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TagTraumatic Past

Bentley (Vested Interests, #1) by Melanie Moreland

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
March 22, 2018
B

Series: Vested Interests*

Release Date: February 8th, 2018

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Three young men meet in university and form a lifelong friendship.
Their pasts dictate the men they are, but their present shapes their future.

What happens when these men meet the one person they are destined to be with? Can they fight their feelings and walk away? Or will they each succumb and learn the sweet agony of love?

Bentley
The leader of the group. He is uptight, formal, and cold. Rigid and set in his ways, always following the same path. Until the day, he stumbles upon her.

Emmy
She brings with her spontaneity and light. The world she lives in is so different from his, yet he cannot control the draw to her. Nor can he explain the way she makes him feel.
Happy.
Protective.
Loved.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine was abandoned by her whole family (parents and older brother)
• Hero’s parents died when he was young
• Abduction
• Suicide
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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Becoming Elemental (Five Elements, #1) by Ryann Elizabeth

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
February 8, 2018
B

Series: The Five Elements

Release Date: December 16th, 2017

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Eighteen year old Breanna Hunter has always seen herself as just an awkward teenager with the unfortunate aptitude for winding up in crazy and unexplainable situations.

After tragedy strikes, she ends up on a path she never knew was possible. Bre hoped her first year of college would be a life-changing experience and a new start. She will soon discover just how transformative college can be.

After another dangerous encounter, she meets five alluring strangers who are not as they seem. Together they uncover the truth, she is like them. She is an Elemental. Through them she learns that the Elemental world is not only filled with magical gifts and bonding, but also demons and danger.

Bre and the guys need to work together to figure out where she came from while keeping her safe from those who want her dead.

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Traumatic death of best friend (on-page)
• Violence
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have OW drama
– She ends up staying at the guys’ house because she’s family friends with one of the heroes.
• Does have the Heroes and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3/5 stars

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Lure of Oblivion (The Mercury Pack, #3) by Suzanne Wright

By Sarah
In 5-stars, Book Review
January 25, 2018
L

Series: The Mercury Pack*

Release Date: November 21st, 2017

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Gwen Miller may be a human, but she has no problem taking a stand against her own kind. She’s going to testify against the teenage boy she saw viciously assault a lone shifter female—and no amount of pressure from the boy’s wealthy family will make her back down. But when the harassment turns violent, help comes in the form of a lean, toned wolf with winter-gray eyes.

As a guest at Gwen’s inn, shifter enforcer Zander Devlin can’t help but notice that the fierce and leggy brunette is in serious trouble. Since she’s putting herself at risk for one of his kind, keeping her safe is the least he can do. That’s not the only reason Zander wants her close. He desires her, even as the wolf inside him backs away from her. But his feral instincts are hard to keep down, and as they take shape, they’re harder for Gwen to resist. Then again, embracing them could be the only thing that could save her life.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
• BIPOC supporting characters
• LGBTQIA+ supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Violence
• Domestic abuse (Heroine’s mother, off-page and memories)
• Emotional abuse
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW
• Does have OM drama
– Unrequited (and they never dated) by the Heroine
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 5/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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Ride Wild (Raven Riders, #3) by Laura Kaye

By Sarah
In 5-stars, Book Review
January 18, 2018
R

Series: Raven Riders*

Release Date: October 31st, 2017

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>

Insert Here

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Rape (off-page: the Heroine recounts her rape to the hero)
• The Heroine’s father raped her–there was no flashback but it is described
• PTSD
• Allusions to death by cancer
• Gun violence
• Dogfighting (off-page; the hurt dogs are on-page)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– The Hero is still dealing with the death of his wife (who died from cancer)
• Does have the Hero pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 5/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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Chosen (The Warrior Chronicles, #1) by K.F. Breene

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
December 28, 2017
C

Series: The Warrior Chronicles

Release Date: July 1st, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
It is said that when war threatens the world, one individual will be selected by prophecy to lead the Shadow Warriors out of the Land of Mist and reclaim the freedom which has been stolen.

Shanti has grown up under the constant threat of war. Since she helped her people defeat a raiding party by using a special power, she’s been a hunted woman. Carrying rare abilities and an uncanny fighting aptitude, Shanti is the only hope of salvation for her people. The problem is, she doesn’t believe in her own divinity, and when she flounders, she nearly fails in the duty hanging so heavy on her shoulders.

It seems like any other day when Sanders and his band of misfit boys find a foreign woman clinging to life in the wastelands. Oblivious to the weapon they now have in their possession, they are content to harbor the mysterious woman until she is well enough to continue her journey. But when the war spreads its arms and lands on her borrowed doorstep, Shanti has no choice but to reveal her secrets, plunging her saviors into danger.

If they band with her, they will face certain death. But to trade her to Xandre, the warlord desperate to add her to his war machine, would be to give up their entire way of life.

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• PTSD
• Murder of the Heroine’s village and family (including her husband)
• Grief
• Violence
• Allusions to torture and rape
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW
– The Heroine walks in on the Hero and OW, so the reader doesn’t “see” all of it.
• Does have OM drama
– The Hero makes it so the Heroine can’t pursue the OM though (double standards)
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3) by Sarah J. Maas

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
August 17, 2017
A

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Release Date: May 2nd, 2017

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• BIPOC side characters characters
• Lesbian and bisexual supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Violence (Blood and gore)
• Death
• PTSD
• Emotional abuse
• Allusions to rape (off-page, descriptions)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• Does have OM drama
– Heroine pretends to be in love with her ex-fiancé for strategic purposes in the war.
– There is no physical intimacy between them-the Heroine is disgusted by him.
• No pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Note: This is a review of the third book in the series; therefore, there will be spoilers from the first and second book below.

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A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) by Sarah J. Maas

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
August 10, 2017
A

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
• BIPOC sidecharacters
• LGBTQIA+ side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Severe PTSD
• Gaslighting
• Emotional and physical abuse
• Violence
• Death
• Torture (off-page, descriptions and flashbacks)
• Rape (off-page, descriptions)
• Allusions to gang rape (off-page, nothing graphic)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• Does have OW drama
– The Heroine gets jealous when the Hero flirts with an OW. She also thinks he spent the night with her, but it gets cleared up nothing happened. The Hero and Heroine were not together at that point.
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OM
– There is only one scene: Heroine sleeps with her fiancé early on in the book before they break up.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Note: This is a review of the second book in the series; therefore, there will be spoilers from the first book below. Click Here to read my review of the first book in the series.

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Make Me a Wish (The Conduit, #1) by K.B. Ladnier and Anita Maxwell

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
July 20, 2017
M

Series: The Conduit

Release Date: May 31st, 2017

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
“Ever made a wish and had it come true? Well lucky you, because I have never had any of my wishes come true.”

Arsyn Henley has had a rough life growing up. All the universe has ever done, is take every loved one she has ever had and give deep rooted scars—both on the inside and out—in return. When a relative she never knew about dies and leaves her a cabin in the mountains, she’s eager to start over with a new life. She could never have guessed her new life would be riddled with secrets about her family, new people to love and most of all magic beyond her wildest dreams.

Enter the four dashing Kismet brothers who take this broken girl on a metaphorical magic carpet ride through the world of Jinn—beings who grant the wishes of the human race—and slowly put back together her soul with pieces of their own.
But where there’s light, dark is soon to follow. Can she find the strength to accept her new reality and the people who come with it bringing all the beauty of love and light to her? Or will she falter and beckon the darkness to take her away as it’s own?

*This is a 400+ page Reverse-Harem series with some disturbing sequences of events, mild language and is recommended for ages 17+*

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Physical abuse (Detailed on-page at the start of the book)
• Attempted murder (Past, Heroine’s foster parents were abusive)
• PTSD (a by-product is the Heroine goes into rages when she feels out of control)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

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A Different Blue by Amy Harmon

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
September 30, 2014
A

Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 23rd, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Blue Echohawk doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn’t attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.

This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don’t know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can’t love you back might be impossible.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• Native American biracial main character
• Hispanic side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Sexual abuse
• Drug addicted parent
• Allusion to molestation (flashback)
• Abandonment
• Teen pregnancy
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
• Kinda cheating
– The Hero kisses the Heroine and is in love with her while dating the OW (so the Heroine is kind of the ‘other woman’)
• Does have OW drama
– The Hero has a childhood friend who he’s in a physical relationship with–the Heroine sees them kissing and believes they are a couple
• No OM
– The Heroine sleeps with OM but the sex isn’t detailed
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Painted Lines by Brei Betzold

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
July 14, 2014
P

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 16th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Warning: This is not a fluffy love story – it contains and alludes to violence, torture and rape – a heroine broken in mind but not spirit – a hero with his own past regrets.
 
Scout has always wanted to follow in her family’s business of custom bike building. Being female never stopped her from getting greasy and slapping on paint with the best of them, and made her work even harder at opening up her own shop someday.

When an opportunity to win $500,000 dollars in prize money presents itself, Scout and her group of misfit friends sign on the dotted line to be filmed for a reality television show to win it. But like anything in life there’s always a catch to free money.

When nightmares of the past meet dreams of the future, Scout is forced to face her demons, or be quickly over run by the memories. In the midst of her inner turmoil, family will come home, and possibly a life she never expected to have could be within her grasp.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• LGBTQIA+ side characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Allusions to rape
• Allusions to violence and torture
• Heroine dealing with significant PTSD
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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