Dear Rockstar by Emme Rollins

Dear Rockstar by Emme Rollins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sara is obsessed with rock star Tyler Vincent, and as she works to complete her senior year, she’s determined to find a way to meet him—although her best friend, Aimee, keeps telling her to find a different escape from her desperately violent home life.

Complications arise when Dale, the mysterious new transfer student, sets his sights on Sara, and she falls for this rock-star-in-the-making in spite of her better judgment. When Sara wins a contest, she is faced with a choice—travel to Tyler Vincent’s home town to meet him, or stay and support Dale in a Battle-of-the-Bands hosted by MTV.

Their triangulated relationship is pushed to its breaking point, but there is another, deeper secret that Dale’s been keeping that just may break things wide open...

Turn up your collar, feather your hair, and splash on some Polo, because we’re going back to the ‘80’s when MTV played music videos, there was no such thing as American Idol, and becoming a star meant doing nothing short of crazy for that one, big break

Excerpt: 
taken from the WWW (hope it's ok) 

“I dropped out in my senior year. Three years ago.” Dale sipped his Coke too, looking at me over the rim. He had a way of seeing into me that was disconcerting. I felt naked in front of him.
“Let me guess? You wanted to make it in the music business?”
“My parents were having problems.” He sat back in his chair, picking at his food. “My dad left my mom. We moved to Seattle. That’s when I really started getting more serious about music.”
“And your dad was okay with you quitting school?”
He snorted. “No. But he I didn’t give him a say. I moved out.”
“So, how did you end up here?”
“I told you. He got a job at Rutgers.” He seemed far away now, distant. I didn’t like it.
“But you weren’t living with him?”
Dale shrugged. “He asked me to come with him. He said he’d pay for everything, let me live with him, and I could pursue my music as long as I was working on getting my diploma.”
I nodded. “So the Academy is your compromise.”
“Well, I knew about the battle of the bands before we moved.” He flashed me a brief smile. God, that dimple. “MTV did them last year in New York, and I had it on good authority they were going to do them again this year. I figured I’d have time to put a band together and give it a shot.”
“Well now that I’ve seen you, I think you’ve got a pretty good one,” I said honestly. That was an understatement. I couldn’t imagine anyone beating them.
“You think so?”
I nudged him with my knee under the table. “I think you know it.”
“I still like to hear it.” He turned to look at me, his eyes searching. “Especially from you.”
I smiled, reaching over and taking his hand, giving him exactly what he’d asked for. He deserved it. “You’re very good. You’re an amazing singer. You’re an incredible performer. I’ve never seen a crowd go crazy like that for someone they’d never seen before. I mean, celebrity takes time. Exposure. I think you’re one of those people who draws other people in. Like a magnet. You’re going to have people following you around, no matter what you do. For the rest of your life.”
He was actually blushing. “Why do you say that?”
“Because that’s how you make me feel,” I confessed, biting my lip, almost wishing I hadn’t said it.
“Hm.” He made a little noise in his throat, turning my hand over in his, tracing the lines in my palm with his fingertip like he was following a road map. “How do I make you feel?”
“Like I would follow you anywhere,” I whispered.
He lifted my hand and pressed his lips to my palm, closing his eyes briefly, and I noticed how long and dark his lashes were before he looked at me with that intense, blue gaze, telling me more with one look than either of could ever say in words.
“When I saw you in the audience today, I don’t even know how to tell you what it did to me.” He shook his head, twining his fingers with mine. 
“Why didn’t you tell me you were performing?” I asked softly.
“Because I didn’t want that to happen.” He gave a short laugh. “I didn’t want to be distracted. I wasn’t supposed to let myself get distracted…”
He met my eyes, the emotion in them so strong I felt it before he even said the words. “Sara, I don’t think you understand what you do to me.”
“What do you mean?” Now it was my turn to ask him.
“I couldn’t think,” he confessed. “Thank God the song was over, because the minute I saw you… I was done for.”
“Oh please.” I smiled, teasing him. “All those screaming girls. I’m surprised they weren’t throwing panties at you.”
“Sometimes they do.” He grinned. “But that never mattered to me.”
I blinked in surprise. “What does matter to you?”
“Now? You.” He squeezed my hand in his, that was all, but the sensation shot up my arm with a jolt that nearly knocked me off my chair.
“Dale, do you realize how crazy that sounds?” I whispered, glancing around like someone might overhear us. “We’ve only known each other for a week.”
“Sometimes the best things in life are crazy.”
I laughed. “I can’t argue with that.”
It was crazy.
It was all crazy.
Me and Tyler Vincent.
Me and Dale Diamond.
But somehow the latter had fully eclipsed the former in my mind—and my heart—at least in the m

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Jen's review

Going to have to check out some more books from this author - I really REALLY loved this story!!!

T.L.A.L.F - True Love Always love Forever - Ok I was just starting Jr. High in the 80's - but my walls were covered with Teen Bop pictures of singers and actors, I never had the Madonna fashion down, I was too young for mini skirts, but I had that hottest permed hair :) And I was styling!! lol

This book is a great blast from the past - So many bands mentioned that I haven't even thought of in years, and not to mention MTV's Battle of the Bands!! I remember the first year that came out and it was AWESOME! I can't remember who played, but I remember my friends and I having a great time with it!

OK on to the book! WOW :)
So Sara is a little more obsessed with Tyler Vincent then a normal 19 year old girl should be :) At age 14 - I can relate - but 19 .... I think it goes a little above the obsessed borderline there. Especially since Tyler Vincent is older, WAY older - in fact, he has a wife and kids her age. But she is determined to find a way to Maine and meet him. She knows that as soon as he gets to know her, they'll become friends... But her fantasies go a little farther than that...

Sara's BFF Amie is right there with her. Maybe not as obsessed, but she understands. Because' Sara's home life isn't that great, Sara needs that escape of a fantasy that will help her focus on something more than what's happening now.

At the Academy where Sara and Amie, along with a few other friends from high school were attending trying to get their high school diploma. This academy is for those that struggled with their senior classes, or just didn't bother to go, or had issues that kept them from school too much and they didn't graduate on time.

The girls were at lunch talking about the new hot guy in the school - Sara didn't want to believe them when they told her about his hot look - he looks JUST LIKE Tyler Vincent! lol yeah but Sara couldn't believe it, There was only one Tyler in the world.

When in Chemistry, the new guy walks in and the teacher tells him to find a seat.. Everyone is looking at him, Sara included, but she's trying to hide - checking him out, she realizes that he does in fact look a lot like Tyler, only younger!
When he sits down next to her, the sparks fly, and they're making a new kind of chemistry in their chemistry class :)

Dale Diamond is a sweetheart - when he cares about something, he really cares and puts his all into it. That's why his band is going to make it to the Battle of the Bands, and when he see's Sara, he's going to make her his...

Everything goes great in this book - Dale knows about Sara's obsession for Tyler Vincent, and he's a good sport about it. He keeps hoping that Sara will let him have her full heart, but understands that she has to hold on to her dream.

And like the blurb says, When she wins the chance to go meet Tyler Vincent, a life long dream she has worked so hard for, can she really choose between meeting him and attending Dale's once in a lifetime chance with MTV's battle of the Band??

It gets a little emotional towards the end, but it's totally worth it.
If Emme Rollin's decides to make another story with these two, I'd be happy to read it :D


View all my reviews

Everybody Falls by J.A. Hornbuckle

Everybody Falls by J.A. Hornbuckle

At 25, Jax Wynter lost his life.

As the youngest member of America's number one rock band, Wynter's Vicious, Jax lived a life with no rules or responsibilities. At least until his older brother, founding member and vocalist, died in a fiery car crash. Jobless, clueless and deemed unfit to handle his own affairs, Jax must sober up, man up and adjust to living as a 'normal person' in the 'real world'.

At 24, Lacey Emerson found hers.

Shuffled between her bi-polar mom and her former hippie grandmother, Lacey had no choice but to become responsible at a young age. Her chaotic childhood, though, gave her the skills and determination to succeed when she inherited her grandmother's bakery. Her life was finally normal, real but very, very boring.

All it took was a five-point face plant to turn both their lives upside down.

From the author of Pole Dance, Human Hieroglyphix I & II and Tap Dance, comes the new novel, "Everybody Falls", Book One of Wynter's Vicious Series. Set in the beautiful town of Auburn, California and filled with a cast of quirky characters, it’s a story about learning to live, learning to love and learning to hold on when your brand of 'normal' comes undone.

Sometimes you have to fall from grace before you can fall in love.

Long Excerpt:
I made coffee in my second hand machine up in my apartment over the store and freshened myself while I 
waited for it to brew. 
This was the way I started my day, every day. 
And, everyday, I missed having Grandma to start it with. 
Her passing so suddenly, it still hit me like a ton of bricks every awakening; an unfilled hole in my heart 
echoing her loss daily.
Pouring a cup, I went downstairs and out the front door of what used to, at one time, be a biker bar. I sat on the 
worn, wide steps that welcomed people into the old-fashioned, old-time strip mall. Too early for either customers or 
other store managers, I sipped my brew and watched the dawn light twinkle on the different trees that lined the other 
side of my street. 
Grandma had told me all their different names but I could only remember Ponderosa Pine and Incense Cedar. I 
wished I remembered more.
All I know is that I couldn't start my day without my coffee or greeting the morning light on the trees.
Inevitably, I heard the slap-slap of his chucks on the pavement.
The man came by every morning like clockwork, running as if his life depended on it, instead of the gentle jog 
that other people used to get their exercise in. 
Nobody in their right mind exercised in chucks. 
They were too thin. Not enough sole, enough support, to run in.
Yet, every day, there he was. 
Running the street in his chucks, his long legs reaching and eating up the asphalt. His broad shoulders and 
muscled, inked arms keeping a counter rhythm as he ran. 
At least he'd lost the leather jacket that he used to wear.
He'd become such a fixture of the morning scenery, the sounds of his feet on the asphalt keeping time to 
whatever was in his head. I had taken to putting on music that had a beat to match his cadence. Today, my MP3 in 
the store was playing Soundgarden's 'Black Days'. 
The low volume of such a rock anthem was probably illegal in more than a few states. In fact, the hard-driving rock anthems seemed to be my music of choice when I waited for him. There was 
something about the set of his shoulders, the tattoos that fully covered his arms spoke to me of deep pain when I 
watched him run, but I couldn't have told you why.
Normally, he'd run right by me with only a quick wave, which was more than alright by me.
Today, he'd stopped.
But, not by his own volition.
He tripped, wind-milling his way past me on the porch steps. Taking giant, wobbly steps trying to find his 
balance before failing, before falling. 
Before doing a skidding face plant on the asphalt not ten feet away from me. Just there on the other side of the 
road, yet still on the asphalt. That cold, hard surface, sprinkled with the various pinecones from the beautiful tall, 
tall trees on the other side.
"Arrg," he shouted as his face had hit the ground.
I placed my new bright blue mug on the worn piece wooden step and made my way slowly to his still figure 
sprawled on the blacktop. I could see his back rising and falling with his breaths, so I figured he was, at least, alive 
after his dive. That would've been a horrible epitaph, 'Death by Pavement'. 
Either that or a great name for a band.
I approached slowly.
I may not be all that old, but my twenty-four years had taught me well. 
Men had to be approached with caution. Especially if they were drunk, mad or hurt. 
Well, actually even if they were happy, laughing and in a good mood.
Men were, at all costs, to be approached with caution.
"Are you alright?" I asked, crouching and bending over the man-who-ran, admiring the back view prone almost 
as much as I enjoyed the back view upright. Not many men can look as good leaving as they do coming, yet the 
running man had a great body which seemed to look good from every angle. I admit it, I had noticed him from just 
about every view.
I watched as he brought his hands up to his shoulders and levered himself back, his inked biceps flexing as he 
flopped from his stomach onto his back. 
Oh, sweet chocolate, I thought, looking him over. 
Okay, some people have religion and some people don't. I don't, so I don't tend to swear using religious 
deities. I use what I know, what I believe in and what's important to me.
Chocolate being number one.
But, man, this was bad.
He was a mess. A bloody mess.
"Do we need to call an ambulance?" I asked him quietly tucking my hands in the pockets of my sweats before 
hunkering down next to him, my hands itching to push his long shiny black hair away from his face. 
Some mornings he tied it back, but today it was loose. Or maybe it got that way because of his fall.
His panting got in the way of talking so he just shook his head slowly.
"No 911, then," I said and watched as he nodded shallowly, his panting harsh in the chilly morning air.
"You're a mess, though," I tried to explain.
 I saw him as he closed his heavily fringed eyes and simply nodded shallowly again.
I waited, hoping he'd get his breath back and tell me what I could do to help him. I was a baker, a dessert 
maker, not a nurse and wasn't really comfortable in the role, if the truth were known.
"Do you think you can walk?" I asked gently after a time.
"Ess," he hissed through mangled lips.
"Can I help you up?" I pressed, my voice still almost a whisper and watched as he turned himself over slowly, 
bracing his weight gingerly on his hands and knees.
He paused before getting up onto his feet.
'Oh, he's tall,' I thought, watching him stretch himself up to his full height. Easily six foot if not more. My 
heart sped up at the thought.
Big men meant bigger problems.
"Come sit on the porch and I'll help you get cleaned up," I suggested, watching the tall man sway towards me 
as I spoke. "No, this way," I caught myself saying softly, briefly, touching his arm and providing direction for his 
wobbly feet. 
His sweats were blown out at both knees and I could see drizzles of blood on them as well as deep grazes on 
his forearms and palms. A five-point plant on dirty asphalt. Yipes! He had to be hurting yet, outside that initial shout, he didn't make a 
sound. 
I glanced up and got caught in his chocolate-eyed gaze that was pointed down at me. 
You know him, my mind announced suddenly. But, that was silly. He only seemed familiar because he ran by 
my bakery every morning.

J. A. Hornbuckle

Author Bio:
Even as a young girl, J.A. couldn't wait to read.   In fact, her first real temper tantrum was at the end of first grade when she realized that unless the book or magazine included the words, "Dick", "Jane" or "Spot", she was still at a loss.  

The thirst for the written word has never left her.

But after reading three crap books in a row on her Kindle (or Ken-doll, as she calls it) in July 2012, she decided she could do better.  Armed with a few notes, she blithely wrote out the first draft of her first novel and found her first book was worse crap than the stories that had started the whole cycle.  Taking the advice of another author, she studied and learned, re-wrote and re-edited.   As of June 2013, she's published five books with another in progress.

J.A. has been fortunate to travel throughout the U.S. and overseas, though she's now calling the Phoenix, Arizona area home.  Those travels, places and the people she's met help provide fuel for her books which is always why she includes the verbiage, 'Although, if you recognize yourself in any character represented …maybe we need to talk.'  She calls it her rider to the disclaimer assuring readers that her characters are not based on any one particular person. 

When asked to sum up what she wanted others to know about her, she simply says, "For those that have been with me on this life's journey…Thanks for the memories!  And those that are still on their way…Where've you been?  My heart's been waiting for you."

Contact Links: 

Website:   http://www.jahornbuckle.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JAHornbuckle

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/J-A-Hornbuckle

Links to Buy 

Amazon

Jen's review - 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow - This book was pretty deep :)
Ok maybe not f-ed up and turning your insides around through-out the whole book - but that ending just gets ya ... in a really good way :)

Jackson Wynter's - aka Jax - ie - Jack - a man of many names -
He's a great guy - but has a few struggles in life - After his brother's death, Jax's Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll life hit rock bottom.
The courts ordered him into rehab, then took all his money and assets away, and handed him over to his really sweet Grans, Eddie.

Jax is trying to make this start over, but he's still holding on to the thought of being without his brother, without his band, but he's trying non-the-less. One of the ways to get the drugs out of his system, he needs exercise daily - so every monring on his run through this small town, he runs past the bakery - Lacy's Backery - and every morning, he sees the beautiful girl sitting on the steps watching the trees, after a few days, she would finally acknowledge him with a little wave.
And then just when Jax decided to make his move, BAM! Faceplant right into the asphalt at her feet.

Lacy, a sweetheart of a girl. She didn't have a great childhood, but she made the best out what she did have.
She missed her Grandmother, but was left the bakery, along with everything else that her Grandmother owned. Lacy loved to bake. But most of all, Lacy was a good girl, and as she ran down the steps to help this strange but familuar guy -

Road rash is the worse, but Jack was a trooper as Lacy cleaned him up.
She couldn't place how she knew him, but she felt that instant connection with him.

When Boots came to pick him up, Jax couldn't get his mind off her. but Boots made sure to remind him that Jax couldn't/shouldn't start a relationship until he was fully clean - at least a year. But Jax wasn't going to stand for that.
He wanted Lacy, and that was the end of it...

Their relationship started quickly, and their hearts grew stronger every day -
Eddie, Jax's Grams is the sweetest woman, and you have to admire any hard rocker guy who is afraid of his own grandmother's wrath :)
Eddie is easy to fall in love with, and as soon as Lacy met her, Eddie knew that what Lacy and Jax had was real.

I wouldn't call Jax a hard core Rocker - in fact, he's pretty much the opposite in this book. He has manners, he swears.. a lot, but it's not in a foul way though.

The little blips in the story just seemed to add that much more. The story was sweet, compelling and just all around a great read. I really enjoyed this book :)

Axel by Harper Sloan GIVEAWAY!!

Axel by Harper Sloan

Note from the author--This book is intended for a mature reading audience and isn't suitable for younger readers. Brash language, sexual hotness, delectable alpha males, some violence and adult situations are all over this book--you have been warned. 

Fate hasn’t always been friends with Isabelle West. In fact, fate has been a downright bitch.

Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn’t by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved.

For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband.

When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door. 

Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. He’s carried his anger for so long he isn’t sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated.

How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?

Harper Sloan

About the Author:
Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed 'Estrogen Ocean', much to her husbands chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero--the super alpha kind!

Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn't take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.

Author's Favorite Quotes from Axel

People say karma is a bitch but I have news for you, karma doesn’t have anything on fate when she is after blood.  Not a single thing.

“Sugar, I have thought about sex, hard fucking dirty sex, about a hundred times since we sat down to eat.”   “Does that clear it up for you?”
She just keeps roaming her eyes over my face.  As pissed as I am right now, I can’t help but become sucked in to her all over again.

The past can’t touch me. I am stronger than this. I am a survivor.

“Missed you…so fucking much, Princess.”

My body is telling me to start humping, my heart is telling me to run, and my mind is sitting there enjoying a cigarette as his hips start to move against me.

I want this, God how I want this.  Right or wrong, this feels like heaven; even chocolate is no match for the full body electric tingles that are shooting through my system.

I am ready to make my girl mine again.

I want you alone in my house, where only my ears can hear you scream.”

Going to make you scream princess, and then when you can’t take it anymore,” he pushes his denim covered hips hard into mine, his thick erection rubbing my clit in the most delicious way, “then I’m going to lick my way up this sweet fucking body and finally I’m going make you mine.”

“Never letting you go, Izzy.  Never.”  He whispers into my hair, squeezing me a little tighter.  
“I always have been yours, you know that, don’t you?”

“Never again, Izzy West.  I will never again let anyone take you from me, or anything from us.”  His words hang between us both as a promise and a threat.

I know in this moment that this man would fight to the death to keep me by his side, protecting me from the world.

“I love you, Axel Reid.  I have loved you forever and I will never stop.  Made for me, baby.  You were made for me.  Don’t ever leave me.  Never again.  I would rather die than be without you again.”

I just want to be yours.  That’s all I’ve ever wanted

if one more thing goes wrong today, I’m going to say fuck it and kidnap my woman and drag her up to the bedroom.  At least I know I can keep her happy there.

Author's Links 

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/Harper_sloan

Amazon:   (will send out once it is live)

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/harpersloanbooks

Twitter:  harpersloan

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/HarperSloan/

Instagram @harper_sloan

Email authorharpersloan@gmail.com

Jen's Review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OMG!
This book is great! I totally missed reading about those big strong military alpha males!
And Trust me, Axel, Greg, Breck, Coop, Locke, - They're all Alpha males! How they get along so well is beyond me!

I think Greg is my favorite though - hopefully his story is next - but I think Breck and Dee need to figure out their story first :) Or maybe Emma and Maddox :) The possibilities are endless :)

This story is about Axel and Izzy -
Fate hasn't been that wonderful for Izzy - In fact, Fate downright hates her.
First Axel is shipped off to the military, then her parents die, she loses a baby she didn't know she wanted until it was too late... her hope was squashed.

she finally gives in to what she hoped to be love again, only to find herself in one of the most horrific situations imaginable.
Abused and alone, Izzy doesn't see a way out. That is until it's almost too late.

2 years later, Izzy is still struggling to get through every day without fear of having to look over her shoulder.
Her best friend Dee and Greg are there to help her though it all though, and to make her feel as safe as they can. With Ex-Military Greg by her side, she feels she can finally be happy again.

But when a reminder comes into the mail that her husband is still out there, and refusing to give her the divorce she needs to move on, she goes right back into her shell and hides.

Greg takes immediate action and calls in his old Military buddies. Reid's is the biggest and best friend he has, and is perfect for the job of protecting Izzy and getting the divorce finalized and him out of her life.

But when Izzy finally see's who Reid's really is, she goes even farther back into her shell and doesn't want to see him again.

Axel Reid is hurting. After many years searching for his long lost love, only to find out she's married to someone else, he doesn't know how to deal with seeing her again. He's so angry with her.

it takes him awhile to realize that she is the same person Greg was talking about with the crazy husband who was fighting her divorce. He didn't get the details, but when he finds out WHY Izzy was so scared, and no longer the strong young woman he remembered, he becomes livid and swears to protect her from any harm..

This story was great! I really loved it - These guys are funny and fun and a perfect group of people i would love to see out in public having a great time! Picturing these hot male bodies, I felt like Swiny - Dee and Izzy's hair dresser when he first saw Axel :)

Awesome story though about a long lost love and mixed up communications - Happy Ending and all around a great read :)

Give Away – 

 A rafflecopter is set up for chances to win 7 ebooks or a $10 Amazon Gift card. 

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Loving your Lies By Piper Shelly

Loving your Lies 

By Piper Shelly

Young Adult / Paranormal Romance

Date Published: January 2013

He’s annoyingly gorgeous, provocative, and fast becoming her best friend. But he also has a secret that makes the little hairs on her arms stand on end...

It wasn't nicking an expensive watch or diamond bracelet that landed streetwise Jona Montiniere in the clutches of the police. It was a darn sweater. A judge decides that she has to return to her terminally ill mother, that god-awful dragon, who dumped her in an orphanage more than twelve years ago. Worse, for the coming six weeks, she has to do charity work on a strange aunt’s vineyards in France.

Yeah, right. Jona is determined to sneak off at the first chance she gets. But then she meets Julian, the dragon’s caretaker. Playful, understanding, and sinfully sexy, he’s everything she dreams of—but she’d be damned if she let him know and break through her stonewall of protection. And then he awakens her mother from the dead with a simple touch…

When the first week in her new home is over, Jona is asking herself two things. One, how could it happen that she ended up in Julian’s arms after only three days? And two, how the hell do you keep an angel earthbound?

Excerpt: 

“Then you are going to live with your family.” The bang of his little wooden hammer slamming onto the small round plate sealed the matter. “Now get out of my courtroom and don’t come back.”

I was so screwed.

When they started making plans over my head, and voices mixed to a painful blur, Quinn let me wait outside the room. I had to promise not to run off or pick up a fight with an officer again before he opened the door for me. I restrained from giving him the finger and slipped 

Elbows propped on my bent knees, I sat on the floor in the hallway with my back resting against the windowed wall. The chain of the cuffs rattled mockingly. With them on, I wouldn’t get far on an escape for fresh air. I might as well surrender to my horrendous fate.

Utterly miserable and confused about my new future, and no less annoyed by the glances of passing officials, my head dipped back, my gaze focusing on the blank ceiling. Out of habit when I was by myself—and stuck knee-deep in shit—I started humming a song I didn’t know the name of. It always had a strangely soothing effect on me. Odds were I had made up the melody myself over the years. But I’d hummed, whistled or tapped the rhythm with my fingers so often that the tune wouldn’t get out of my head ever.

The door to Abe’s room opening opposite me didn’t disrupt my low singing. But when my mother’s blond friend came out and leaned one shoulder casually against the column in the middle of the hallway, the hum died in my throat.

“Hi,” he said with a compassionate look that made me wish the traitor, Quinn, had taken off those damn handcuffs so I wouldn’t look like a complete idiot.

Lips pressed together, my fingers waggled in a feeble greeting. The mere sight of this man sent a quiver of excitement to my stomach.

“That was quite an interesting…situation in there.”

With an evil grin, I hoped to send the message Mind your own crap, buddy to him. Out loud, I said sweetly, “Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“I didn’t really.” He wrinkled his nose. “Getting involved with Laurel and Hardy in there wasn’t your best idea. Even a smart girl like you might get hurt in a fight with those two.”

Yeah, sure. My eyes narrowed to slits. But his words warmed my heart in an unfamiliar 

The young man nodded his chin at my tied hands. “They look a little uncomfortable.”

And they bloody well were, but I shrugged it off like it was nothing unusual. “The latest fashion. You heard the judge, I wear them quite often.”

A teasing smile played around his lips that spiked my blood pressure. “Shall we take them off?” he said.

He must be kidding. “Unless you’ve got teeth like a hacksaw, I don’t see how that would work.”

He crossed the hall to me, pulling out a key-ring from his pocket. He squatted, leveled his eyes with mine, and shook the ring in front of my face. The friendly jingle of metal filled the high hallway.

My mouth fell open. “Where did you get these from?”

Chief Madison.”

“You stole them from Quinn?” I pulled my hands out of his reach.

“Of course not.” The blond god gave me a pointed look. “I asked for them.”

Why would this guy ask my officer friend to release me? Frowning, I concentrated on the safety pin in my jeans. “Quinn wouldn’t free me when I asked him to.”

His intense blue eyes locked with mine. “I had to solemnly swear to keep an eye on you. Now hold still.” Cool fingers curled around my wrist to fix my hand while he unlocked the first cuff. Sparks tingled on my skin, my hand trembled slightly.

Why would he give his word to an officer, to free me? Why even care? He’d do well to stay behind that door, holding my horrible mother’s hand instead of setting mine free. With a click, the other cuff came off. I flexed my hands and rubbed my burning wrists. The shackles had left bright red lines on my skin.

“Better?” He tilted his head and arched one beautiful brow.

My head bobbed, but I found no breath to answer.

“Okay then.” He used my knees to push himself up and stretched to his full height.

He probably expected my gratitude following his selflessness. My gaze focused on the ripped hems of his jeans, my lips remained sealed.

When he turned on his heel and marched off to the left, I glanced up. “And now you’re going where?” The words shot out before I could stop myself.

“Bathroom break.” His arched brows dared me to object.

My lower lip threatened to pop from between my teeth as I chewed on it. Don’t speak!“But you’re supposed to keep an eye on me.”

After studying me for a couple of seconds, his expression softened even more. “You’re not going to get me into trouble.”

I let him take another stride away from me. Two. Three. Four. “How can you be so sure?” Shut the hell up, Jona. “After everything you know about me, I’ll probably be gone when you get back.”

A shrug of one shoulder and his beguiling smile struck me silent. “I trust you.” A moment later he disappeared around the corner.

Piper Shelly

Author Bio

Hi, I’m Piper. I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun. 

I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. Ugh, that was hard. I hated the city. Everything about it. So I moved back to Upper Austria right after graduation. There are trees now in front of my window instead of just another ugly gray building, and I love to be woken by the singing of birds every morning. One of my favorite movies? Snow White. The dwarves’ house would be one epic place to live.

At seventeen, I met the love of my life, but he was a playboy, and though he was also the inspiration for many of my teen romances, I didn’t make it easy for him to get me. It took him another four years of fighting for me until I finally decided to give that “couple-thing” with him a shot. I’m now married to this man ;-) It’s cool if you can say: I tamed Casanova. What I’m currently reading? The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy.

We have a ten-year-old son, and together we travel a lot…although I sometimes wish the trips were shorter because I can’t wait to get back to my laptop and my many stories. Unless we’re in Disneyland. No stress to go home then. ;-)

So, you see, I’m leading a pretty normal life.

Of course, it’ll all change the day my books follow the act of Harry Potter, and I’ll become richer than the Queen. I swear I’ll never again clean my windows myself then. Yeah, one day… LOL

www.pipershelly.com

www.facebook.com/authorpiper



Jen's 4 star review -
The ending of this book was just.. wow :) Loved it!

not sure what it was, but this story just seems to pull you in from the start -

Jona has had a hard life - only at the age of 17 and already she's learned how to make herself hard, because once people see you as soft and weak, that's when they strike you down.

Jona has lived in the orphanage since she was 5 - when her own mother sent her there in order to live with her boyfriend. the one that use to beat Jona up.

Jona wanted nothing else in her life but to have her mom come back for her. But as the years go on, she realizes that that's not going to happen. She doesn't want friends, or boyfriends, and refuses to get close to anyone. After all, if her own mother could abandon her, what's stopping a total stranger from doing the same thing.

Jona got caught steeling a hoodie, and she knew that she was going to get in trouble. When she met with Abe - the judge, he counted down how many times he has seen her this year alone. He gave her no choice.
Her mother was standing in the same room and Jona freaked out.
But with her hands tied.. or cuffed - she had no choice but to go to France with her mother. The only good thing she saw out of it, was the hot guy her mother was with.

When she found out her mother was terminally ill, she just rolled her eyes. But there was something about her caregiver that Jona couldn't figure out.

In France, Jona met her Aunt and uncle and started to work on their vineyard, all while planing her escape to freedom.

But one thing after another and Jona decides to stick to her punishment in order to figure out what the strange connection she has with Julius is.

There is something strange about Julius, and while reading the story you can easily see where it's leading - but the story is told in a way that you just can't stop yourself from turning to the next page.

I really CUTE story - one I really enjoyed a lot :)

Autumn Fire by Cameron D. James

Autumn Fire by Cameron D. James

Dustin likes the closet. It’s warm, comfy, and dark. Who needs to be out when you can get all the anonymous sex you want via the internet? And, besides, coming out is messy and gets you nowhere—certainly not a relationship. Real gay love is fiction.

When Dustin meets CollegeJock22 for a quick blow-and-go in the university library men’s room, everything he thought he knew crumbles. He can’t get that man out of his head and will do almost anything to have him. The only problem? CollegeJock22 is even more in the closet than Dustin. He’s in so deep he can’t even see the crack of light under the door.

Excerpt : 
Hot blowjobs! Call Dave!
Dustin glanced over the phone number scrawled in faded ink, marring the grey paint. A half a dozen more “offers” decorated the wall. Hookups were inherently sleazy when delivered in bathroom graffiti.
Not that he should judge, since he occupied the stall in the men’s room at the back of the library for an anonymous blowjob with some guy he met on the internet.
Dustin barely knew anything more about CollegeJock22 than he did about “Dave,” but it was still different...somehow. He’d at least seen CollegeJock22’s picture, if only a grainy crotch shot.
His thoughts crashed to a halt when the bathroom door next to him opened. Blood immediately pounded in his ears, so loud he struggled to hear the hesitant footsteps make their way to the urinal. Cold sweat spread across his forehead. He’d done his share of hookups, but never in a public place before today. The danger of being caught both terrified and excited him.
Dustin stared at the sneakered foot, visible just below the stall wall, as the other man stopped at the urinal on the other side of the metal divider. He waited for the signal. Until he heard it, he didn’t know who had come in, CollegeJock22 or some random dude needing to take a piss.
He heard a zipper open, but not the telltale sound of urination. The foot shifted. The pant leg lifted, briefly flashing a white sock. The signal. Dustin flashed his own sock.
Nothing happened. Embarrassment swelled as he realized the awkward coincidence. This was not CollegeJock22.
Then the other man’s feet moved. Another wave of cold sweat peppered his skin. He’d been right. CollegeJock22. Now he just prayed the man wasn’t fat and ugly, his profile one big lie. Dustin’s breathing grew shallow and his heart thudded as the man stood on the other side of the stall door. Dustin left it unlocked, as planned. It squeaked softly as CollegeJock22 nudged it open.
All doubts vanished. Quite simply, CollegeJock22 would be the hottest guy Dustin ever hooked up with, the rare man who actually lived up to his profile. He easily stood five foot eleven with tight golden curls peeking out from below his ball cap. His muscled chest pulled his shirt taut beneath his open jacket and his cock...a gorgeous piece of meat dangled from his open fly. The thick and semi-hard dick sprouted from a dusting of fine hair, probably at least seven inches when erect.
Dustin’s gaze wandered up to meet the nervous eyes of CollegeJock22. Normally, he might go slow, ease the guy into the act, but this setting made a laconic pace awkward. Also, Dustin had gone without sex for three months now—his last hookup being before he moved to Toronto. Masturbation didn’t cut it. He was fucking horny. He needed a cock in his mouth, he needed cum sliding down his throat, he needed to be nose-deep in the sweaty crotch of another man...
He refrained from yanking his hookup forward and eating his dick—it would only terrify the poor hunk. According to their online chat, CollegeJock22 rarely did this stuff, so Dustin needed to be gentle. Dustin reached out and wrapped his hand around CollegeJock22’s shaft, feeling its warmth and growing hardness.
Dustin read nerves in the gray-blue eyes of the other man. The cock in Dustin’s hand, though, stiffened to rock-hard in a matter of seconds. CollegeJock22 enjoyed it, even past the somewhat awkward situation.
Dustin placed his other hand on the man’s hip and pulled him closer. Shuffling shoes were the only sound in the washroom, bringing CollegeJock22’s tantalizing dick nearer to his face. The hunk reached back and quickly locked the door

Cameron D. James

Author Bio:

When Cameron D James isn’t writing gay erotic romance, he can be found studying for his Masters, working in his dull office job, or reading five books at once. But, really, you’re most likely to find him writing. He loves crafting hot, sexy, sweaty, throbbing scenes, interwoven with lust and deep emotions for an orgasmic whole. He writes out of a love of characters, wherever those characters may lead.

website:   email:   main blog:   smutty NSFW Tumblr:   

Twitter:  @Cameron_D_James 

Buy Links 

Amazon:       Kobo:         Carnal Passions: 

Jen's Review -
This was a good story for what it was - a short hot romance book -
I was thinking it would have been different, but it was still pretty good.

Dustin is a good guy, He really is. it was nice reading in a real guy's POV - there wasn't anything special about Dustin. He was a guy, and he liked sex - granted he liked sex with other guys - well mostly he liked to give blow jobs - and he liked it a lot.
So much that he joined a local Hook-up Website, and was able to hook up with other guys, no strings, total confidential - just the way he likes it. Since no one knows he's gay - well except his room mates girlfriend Angelia - but she's not going to Out him..

It's during that time that Dustin meets his next "friend" they're hooking up in the men's room in the back of the library - romantic?? no, but it's the way Dustin likes it. And this guy doesn't want anyone to know either - so it works out for both of them, right??

Except after one look at this guy - Dustin's mind is all over the place! Once the hook up is over, and they go their separate ways, Dustin's mind just stays with him. And he can't get him out of his head.

More blow jobs - that's what Dustin needs to get this guy out of his head.. right?? WRONG!!! Dustin tries different things, with different guys and nothing is working - WTH!!!

But hooking up, blow jobs, sex - it's not all Dustin has going on in his life. His roommate Jason - the Jock - is trying to fix him up with girls. He doesn't think anyone should be alone - and even thought Dustin hides behind books and classes, he still can't dodge all of Jason's attempts.

Speaking of classes - Dustin is struggling in math. and he doesn't know what to do! last result, he calls in a peer tutor .....

What's a guy to do? Right??

Kyle is a closet Gay/Bi curious? straight guy who doesn't know what he wants, who he wants, or how he wants it. But he knows that what he had going for him wasn't working - so time to change things around.

Not really knowing who he is, he is really nervous about experimenting with another guy, he's shy and quiet and although highly turned on, he still runs scared.

Like I said, cute story - and two hot  guys :)

Made from Greater Stone by R.J. Simpkin GIVEAWAY!

Made from Greater Stone by R.J. Simpkin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Made from Greater Stone by RJ Simpkin is the first novel in the Stone Series. A story of passion, romance, glamour, and secrecy.

When graduate Olivia Bennett moves to Chicago she is thrust into a world sugar coated in feathers and crystals. This world is the world of Burlesque. It's during this time of discovery that she meets Nathan Stone, a handsome successful entrepreneur.

She finds herself drawn to him, in way she has never felt before. Convinced he is out of her league she tries to forget him. However Nathan has ideas of his own planned for the Burlesque starlet.

Olivia soon learns that her new life is not all rhinestones and sparkle. Nathan has skeletons in his closet; a dark past that threatens any future they may have together


About RJ Simpkin

I love to Imagine...


I spent a great deal of time as a youngster with my head in a book: from Nancy Drew to Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven; I love that imagination knows no boundaries when it comes to fiction!   You can travel the universe, solve a crime and fall in love all whilst curled up at home safely on your sofa.


My love affair with books continued and I later studied English literature leaving Manchester Metropolitan University in 2002 with a BA Hons Degree in English and Sociology.


 I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful friends along the way; each being a tad eccentric, hugely creative , very talented and equally as obsessive about the art of Burlesque as I am.  Burlesque is gloriously consuming.

I decided to combine my love of books and burlesque and write Made from Greater Stone in 2012 I initially released the draft version on to Wattpad and have been overwhelmed by the response;  and through a great deal of encouragement from my readers have decided to take the leap and publish.

I live in Staffordshire, England with my fiancé Lee and our two Siamese Cats.  We are due to be married in Autumn 2013; so as you can imagine I have a busy year ahead!

Your comments really inspire me I would love to hear what you think about my stories.  All my details can be found on the contact page.

Love and Peace

RJ  xXx

Jen's Review - 

I received this ARC for an honest review :)

Ok the main thing stopping this from being a 5 star review - is because I hate cliffhangers - I really wasn't thinking that at the end . I saw this was book #1 - but I thought book #2 would just continue their story like so many others - but ARGH! I wanted my HEA!! They'll get it though. I have confidence in this series, and I could see there is another story to Nathan's last words, and THATS how the next book will give them their HEA :) Feb 2014 *sigh*

ugh! Olivia - aka Honey just moved to Chicago to start her new life. She just finished collage learning to be a physiotherapist, but finding a job in her profession is hard.
But she loves what she does - she's a Burlesque dancer :) And she loves the art of the dance she does. She knows it's not forever, but for now, she'll keep dancing.

And she is looking forward to her new job.

Olivia is shy and unsure of herself - but Honey is strong willed a loves to tease! She's sexy and confident and the preferred personality - but Olivia is Olivia and Honey is a performer.

The book starts off with her and her BFF Joseph - now roommate is just getting ready to leave the country for his job. She will be alone in the new town, but she knows she will be throwing herself into her dancing that she wont mind.

Her first day of rehearsal she meets Mitzi and Scarlet at a coffee shop. She falls in love with them immediately.
They let her know that they are going out to Club Noir that night and beg Honey to join them.
Since she's new in town, she goes.

They decide to go for drinks before dancing, and that's where Honey meets him. The tall, gorgeous arrogant jackass - Nathan Stone.

Thoughts of him enter her mind, but quickly fade as the rude man leaves her standing at the bar.
When the girls head over to Club Noir, they are invited by old friends up to the VIP area.

Honey is nervous, especially when she see's who they're all sitting with.

Nathan Stone is a great guy - but he's had to make his name and money the hard way - being the most sexy billionaire isn't all it's cracked up to be (HA! Right!?!?) but Nathan isn't happy with his life.

When he see's Honey, he can't understand the feelings he gets around her. But he wants to go with it. He's afraid of not being with her, just as much as he's afraid to be with her.

There are a couple times in this story where we get a small glimpse inside Nathan's head - where we can see his genuine feelings for Honey and how worried he is about her wanting to be with him.

All and all it's really a great story that grabs you from the beginning and just keeps going. I really love the whole Burlesque and decade dressing up and all that - it's really fun to picture her next outfit choice and see how they interact with everything :)

GIVEAWAY!!!

RJ Simpkin has an AWESOME

Giveaway going on! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fear of Falling by S.L. Jennings

Fear of Falling by S.L. Jennings

I can’t remember the last time I felt completely safe. Security seemed more like a luxury to me, reserved for those who were fortunate enough to have picture perfect childhoods. For those who didn’t bear the ugly scars that keep me bound in constant, debilitating fear. I’ve run from that fear my entire life. But when I met him, for once, I couldn’t run anymore.

He scared the hell out of me in a way that excited every fiber of my being. It wasn’t the tattoos or the piercings. It wasn’t the warmth that seemed to radiate from his frame and blanket me whenever he was near. It was just…him. The scary beautiful man that threatened to alter 23 years of routine and rituals, and make me face my crippling fear.

My name is Kami and I am constantly afraid. And the thing that scares me the most is the very thing I want.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, pulling me into the hard warmth of his chest. “I’ve got you. I’ll always catch you when you fall.”

And just like that, Blaine had staked his claim on the untouched part of me that no living soul had ever moved. He had captured every fear, every reservation, and crushed them in the palm of his inked hand.

Author Disclaimer: Abuse is real- verbal, emotional, physical and sexual. It takes place all around us; it doesn’t discriminate against race or gender, wealth or poverty. It affects us all- those of us who’ve had to live through it, or watch it happen, even those of us who’ve only heard about it. We are all affected. We are all forever changed. 

This is not a story for the faint of heart; this is the story of one woman’s very real struggle through a world against her, the people who hurt her, her real life demons and the people who showed her that every gray sky, no matter how dark, has a sun waiting to break through.

***Inspired by true events***


Excerpt: 
Talem from S.L. Jenning's Blog

“Hey,” I smiled, stepping behind the bar and tying the little black apron around my waist. Dive had just opened and was completely empty aside from the day shift preparing for the lunch crowd.

Blaine turned from his task of refilling the soda dispenser and crooked a grin. I could only describe it as polite, and that fact tore me in two.

“Hey, Kami.” His deep chocolate eyes narrowed. “You change your hair?”

I twirled a lock of my honey blonde highlighted mane and shrugged. “Felt like I needed a change.” I didn’t have the guts to tell him that it was really an attempt at bribery by Angel. She knew I was a whore for spa days at the upscale salon she frequented and used my weakness to try to get me to gush about my feelings for Blaine. It didn’t fully work as she intended but I did throw her a bone: I told her I was attracted to him. It was harmless enough. Even a 90 year old deaf and blind woman would have a raging lady boner for him. 

Blaine gave me the most genuine smile I had seen from him in days and I swear I felt something in my chest swell. “I like it. Makes you look…I don’t know… devastatingly sexy.”

I didn’t try to stifle the blush that I could feel heating my cheeks. I embraced it. It was the first time I had felt anything but regret in days. “Yeah?”
“Hell yeah,” he said, closing the distance between us in three long strides. 

And there it was again. The smell of mint and spice and pure male. The heat that seemed to roll off his body and enfold me like a mink blanket. Those intense brown eyes that made me forget my own name and had me imagining screaming out his. Him. It was all him. Blaine somehow made me forget me. The me that wasn’t allowed to feel all these beautiful, exciting things. The me that didn’t believe in happy endings. The me that was unlovable, and in turn, could never, ever love. 

“You were sexy before…unbelievably so. But the way the golden strands seem to meld with your green eyes, it just… wow. Makes it hard to look at anything or anyone else.”

I sucked in a breath of air and let it out slowly through my mouth, closing my eyes in attempt to regain some sense of composure. “Blaine…” I couldn’t say anymore. His name, occupying my tongue like his skin once did, was enough. 

“I’m sorry,” he sputtered quickly, breaking me from the sweet memories of tasting him. My eyes fluttered open to him looking sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with a tattooed hand. Shit, even that was sexy. 

“I think I should explain.” He rolled the barbell in his mouth before flashing me a strained grin. “I have this habit of always saying how I feel, no matter how embarrassing it is. A long time ago, I didn’t speak my mind. I didn’t ask the right questions because I was afraid of the answers. And life shitted on me because I kept my mouth shut. So I vowed to always be brutally honest and let the chips fall where they may. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”

I looked away, seeking refuge from his penetrating stare. It didn’t make me uncomfortable. His words, his presence, it made me anxious. It made that pesky flutter in my stomach evolve into a full on swarm of butterflies. 

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” I replied, speaking my truth. For once, I didn’t let fear suppress my first instinct. “But you do make me nervous.”
“Nervous?” Blaine asked, crooking a brow.
“In a good way,” I quickly recovered. Shit. Real smooth. 

Blaine chuckled, and that fascinating sound chipped at the wall around my forgotten heart. “I wasn’t aware there was a good kinda nervous. But I’ll take it. Anything to see your cheeks get pink like that. You have no idea how it makes me feel when that happens.”

Speechless. I was rendered completely speechless and my cheeks had taken on a life of their own and complied with his wishes. The smile that spread across Blaine’s lips as he took in my reddened face was undeniable and I suddenly felt completely stripped bare before him. I just wanted to cover myself and hide. But Blaine wasn’t having that. Before my nerves sent me cowering in a corner, his head dipped, placing his lips at my earlobe.

“I know you said you don’t feel anything,” he whispered. “But can you honestly say that you don’t feel this? That this heat, this attraction, is all in my head? Don’t think about it; just answer. Tell me what your heart wants to say and not what your head keeps trying to make you believe.”

I swallowed down the ‘no’ that was already reflexively building in my throat and let Blaine’s proximity push away the fear. His presence did that for me; it got me out of my own way.

“Yes, Blaine,” I rasped. “I feel it.” I did. I felt all of it. I felt all of him.
 Fear of Falling






Jen's Review 
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow -
Not really sure how to write this review - Most people just talked about how the book is so serious, and the problems in it... And while I agree that the abuse is a serious issue, and happens to more people then we realize, I read the book because I love the falling in love part .....

Kami is messed up - utterly and completely. The things she has had to live with is just beyond my comprehension. I couldn't do it.
As Dom says - she is probably the strongest woman out there. To live what she does and still be able to put a smile on her face, even if it's not real to the world...

But when she see's Blaine - the scary-beautiful man who works in the bar, she feels her walls coming down. She no longer smiles because it's expected, she smiles because he makes her smile. And he takes her fears away. She doesn't know what to do about these strange feelings inside of her! She's never experienced them before, ever - and she's terrified of them. But at the same time, she wants to explore them, because she knows that Blaine is a big part of her life from now on.

Blaine - wow - he has his own daemons - but he has learned from them, and they have made him a better person for it. When he first saw Kami sitting in her car crying, his first instinct was to find out how he can help her smile.
He knew the feelings he had were something he needed to embrace, but when he saw that Kami was a little more fragile then he could even imagine, he wanted to take her and embrace her. He wanted to help take the weight of the world off her shoulders and let her be free of whatever she's struggling with.

But Kami has lived her life holding on to her own fears and her own turmoils. She feels these feelings for Blaine, but she knows she is not worthy of his feelings back...

The chemistry between these two is electrifying - OMG! Every time they lock eyes with each other ... the sparks just fly right out of them...

And Angel and Dom - Kami's BFF's and the most hilarious couple of BFF's anyone would have with their own F-uped lives, truly these guys fit so well together in this story, it just makes it all happen.

I really loved this story - I hope S.L. Jennings decides to go forward with a couple of other characters out of this story - I would love to see both Dom and Angel have an HEA

View all my reviews