Rebel by Brittany Crowley

Blurb:

LEGACY

I refuse to tarnish my family name. The doubts only fuel me to be the fiercest fighter anyone’s ever seen.

REBEL

With every hit, I’ll flip the bird at society standards, busting down the walls for a female generation to reign. 

DISTRACTION

With my first fight looming, a little time away from the headlines is exactly what I need. It was just supposed to be a road trip with my best friends. I didn’t plan on Joss showing up, the man who blatantly turned me down on the most embarrassing night of my life. He’s here to keep me safe, and for the first time, I have nowhere to run. 

CAGE

When the day comes, I’m going to prove I’m not just a Cage, I’m the Cage.

This is a standalone, brother’s best friend romance.

My Review:

This is the first book that I have read by Brittany Crowley but I know after this that it will not be the last. I loved Rebel and I completely feel like I am part of Rebel’s Army. This book is sweet yet sexy and had me totally addicted whilst taking me through a whole range of different emotions.

Emerson ‘Rebel’ Cage has grown up surrounded by strong men as her dad is Zander ‘Hitman’ Cage, a world MMA champion. Her uncles and cousins are also in the world of MMA but as the baby of the family she has always been discouraged from taking up fighting. But it is in Rebels blood and along with her best friend Leo she has been training in secret waiting for her big break. But at the same time she has to handle growing up in the limelight, which is something that she struggles with and causes her to act out in public situations. This causes her to get the nickname Rebel as her rebellious streak runs wild. But hired to protect her is her bodyguard and brothers best friend Josiah ‘Joss’ Kent.

When Emmy, Leo and their friend Penny run off on a road trip to help Leo get over his failed relationship. But just before they took off it was announced that Rebel will get her first MMA fight and the media coverage picks up. As they took off without protection Joss and Danny race off to find them and agree to stay with them during their trip.

Joss is a sexy as hell bodyguard who has dreams of starting his own security firm and working for his best friends’ family will help him get there. What he doesn’t know is that Emmy has had a crush on him for the last six years since she was 16 years old. But he has never seen her as anything more than Danny’s best friend until things start to change on this trip. She becomes his Princess and his mission stops being about protecting her and becomes more about making her his!

Rebel is such a strong, likeable character. Rebels’ army is created by women who liked the fact that Emmy was the anti-hero that she was not afraid to be different and be herself and that made her so likeable and relatable. Joss was so incredibly sweet and once he decided that he wanted Emmy he stopped at nothing to make her his. Their chemistry was sexy and the sex scenes smouldered making me want so much more.

I loved the secondary characters in this book and I am hoping that they all get their own books and find their loves. We see the start of a relationship between Rebels brother Danny and her best friend Penny which I would love to find out more about. Her sister Quinn meets a mystery man that gets her blood boiling but she doesn’t think she will ever see him again and doesn’t even know his name and this made me deeply intrigued. I would also like for Leo to meet the man of his dreams and sexy MMA fighter Gage deserves to find a feisty woman. I am hoping that Brittany feels the same and I will be reading more about these characters in the very near future.

Overall I thought this book was funny, sweet and incredibly hot. It gives hope to everybody out there who is hoping that their childhood crush will suddenly notice them and that they will live happily ever after. But most importantly it empowers women to be strong, be themselves and never stop fighting for what they want. I am most definitely a part of Rebels Army and I know when you read this book you will be too!

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

COVER REVEAL!!!

Gone For You

An all-new small town, second chance romance from Jennifer Van Wyk, is coming March 26th!

Blurb:

Ethan

I wasn’t expecting to fine you. The night was only supposed to be a celebration for my friend, but I couldn’t stop my heart, or body, from being drawn to you.

Then I got to know you, and you chipped away every wall I’d built around my heart.

You don’t know how many times I found reasons to talk to you. To see you.

It has to stop.

There’s distance between us I can’t control.

Damn you and your dimple for being so irresistible.

I wish I wasn’t so Gone for You.

Olivia

I knew I wouldn’t be able to let you go the night you walked into my bar. Everything in me screams to keep you close.

I’m ready to move forward, to stop making excuses to see you, but I know you need more time.

You’ve created this distance between us to protect your heart, but you have to know it’s safe with me.

The moments you give me aren’t enough.

I want you forever and I’ll stop at nothing to make it happen.

After all, I’m so Gone for You.

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2MU8ZRf

Cover Designer: Juliana with Jersey Girls Designs

About Jennifer Van Wyk

From the Ground Up was Jennifer’s first published novel and now that she was bitten by the writing bug, has no intention of ever stopping. Jennifer makes her home in small town Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful, hilarious and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. You’ll be her best friend if you can make her laugh and follow up with asking her what to read next. When she’s not writing, you can find her cheering the loudest at her kids’ sporting events (read as: embarrassing them), sipping coffee or iced tea out of a mason jar with her Kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.

Connect with Jennifer

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vZV2Ic

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jennifervanwykauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorJenVW

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jenvanwyk/

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/JennifersJavaGirls/

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2foP8dK

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-van-wyk

Book + Main: https://bookandmainbites.com/users/295

💋👔COVER REVEAL + #GIVEAWAY!💍🌹

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗪

Series: The Quicksilver Trilogy

Author: Nicole French

Publisher: Raglan Publishing

Photographer: Sara Eirew Photographer

Model: Lucas Bloms

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 29, 2019

Blurb:

Eric de Vries.

Looks like millions.

Worth billions.

A body like the David with a mind to match.

Unfortunately for this wayward heir, to keep his money, he needs a wife.

And of all the women in the world, he chooses me.

Too bad I’ve hated him for five years, since he took all my tears and tossed me away. The guy slept his way through half of New England and discarded women like hotel toiletries.

Been there. Done that.

Still…what would you do for twenty million dollars?

Would you wear the dress?

Fake a smile for the man who broke your heart?

Or would you run far, far away?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I’ll see you at the church.

Author’s Note: The Quicksilver Trilogy is a companion series to the Spitfire Trilogy. Both can be read separately, but readers may enjoy meeting Eric and Jane for the first time beginning in Legally Yours, available free at bit.ly/LYwide

Purchase Links:

$0.99 for release day ONLY!

Amazon US: http://bit.ly/THVAmazonUS

Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/THVAmazonUK

Kobo: http://bit.ly/THVKobo

Nook: http://bit.ly/THVNook

Apple: http://bit.ly/THVApple

Add The Hate Vow to your Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/TheHateVowTBR

💋👔 #GIVEAWAY!💍🌹
Share The Hate Vow cover to be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card by simply using #THVcover

#coverreveal  #TheHateVow  #THV  #NicoleFrenchRomance

Fear Me (Broken Love book 1) by B.B. Reid

Book Blurb:

This isn’t another “I hate you because I secretly love you” story. Boy really does hate girl. And this isn’t just a forbidden love story. This is obsession at its darkest.

I don’t believe in fairy tales and Prince Charming.

I believe in fear.

He taught me how to be afraid.

We first met on a playground on a wonderful summer day. It was the first time he hurt me and it wouldn’t be the last. For ten years, he’s been my tormentor and I’ve been his forbidden. But then he went away, and yet I was still afraid.

Now he’s back and wants more than just my tears. You see…he thinks I sent him away so now he wants revenge…and he knows just how to get it.

My Review:

Wow this book really is one of those that you just aren’t sure if you should like it or not. For me the more I found myself getting drawn in and enjoying the book, the more it made me question myself. Because the content of this book is more than just dark, it is disturbing in places. The plot twists just seem to throw in more dark and disturbing pieces of information and every time this happened I was more hooked.

Normally I would take some time to tell you a bit about the main characters and the plot but I think if I wrote any spoilers it really would be doing you, the future reader of this book a disservice. I think you need to go in not knowing what to expect but know that whether you want to or not you will enjoy this book.

Lake is the main female lead in this book and is an 18 year old in her senior year of high school. For the last 10 years she has been terrorised by her high school bully Keiran Masters. That all changed for a year while he was in juvie but now he’s back to finish out his senior year. The only problem is he thinks the reason he ended up in juvie was because Lake set him up. Now he wants revenge!

I’m not even sure where to begin when talking about Keiran. If you are looking for that bad boy who will turn good for the right girl, this is not that book. Keiran is broken and cold after experiencing an upbringing like no other. He is so full of anger and pain. But from the moment he met Lake at 8 years old he has been drawn to her, except not in the normal love at first sight way. To him Lake signifies weakness and the only way to deal with that is to fight and cause pain. He spends years terrorising Lake, but after juvie seeing her fear is not enough. Keiran wants to consume and own Lake in the most disturbing of ways. This leads to a fierce sexual connection that neither of them saw coming.

If you think this book is a love story you could not be more wrong. Lake and Keiran are drawn to each other sexually but I’m not sure either of them is able to get over their hate to truly love, particularly Keiran who doesn’t know what love is. But there is undeniable sexual chemistry between the pair. Let me be clear, to say the line of consent are blurred at times in this book would be wholly inaccurate. There are times when Lake definitively says no and Keiran takes what he wants anyway. The fact that Lake reacts, is aroused and enjoys the sex is irrelevant. So if that kind of thing bothers you then this is definitely not the book for you. If I am being honest this is one of the areas I was describing earlier. My head knows that I am not supposed to enjoy reading it and I definitely do not support this in real life, but this is fiction and it definitely added an element to their relationship that needed to be there. It made the story more intense and enjoyable.

One of the things I loved most about the book was the secondary characters; Keenan and Sheldon, Dash and Willow. I know that they feature a lot in the future books in this series and this is great because I want to know more about them all. We get little snippets of them but it is just not enough and I can’t wait to learn more.

One of the main reasons Lake spends more time with Keiran in this book despite not liking him and being terrified of him, is because she wants to know all the secrets of his past and to figure him out. This I can relate to because this is what kept me reading into the early hours of the morning. The desire for answers and more information pulled me in and with every plot twist I was even more addicted. But this book ended on an almighty, jaw dropping cliff-hanger which I’m sure resulted in the world record for downloading not just the second book but all five in the series. I cannot wait to start reading. This book was all wrote from Lakes perspective and I kept finding myself wondering what was going on in Keiran’s head. Book 2 will answer that for me, hopefully, as it features dual Keiran and Lake perspectives. I have a feeling I won’t be much company for the next few days while I dive into the complicated world that B.B Reid has created. The romantic in me is hoping for a happily ever after but I’m not holding my breath and that has me excited because I don’t know where the story is going to lead! But I do know that I would highly recommend this dark and twisted story!

Nothing Left to Lose: (Parts 1 and 2 combined into a novel of epic proportion) (Guarded Hearts book 1) by Kirsty Moseley

Book Blurb:

I was broken, numb to want and desire, but then he came along…

Three years after the tragic events of Anna’s sixteenth birthday which saw her boyfriend killed and her kidnapped by his sadistic murderer, she’s no longer the happy-go-lucky girl that everyone used to know and love; she’s now cold, hard and suffers from night terrors.

Carter is currently serving time for the murder of Jack – a conviction that Anna helped secure – but his retrial is coming up because some key evidence appears to have been tampered with.

Needing to ensure his daughter’s safety, presidential candidate, Senator Spencer, tasks in Ashton Taylor, a newly qualified SWAT agent, to guard the broken girl and keep her safe until the end of the trial.

For three years Anna has refused to feel emotion or pain. Can Ashton help her rebuild her life and finally deal with the grief of losing her childhood sweetheart? Will he be the one to make her see that life is, in fact, worth living and that not all men will hurt her?

This original edition combines part 1 (Guarding the Broken) and part 2 (Blurring the lines) into one novel of epic proportions!

My Review:

We have all read books that have been big hits at the time but a year later we are reading the blurb of a book that looks interesting and wondering why it sounds so familiar. This is not that book. This is the book that you read and read over again and whose words will stay with you long past the last page.

I know most people read a story they love and can totally imagine it being turned into a movie or a TV show, but I am not that girl. I just don’t trust that Hollywood, or whoever, can put what I see in my head onto the big screen without chopping and changing the storyline so much that it’s virtually unrecognisable. Nothing Left To Lose is the only book where I have had no doubt that it could be a massive success on screen. It is written so well that the plot and the characters do not need to be developed or changed. You will read this book and you will fall in love. But more than that, you will learn that falling in love is not something you choose, but when it does happen it can make even the most broken person whole again.

Annabelle Spencer was never a typical kid, but growing up with a senator for a father did not bother her. At 16 her life was perfect; good friends, great parents, school going well and her amazing boyfriend Jake. But on her 16th birthday that all changes when she convinces Jake to take her to a club and they meet Carter Thomas.

Carter is a drug lord and arms dealer who is used to getting what he wants and when he sees Anna he knows he wants her. So he murders Jake in front of her and kidnaps Anna. She spends 10 long months as Carter’s Princess and then she is finally found, but it is very clear that her experience has changed her. Gone is the happy, care free girl who walked into the club that night. Instead she is cold, hard, refuses to be touched and plagued by night terrors every night. She is determined to be nothing like her old self and believes that if she doesn’t care about anyone then she has nothing to lose.

Carter has been in prison since Anna was found, after she helped the police secure a guilty verdict over Jakes murder by testifying. But a vital piece of evidence appears to have been tampered with causing there to be a retrial. What Anna doesn’t know is that her father, the senator, has been receiving death threats and letters that make it very clear Carter is not done with Anna yet. Which is when reinforcement is brought in to protect Anna.

Ashton Taylor is a newly qualified SWAT agent and the agency’s golden boy, ranking highest at the academy. He is assigned to go undercover as her boyfriend to go with Anna to college and help her adapt and stay safe until the trial end in 8 months’ time. Ashton makes it clear that he does not want to babysit anyone, particularly someone who goes through bodyguards like they are going out of fashion. But when he is promised his dream job at SWAT at the end of the assignment Ashton decides to give it everything he has. But from the moment he reads the file about Anna and her time in captivity, he feels a need to protect her that comes from more than doing his job.

Anna has spent 3 years keeping everyone at arm’s length but from the first meeting Ashton is able to get closer to Anna than anyone has in a long time. Despite her walls being up and his professionalism the chemistry between the two is obvious. Ashton forces his way into Anna’s life, breaking down all the walls she has set up, but lets her know that she doesn’t need them because he will keep her safe.

This book would be classed as a slow burn because it takes time for them to first become friends and then more. But that just makes the book so much more real. I liked the fact that Anna didn’t meet Ashton, realise how gorgeous he was and them forgetting all about her anxiety and sexual assault decides to drop her panties. Instead they build trust and Anna learns that she can open up a little bit more, safe in the knowledge that Ashton will protect her.

The both fall in love and the lines soon begin to blur. Ashton finds it incredibly difficult living in the shadow of Jake and worrying that Anna can never get over him. Anna feels guilty for moving on and living her life when Jake isn’t able to, but she is also able to recognise that what she feels for Ashton was so much more than what she had with Jake. But is a happily ever after possible for two people who are not supposed to be together. Is Ashton willing to risk his dream job for his dream girl? Can Anna let go of her insecurities and the past enough to let Ashton fully love her? And even if they do, what happens when Carter is released and decides he is going to take back what is his, his Princess?

This book quite literally has everything; murder, kidnapping, assault, new college experience, hot SWAT guys (I will let you argue over whether you prefer Ashton or Nate), angst, intrigue, love, amazing sex and a presidential candidacy all thrown into one! But stripping away all the drama and getting down to the bones of the story you will find a love story and a heartbreakingly great one at that. Watching Anna fall in love again after everything that she has been through was beautiful and boy did she stand no chance cos I fell in love with Ashton after only a few chapters. How could you not, he is sweet, kind, insanely gorgeous and is hard to scare away. But for Anna she had to fight through 10 months’ worth of shame inducing secrets that occurred whilst she was held captive, including secrets she never shared with anyone. But Anna learns that if she wants Ashton to love her then he needs to know all of her including the atrocious things that happened to her at the hands of Carter. She thinks that by telling her secrets she will lose Ashton but he’s so far in love with her that all it does is make him want to protect her more.

Even though it appears that Anna is the one who grows and benefits most in the relationship, she helps Ashton realise that there is more to life than his job. Their love story is one that has stayed with me long after I first read the book and is the reason I have gone back numerous times to reread it. This story reminds me of that classic cheesy saying that love really can conquer all, because that’s exactly what happens. Love brings together two people and makes their worlds better. It heals a person who thinks she is broken beyond repair and it gives a boy more to live for than just a job. Even though you never want to go through any of the pain and suffering that is featured in this book, I think anyone who reads this will be envious of their love. I am in an extremely loving long term relationship and even I was jealous of their love!

I think everyone deserves an Ashton in their life and he has been one of my go to, go back for more, regular book boyfriends for a while now. Because he is like this book, once you read this it will become etched into your soul and you will go back for more. This is the first book I’ve ever reviewed where I have wanted to give it more than 5 stars because I don’t think 5 does it justice. Kirsty Moseley has created a love story her that deserves to be known amongst the greats. When people think of true love they should remember Anna and Ashton, because I know I do! 

Dirty Like Me (A Dirty Rock star Romance Book 1) by Jaine Diamond

Book Blurb:

A gorgeous rock star. An indecent proposal. How can a girl resist?

Struggling barista Katie Bloom doesn’t even know who Jesse Mayes is until she inadvertently wins the coveted role of sex kitten in his hot new music video. But by the time she’s in bed with him, she knows his reputation.

Love maker. Heartbreaker.

Making out with a stranger in front of a camera crew isn’t how Katie imagined herself getting over a broken heart, but when Jesse touches her, sparks fly. The sex is fake but the chemistry is real, and soon the steamy video is blazing up the charts.

Then Jesse makes Katie an irresistible offer: act as his girlfriend for six weeks while he promotes his new album. The only catch? Their sizzling make-out sessions will be for the cameras only.

Which is fine with Katie, since she’s not about to trust her heart to rock’s most legendary lover. Her body? Maybe…

My Review:

The word Dirty is quite possibly the most accurate word to describe the rock group that are featured in this book series and my word the first instalment that features their lead guitarist and singer/songwriter Jesse Mayes is deliciously dirty. As the first book in the series it really does do a fine job of getting your attention and drawing you into the world of Dirty! I could not stop reading the book and with every secondary character that is introduced I am enticed into the world and cannot wait to read the rest of the books. I can already feel myself getting addicted and I am not afraid to admit it.

After nearly ten years with Dirty they have all decided to take a break and do some solo stuff for a short time and Jesse has worked with his elusive model sister Jessa, who is also a songwriter, to bring out a solo album. Jesse is your typical bad boy rock star with a trail of models and bourbon behind him, but the lifestyle doesn’t seem to have the same pull that it used to. He has just split from his first real relationship with Dirty’s bass player Elle after confessing that he does not feel the same way that she does. Throwing himself into his work he is determined to make his solo album a success with the hope of drawing his sister Jessa back home and into the world of music. First step in promoting his debut single is to film a music video, which is how he finds himself in Devi’s talent agency trying to find a model good enough to play his girlfriend in the video.

Katie Bloom is a quirky skater girl who lives with her Labrador and only socialises with her sister and her children, and her best friend Devi. Katie has been living a closed off life for the last two years after experiencing the humiliating heartbreak of being left at the alter by her fiancé. This has left her closed off, not wanting to date or even interact with the world but more importantly believing that she is not good enough and does not deserve to be loved. But one day when she visits Devi at her work she is soaking wet from skating in the rain and ends up stood in front of the most gorgeous stranger she has ever seen, offering him one of her homemade cherry pies!

The chemistry between Katie and Jesse is so obvious that his management team cancel the model they booked and demand that Katie star in the video. After a push from Devi to start living her life and to take more risks Katie finds herself at the home of Dirty’s manager Brody on the set of a real life rock star party that is being filmed for the video featuring the male members of Dirty. Katie’s role involves her wearing some sexy lingerie and climbing into bed with Jesse, who is only wearing boxers and pretending to flirt and have delicious morning sex. But when Jesse realises that Katie is not like the normal models and she does not even know who he is he quickly becomes enamoured with the girl and for the first time in him life he forgets the lyrics to his own song. He also breaks the flirting only rule and they kiss getting hot and heavy in an extremely sexy way.

After the shoot, and one of the hottest make out sessions that she has ever had, Katie does not hear from Jesse for nearly two weeks. But in that time the video quickly goes viral and becomes the most viewed music video on YouTube. The popularity of the video causes Jesse to chase Katie to her work place and ask her to go on tour with him. The deal is that if she pretends to be his girlfriend for six weeks on tour then he will give her $200,000. But is selling records and tour tickets the only reason for Jesse to ask Katie to pretend to be his girlfriend or does he have an ulterior motive?

Katie agrees to go on tour but only on the promise that it is all for show and Jesse agrees that everything that happens in public is for show but if they take it further in private that is for them. But no matter how much they kiss and touch in public and how hot things get Katie refuses to be just another notch on a rock stars bed post. So they start a bet, the first to give in to the others sexual advances must perform a naked show for the other. This leads to a whole lot of sexy foreplay that gets them both very sexually frustrated (and hell if I’m being honest me as well). But it is clear to everyone but Katie that Jesse does not want her for just one night and once he has her he’s even more determined not to let her go. However the foreign pressures of being on tour and in the public eye takes its toll on Katie and their relationship. She falls hard for Jesse but doesn’t believe that someone like Jesse could ever love her, after all he did tell her that he doesn’t do relationships. Can Jesse settle down and be with just one ordinary girl? And will Katie allow herself to be loved?

This book is so full of sexual tension and drama that even I felt on edge reading it. Not only is this book one of the best I have read in a while but Jesse is one of my favourite male leads. He is a deliciously sexy rock star who puts everything into his career, music and fans. But seeing his softer side and the way he cares for his little sister is so heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s clear that Jesse is one of these people that if he chooses to he will give you his heart and soul. But after being surrounded by people who want to take from him for so long he is closed off and guarded. He doesn’t think he wants a girl around for good, but all that changes when he meets Jesses Girl! And I completely cannot blame him because Katie is such a likable girl. She has been through such pain and heartbreak, but still holds her own with Jesse and the other rock stars. Their relationship is dirty just like the book says but it is also sweet and sexy. I could not recommend this book more! Bring on more of the Dirty men, it will take a lot to knock Jesse off my top favourite spot but after meeting some of the characters that I know will go on to get their own books I have a feeling it might be possible. I am excited for what Jaine Diamond will bring to the table next.

Just a bit twisted (Straight Guys Book 1) by Alessandra Hazard

As most of you know from my other blogs I have recently discovered the world of ménage and reverse harem and this new book series focusing on gay male relationships, with a straight guy unsure of his sexuality, was recommended to me. I am always a little unsure if I am going to enjoy branching out to a new genre but if this book is anything to go by then it is absolutely a type of book I will enjoy in the future particularly if written by Alessandra Hazard.

This book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions and you will not know if you want the characters to reach a happily ever after or not. The taboo professor and student plot line is something that can be done in a very sleazy way or in a way that is not very believable but that’s not the case here. When they begin their relationship there is an agreement to hide it from the outside world and they fall in love in their own little bubble. Some people may have an issue with the age gap or the idea of a ‘person in a position of power’ entering into a relationship even though they are of legal age. If these themes are an issue for you then this book may not be for you but I feel that the idea was handled well and that this book should not be dismissed just based on the theme alone. As the great saying goes don’t judge a book by its cover!

Shawn is a 20 year old college student on a scholarship, but is struggling to maintain his grades. Since the death of his parents he was left not only with their debts but also his two young twin sisters who he became guardian to. Struggling to find the balance between going to his classes, studying, caring for his sisters and then working to pay for their childcare for when he is at work or college, Shawn reaches a point where he faces losing his scholarship if he does not pass one of his hardest classes. That class is taught by the meanest professor in the college Derek Rutledge but there is a rumour that he is quite partial to a nice young boy and a bit of flirting might just persuade him to award a better grade.

Professor Derek Rutledge is hated and feared by his students and this is for a very good reason. He is strict, ruthless and doesn’t have any patience for teaching people who are not clever enough or who are not willing to work hard and this is makes his class the hardest to pass. He has heard the rumour that all it takes for him to change a grade is a bit of flirting from a good looking boy but this is not the case, despite the amount of people that try. Which is why it is so surprising that when Shawn walks in and flirts to get a better grade Rutledge unexpectedly agrees and this leads to a deal that will change both of their worlds.

Initially I found Rutledge very difficult to like but as his character developed you realise that he is wonderfully flawed and as his relationship with Shawn grew he softened allowing the more caring and better aspects of his personality shined through. It was also very refreshing to see that Rutledge knew what he wanted and was not afraid to go after it despite knowing how difficult the situation was. Nevertheless it was not just Derek who grew as a person in this book, Shawn had the biggest personal journey to go on. His entire life he has identified as straight and this has never even been questioned until he started entering into a sexual relationship with Derek and he realised how much he enjoyed it. After getting over their initial feelings of hating each other because of their situation, it became obvious that there really is a fine line between love and hate, which is when Derek begins helping Shawn to discover who he really is and allows for his sexuality and confidence to grow. This was beautiful to read and initially I thought that the plot line would be a little sleazy but it very much was not. Despite the age gap and professor/student status there was not a power imbalance and at some point during the story they both held power over each other. While Derek taught Shawn about his sexuality and discovering himself, Shawn returned the favour and taught Derek what it means to be in a relationship and how to fall in love.

As I mentioned before the book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotion as it is full of drama and angst. The background stories to both protagonists and their family life could not be more different whilst both being equally heart breaking and they are both missing something in their life until they discover each other. I really enjoyed watching the relationship develop and despite the scenario it seemed so natural. The sex scenes were very hot and a clever mix between sweet and sizzling which seemed just right for the character development and the relationship progress.

I started reading this book with a low expectation with it not being the usual genre that I enjoy but this book had me hooked and I could not stop reading. This is book one of a series and I cannot wait to start book two and am downloading it as I type this. If book two is as good as this book then I will be downloading the whole series and throwing myself into the world of hot bi/gay men who lust after and then end up sexually corrupting straight men in a deliciously sexy way. Alessandra Hazard definitely pushes the boundaries with taboo subjects which some people may not enjoy and I think you have to start reading this with and open mind but if you do then I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.