Owning Violet by: Monica Murphy

I've moved through life doing what's expected of me. I'm the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family's business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I.

Until he got a promotion and left me in the dust. Maybe it's for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me. He too has an overwhelming thirst for success, just like Zachary - perhaps even more so. He's also ruthless. And mysterious. I know nothing about Ryder McKay beyond that he makes me feel things I've never felt before.

One stolen moment, a kiss, a touch . . . and I'm hooked. Ryder's like a powerful drug, and I'm an addict who doesn't want to be cured. He tells me his intentions aren't pure, and I believe him. For once, I don't care. I'm willing to risk everything just to be with him. Including my heart. My soul.

In the novel Owning Violet by Monica Murphy, I was introduced to Violet Fowler who is an heiress to the Fleur Cosmetics fortune and Ryder McCay, one of the company’s employees in the marketing/packaging department. Despite fact that she appears to others as a nervous wreck and emotionally fragile and at time aloof, Violet has taken the role of the dutiful daughter who wants to one day run Fleur Cosmetics. She has a philandering boyfriend, Zachery Lawrence, that she knows is cheating on her but she has decided that they WILL be together until that one day she has decided that she had enough.

Ryder McCay is a reformed bad boy turned good with the occasional tendencies to be bad oozing out of his tailored suits and well groomed hair. He has a shady past and has set his eyes on Violet; believing that if he was with her then he would get opportunities for career advancement… with Violet being the daughter of the CEO of the company he works for. So like all shady plans to scheme and use someone, Ryder’s appeared to work for a few seconds before Violet realized that what he had to offer was not enough or maybe even too much, than she was will to tolerate. But then they all lived…I’m not completely sure how they all lived or turned out.

Overall, the characters were likeable and I somewhat liked the story, but honey, let me tell you… something was missing. Violet has two other sisters, Rose and Lily, who played significant roles in the story but the way to story ended gave me information about them without any rhyme or reason. And then how did the dad end up with that one chick? And then there was this overwhelming feeling I had, that Ryder was leaving something out of his life story. I don’t know what, but like my overall feelings about this book, something was missing.

I, digress. I am somewhat looking forward to reading the follow-up novel Stealing Rose. However, if I somehow forgot about it, I would be okay.

A complimentary copy was provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The One by: Belle Ami

          

How well do you really know the one you love? An erotic novel full of obsessive love, dark secrets, and unquenchable lust, Belle Ami’s The One proves that no one is quite who they seem.

Adelia, a rising star in the equestrian world, is still reeling from her parents’ deaths in a tragic car accident when she meets green energy investment banker Miles Bremen and his charming yet inscrutable twin sister, Karolin. With his insatiable lust, Miles ignites a passion within Adelia she never knew existed, and the two quickly find themselves entwined in a torrid affair that knows no bounds. Little does Adelia know, however, that her meeting of the Bremen twins was no accident. Carefully selected as “the one” for her unsettling resemblance to the emotionally and physically damaged Karolin, Adelia is targeted to marry Miles and bear the children that Karolin cannot have.

The One is a razor edge mystery that enfolds on the playgrounds of the super rich, from Trump Tower to the Hamptons and Palm Beach; to the Amalfi Coast aboard Miles’s mega-yacht Green Way, The One is irresistible as the reader is drawn into Adelia’s journey through a suspenseful – and erotic world. An edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave readers breathless in more ways than one, The One is an irresistible journey through—new territory that fans of romantic fiction are bound to love.

One Night Denied by: Jodi Ellen Malpas

 The passion that burned between Livy and Miller in One Night: Promised may end up destroying them both in this new novel of overwhelming desire and shocking discoveries...

He's amazingly wealthy, sinfully gorgeous, and can bring her to heights of pleasure she's never before known. For Livy, there's no turning back. She's determined to be the light in Miller Hart's dark world. Yet this new life comes with a steep price...

Miller knows that the power he possesses hasn't come without sacrifices-but he won't let Livy be one of them. Though he wants nothing more than to have her in every way, his first duty is to protect her at all costs...from his sins, his enemies, and especially himself.

But as their insatiable affair intensifies, the two attract the attention of an obsessive-and dangerous-third party. Discovering new revelations about Miller that rock her to the core, Livy will have to decide whether he's ruined beyond repair. And he must face his fear that in order to save her, he may have to lose her after all...

Wow!!! I am not sure how to tell you about One Night Denied by Jodi Ellen Malpas. As the follow-up novel to One Night Promised, One Night Denied picked up about two weeks after the infamous hotel lobby cliffhanger. Livy has tried to no avail to get her life back to the way it was before wrecking ball Miller slammed into her normal life. However, her judgment could be called into question because of some of her decision making skills or lack thereof. From finding herself in a compromising situation with someone who was even more unavailable than Miller to partying it up at Club Ice which owned by you know who and then is surprised when all hell break loose.  

This read was nonstop. There was so much going on here as the story unfolded that extended way beyond Miller and Livy. There were back stories to back stories that answered some of the questions I had after book one, but presented new questions. One Night Denied had so much drama within its front and back cover that was both necessary and unnecessary. However, as I continued to read, there was a point when the songs playing on my Pandora station were reflective of all the drama unfolding as Miller and Livy fought against the world. From Mr. Know-it All by Kelly Clarkston to Complicated by Rihanna each song told parts of their story in this book of the One Night series.

I digress. This was a difficult book to review. I enjoyed reading it mainly because I have grown fun of Miller and Livy and consider myself a fan of JEM. However, as I said before there was a whole lot happening in this novel and it is hard to articulate my exact vantage point without giving away any spoilers. Nevertheless I am definitely going to recommend that you jog on over and read this one, because I am convinced that the final book, One Night Unveiled, will definitely make this trilogy your thing.  

Black Likes by: Alessandra Torre

I must say that even after receiving a complimentary copy via Netgalley, I was still hesitant to read Black Lies. I read reviews that were not all bad or all good, but only left me seriously debating rather or not I should read this novel. So after going back and forth about rather or not to read this story by Alessandra Torre, I found myself in a conundrum of sorts and eventually decided to just do it. I read the darn book!

Cautiously, I tapped on the tittle in my Kindle app and proceeded and I was wowed. I loved the story of Lana and Brant and Lee. I mean wow with all that was going on… I mean I could not imagine being in a relationship, a love affair of this kind.

Lana loved Brant. He was smart, charming, funny, rich, slightly awkward, and a kinkster to boot. She loved Lee. He had that edge and that “je ne sais quoi” quality that made him dangerous yet addictive. She loved these men fiercely and the both loved her back in their own special way. However, with all of the ups and downs and being tossed upside down, this story was all about one woman loving one man unconditionally.

I digress, Alessandra Torre did an excellent job at weaving this complex tale of these star crossed lovers. The story was a complicated tale, but one that was well worth the mystery and the unraveling of one secret after another. This is one that I am sure to not forget and one that I will surely suggest to others to read it for themselves before believing the hype of a negative review.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend that you Run and Read, Black Lies by Alessandra Torre, because you will not be disappointed. Job well done Ms. Torre…job well done!!!