Finding Ever After (Ever After 1) by Stephanie Hoffman McManus (5*)

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Reviewed by Vicki.

Out Now, purchase link below.

It’s been three years since she left everything she knew behind, but Jaxyn is finally done running, and returning home to Boston face the friends she abandoned without warning and the nightmare that still wakes her in the night.

Back in the childhood home that holds all of her memories from before life showed her that ‘happily ever afters’ don’t come easy, she is unsure of what the future holds. The one thing she definitely wasn’t expecting was Kyden McCabe, the hot, tattooed and pierced musician she meets her first night back.

All she ever wanted as a little girl was to be swept off her feet by a prince, but Ky is nothing like the heroes from the stories her mom used to read to her. He’s arrogant, frustrating and completely wrong for her. He lives his life one night stand at a time and she knows he’s nothing but trouble.

Still haunted by her past and afraid to let anyone see the scars she hides, she fights the attraction she feels for Kyden and wonders if she’ll ever find her storybook ending. Then a monster from her past threatens to rip away her chances before she realizes that maybe she already found it.

Content Advisory 17+ recommended

Finding Ever After (Ever After 1)

Vicki was given a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea of this story and the character’s created so much so that I ended up getting the other books in this ‘Ever After’ Series. It is not your typical Rock Star Romance.

Told from Jaxyn’s POV until the Epilogue which is from Kyden’s, It is a story which takes it time unfolding but I enjoyed the way the author wrote it.We don’t have the usual scenes there’s no un-planned pregnancies/secret child/drug use and it was a nice change from some of the other books I’ve read over the years.There are tears,laughter,sweet moments and character’s you will fall in love with (and a couple who you’ll be glad to see the back of!) Jaxyn and Kyden’s story is one that along with the rest of the series,I will re-read again. Although each can be read as a stand alone,it makes sense to read the whole series,as we do get more from each as the series goes on.

Reading Order is..

Finding Ever After
Chasing Ever After
Fighting Ever After (Kyden’s POV of Finding Ever After)
Saving Ever After
Risking Ever After (out on the 12th September)

Lev by Belle Aurora (5*)

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Reviewed by Shaz

No Preorder available.

Release date TBA.

From the moment Lev Leokov spots the young woman hiding behind her hair in the middle of the gentleman’s club, he can’t take his eyes off of her.
For the very first time in his life, he is affected. Having been told his entire life that he can’t process or understand emotion, he considers it a big deal.

When Mina Harris gets caught red-handed with a wallet that isn’t hers, she falls apart. She’s tired, lonely and hasn’t eaten in days.

Lev offers her an ultimatum… A nice warm bed, a hot meal and a job, or the cops.

Mina takes her chances with Lev.
After all, a person with nothing has nothing left to lose.

***This book enters the world of the extended Leokov family which are introduced in Friend-Zoned, however, is unrelated…***

I kindly received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Lev, plain and simple and I think I might have a girl crush on Mina too. I can’t tell you how much I loved this book. I sometimes feel bad when I leave 4 stars for a book I really liked but this is the reason I do it. For books like this, books that make me go “OMFG you have to read this”. Books that have me sitting up at 2am desperate for sleep but unable to part with the characters that the writer has made me fall in love with.
Lev is a beautiful flawed man. I don’t want to give too much away but I promise he will steal your heart.
“Love,” he advised gently, “is a doing word. And sometimes the people who least deserve it are the ones who need it the most.”

And Mina needs it.

Lev struggles to give himself over to her but her irrevocable love for him and the way she see’s him is a delight. She never falters or pushes him away and her journey into his heart is a pleasure to be part of.
‘Lev was a clink in my armour, a crack in my wall, and I just knew that if he really tried, I would open myself up to him completely in the hopes that he would do the same. I would do that for him. I would do that, because he was worthy’.

Her inner monolgue at times was also hilarious and not out of place or over used.
‘Where’s my damned kiss, Leokov?’

As always with Belle’s work the supporting characters are just as strong and she sets it up perfectly for what’s to come.

This is definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year and I can’t wait for the next installment from the Leokov Family.

Well Done Belle Aurora and thanks for the sleepless night. If you ever read this. Please can I be Lev’s penguin!!!!

Pretty When You Cry – Skye Warren (4*)

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Shaz was kindly provided an ARC in return for an honest review.
Release Date: October 20th.
No Pre-order available.

A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

Skye Warren is a beautiful writer who isn’t afraid to guide you into the darkness, what’s more, she’ll make you want to stay there. Pretty When You Cry is the story of Candace. After growing up in a twisted religious community where her self esteem was stripped from her, she finally escapes and meets Ivan, being the terrified young girl she is,he takes her in and claims her for his own, all the while keeping her at arms length. Ivan is a hard man but it is obvious from the onset that he cares for Candace deeply.

There is no getting away from the fact he is down right mean to her a lot of the time but the reader is also aware that he would never let anyone harm her. Ivan holds Candy on a type of pedestal, denying himself the pleasure of her. Haunted by his own demons, Ivans dark and sometimes humiliating forms of play, inadvertently give Candace what she needs and build her up to be a strong, independent woman but now she wants more. She wants Ivan, all of him and she’s not going to settle for less.

Ivan is an intense and complex character and I would have loved to have delved further into his psyche, this book was crying out for Ivan’s POV, there were many times I would have loved to have known what he was thinking or why he did what he did and although this book is a standalone, I did wonder if there was more to come from Ivan.
All in all, this is a captivating read for lovers of dark romance and Skye does not disappoint.

Obscured by Tara Sue Me writing as Cat Waters (4*)

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

Obscured was given to Emma through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Releasing October 12th 2015, pre-order link below.

There’s the truth you know….

At age 16, Athena Hamilton traded her body for survival when a powerful Vegas hotelier and pimp lured her into his world. Ten years of turning tricks has taught her to trust no one and feel nothing. Yet a chance meeting with a childhood crush sparks hope for something more.

The truth you believe…

There’s no way Isaiah Martin could want her. He’s a pastor. Too good. Too pure. But when she learns her days are numbered, she runs into the safety of his arms and trusts his promise of protection.

And the truth you never imagined…

The aftermath of a tragic accident and a bitter betrayal leaves her destitute and alone. The one man she shouldn’t trust offers her a chance to escape. But when good and evil collide, what do you do when the truth is Obscured? cover74815-medium

Obscured

I went into Obscured blind; I skimmed over the synopsis, the cover and Tara Sue Me was what drew me in.

Throughout the book there were twists and turns I never expected, it kept me wondering what would happen each time I turned the page. It was fast paced and quite enjoyable.

Athena Hamilton became a prostitute at 16 years old, after meeting Mike Randolph. After meeting an old friend 10 years later something within Athena breaks as she decides to run. This is when she find out the truth, truly is, obscured.

I found Athena to be a little bit flaky at times, but who can blame her when you read what she’s gone/going through. Her decisions at times had me shaking my head, thinking ‘you silly girl’.

Isaiah Martin, her old friend, tells her he is a pastor. When Athena makes the decision to leave, her path leads her to Isaiah once more. To begin with he was likable, a southern boy, all grown up, Athena can’t see he’s almost too good to be true.

There was a twist in the story, a good one in which Athena seemed to be on the way to getting her happy ever after.

Saying anymore would be a spoiler, so I’ll leave it there. Obscured was generally really good, 1* off for the flakiness of Athena and the fact it’s looking like a series but there was no mention of it.

The Air He Breathes – Reviewed by Shaz (4*)

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

I was warned about Tristan Cole.

“Stay away from him,” people said.
“He’s cruel.”
“He’s cold.”
“He’s damaged.”

It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster.

But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me.

We were both empty.
We were both looking for something else. Something more.
We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays.

Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and I have to say I was more than a little excited, I mean check out that cover for starters!

The Air He Breathes

I admit Brittainy C Cherry is a new author to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect but from the very beginning I was captivated by her writing. Brittainy has a natural flair with words creating beautiful sentences that read like poetry. This is a refreshing find in contemporary romance.

“We shared the same kind of laugh that was quiet, yet grew loud in the company of those we loved”

“I whispered his name, as if he could hear me, and I hugged the thought of him kissing me and holding me in his arms” but traditional lovers of new adult romance needn’t worry there is plenty of smouldering moments to satisfy your fantasies and have you thinking of Tristan long after you close the book “I can be rough. I can be gentle. I can make you scream. I can make you cry. I can fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to move. I can fuck you so slow that you’ll think I’m in love with you”

Tristan and Elizabeth have both suffered at the hands of heartbreak and your own heart will bleed right along with them as they struggle to overcome their demons, but their chemistry is evident. Elizabeth’s daughter Emma is heart warmingly adorable. Her best friend Faye is hilariously loveable (so much so I’m praying she gets her own book!) and there is enough twists and turns along way to keep you on your toes and stop the story becoming stagnant.

The only reason I have not awarded five stars is due to one element of the story that I just couldn’t relate to and wish it had been handled differently but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already downloaded another of her offerings.
All in all, this is a no brainer one click piece of lit which will take you through every emotion possible and leave you thoroughly drained but satisfied.

Review Policy

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

The Rockettes love to read, if we could we’d go without doing the washing or the cooking, alas we’re busy working mothers as well as readers. As you probably appreciate our TBR/Review lists are as long as our arms, so it’s not possible for us to read and review every request, we do look at each of them though.

If a book catches our eye then one of us at least will be able to read/review it.

We post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and here on the blog. Facebook will have a small review with a link to the review here. Twitter will have a link to here too. We may or may not post on our personal social media accounts too.

Please email us at rockhardromances@gmail.com stating ‘Review request’ in the subject line. We would like the synopsis, goodreads or amazon links if possible and a small excerpt, to enable us to get a feel for your writing style. It would be great if you could give us some info about the book as well:

Genre? (Contemporary, Paranormal, Other?Is it YA, NA, Adult or Erotic)

Release date? (

Standalone or series? (If it’s a series is it following one storyline or interconnected, is there a cliffhanger, are there other books in the series out or when do you plan to release them?)

Is there anything in the book that may be considered Taboo? (Ménage, Cheating, step-siblings, more extreme BDSM/Fetishes)

Please also tell us if you would like one or all of us to read and review. (Choice not always guaranteed, but we will try)

It might seem like a lot to ask but it really helps us get a feel of the book and whether we may enjoy it or not.

Please note – We all have Kindle’s – mobi format is preferred. We will only post reviews for books that we review at 3 stars or more. If your book happens to fall below three stars we will email you privately and discuss our reasoning.

Thanks for taking the time to read through our review policy, we can’t wait to hear from you!

The Original RHRomance Rockettes.

Contact Us – We’d love to hear from you!

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Rock Hard Romance

The Rockettes have a number of ways to be contacted email or facebook is the fastest way to hear back from us. Email us on Rockhardromances@gmail.com. Find our Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter links to the right of the page. Or you can fill in the form below, we will get in touch with you within 24 hours.