Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley

3.5 stars

Okay. Here we go...

This was me when I got my ARC for the book.

And this was me as I was reading through it.

Yeah. I hate giving less than 4 stars to KA considering I enjoyed her books in the past. Sadly, Fire Inside didn't live up to the hype for me. Don't get me wrong. It was an okay read. Most people might end up loving it but to me it was just lackluster. I was waiting for that omph and it never came.

Hop

On the surface, this book has all the KA elements. We have a good-looking, badass biker, alpha male in Hopper Kincaid. Even his name screams hot biker. And get this he (view spoiler)[sings and plays a guitar (hide spoiler)]. Hop should be a shoo-in for the best KA alpha hero award and join the illustrious rank of Tate and Joe in KA world but he felt a tad bit short.

I liked him a lot. I was surprised at how much I liked him considering what he did during Motorcycle Man didn't endear him to a lot of readers. KA did a brilliant job of redeeming--or should I say explaining his actions during that whole BeeBee-Gate fiasco. As much as I liked him, I also felt that there was nothing special at all about him. Not even his 'stache wasn't special because every KA fan knows that Luke Stark already has that area covered. Poor Hop. Even his stint as a former (view spoiler)[front man of a rock band (hide spoiler)] wasn't enough. That said, I still liked him a lot.

Lanie

Sadly, Lanie, again, was a disappointment for me. The blurb said she was full of drama, so I was expecting Roxie-like drama or even Gwen or Elvira. She was neither. She basically didn't do anything. She had her moments of brilliance but it wasn't enough to make me like her or root for her.

Which brings me to the crux of the matter, the whole reason why I didn't feel this book as much as the others. If I may be honest, the last three or four books sounded scarily alike in my opinion. For example...

"Never had class. Never had beauty."

"Nothin' like you, lady. Nothing like that beauty."

"All soft, every inch. Got my d*ck buried in beauty."

"I didn't have a lot of beauty in my life. Found it in that."

And those are just examples. I swear, the word beauty was repeated so many times, and used in that same vein as the examples above, it drove me nuts. It became repetitive. It wasn't exciting anymore. I was pretty sure I've read this line before from KA book. It came to a point where I just wanted to read something else. I wanted the hero to sound different from the last hero or the heroine for that matter.

It wasn't all that bad. It had some note-worthy moments too. I squeed like a little girl that I am when Vance Crowe made an appearance. I swear, he said no more than 6 words overall and I was like, "Wow, that was brilliant! I love him. Hmm, I think I'm gonna reread Rock Chick Renegade again."

But what saved this book from a getting two stars from me was Tack! Tack, you're still the man! He was funny here, without being intentionally so. It was classic Tack and I loved it!!

In spite all that, I would still recommend this book especially to those who are still getting to know Kristen Ashley's writing. This is great choice but for those of us who have been around the block, this might not work. But then, you'll never know until you pick up the book. Who knows, you might end up loving this.

P.S.
One thing that's great about KA is that her stories are so diverse, judging from the series that she has under her belt. That said, the last four books were from her Unfinished Heroes and then Chaos. She did these back-to-back. Not the best idea in my opinion. I'm glad she's doing Rock Chicks next and then the Colorado Mountains. I really think the change of theme or series would be best. Just sayin'.

ARC provided by GCP through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman

4.5 Sweet Stars

Desperate times called for wishing wells.

Or so Sela thinks...

Sela Sullivan resolved to be the best maid of honor to her best friend's upcoming wedding even if it means tolerating the best man. The best man, by the way, is the bride's big brother who also happens to be her older brother's best friend.

Sela and Luke had a history in high school. No, they weren't high school sweethearts. Not even close. In fact, Luke figured in Sela's most embarrassing moment during that time, which included a kissing booth. He was a jock, she was a nerd. He was popular, she wasn't. She had a crush on him, he doesn't return the feeling. You need to read the book to get the whole story but you get the gist.

Hence, she vowed to stay away from him and to help her make that happen, she turned to the guardians of Cascade's own wishing well to help her. Tough luck! The guardians of the well wasn't up to helping her stay away. In fact, more and more, she and Luke seems to be gravitating towards each other.

This was my first book from Robin Bielman, and I may have found another author whose books I would keep an eye on. I really loved this one. I loved the premise of the book and it was set on a small town. I'm a sucker for those kinds of books.

I loved the family dynamics, the friendships and the rivalries in this kind of small town settings. And this book delivers on all counts. That said, I was a bit annoyed at their respective families for interfering. Yeah, Luke wasn't known for staying in one place for long and Sela might not be cut out for a fling but really! They are both consenting adults and they are both attracted to each other. They did change their tune in the end.

Another thing I loved about this book is the chemistry between Luke and Sela. The sexual tension was palpable but no graphic sex scenes here. Sorry, smut lovers. But as I said, the sexual tension was there and it was enough for me. This book is proof that you don't need to be overly graphic in order to achieve sexual tension.

Overall, this book did it for me. It was sweet, funny with the right amount tension to make it a very enjoyable read.

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Trophy Husband by Lauren Blakely

4 sweet stars!!

This is the kind of books that led me to read the genre in the first place. This was another sweet and fun read from Lauren Blakely. I loved that this book wasn't just about a romance between the two main characters, it was also about friendship, forgiveness and letting go.

Mckenna seemingly perfect life was turned upside down when her fiance dumped her for someone younger whom he met during his bachelor's party. Heartbroken, Mckenna tried to pick up the pieces together and a year after, she was content. Her fashion blog is flourishing, she had great friends but deep inside she longs for something else.

After a chance meeting with her ex-fiance and his new wife, Mckenna resolved to find herself a man. No, strike that a boy toy. A kept man. A trophy husband. But of course, like most best laid plans, this one didn't quite pan out as expected.

From Dave Dybdahl to Steely Dan Duran (LoL!), Mckenna set out to find herself a trophy husband with hilarious results. An unexpected help came from Chris, a gamer who runs his video blog. Chris is handsome, gallant and yes, a geek! The attraction was there but alas, Chris is not Trophy Husband material. For one, he is older than Mckenna (TH is supposed to be younger) and he has a successful business.

So while Chris was "helping" her find her trophy husband, the attraction between grew until Mckenna had to make a decision to let go of her search and allow herself to fall for Chris.

I really liked the slow build up to their romance. It wasn't rushed. They started out as friends and it grew from there. Chris was a lovable character. I mean, come on! He is a geek who surfs and is super hot! What's not to love. But he is also very sweet!

I also liked the secondary characters especially Mckenna's sister Julia. Hmm, I wonder if we'll get to read her story too. Overall, a very solid read from Lauren Blakely.

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