Pretty Stolen Dolls- Ker Dukey & K Webster

Jade and Macy were kidnapped when they were young, naive girls. Their captor Benny had an obsession with dolls and making them pretty. A few years later Jade got away but couldn’t find where Benny was hiding with Macy. Now, she’s a qualified detective that will stop at nothing to find her sister and seek revenge on the made that ruined her chance of having a normal life.

The Good Stuff

This book was absolutely gripping! From the very start, I really felt a connection with Jade and had so much respect for her. She was obviously a very broken character but didn’t feel sorry for herself. I rarely felt sorry for her when I was reading as she was so strongwilled.

Benny was so well written, I hated reading him, some of the things he would do would shock and repulse me and the whole idea of his infatuation with dolls really creeped me out. He was written as almost sexy in some ways that you actually curse yourself for finding this vile character attractive, almost as if sharing Jade’s thoughts.

The flashbacks were used really powerfully. Usually when Jade would have a trigger of a memory. It was very well thought out and I would get so excited to read more about what Jade was put through.

I really liked Dillon’s character from the start. He added a little light humour to quite a dark theme and gave Jade some hope that she could actually work towards finding her sister and finally living a normal life.

Some scenes would literally make me cringe…I’ve never read a book that has done that to me before (and I’m a Stepehen King fan…!) it was a very warped kind of story but felt so real. It’s scary to think that something like this could actually happen.

This book almost shows some great signs of how I’d imagine Stockholm syndrome. Jade and Macy go through it in very different ways. They both reacted to Benny in different ways and their perspective of him was so different.

Not My Cup of Tea

I maybe would have liked to see why Dillon was not liked in the force. From his first introduction, I thought he was really funny and hoped we’d get to read more of him.

I’m only putting this here because I was so frustrated…It finishes on a very cruel cliffhanger!!! I was so looking forward to reading more and was so upset that I wanted to scream at my kindle and throw it…seriously!

Overall rating

To put it bluntly, I think that this is the best story I’ve read this year! I can’t wait to read the next book – Pretty Lost Dolls and find out what comes next for Jade…maybe find out a little more about Macy!

 

Casting Corner

 

Jade – Lily Collins

I saw Lily on a Netflix film recently and was really impressed by how well she can pull off an angsty character. She’s beautiful and very delicate like I imagine Jade to be, but can also really make a stand.

Benny – Kit Harrington

Benny was described as slightly scruffy but quite charming and good looking. Kit could also give Benny that angry edge that he has in this book.

Exactly Like You – Lori Sizemore

Thanks to Lori Sizemore for giving me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Exactly like you is the first in the Cupid’s Cafe series. What I’m guessing is that it’s a series that will feature two different characters each time that will be summoned to Cupid’s Cafe and be set up to fall in love…exactly my kind of stories.

This first book focuses on Roxie and Aiden, two people whose paths have crossed before when their lives were very different. Roxie was a social worker who is now unemployed and struggling with depression.  Aiden is now a thrill-seeking firefighter who Roxy met when his wife was struggling with a terminal illness. The two are asked to come to Cupid’s Cafe and were sat together. They both have their own battles and need to work together to overcome them.

The Good Stuff

I didn’t know what to expect at all with this story but I really enjoyed it.

The story tackles an issue of depression, it also portrays it so well! Roxie’s mental battle is so well written, you can really understand her anxieties and irrational thoughts that come with depression. I’ve read a lot of books where somebody is battling with depression and everything is just constant sadness. Which isn’t what depression is. This book portrayed it perfectly.

Aiden was really likable, Roxie was a complex character but I really rooted for both of them.

I really like the whole idea of Cupid’s cafe and hope that we get to find out more about its motive and its manager.

Not My Cup of Tea

I would have maybe liked Aiden’s best friend Kurt to have a little more of a role. His banter with Aiden was funny and good comic relief for the dark side of Roxie’s depression.

Overall Rating

This book was a really lovely and easy read! I can’t wait to read the next in the series!

5 Stars *****

 

Casting Corner

Roxie – Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams is one of my favorite actresses. I think she’d take on Roxie’s character perfectly.

Aiden – Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt…sexy fireman’s outfit…need I say more?

Defiant Attraction – V.K.Torston

I’m running so far behind on my reviews! I finished this about a month ago, Sorry V.K.Torston!

Thank you to the author of this book for providing me with a free coffee in return for an honest review.

I’m not going to lie…as freaked out as I’d get by something like this in real life, I love a good stepbrother romance. The very strange thing about this one though is that the main character’s name is the same name as my “stepbrother (Dad’s partner’s son)” so I did get a little weirded out and couldn’t actually put any other face to Dan’s name.

The Good Stuff

I liked the rapport between Dan and Sophia. Most other books of this genre I have read have been the average hate each other at the start and slowly fall in love kind of story. Although this is described in the book, it’s not what the majority of the story is. Dan and Sophia have formed a bond by the beginning of this book, mainly by sharing the love for annoying their parents.

Dan is also a really likable character, he’s not the stereotypical arsehole stepbrother like you often read, he has a really playful side and does look out for Sophia before it’s even hinted that he likes her.

It was a nice short read, not too long. Which kept me reading quickly to the end.

The sex scenes were not too graphic, they were simple and steamy but just enough in my opinion.

Not my Cup of Tea 

I feel like there could have been a lot more added in this book to make a little more of a story, such as a look into Dan’s background with his dad. Without adding too many spoilers, there was a slight touch on abuse and I would have liked to read a little more into that.
I would have liked to have had some confrontation between Sophia and the person who wanted to see her fall. It was hinted that she did it and why but that was about as far as it went.
Finally, I’d have liked to learn a little more about Sophia’s past relationship. We meet him and she reminds him why they broke up but from what I can remember, we don’t find out.

Overall

This was an interesting read that kept me hooked and I really enjoyed!
4 stars!

****

Casting Corner

Sophia – Victoria Justice

The ongoing joke between Sophia and Dan is that Sophia is part Puerto Rican but paler than Dan. I had to do a little research for an idea but found out that Victoria Justice is actually part Puerto Rican, but I’d personally never guess!

Seven Nights in Provence – Lena de Savoie

Thank you to the author of this book for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

Rupert is surprised when he comes to his second home in France and finds that he has a squatter…a rather attractive squatter who has lied to his staff and neighbors and told them that she’s his wife. With another wife in mind, Rupert needs to find a way to get rid of her without ruining his reputation.

The Good Stuff

I really liked this book! It was just the kind of story that I enjoy reading, light humour and a nice easy read, the odd slush, the odd steam…all good.

Deva was a really likable character in my opinion. When we met her she was portrayed as this annoying, naive girl who lied to get her own way. The character then builds to show a much more intelligent woman who told a white lie as the last resort and it spiraled out of control.
Rupert’s personality is very similar. I didn’t really like him when I first started reading him, he seemed quite stuck up and boring, his character built up even more than Deva’s to show a man who’d been hurt by heartbreak so was working so hard to compensate for it and was scared of it happening again.

I liked that we got to meet Rupert’s brothers, the heroes of the other books, which I really am dying to read more about! I really need to find out Crispin’s story as he was likely my favorite character.

The story was really interesting to read. I wasn’t actually sure what to expect from one chapter to the next. It kept me guessing but it wasn’t a massively predictable book, which was great.

The steamy scenes were also VERY steamy. Some to the point where I’d have to put my kindle away on the train to stop me blushing in front of the old woman trying to read over my shoulder.

Not My Cup Of Tea

I don’t have anything at all to moan about with this book! It was a really good read.
I would’ve maybe liked to hear a little more about Rupert’s ex wife. Maybe some flashbacks of her or something to see if she was as bad as other characters made her out to be.

Overall Rating

A really enjoyable book that I looked forward to reading on my daily commute. It would make a fantastic rom-com and I can’t wait to read the other stories in this series.

5 Stars *****

Casting Corner

Rupert – Patrick Dempsey

I imagined Rupert to maybe be a little younger than Patrick, but he has the perfect mannerisms to what I imagined Rupert to have. Plus, who does a bumbling rom com (or fake English accent) better than him??

As much as I’d love to cast Deva, I just couldn’t picture her while reading this story!