Mini Reviews: Shaken by Sylvie Fox; Three of Hearts Short Story Anthology; & Breaking Noah by Missy Johnson and Ashley Suzanne

Title: Shaken
Author: Sylvie Fox
Published: April 13th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

When Jessie Morales’ boss beckons her onto an elevator to discuss a possible promotion, she has no choice but to put aside her lifelong fear to find out what her future may hold.

LAPD officer Cameron Becker is shocked when his estranged wife of several years calls him after an earthquake. Despite their time apart, he’s off to rescue Jessie because he doesn't want her to repeat of the worst day of her life.

After their wedding, Cameron made a solemn vow: Once mine, always mine. Years later, he still holds fast to this belief. When a natural disaster brings them together, Cam is poised to get his wife back. But will Jessie choose family and career over love a second time?

My Thoughts:

After really enjoying the first two books in the LA Nights series, Unlikely and Impasse, I became ecstatic to see there was finally a third book. I managed to get my hands on a review copy and dove in happily. Unfortunately, it didn't match up with my love for the rest of the series.

Within the first few chapters, I was curious and interested in what was going to happen next. With Jessie's panic in the elevator followed by Cameron's appearance by her side, I thought things would pick up. The two of them have been apart for awhile, and he wants her back. Despite his efforts and how much he obviously loves her, she doesn't seem to care.

I tried to push through the story, to see if there was any sort of redeeming quality to it. While things turn around eventually, the time it took to get there was just rough. I had to skim if I didn't want to DNF. The promising start wasn't enough to keep my interest, and Shaken started to crumble and fall apart.

My Rating:

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Title: Three of Hearts
Author: various, edited by Kristina Wright
Published:  March 17th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Adult Fiction
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Three’s company? No, three’s a charm! Three of Hearts features sexy trios who are not just falling into bed, they’re falling (or have already fallen) in love. These stories explore the threesome dynamic emotionally as well as sexually. Whether it’s a couple introducing a third person to their relationship for just one night of fun or for a lifetime commitment, or a woman torn between two lovers who decides not to choose, the focus of this collection of sexy stories is entirely on female pleasure.

My Thoughts:

It's hard to review a bunch of short stories... so I'm just going to be generic about the overall feel of the book instead, otherwise I'd be here all day. I will say that the first few definitely kept my attention, and there were a few others that weren't too amazing, but still enjoyable. If you like short and sexy stories, there's a good chance you'd love reading the ones in Three of Hearts!

My Rating:

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Title: Breaking Noah
Author: Missy Johnson and Ashley Suzanne
Published: May 12th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

What happens when you start falling for your worst enemy? Fans of Abbi Glines and Monica Murphy will relish this addictive novel of smoking-hot seduction—and revenge gone so wrong, it’s right.
 
I wasn’t always this jaded. I had a clear head, things I wanted out of life, and a concise plan on how to get there. For being only twenty-one, I pretty much had it all figured out. Until the day my cousin died.
 
I spent months going over all the details surrounding her death, trying to figure out how I missed the signs, and the only thing I could come up with was she would still be alive if it wasn’t for one person: her professor. So I transferred to his college, enrolled in his class, and set my new plan in motion.
 
First I’ll seduce him. Then I’ll ruin him. I’ve just got to stay strong and not let his charm and my emotions get the best of me. Because someone has to pay for her death. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to break Noah.

My Thoughts:

I was supremely intrigued by the idea of this one--wanting to see what Zara was planning on doing, how she'd follow through on it without "falling" for Noah (although we know inevitably that it's bound to happen). She was determined, I'll give her that, and the two of them together definitely had a steaminess factor that was off the charts. However, both Noah and Zara are hard to root for (separately and together) because they make very (and I mean VERY) poor choices in life.

The whole plan is hardly foolproof when emotions come into play, not to mention a horrible boyfriend (that you can't believe the main character is with) causes all sorts of trouble. When secrets are revealed and the truth comes out, everything implodes... then gets put back together again almost right away. Wait, what? Yeah, you heard me.

Breaking Noah was an intriguing story that fell together a little too easily in the end to be believable. I was definitely enjoying it, and I think the main reason why I was okay with some of the things that were too ridiculous/too perfect to be true is because I couldn't stop reading. If I can't stop reading a book, the author (or authors in this case) did a good job. However, the story didn't blow me away.

My Rating: