sections of the novel, keeping me glued to my phone screen and wanting to know what happened next. It makes me think that this is perhaps the third series in the serialisation where the story really has picked up and developed. The focus on the biker gang and the criminal underworld in this section of the novel shifts the story from Jase and Nicole's lackluster romance to the action-packed world that I expected when I first downloaded this novel. I read so quickly and so intensely that I didn't even realise how fast I was going through the novel as compared to earlier when it was so difficult for me to get through it. Which changed my whole point of view of the novel. Now, if only the action-packed segments were intertwined perfectly with Jase and Nicole's romance, then this book would be a definite read.

Would I recommend it: I would only recommend it if one can bear the horrible Jase and Nicole romance to get to the good action bits.
Rating: 2/5 (Taking into account the great action writing)

Part 1 | Part 2 |

Title: Sons of Mayhem #1: The First Novel
Author: Nikki Pink
Date Published: June 8th 2014 (first published November 24th 2013)
Publisher: NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook

If you haven't read Part 1, read it here. I've split this review up into a few parts. I don't know how many yet but it is split. I've finally finished with all my exams and hence begins my summer break. So, I can't wait to bring you lovely readers more reviews and more narcissistic opinion pieces (if you've followed my opinion pieces so far, thank you). I recently bought Scott Westerfeld's Afterworlds (and so far, I am in love with it. Yes, I read more than one book at a time) so expect a review on that pretty soon. Onwards, my lovely bookworms.

Review:

In the last review, I left off at Chapter 4 where a couple of goons had just bust into the room where our lovely lead characters, Nicole and Jase were just wrapping up some steamy time. And Nicole had been complaining about getting down on a dirty floor. Immediately after this, Pink switches from first person to third person as Chapter Five begins with the subheading "Jase". While I'm pretty used to reading novels with switching point-of-views, I had never expected it to jump from first person to third person. It is so tough to just write it from Jase's point-of-view rather than third person?! But, I read on because, well, I wanted to write a complete review. A couple of lines into the chapter and I am confronted with this, "Goddamn she tastes sweet. Why'd we have to get interrupted? She's gonna be so pissed off at all this." Hi, there, Jase. If you're done sexualising Nicole, I'd just like to tell you that when a girl's life is being threatened, she won't be pissed about having sexual intercourse interrupted. She will be happy. Thank you.

Chapter six opens with this, "I should have stayed in the dorm. Damn Lucy for letting me come with her!" For starters, yes, Nicole, you should have stayed in the dorm. You're an immature twenty-year old. Plus, don't blame Lucy for your shortcomings. You make your own decisions, it's got nothing to do with Lucy. And just as she's wishing that she should have stayed in the dorm, Nicole says this, "There was something about that; a sexy tatted guy in a while tee shoving twin handguns into the back of his pants, just above his deliciously firm and rounded ass, that did something to me. Well, what girl wouldn't get at least a little flustered?" I'm all for male objectification (it goes on in my head every day when I stare at the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Josh Hutcherson) but isn't this being a little too specific? To each his own. Anyway, newsflash Nicole, even if he's the protector in this situation, no girl would get flustered. Even if they were just riot bullets/rubber pellets. They'd be frightened, not wanting to jump his pants. Nicole needs to make up her mind if she wants to be scared shitless, pissed or hot and flustered.

Two pages later, I am confronted with this, "I want to spit on them. Scum. Should I spit on them? What the hell am I thinking. I'd never been in a situation to watch a man in such a position of power before." Oh, there's definitely some psuedo-BDSM elements going on here. Just wait for the whips, chains and leather. Oh wait, there already is leather. Okay, whips and chains then. Nicole goes from scared, hot and flustered to wanting to spit on someone. If someone threatened my life, I'd want to kill them, not spit them. Her emotions/personalities are all over the place. I am unable to find myself connecting with Nicole. At this point of the novel, she's just some stupid little college girl with a leather and biker and rough sex fetish. Jase appears to have more personality than she does. And this story is supposed to be Nicole's.

Two pages more later, "I could see the anger and confusion on his face...Despite only having known him a couple of hours I didn't want him to feel like that, I didn't want him angry and perplexed. If only I could help." No, hunny. You don't want him angry and perplexed because you barely know this guy and he might turn around and kill you. You DON'T want to be the first to die in a horror movie, do you? "I wonder what it'd be like to step on them. I imagined stamping the sharp heel in to one of them, maybe a bruised stomach or their balls." Tell me there isn't some form of twisted BDSM going on here. Maybe I'll believe you. "It was only a moment, but standing over the druggie scum with his arm around me I felt like a queen. His queen." I just threw up in my mouth.

And we're still in Chapter Six. Damn, Pink. Are you trying to make me work to write my reviews?

Chapter Seven begins: Two Days Earlier. And finally does the novel not focus on the hypersexualised relationship between biker and college girl. Six chapters of that and I'm tired. Some bites from Chapter Seven, "The lifeless corpse stained the body-drawer red, alone and unloved as the man left." So, far, it's the only line that I love. Chapter Eight, returns to Nicole's POV and three pages in, I see this, "When Jase hopped on the front, I yelled, "Let's just ride right over them!" Them, being in reference to the two goons from earlier. Now, Nicole has added batshit insane to her repertoire of ever shifting personalities.

With Chapter Nine, an anonymous chapter with killing involved, I get the feeling that the plot is finally moving and I can rest easy that I will see less of Jase and Nicole being in an unbelievable relationship where Nicole deems herself in love with him and Jase, well, Jase just wants in her pants.

Chapter Ten opens, "I'd know to bring something warmer to wear next time." Yes, yes you should. You should not be riding motorcycles with cut-off-jean panties and a hole-y top. You'd be an icicle. There's a reason bikers wear jackets and gloves, y'know. (Probably not so much to protect them from the cold but there's an idea.) Second page in, "I'd only known the tattooed man with his arm wrapped around me for a few hours, but I already felt like I belonged to him." Mhm, belonged to him. Nicole, we are not in the 16th/17th century where a woman belongs to a man. What a backward novel for this age of feminism.

Three pages into Chapter Eleven, "He didn't seem interested in the slightest. Well fuck you buddy." When a guy isn't interested in you, you don't tell him fuck you buddy. That's just rude and uncalled for. He didn't do anything to you. He just wasn't interested.

Chapter Twelve. Ah, Chapter Twelve brings all the steamy sex which is probably why the book gets good reviews and ratings. That, and probably tons of women out there are trying to live their "rough and dirty biker" fantasy. Here's another BDSM snippet for you, "You want to push my head on to you, don't you? Can you wait? Are you going to push my head down on to you anyway? I don't mind if you do." Ladies and gentlemen, if you are going to be rough or engage in BDSM, please discuss things and set limits beforehand. Pushing someone's head onto your prick without consent is going to make for a ruined relationship and discomfort. Of course, apparently, Nicole's consent here is non-verbal and only in her head. "Give it all to me Jase. I'll take it all for you." It's like Pink read some crappy BDSM novel (50 Shades of Grey, anyone?) and then wrote these mildly BDSM sex scenes.

Only Chapter Twelve and although the novel hasn't gotten any better, it's gotten less tedious. Of course, with two very intriguing chapters about heinous crimes being committed, it's enough to keep me reading, to keep me wanting to know what happens next. With these crimes, of course. Jase and Nicole? I can already guess where the novel is heading. No need to tell/describe to me in awful, cheesy terms as to how their relationship will end.

Would I recommend it: I'm a little on the fence at the moment, considering the two crime-related chapters. But, then, you'd have to get through all the awful Jase/Nicole dialogue. And the slut-shaming. Always with the slut-shaming.
Rating: 1/5 (Taking into account the two chapters)

Part 1 | Part 3

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Zeke is no longer a geek—he’s gorgeous. And Mandy doesn’t feel so magnificent since her marriage fell apart and left her up to her eyeballs in debt and despair. One look at Zeke, and she knows he’s exactly the kind of trouble she should avoid. One look at Mandy, and Zeke turns his relentless ability to get what he wants into a full-on seduction. But can Mandy face down the secrets of her past to find a fairy-tale future with Zeke?" (Goodreads)
Title: Secrets on the Sand (The Billionaires of Barefoot Bay #1)
Author: Roxanne St. Claire
Date Published: December 9th 2013
Publisher: South Street Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook

Again, this is another free ebook procured from BookBub's wonderful curating skills. I finished this book in about a couple of hours before realising that it was a novella. It being a novella affects my review somewhat.

I'm surprised by how many readers on Goodreads and Amazon can stand this sort of almost-trashy material and give it four to five stars. I, for one, was almost vomiting rainbows by the time the book ended. Although, I have to admit that I was hooked from the beginning.

Review:

I started the book out rather optimistic about it. The premise seemed rather interesting with a high school queen bee falling down to status of maid and high school geek raised to the status of Greek God Adonis (my description). It's something rather undone in the realm of contemporary romance where it's usually the shy, pimpled and gangly girl who blooms into the English rose and the male lead is always an Adonis.

However, this book was extremely disappointing. Perhaps, I set the bar too high as I had originally read St. Claire's Bullet Catcher series and was blown away by how articulate and how well-written the characters and the books were.

As always, I have my pros and my cons although, sadly, the cons outweigh the pros. And because the cons outweigh the pros, the cons go first this time.

1. It was so extremely cheesy and can only be considered a time-filler. I would not pick up this book again for the sole purpose of delving into the written world again. It reminded me very much of the Mills and Boons archetype (although I have never read any M&B) Like I said, I was vomiting rainbows and sprinkling glitter dust wherever I went. It was just that cheesy and it left a bad taste in my mouth. (If it has yet to be obvious, I hate, hate, hate cheesy romances)
2. St. Claire tried very, very hard to maintain the uncommon role reversal and I give her credit for that but far too many times, she slipped and Zeke was your typical romance novel "hero". He was cocky and overly confident and then suddenly, he slips back to being shy and bashful and humble. It doesn't work that way. No, it doesn't. He is either shy and bashful around his childhood crush, even tentative. He isn't both. It's very annoying and it grates on my nerves that his personality was constantly changing. St. Claire, I love your writing but you've got to write a better "nerd".
3. The time span of the relationship was insanely unrealistic. Of course, when reading a romance novel, I hardly doubt that many demand realism but a week? To go from imaginary girlfriend to fiancee in a week is so unrealistic that I was yanking my hair out by the end of the book. (Figuratively, of course) I understand that it is a novella but she could at least have tried to go from imaginary girlfriend to girlfriend rather than straight to fiancee. 
4. The relationship development was unbelievable. Zeke's attraction to Mandy is understandable but on Mandy's part? There seemed nothing but her infatuation with his good looks and possibly, on an unconscious level, his fat wallet and bank account. Oh, that and Zeke is suddenly so sexually confident that she couldn't resist him. Not to mention, Zeke bought her clothes and gifted her with designer dresses and even helped her get a divorce. It seems very much to me that Mandy and Zeke would never work out. She's interested in his wallet but he's madly in love with her. Plus, she seems very, very much like a bought woman.
5. This ties in to point two. Perhaps it was my feminist red flags flaring up but Zeke's handling of getting into Mandy's pants doesn't help feminists around the world. I don't see any signs of consent. All he did was put his hands on her and coerce her into sleeping with him with sweet talk and a few caresses here and there. He was domineering and he didn't respect her boundaries nor her "NO"s. What does he not understand? No is no. And they even draw up a contract saying "No" but he decides to find loopholes in that. Perhaps some women find that enchanting and adorable but it made me so sick to my stomach. And Mandy said no so many times yet Zeke still presses. It reinforces the notion that when a girl says "No", she really means "Yes". Not once, not once did Mandy ever explicitly say "Yes". I was so extremely appalled.