Quintessentially Q by Pepper WInters (book review by Efterpi)

Author: Pepper Winters

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: December 13th 2013

Series: Monsters In The Dark #2

Pages: 376

Rating: 5 stars

Buy on: Amazon

Add on Goodreads  

All my life, I battled with the knowledge I was twisted… fucked up to want something so deliciously dark—wrong on so many levels. But then slave fifty-eight entered my world. Hissing, fighting, with a core of iron, she showed me an existence where two wrongs make a right."

Tess is Q’s completely. Q is Tess’s irrevocably. But now, they must learn the boundaries of their unconventional relationship, while Tess seeks vengeance on the men who sold her. Q made a blood-oath to deliver their corpses at Tess’s feet, and that’s just what he’ll do.

He may be a monster, but he’s Tess’s monster.

 REVIEW:

For those of you that considered Tears Of Tess a dark and twisted book then you should not read this one. This is a much darker, twisted, painful book that you can possibly imagine. I had to stop reading at some parts just to get myself together from the shock, to register the fact that I was actually reading that particular scene or paragraph.

The book continues where Tears of Tess left off, we read one of the hottest sex scenes and I felt like everything would be okay in this book. Everything would turn out alright and Tess with Q would be able to do what they swore to each other.

The writing was great, the author did a great job with the point of view of Q and to be honest with thought and talked the way I had pictured him doing in the first book, so thats a plus for the story, when the author can actually sense what her fans need and deliver it. She also did a really good job with getting my heart ripped out of my chest.

Tess is being kidnapped under Q's nose and I wont spoil anything to you, I will just warn you that what you will be reading is games and fun, love and romance. It's violence to its extreme to the point that I panicked thinking even for a minute what trafficking victims go through. The only thing that I will tell you is that Tess will go through the 9 circles of Hell and back. As for Q, Q broke my heart into a thousand little pieces.

The writing like I said before was so good and this time the author gave Q a rather more animalistic side entwined with love for Tess. It was a scary narration since we see what a human can actually do if he has the means to take back what was taken from him. How can someone lose hope and find it to the weird places, how you shut down emotionally when someone you love is being forced to do the worst of tihngs, things that are no humanly imaginable and how you cope with these thoughts.

This is one great read with more adventure and pain that ever you ,will more than mesmerized by the talent of the author.

Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters (book review by Efterpi)

Author: Pepper Winters
Publisher: Black Firefly
Publication Date: August 28th 2013
Series: Monsters in The Dark #1
Pages: 376
Rating: 5 stars
Buy on: Amazon
Add on Goodreads

   A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”

        Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.
       For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.
       But lusty paradise is shattered.
       Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.
     Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.
    Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

Review: 

Tears of Tess ARC was kindly provided by Black Firefly books

 I only have to make one statement on this particular book.
If I was Christian Grey I would probably weep in front of Q. A lot of people related this book to Fifty Shades of Grey and to say the least: They are so so wrong. Tears of Tess is a much darker, much agonizing, much much more mature and well developed book than Fifty Shades. Q himself is a book on its own. Tess herself is a bible on her own. The Plot itself is like nothing I ever read before.

It all starts with Tess...a 22 year old university student getting ready for a vacation to unknown with her boyfriend Brax. From page one I wanted to slap her so hard so she could wake up (that changed later). We see a girl in a relationship that she is not completely happy in, she wants to try new things and then she is scared the reaction of her possessive, yet protective and sweet boyfriend. I read her fears and her thoughts while she was trying to find a way to change Brax.

The vacation doesnt go the way they planned, not because of what you may think but because Tess failed to make Brax see what she wanted the most. More action in the bedroom.
While in Mexico, Tess is being kidnapped by human traffickers, her worst nightmares simply could not be compared with what she went through. And this is where the book actually started for me. This is when Tess is being transformed to a strong human being trying to survive under the worst possible conditions, while she is beaten and degraded from animals. I loved the fact that the author did a good job describing the feelings of Tess while she was being abused,the thoughts, the ways she planned to take revenge and get the hell out of there.
Suddenly from an unknown place she found herself in France,being mocked by a rich,twisted, dark Man. A man she loathed at first sight, Q.

Meet Q Mercer ,the most broken, dark, twisted, beautiful character I ever read in a book. The most troubled creature that no one could save or so he thinks. He is a man that doesnt know how to control his feelings and urges and he is even scared of how far he can go with himself. But as the book moves on we learn that beneath every monster there is a broken man fighting with his demons, a man who cant show any emotions because behind all this armor he is too scared and vulnerable.

Tess is being troubled by the need to be touched by Q to be devoured into this twisted world of his. She wanted whips and straps and handcuffs and now she has these and an even more frightening future awaits her. She finds herself attracted to Q and again we see the genius of the author as she made Tess go back and forth in her mind, torn between her old life and the new, between Brax and Q, we see her making the comparisons, troubled and confused between right and wrong until in the end she chooses what she thinks is right.

This is a brutal love story, dont expect romance, poems or roses this is the world of a twisted man with only dark thoughts and actions to mark his life and the life of Tess. I cant say anything more in this review without risking spoiling important things to you.

Tears of Tess has everything in it, from stupid romance, to kidnapping, to violence, rape, human trafficking ,abuse and humiliation to hardcore BDSM. It gives a sense of dark masochism and how it feels to be a submissive. How deep down all of us hide a room with our darkest fantasies, fantasies that even scare us, fantasies that can be released as easily as we thought of them and either get us drowned in blood or drowned in pleasure. A book about self discovery, self appreciation, self understanding and the power of taking control of who you are and coming to terms with.

I simply cant wait for book two.

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen (book review by Efterpi)

Author: Jessica Sorensen
Release Date: August 6th 2013
Publisher: Forever

Pages:400
Series: The Coincidence #1
Rating:5 stars

Buy on: Amazon
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For Kayden, suffering in silence was the only way to survive. If he was lucky, he could keep his head down, do as he was told, and make it through the day. But one night it seemed like his luck-and his life-might finally end... until an angel named Callie appeared just in time to rescue him.

Callie has never believed in luck. Not since her twelfth birthday when everything was taken from her. After the worst was over, she locked up her feelings and vowed never to tell anyone what happened. Now, six years later, she continues to struggle with the painful secret that threatens to consume her.

When fate lands Kayden and Callie at the same college, Kayden is determined to get to know the beautiful girl who changed his destiny. Quiet and reserved, Callie still fears letting anyone else into her world. But Kayden is certain that Callie has come back into his life for a reason. And the more he tries to be a part of her life, the more he realizes that, this time, it's Callie who needs to be saved...

Review:

I had this on my reading list for quite some time now and as always I picked it up becaise I could not find one of the books I was looking for...as always it was by chance...by chance a really well developed, great book.

As you all know by now I usually drop a book on page 30 if its not good and a lot of times I decide whether or not I will continue reading from page one. With this one I had a really strong bond, mainly with Callie, reading the prologue was all I needed to know that she would be a complex and well developed character. The author did a really good job with creating Carrie, she threw in just the right amount of sadness, melancholy and pain to give us a 18 year old wanting to leave her nightmares behind and get control of her life. Just the right amount of teen-angst in addition to the uncertainness of the newly emerged adult.

While Callie leaves for college with her best friend, she tries to do all the thing she wasnt able to do while back home, go to parties, fall in love, let someone understand you and feel you and all the things normal people do. She missed all those things because someone stole it from her.

The author managed to give us a broken from rape character, developed in that way that I felt she was real, she was an actual victim.The thoughts and the perspective of life was so different from what we experience in todays yound-adult, new adult novels these days. Although this is one of the cliché love stories it was told in that way that made it a little different. My heart felt for her so many times while she was trying to change her life with small steps one of the time with the help of  Kayden, a boy from her past, a boy she could not forget because simply he seemed as troubled.

Kayden coming from an abusive family, an abusive father and an alcoholic father, tries to leave everything behind and get as far away from his home as possible. One summer night of one of the parties his family had his dad would go over the edge as usual and abuse him, it would be bad if it wasnt for Callie, who she was passing by by accident. She saved him. After that Kayden was looking for  her everywhere until he accidentally bumped on her on campus. And here everything changes.

There is not a lot that I can say on the plot because I dont want to spoil any major scenes.

What I loved about this book is the fact that the author took her time to develop the relationship between those two and I felt like I had all the time in the world to read this amazing book. The book is mostly about facing your fears, coming to terms with our inner demons and taking control of the life that was stolen from you. Do not expect insta-love and romance from page one because thats not gonna happen and I loved it so so much.

 One of the major things that had me so pissed about the plot was the freaking CLIFFHANGER!!!!! Like SERIOUSLY? Thank god I dont have to wait for book two.

Other than that I think the Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is an amazing read, probably perfect, the author made me relate with the characters and change my ideas on some subjects.

I really hope you will enjoy.

Torn by K.A. Robinson ARC (book review by Efterpi)

Author: K.A. Robinson
Release Date: May 7th
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Torn #1
Pages: 268
Rating: 4 stars
Buy on: Amazon

 Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past.
On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.
Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.
Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?
Long hidden feelings are revealed and friendships tested to the brink.

Review:

This ARC was kindly provided by Atria Books through NetGalley.

This book contains a love triangle so I warn you...there will be a lot of hair pulling and a lot of head banging on walls, sinks whatever you find to hit your head from despair.

To be honest Torn follows the tradition of Easy by Tamara Webber and Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire BUT with a huge difference apart from the love triangle - there is a lot of passion and tension in this one and that's what's sets it apart from the rest.

Meet Chloe, a twenty year old whose mother is a junkie and absent through her life, Chloe had to put up with her mothers crazy behaviour through her childhood up to her early teenage years, leaving her with a lot of scars both mentally and physically. As she tries to lead a normal life she goes to college with her two best friends Amber and Logan -and here starts the fun.

Chloe comes across Drake the hot pierced and tattooed guy that sits next to her in her classes and she starts falling for him (i would too), slowly they become friends and start hanging out more and more and here comes Logan in the picture. I won;t ruin it for you so I will leave it here for you.

The plot was amazing, although there are some scenes that you really want to scream a huge Why? to the author I loved this book. The characters are well build and you instantly know who you like and who you don't. For example Logan simply did not cut it for me because I could relate to Chloe being controlled by her boyfriend or best friend -and thats what I consider a great book - the ability of the author to create such characters that the reader can relate to, can actually feel their frustration or happiness and all the emotions in between.

The book has a lots of ups and downs so get ready for a crazy and emotional roller-coaster, most of you will be torn between Drake and Logan, some of you will chose whose team you want to be in from page one and yeah thats the nice thing about love triangles - you don;t know who will end up with who. Where's the fun to a simple book with no love triangles, no teary eyes, no heart breaking moments and no make up sex?

This is a book that every romance fan will love to read and probably read again. Can't wait for the second book.

Breathe Into Me by Sara Fawkes ARC (book review by Eleni)

Author:  Sara Fawkes
Release Date: April 8th 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 288
Rating: 4 stars
Buy on: Amazon

How did my life get so broken?  It’s a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day.  Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker exboyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.  

And then, she meets Everett, who changes her entire existence.

Everett is an outsider who’s housesitting his family’s mansion off the coast, and for reasons Lacey can’t understand, he’s completely transfixed by her. He seems determined to show her that life can offer more than she’d ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself.  She desperately yearns to trust him, but what happens when she finds out that everything he’s told her is a lie? 

Review:

I received this e-book as an ARC on NetGalley from St. Martin's Press and I totally loved this book.
Although, there is not a lot to say without spoiling anything to anyone, Breathe Into Me had my attention from page one.

This is just not any romance book out there, its a story about self discovery, self-appreciation and the journey of finding yourself and the power with in you. The book itself it was so good written, the characters so well developed that I instantly liked the laid back conversations between Lacey and her friends, I could actually relate with Lacey ,I felt her happiness and sorrow ,her ups and downs, because honestly this book is an emotional roller-coaster and the ride is hard.

Coming from a broken home, with a dead father and a retired from life mother Lacey can only help her little brother. As she tries to find a way out of her abusive relationship and her ''friend'', she decides that she needs to change. Coming across Everett helped her a lot and he helped her too.

I loved the conversations between them and I appreciated that the author actually took her time developing their relationship slowly that it was almost a torture but the outcome was rewarding. You can actually see the attraction growing between them and you can actually learn a few things about them because the characters have depth, the have emotions and thoughts and that makes them awesome.

What made this book more interesting was the unexpected plot twist that seriously I didn't see coming, once I thought that everything is perfect bam! everything changes, from then on the book becomes a little more serious and the story comes packed with revelations that will everyone speechless. I was actually turning the pages like crazy.

The ending was really good and although I dont know if we will have a chance to see a second part of Breathe Into Me , I am more than interested to read one.

A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire (book review by Eleni)

Author: Jamie McGuire
Release Date: December 10th 2013
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Beautiful 2.5
Pages: 160
Rating: 4 stars
Buy on: Amazon , Barnes and Noble

You know that Abby Abernathy unexpectedly became Mrs. Maddox. But what do you really know?

Why did Abby pop the question?
What secrets were shared before the ceremony?
Where did they spend their wedding night?
Who else knew about it . . . and didn’t tell?

Everything about Abby and Travis’s elopement was top-secret . . . until now. Fans of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster will get all of their questions answered in this whirlwind tale of the wedding day (and night!)—and as with all good stories, this one will definitely have been worth the wait.

Review:

Well finally, finally, finally, i get to write the review. Agh. Usually I don't like novelas because after i finish the book i want more but this is not the case here.

   I loved this one because you get an insight of the situation Abby and Travis got married under. Abby had her reasons for proposing and to be honest I couldn;t agree more with her. You actually feel the anguish and the agony to save him from whatever's coming for him and you get to see a sweeter and more loving side of Travis. He broke my heart and made me love him more.

Although, a lot of people didn;t like the idea of marriage after a year of being together this book justifies the reason it happened...the factors that led them there and what impact it had on both of them. How it changed them within a day and how that made their love even stronger. 

No this story is not  a 100% happy one. Its not about flowers and hearts and angels but its all about the sacrifice you are ready to do for a person you love and care for even if it breaks your own heart.It made me think of my own marriage and what i would sacrifice for my husband if it came to a difficult situation.

I think this book will please everyone who read Beautiful Disaster and got disappointed with the lack of the marriage description and why it led them there.

Unteachable by Leah Raeder (book review by Eleni)

Author: Leah Raeder
Publisher: Velvet Pony Press
Release Date: July 27th 2013
Pages: 356
Rating: 5 stars
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers. 

I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.

But I couldn’t run far enough.

I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher.

I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.

And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.

Review:

This book is beautiful..simply and amazingly beautiful. It starts with the main protagonist Maise, being in a carnival during a summer night doing nothing but wander around. Since the first sentence, we know that we have nothing to do with the classic heroine that falls easily in love, that gets excited with boys, we have a cynical, sarcastic, wild and no- fucks- given- girl that the author crafted so carefully I thought Maise was real.Apart from that, the whole plot falls under the category of contemporary and it is a cliche love story but  seriously the first two pages of the book did it for me and I couldn't stop reading until the book was finished.

The writing is so so so mesmerising and the words blend together in a way that makes you want to jump out of your bed ,chair whatever and run the world until you find real love. It's so intoxicating sometimes it hurt. While reading this book I remembered how I acted as a teenager in love , when you fear nothing and no one, you are your true self with no restraints and want nothing more that one person in your life. That's what I consider an amazing book, the ability of the author to make you relate with the characters and the story. 

We dive into a real dysfanctional family with a long gone father and a mother who does nothing more than drink all day and according to Maise *suck her clients dicks in her van for more money* , while Maise has to fend for herself on her own. Her whole personality kind of reminds me of a slut or that is until she meets Evan at the carnival and then in his...classroom. 

The forbidden love makes the whole relationship a lot more interesting and anticipating. Maise starts to change her view of the world and the people around her , Evan is just as cute and broken as her. Although, they both are in love they deal with their problems on their own, they box them up and put them in the back of their heads and those boxes are starting to make a wall so tall and crammed up until everything comes down. I loved the fact that they were understanding of each other no matter their age gap and made their mistakes as a couple and then learned and moved on after forgiving each other.

While they try to be careful with what they do and when there are slip ups and a dark figure obsessed with Maise documents her everyday life. Sneaking in classrooms and making out with your teachers must be a huge dose of adrenaline and recklessness and you lose track of time and place until someone sees you. 

The narrating was in past tense giving the sense that Maise was in a different place and time when she was telling the story and that had an extra bit of biterness and sadness in it, I felt like I could hear the rise and fall of her voice while she was telling me the story. It was so alive. 

The 75% of the book is fast and intimate...like really really intimate. Although, I would like a little more talking between them than raw (sometimes) masochistic sex I liked the sex scenes a lot. 

This is a book about growing up and learning from your mistakes, whether you are 18 or 33 you still make mistakes and you still learn. How a person can change her whole life in just a few months and how she sees things after she finds trust and love to the most forbidden person - her teacher.

Unteachable is the kind of book that I will read again some time soon...really soon. Hope you like it too.