Asylum Series by Lauren Hammond - Insanity, White Walls and Beautiful Nightmares

Insanity (Asylum #1)

“I just want you to know that you are my sun, my moon, and my stars. My heaven, my hell, and my earth. I’d do anything for you. I’d go anywhere for you. If you ever left me, I’d follow you.”

White Walls (Asylum #2)

“Beauty is only skin deep but evil cuts straight through the soul.”

Beautiful Nightmares (Asylum #3)

“I've been cut down, destroyed, and demolished. Someone once told me that the human mind is like a temple. A sound structure. Compiled by bricks, cement, and straw."

What a book. What a story.

I read three books in the Asylum series in a day. Aside from the fact that the story is a total mind-f*ck, it also brings out a whole lot of emotions. You get to feel the sadness, disappointment, numbness, the rage and love from both the story and the characters. You also get to be inside the mind of somebody who's delusional and on the brink of crazy and insanity. The story is so dark and heavy that if I were in Adelaide's shoes, I wouldn't survive as long as her.

I've decided to review the three books all at once since I read it continuously for just a day. And I will refrain from giving out the plot or story for fear of ruining it for others. The mystery, the twists and turns in the story is crucial. If you haven't read this book yet, do not read the spoilers to enjoy the benefits of the mind-f*ckery that is this book. All the books were told in Adelaide's view, alternating past and present events and there is no chronological order to it. The chapters flow in and out, confusing us where one begins and when one ends. I believe book 2 is like the prequel to book 1 and book 3 happened right after book 1.

I also learned that the author is cooking up another series. With this new series in Aurora's view I think more questions that we have guesses to will be confirmed. Some of the questions I have where not answered solidly but was told in a fade to black way which leaves us all guessing and having our own assumptions. It was nice though and it added to the mystery of the story and I'm glad that it's not a case of a nasty cliffhanger.

This book is highly recommended as the story it is unique and totally brilliant. If you want mystery, angst, sadness and a bit of eroticism that's not detailed, this book is for you. It will mess with your head, it will pinch you heart and it will give you the thrill. But given all these I'm still left wanting to know more. This book is totally worth reading, I admit I was captivated by the series initially because of the pretty covers, but this book is pretty inside and out and it cuts through your heart. I love it. I can't wait to read Aurora's story.

Never Have I Ever by August Clearwing

I decided to try this book because I got it free from Amazon.

Initially it was interesting, thrilling, erotic and fascinating.

This is a story of Noah and Piper. Noah is hot alpha male, has issues and baggage, but utterly rich. I felt their chemistry and connection. I liked Piper, she is frank, upfront and straight forward.

However, this book got me in a funk. It had too much description and long inner thoughts of Piper than conversations and character interactions.

Noah is like Christian Grey and Gideon Cross combined. There were some similar situations that I felt it was overused already. I also found the pet names absurd because it was too much, from pet to sweetness to slut to duckling.

At about 60% is where the story picked up. I hoped it to be sooner as it tends to be a bit dragging earlier in the book. I felt that the plot came out only after the 50% mark and I was already starting to think that it was just another BDSM book. It took me a long time to finish this as I said I got into a book funk while reading it along with another book that was too dragging for my taste.

Though the book has so much potential and I liked the characters, just not how long the story played out and how too much twist and turns was put into it. I wanted the crimes, the mystery and the angst to happen earlier. And I also felt that the issues were too many and jumbled up and fast paced that it doesn't make any sense. In the end I still had so many questions like why go into the kink lifestyle blindly? Why they liked it in the first place? Is it fantasy or cure for their past issues? Why the need to be brutal when the issue is just sibling rivalry? How can two men love this Selene when she is an awful person? Why did Selene allow herself to be used? Why tell the police of the crime committed months late? There was just too much that I was just confused in the end.

The Dark Light of Day by T.M. Frazier

“I finally realized that it’s possible to love within a space that sometimes holds nothing but emptiness.. or nothing but darkness. After all, we all have darkness within us. Some of us more than others.” 

Told in alternating views of Jake and Abby, this is a story of two broken souls damaged by incompetent parents. Both being dealt with the harshness of life found each other and forged an undeniable connection.

This book is brutal as it discusses strong topics of abuse and rape. This is a beautiful heart breaking story of betrayal, disappointment, forgiveness and revenge.

Jake is considered a screw up, shunned by his parents and decided lived up to his bad reputation by doing illegal jobs. While Abby is a strong and resilient heroine, that’s hard not to love and respect.

I felt the pain and the hatred and the disappointment in life. I feel for Abby, I’ve cried for her. I also wanted to give up on her life for her. It was so hard to read not because I didn’t like it, in fact I loved it, but because I felt that life was so unfair to her.

I still believe that the end didn't justify the means in his case, but he truly deserved it. It was sick and twisted but well deserved.

The book is catching and interesting and utterly heavy but it was so hard to put down. I read it all in just a day. This book is a standalone. This is highly recommended.

Reading Order - Avoiding Series by K.A. Linde

Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding, #1) I read this first

Avoiding Decisions (Avoiding, #1.5) can be read before Avoiding # 3 

Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding, #2) I read this second

Avoiding Intimacy (Avoiding, #2.5) can be read separately as this follows Chyna's story

Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding, #3) - expected release December 10, 2013

Avoiding Decisions - K.A. Linde

I thought I'm over Jack.

I thought that after all the "shite" things he did that my heart wouldn't flutter if I read about him again.

I thought that Ramsey is already secured in his place and that I am in his team no matter what.

Well I was wrong.

This sequel made me confused as hell once again.

I felt Lexi and Jack's connection and I also felt the disconnect with Lexi and Ramsey. This novella in Jack and Ramsey's view not only made me anxious but also giddy and frustrated for the continuation of the story.

It was also nice to get inside the head of these two equally hot boys. And though it was short, it was written in a nostalgic way that captures the reader's interest. I seriously couldn't wait for the next installment. I'm excited to dive into the toxic world of Lexi and Jack and Ramsey.

This series is highly recommended to those who loved and devoured Olivia and Caleb's story in Love Me with Lies series as Lexi and Jack remind me of them. Both of these series are in my top favorite books.

This is a short novella from the Avoiding series of K.A. Linde 

Night Owl - M. Pierce

“She left me alone in the riddle. I needed her because I loved her — or I loved her because I needed her. Why had the feelings turned to a maze? Now I was lost in the dark.” 

This is a slight BDSM story in the premise of a successful literary writer and a wannabe publisher. Matt and Hannah met online and collaborating on a book. They do not know each other until unplanned circumstances forced them to meet. Told in alternating views of Matt and Hannah, the story talks about their love story, how they met and fall apart.

There were lots of hot scenes in this book but it didn't do it for me. The eroticism fell short on my view.

The hero Matt is a weird, reclusive and damaged character. He has certain fixation on things and acts young for his age. Although he kept many secrets he still deserved to be heard. I hated Hannah for not hearing him out and abandoning him.

But anyhow, I felt that I didn't really feel their connection at all. It’s like everything happened so fast. It was also frustrating that I didn't fully understand the character’s actions. I am not totally in love with the book but I liked it enough to not put it down. I read it in just a day.

There wasn't a cliff hanger if you don’t read the epilogue. The last chapter gives us a resolved story but the epilogue says it differently.

Despite my lukewarm acceptance of this book, I still can’t wait to read book 2 since there are still lots of that need answers.

This is book 1 in the Night Owl Trilogy

Guilty Wives - James Patterson and David Ellis

This is the first book I’ve read from James Patterson. After just recently reading mystery and crime genre for a change I was hooked. For fear of giving away spoilers I will only say that this story is about four friends who were accused of murder.

I particularly enjoyed the vacation scenes since it reminded me of Sex and the City. I liked how the story was written because it made me think and I had to write down the clues and details as there were lots of diversion. I didn’t even notice the length of the book since it was fast paced and it was so interesting. I also liked how the chapters were short.

The narration was also exciting as we get to read various views from the heroine, to the prosecutors, the guards, the husbands etc. There were moments when I wanted to shake the heroine Abby because of her stubbornness but I understood her reasons.

The ending was not really a complete shock since there were clues along the way but still it will make you think twice on the next scenes. I liked it! This book is recommended to those who love crime, legal and mystery stories and I can honestly say that this will not be my last James Patterson novel.

Indiscretion - Charles Dubow

“Pain is transient.  But love is eternal.”

When I started reading this book I never thought I could finish it because I felt that it was too long and that the writing has too much details and descriptions. However, the more I read the story the more I liked it and all the more that I could not put it down. And because of all the details and descriptions, it made the book more interesting, unique and thrilling. Also, since the words used were fairly formal, I thought it was a historical genre at first. The way it was written exudes class and sophistication. There is also an erotic feel to the writing. Thrilling and arousing. It was fitting for a story about rich people.

The author’s depiction of the different seasons with the different phases of the story was brilliant. It was inspiring and poignant how the seasons were used to separate and represent parts of the story. Summer represents the smoke and fire building the betrayal. Fall represents the weakness of the characters and how and why they fell for it. Winter represents the day the betrayal blows up. The day Maddy's heart became numb. The day her love and commitment turned cold and the numbness of her heart. Winter is the pain and the heartbreak of the Harry, Maddy and Claire and the knowledge of the double betrayal. Spring represents the realization that love is still alive and that love means forgiveness. It also means acceptance of what is really not meant to be.

This book is a story of marriage of Harry and Maddy, the perfect couple and how it was ruined by weakness and temptation. Their story is narrated by Walter, their close family friend.

This is a story of how a young woman, Claire, fell for the sexy older man. Harry is sexy, mature, successful and stable. I couldn’t really blame Claire for falling in love with him as I also loved Harry as a reader. Claire really did everything to tempt him and she succeeded. I also thought that she is manipulative and conniving. I eventually forgave Claire and realized that she was indeed young, but not blameless, but she also paid the price of her actions.

Maddy is the perfect wife, domesticated, submissive, supportive, and takes care of herself. I can't really grasp why Harry would be tempted at first. He has the perfect life. But he is human and he fell for his weakness and allowed it to consume him. If he was only strong enough to resist Claire's constant pushing.

One of my most hated parts was when Claire convinced Harry to go to the Hamptons home he shared with his wife because Claire wanted to try and imitate Maddy and see for herself if she could easily replace her. It was twisted. It concerned me how the husband could be so calloused to allow such thing. How can he defile their sacred place, their sanctuary as a couple? And the nerve to waste money, money that's not his, money owned by his wife. I am enraged! And after all blows up they still continued the betrayal.

After all this I realized that Harry really fell in love and it was all the more painful to fathom. He lost his friends, money, stability because of the affair but he was willing to forego it all for the mistress. He continued to be weak and move forward with the relationship. I’m just glad that he redeemed himself in the end and realized what’s important to him.

My heart broke for Maddy for what happened. Life sure throws her the ultimate pain. I can't say that she is unlucky because every step of her life her trusted friend Walter is around. I cannot think of a better friend than Walter. His life sure seems lonely but it was enough for him.

Though the ending left me devastated, it was really heart breaking, but it left us with lessons that we can apply in our lives. One of the crux of marriage problems, the passion dying, where the passion turns into a working relationship. This is the struggle of long term relationships. While I had hoped for the other ending, it was still beautiful and worth reading. Highly recommended.

His Ever After - Jessica Ingro

“If only I could tell her that our “love square” wasn’t actually a square at all. If only I could tell her that I love her with an intensity that is destroying me inside.”

This is the second book in the Love Square series.

Oh wow. So many questions were answered in this sequel. In the first book I really thought that Jacob is really just a ladies man and wasn't really in love with Sam considering how things badly things ended with them. I believed he would move on just easily and find another one to play with. I didn't expect the intensity of his feelings for her. He is a hopeless romantic inside. An alpha male cop being hopeless romantic is so hot.

The story was told mostly in Jacobs view but there were also views from Kara and especially Aiden. There were scenes in book 1 that were re-told in Jacob’s view and there were alternating past and present events.

I'm not sure what to feel with Brooke. She's a bitch but then she's had a hand why Sam and Aiden got back together again so I couldn’t really hate her fully at first. But when the gravity of her lies and actions were revealed I started to hate her. It became clear why Jacob couldn't leave Brooke. Brooke's ugly head is reared its way out. She is in fact manipulative and conniving. But I also realized that she is really broken inside. I felt hate and pity for her. That’s when I knew that Jacob is not an as**ole and I fell in love with him. He is brave and mature and sensitive for sticking it out with Brooke.

My heart bled for Jacob. Many things crushed him and brought him to his knees. Oh but he can be also be a total asshole if he wanted to, especially during his downward spiral.

“What is it about this girl who has me turned inside out? Why can’t I let her go, knowing that she’s unavailable? I keep asking myself those questions, but I can’t quite seem to find an appropriate answer. Maybe it’s because she is the kind of girl who makes you want to fall at her feet and worship her, just for a chance to get to know her. You want to be a better person with her. You want to be everything she wants and needs.”

At about 40% of the story started picking up and Oh my! Aiden is a dirty player. My wish for a confrontation scene with Aiden and Jacob happened and it was hot. I was so thrilled! Rough man to man talk whew!

My heart broke for Jacob when what he expected didn't happen. He is the ultimate victim in this entire debacle. At the same time I wanted to hug Sam for she finally matured.

“I forgave him because I love him. And that’s what you do when you love someone. You work through your problems and help each other to be better people.”

My heart broke for Kara in the beginning. It was beautiful how slow paced the relationship progressed. Their story was so beautiful and so hard earned. I liked her.

“You only get one person who completes you. One person who gets who you are and helps to make you better without trying to change you. One person that you can make babies with and grow old with. One person to share your dreams and hopes with. One person to hold until you die.”

Love Square - Jessica Ingro

“Why is it that married people wish they could live it up like single people, while single people are so desperate to be married? I guess it’s the typical cliché that the grass is always greener.”

Wow. This is a great book. This is the first book I’ve read from Jessica Ingro and I loved it. This is the first book in the Love Square series.

This is a story of marriage, cheating and finding true love.

Told majority in Sam’s view, at first I didn't feel any connection. I didn't feel her connection with Aiden, her husband but I felt the strain in their relationship. I felt Sam’s pain. I felt sad for their flailing marriage. There was resentment, failure and lack of communication in their marriage.

I felt Sam's pain and disappointment when Aiden blew her off, when he was distant and aloof and when he doesn't show any feelings to her. Then I was so perplexed when he suddenly wanted her again. Oh and let’s not forget that Aiden is also hot in bed. He may not be as adventurous as Jacob but he is definitely hot in his own right. My heart cried for him when s**t happened. I felt his pain, his love and his heartbreak. To accept after all that happened is so crushing and so brave. And what he did for Sam despite being sinister is brilliant and I loved him for it.

“All I want to do is make you happy. You really are my everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” - Aiden

When Sam started her flirting with Jacob I felt it went too fast. There wasn't any build-up of connection. They didn't really think about consequences of their actions. I really felt that Jacob was insincere like they were just f**k buddies. But the sex is 100% hotness. And the cop fantasy is so right up the hotness and erotic alley! And then somewhere along the way I felt that he really does love Sam. My heart breaks for him when she repeatedly tries to end what they have.

“Do you have any idea what it feels like to be absolutely crazy about someone and have them treat you like garbage most of the time? Do you?” -Jacob

I was really frustrated with Sam for her indecisiveness but I couldn't really blame her. Two hot guys oh man. Though I can't seem to feel sympathetic to her, I still felt her pain. It also felt weird because knowing her and Jacob’s history in high school I thought she wouldn't fall for his tricks again. But then she still finds herself begging his attention. I couldn't believe her actions when she reached rock bottom but it had to happen. It was poignant and that’s where I felt she needs help. She’s broken and she needed someone to smack sense to her. And when she eventually realized her actions she redeemed herself and I learned to like her.

“I love you, alright! I love you! And that makes me a horrible person because I love him too! I have no idea what I’m doing anymore. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if I just walked away from it all and made a life with you. But I can’t leave him! I just can’t!” - Sam

The words in the book are beautifully written, both heart breaking yet makes you feel being in love at the same time. It’s bittersweet. The writing also showed how Sam was talking directly to the readers. There is was no cliffhanger and I loved the Aiden POV at the Epilogue.

This book is highly recommended to those who love reading about marriage issues. This reminded me of Arsen but messier and despicable. But I loved it. And I must warn that there is cheating in the story and so read with caution. It's the perfect blend of angst and eroticism.

“I’m not proud of the way I’ve acted or the way we treated each other during that dark period in our marriage. All I can say is we took each other for granted. A marriage takes work and must constantly be nurtured. It’s so easy to forget that and get stuck in the day to day rigors of life.”

Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

“Alex, I don't want to date you. I don't want you to be my girlfriend. I don't want us to be together for just a little while. I want you forever. I want us to look at each other, and say we love each other, and decide to be together forever. Alex...I want to spend our lives together. If we ever decided we want to have kids, I want it to be me and you.” 

This is a beautiful second chance love story between Alex and Dylan. It is heartwarming, intense and heart breaking all the same. The writing is heartfelt and the connection between the two characters is palpable. I loved Alex; I love her strength and resilience. Dylan can be frustrating but he ultimately redeemed himself. There were moments when I wanted to smack him for hurting Alex. The secondary characters are also lovable from Kelly to Sherman to Carrie. Even in the absence of hot scenes, the attraction is there. And when they finally came together it was such a relief from all the heartache of Alex. 

I’m looking forward to reading more from this series. I read this first because this was released earlier than the book 1 (A Song for Julia), will read book 1 next. I love it. This is recommended to those who love heartfelt love stories with moderate subject matter and moderate angst.