It Ain't Me, Babe(Hades Hangmen #1) by Tillie Cole

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 466 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1499291019
• Publisher: Tillie Cole LTD (26 April 2014)
• ASIN: B00JZ5V744

Sinning never felt so good… 

A fortuitous encounter. 

A meeting that should never have happened. 

Many years ago, two children from completely different worlds forged a connection, a fateful connection, an unbreakable bond that would change their lives forever… 

Salome knows only one way to live—under Prophet David’s rule. In the commune she calls home, Salome knows nothing of life beyond her strict faith, nor of life beyond the Fence—the fence that cages her, keeps her trapped in an endless cycle of misery. A life she believes she is destined to always lead, until a horrific event sets her free. 

Fleeing the absolute safety of all she has ever known, Salome is thrust into the world outside, a frightening world full of uncertainty and sin; into the protective arms of a person she believed she would never see again. 

River ‘Styx’ Nash knows one thing for certain in life—he was born and bred to wear a cut. Raised in a turbulent world of sex, Harleys, and drugs, Styx, unexpectedly has the heavy burden of the Hades Hangmen gavel thrust upon him, and all at the ripe old age of twenty-six—much to his rivals’ delight. 

Haunted by a crushing speech impediment, Styx quickly learns to deal with his haters. Powerful fists, an iron jaw and the skillful use of his treasured German blade has earned him a fearsome reputation as a man not to be messed with in the shadowy world of outlaw MC’s. A reputation that successfully keeps most people far, far away. 
Styx has one rule in life—never let anyone get too close. It’s a plan that he has stuck to for years, that is, until a young woman is found injured on his lot… a woman who looks uncannily familiar, a woman who clearly does not belong in his world, yet a woman he feels reluctant to let go… 

Dark Contemporary Romance/New Adult Novel. 

Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up* 

Cover:  I love the cover for this one.  A dark, gothic cover.  Really atmospheric and sexy at the same time.

I was reading reviews of Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan- as after reading it I was curious to see what others had made of it.  And this series kept popping up as a recommendation.
And I'm so glad I picked this one up.
The Hades Hangmen is a notorious Motorcycle Club, whose leader, Styxx, is infamous but he's never forgotten, when he was a kid, he met a young girl with wolf eyes, separated by a fence- but they still made a connection.  A girl he could speak to, despite his speech impediment.
He searched for her again.  But never found her.
Until years later, she turns up, gravely injured - unconscious on the steps of the MC clubhouse.
I loved this book.  I loved that it was dark, gritty but also quite romantic (which as we all know is necessary for me!)
The chemistry between Mae and Styxx was beautiful- I loved them from the very beginning.
Mae has risked her life to escape a cult, so has a lot to learn about being in the outside world.  Watching her try to take it all in was fun to read.
I loved how protective Styxx was of Mae- it might be old school, or cliche but I really do love that in my romance reads.
I couldn't put this one down- reading it in just over a day.
Recommend for fans of dark, graphic but romantic and sexy reads.
5/5 stars.

Read from February 14 to 15, 2015

W...W...W...Wednesday 29/04/2015

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm currently reading Paper Towns by John Green


I recently finished reading All I Ever Need Is You by Bella Andre



 I think my next will be Flowers in the Attix by V.C. Andrews

Teaser Tuesday 28/04/2015 'Paper Towns'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
  Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from page 114 of Paper Towns by John Green.






"Great," Ben said, rolling his eyes.  "Poetry."
"What's wrong with that?" I asked.
"Poetry is just so emo," he said, "Oh, the pain.  The pain.  It always rains.  In my soul."
"Yeah, I believe that's Shakespeare," I said dismissively."

Easy Love (Boudreaux #1) by Kristin Proby

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 270 pages
• Publisher: Ampersand Publishing (3 Mar. 2015)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• ASIN: B00ROFITIE

Eli Boudreaux’s family has built ships and boats in Louisiana for generations. He comes from a hard working, wealthy family and his empire is growing by leaps and bounds. At thirty, he is the youngest CEO to ever head Bayou Enterprises, co-chairing with his eldest brother. His head for business and his no-nonsense work ethic is also quickly making him the best the company has seen in generations. His staff admires him, women adore him and Eli’s family is solid. But he’s recently discovered that someone on the inside of his business is stealing from him and he’s determined to find out who. 

Kate O’Shaughnessy is hired by companies all over the world to slip inside and investigate every member of the organization from the CEO down to the custodial staff to find the person or persons responsible for embezzling. She’s excellent at blending, becoming part of the team, and finding the weakest link. She’s smart, quick-witted, and she’s now been hired by Bayou Enterprises, specifically Eli Boudreaux. The attraction is immediate and the chemistry is off the charts, but Kate has heard all about Eli’s playboy past and she has a job to do. Sleeping with the boss isn’t a part of that job, even if just the sound of her name rolling off that Cajun tongue and the way he fills out a designer suit does make her sweat. 

Eli’s southern charms surprise Kate. The man whose reputation labels him as a ruthless, callous womanizer is not the man she’s coming to know intimately. He’s generous, protective and makes her smile. Cracking through Kate’s cool, reserved demeanor and discovering her love of sexy, expensive lingerie is a challenge Eli can’t resist, but her sweet nature, love of family and sense of humor pull at him in ways no one else ever has. 

But when the person responsible for trying to single-handedly dismantle Eli’s empire comes to light, and it’s time for Kate to move on, to what lengths will Eli go to keep the woman he he’s fallen in love with by his side?

After finishing Kristen Proby's In Seattle series earlier this year, I was worried I would get withdrawal symptoms.  So I was over the moon when I heard about her new series.  Another family saga.  Perfect!  I love series about members of a large family finding love.  Some of my favourite things to read.
And I loved Easy Love.
It's cute, simple, cheesy, romantic, hot and a fast faced read. 
Is it the most original plot ever?  No.
Is it a guilty pleasure read?  Yes it is.
But I loved it none the less.
Yes the attraction is instant, and not 100% believable but I didn't care.
Eli- southern gent with a dirty side.  And omg I loved him.
Kate- has been hurt before, can she risk putting herself out there again, particularly to a guy that says he doesn't do love or commitment.
I loved the chemistry and relationship between Eli and Kate.  Everything just worked for me.
One thing I would say.  Kate is brought into covertly investigate an employee stealing from Eli's family company.  When someone tries to, and nearly does, kill Kate, Eli says that this person will regret ever stepping foot in the company and making them pay.  But you literally hear nothing else about it.  What happened to them?!?!?!?!?  Go to prison, what?  You heard NOTHING about the whole reason Kate was there in the first place, and nearly died.
Ok.  Weird.
Other than that- perfection.
Look forward to seeing more of the Boudreaux family.
4/5 stars.

Read from March 11 to 12, 2015

Movie Thoughts: Disney's Cinderella 2015

I have been dying to get to the cinema to see this for weeks now, and finally I managed to get there.  Like many, I grew up watching Disney films, so to get a live action version of what I would consider one of my classic childhood films, was a huge deal.
And I loved this film.
It was a beautiful re-imagining of the original animated movie, whilst staying faithful to it.
The cinematography and settings were beautiful.  Colourful and vibrant.








I was surprised by how much comedy was in the movie, but it was a pleasant surprise.  I found myself roaring at some parts.  
The step sisters brought a lot of the humour- and they played their parts fantastically.  As did the step mother.  She was a great villain.  I loved to hate her.

The fairy godmother- I thought Helena Bonham Carter was an intereseting choice, but she was great.  Crazy, but great.  She made me smile, despite being vastly different to the original fairy godmother.

The romance- of course it's Disney, fairytale romance.  Cheesy but grin inducing.  Cinderella was sweet, almost saccharine and Prince Kit was charming and swoon worthy.  

The dress- and overall costume was fantastic.  Visually stunning.
I loved this film and I cannot wait to own the dvd.  It actually makes me think it is a perfect blend of the original animated Cinderella and the film, Ever After
5/5 stars.

Erin Recommends #2 - Adult Fiction

BLOGTOUR: The Liar by Nora Roberts

Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Piatkus (16 April 2015)
ISBN-10: 0349403759
ISBN-13: 978-0349403755

When her husband Richard dies in a freak accident, Shelby Pomeroy is devastated. But his death reveals a horrible truth - Richard was a liar and a cheat. Now Shelby is left with the consequences - huge, terrifying debts and mounting proof that her late husband betrayed her in every conceivable way.

Heart-broken but unbowed, Shelby is determined to fix her problems - if only for the sake of her gorgeous little daughter Callie. Returning home to Tennessee and the family she thought she'd lost for ever, she discovers a new sense of strength and freedom. And hope, too, in the handsome form of carpenter Griffin Lott - a straight-dealing man who couldn't lie to her if he tried.

But not everyone is thrilled to see Shelby Pomeroy back in town. And when a shocking act of violence is traced back to Richard's shady business, it becomes clear that she is not safe from him, even in death. With her life in danger, Shelby must face the lies of the past - or lose everything.

When her husband Richard dies in a freak accident, Shelby Pomeroy is devastated. But his death reveals a horrible truth - Richard was a liar and a cheat. Now Shelby is left with the consequences - huge, terrifying debts and mounting proof that her late husband betrayed her in every conceivable way.

Heart-broken but unbowed, Shelby is determined to fix her problems - if only for the sake of her gorgeous little daughter Callie. Returning home to Tennessee and the family she thought she'd lost for ever, she discovers a new sense of strength and freedom. And hope, too, in the handsome form of carpenter Griffin Lott - a straight-dealing man who couldn't lie to her if he tried.

But not everyone is thrilled to see Shelby Pomeroy back in town. And when a shocking act of violence is traced back to Richard's shady business, it becomes clear that she is not safe from him, even in death. With her life in danger, Shelby must face the lies of the past - or lose everything.

Cover:  I really like the simplicity and colour scheme of this cover.  In person, it’s beautiful.

I’ve read a lot of Nora Roberts books.  They seem to be my go-to books when I don’t know what to read.
 I haven’t read many of her romantic thrillers, but the ones I have, I’ve really enjoyed.  The standout for me, being Whiskey Beach.
 The Liar sounded just as good, the synopsis drawing me in straight away- making it one of my most highly anticipated release of this year.
And…I really enjoyed it.
Shelby is such a strong character.  I really admired her, right from the get go.  Her husband dies, leaves her with a crippling debt along with the sinking realisation that their life and marriage was a sham, and possibly something more sinister.
But she just gets on with it, for the sake of her absolutely adorable young daughter, Callie.  Who was such a sweetheart- I loved her.

I really liked the suspense and mystery.  I can’t lie (ha ha), I guessed very early on what was happening- but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.  I was on edge, waiting and waiting, for someone else to reach the same conclusion that I did.

I loved the romance between Shelby and Griffin- sweet, sexy and perfect.

Seeing Griffin fall for both Shelby and Callie was just so cute.

Over all, it was a great, enjoyable read.

Whiskey Beach remains my favourite, and it is going to take a lot to beat it, in my eyes.

But, I would definitely recommend picking up The Liar, for all fans of Nora Roberts and romantic thrilers.

Read from February 22 to 26, 2015