Unmasked: Volume 2 ( Unmasked #2) – Cassia Leo

Book Description

I left my former life – and my mask – behind.

Running from a past where I was born unloved. A past where I was betrayed by love.

Running from an organization with limitless power and stealth. Running for my life.

I never expected to find love on the run. Not in a tiny seaside town on an island in the middle of nowhere.

Not without my mask.

But it seems as if my sad story is being rewritten with someone else’s pen. But whose pen is it?

This question haunts me day and night. And I get my answer on a perfectly decadent evening. When I come home to find my bedroom perfumed with the scent of death.

He’s here.

Divas Thoughts

No. Cassia Leo did NOT do another masterpiece with this one. I´m not wanting to come across as rude or anything….I just can´t sum up the love I felt for the first Volume. There wasn´t anything cool about this one. This was just a story that was told. It was nothing I expected it to be. I was left wanting so much more after the first book.

Vol. 2 starts off where Vol. 1 ended. Alex ran away to an Island and started hiding. She gave herself a new identity and was ready to start a new life.

I don´t know. What started out great turned into non-interesting. Alex´s new life with all the new people…it felt like, after Alex and Daimon had their fatal stand-off, there was so much missing. What really threw me off was how Alex transformed from being dark, dangerous & mysterious to being open with her issues and having fun on the Island. And just like that….I started disliking Alex / Alyssa. What happened to the woman who hid her face?

Anyway: Alyssa starts dating her neighbor and gets involved with life. That´s until she gets this errie feeling that somethings not right. And she´s right!

( totally predictable story since Alex wasn´t so sure she really killed Daimon)

Things start to happen and Alyssa gets sloppy.

All of the sudden things pick up and get interesting again. It took a while…but the fun was back and my hope returned for this book to knock me off my socks. But who was I kidding ( I should really stop hoping so much) there was nothing that I didn´t see coming.

Not even the end tickled me. I´m not saying this book was God-awful…it was just a predictable. And somewhat far fetched. Being a hitman is a scary thing. And writing a story about it can be way cool. But to involve Monaco and the Grimaldi´s is way to far fetched. I live in Europe and I see alot of the actual Grimaldis on the news, etc. so I have a hard time picturing Alex being the princess of Monaco. Or being the daughter of the princess of Monaco. Either way….I couldn´t visualize that.

Let´s not forget about the 200 pages. I flew through that story in a night.+

Would I recommend this book?

Hmm….maybe.

Would I re-read this book?

Probably not.

The Divas are giving Unmasked: Volume 2 ( Unmasked #2) by Cassia Leo 3 out of 5 champagne glasses

Unmasked: Volume 1 ( Unmasked #1) – Cassia Leo

Book Description

I was born into this world unwanted.

I spent the first hours of my life unloved.

I spent the first eighteen years of my life with the parents who tried to shelter me from the harsh reality of my existence.

But you can’t un-write a sad story if the ending is literally written all over your face.

So I moved out and now I hide. I have a night job that pays the bills. Every night, I put on my mask and walk to work.

Then one night, I hear and see something that will change my purpose in life… forever: a murder that will bring him to me.

He says he wants to protect me. And, through a series of events I can’t fully make sense of, I find myself believing him. 

But our nightly visits are always cloaked in darkness. I don’t know his face and he will never know mine. 

I was born into this world unwanted. I will leave this world unmasked.

Divas Thoughts

I thought this story was a nice change of wallpaper. It was dark, it was mysterious, and most of all…it was unique.

How spooky and cool is it to find someone attractive in the dark? How creepy is it to know nothing but still feel something for a stranger you don´t even trust? That´s confusing as hell. Lol

The book description and the cover screamed at me so I had to buy the book. I´ve been making some poor decissions lately when it comes to books, but not with this one. Unmasked was one of my best choices sofar.

Very very cool story. Sexy as hell, and it had a major bad-assness to it.

The characters were super cool. I felt as if I was watching an episode of Mr. & Mrs. Smith ( kind of…). Alex was this unwanted, unloved woman who was trained to kill. Her only issue was that she avoided daylight and hid from the world because of the problem she had. She lived in LA where crime is nearly all over the place, yet she manages to survive with ease ( due to her life long training to become a killing machine). And if that weren´t enough….she also acted a bit strange in her own apartment. Never turning the lights on, and such. The problem she had was an issue….but she always kept to herself. Until one day…a murder happened (or a few murders happened she witnessed). Who did what and why? That´s when a special detective came into the picture and rattled Alex´s world a little. She didn´t trust the detective but she still put up with him. And all that without showing her face! Or him showing his for that matter * spooky* One thing led to another and that´s where the fun began.

This was really cool because both main characters, Alex and Daimon, are equals. They´re so alike. Totally perfect for one another. Events happen and they actually fall in love with each other.

And then it happens. The moment I was waiting for. And I wasn´t surprised. But that was fine because I still loved the idea of the story. The writing was good and I fell in love with the mystery behind everything. Another great thing about this book was that I thought it wasn´t predictable at all.

The only thing I disliked was that this book was short. 178 pages. Uuhm….why? There was more than enough info that could have been stretched out some more. I would have loved to read more about Alex´s background. I would have totally enjoyed more from the pitch black apartment moments.

But I didn´t get that. It was a definitely a fast paced story with some exciting scenes.

Would I recommend this book?

Yes. I would.

Would I re-read this book?

I might.

The Divas are giving Unmasked: Volume 1 (Unmasked #1) by Cassia Leo 4 out of 5 champagne glasses

Dirty Angels ( Dirty Angels #1) – Karina Halle

Book Description

**warning: this book contains situations which might be triggers for some people. Please see the bottom of this description to see if this is the kind of book that you’ll love or piss you off**

For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.

When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.

Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.

As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.

Unless she ruins him first.

***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains…well, they’re even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT. This ain’t no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book. If you are even a bit squeamish about violence, brutality and rape, this is your warning to stay away from a book that you certainly will not like (and why read books that you know you won’t like?)***

***While this is a spin-off of The Artists Trilogy, prior knowledge of the books is not needed. DIRTY ANGELS is the first in a trilogy, however each book can standalone and follows or introduces different characters***

Divas Thoughts

Just the book I was waiting for! Dirty Angels by Karina Halle is 100% exciting. I had such a fabulous time reading about the mexican cartel and their torturous ways, and I even loved the really fantastic twisted lovestory.

Yes, there were alot of things that would definitely disturb many readers ( such as the brutal torture, all the blood, language, etc…) but let´s be honest here for a moment: You cannot take a mexican drug lord serious if he wears a a mint colored suit and acts like Mother Theresa. I´m not friends with any drug lords from the mexican cartel ( not that I know of ) but I´m sure they´re supposed to be THE most feared people alive ( them and the Russian Mafia ). The author did a splendid job in making me never want to visit Mexico ever again. Lol

There was a lot of detail in this book (which I appreciated). No matter if it was the scenery, the characters, the torture….the vivid images were there. Some were fabulous and some were utterly gruesome. I just loved it.

Characters:

Javier ( hero ) was one cool SOB. I swear…even if he wasn´t displayed as the most beautiful male alive, he was sexy as hell. The way he treated Luisa was twisted but oh soooo good. * sigh *

Luisa ( heroine ) was a tough cookie. Unbelievable things happened to her, yet she was still determined to fight. Her life starts off shitty then turns into hell. Could Luisa´s life get any worse? Of course. And that´s what happened.

I don´t want to give anything away from the story because it´s really worth the read.

If you´re into captivating, brutal, twisted, bloody, abusive, dark lovestories, then you´ll love this one.

The Divas are giving Dirty Angels, by Karina Halle, 5 out of 5 champagne glasses.

 

Her Twisted Pleasures – Amelia James

Book Description

 

His hand came off my neck, and he wrapped his arms around me, crushing me against him. I grabbed his hair and forced his mouth to mine, feeding the darkness possessing us…. Submission, yes! Not giving up control but having it taken from me. This… this was why I needed Alex. Will was too nice; he would never abuse me like this. But Alex…mmm…Alex had no such qualms. “What have you done to me?”

Talia indulges her sexual pleasures, turning her life into a twisted mess. Sleeping with Alex is dangerous and reckless. She craves that excitement. Loving Will is comforting and safe. She needs that stability. Why can’t she get everything she wants from one man? 

Will has everything under control. Watching his girlfriend flirt with his best friend fuels his lust for her. He loves Talia; he trusts Alex. It’s all good as long as he makes the rules. 

Alex doesn’t give a damn about rules. He knows how to play with fire without getting burned. It’s just sex with Talia. No emotions means no attachments. That’s one rule he won’t break.

Sometimes dirty little secrets are more dirty than secret…

 

 

 

Divas Thoughts

 

Okay….let´s keep this review short.

I didn´t like this book.

Don´t get me wrong. There was more than enough potential here to make this book a spectacular read. There just wasn´t enough emotions that are necessary to make a love triangle great or even good. No angst, no remorse, no guilt, no passion, no nothing. Which was sad because I had my hopes set up high after reading so many 5* reviews for Her Twisted Pleasures. I was supposed to read about sex and about a screwed up love interest. It was screwed up alright. Some readers might get a kick out of all the sex ( and this book has plenty of it ), but in the long run….a plot is what makes a book worth the read. If that´s missing ( like in this case ) then the story will make you forrow your brows more than often. And that´s what I did. I kept trying to understand the beginning, the middle part, and the end. The beginning was okay. It didn´t blow my mind but it kept me reading. The middle part is where an actual plot pops up but that vanishes in the end. Nothing fits together. It all made no sense to me. I didn´t see the BDSM, nor did I feel the romance that was supposed to be in this book. I have a wild imagination, but no matter how far I stretched it…I didn´t see any submission or dominace.

 

The ending was….well, if I hadn´t known that I only had 10% left then I would have DNFed this book. So…I read it to the bitter end, feeling 100% unsatisfied.

 

Would I recommend this book?

For readers who enjoy sex, sex, and more sex with no emotions attached: yes.

 

Would I re- read this book?

No.

The Divas are giving Her Twisted Pleasures 2 out of 5 champagne glasses.

 

Forbidden Fruit Vol. l – *COVER REVEAL* Blog Tour

A collection of 20 Forbidden Love Novellas from some of today’s bestselling authors.

Adriane Leigh, Amalie Silver, Janice Baker, Jessica Hawkins, Jessica Ingro, Kasey Millstead, Lexi Buchanan, Lisa Edward, Lisa M Harley, Liv Morris, Missy Johnson, Morgan Jane Mitchell, Nikki Worrell, Olivia Linden, Penny Reid, Rebecca Brooke, Roxy Queen, RS Grey, Stacey Lynn, Vicki Green

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Volume One – March 2014

Educate Me by Lexi Buchanan
Bianca is a new, 24 year old teacher at the local high school who can’t stop thinking about one of her pupils, 18 year old Mason. Bianca soon discovers that Mason wants his hands on her just as badly. How can they have a relationship when everything is against them?

Weakness by Missy Johnson
After too much sex, drinking and partying, almost eighteen year old Maya finds herself doing a six month stint in a juvenile detention centre. When she catches the eye of sexy, thirty something prison guard Max, she realises she can have more than a little fun while on the inside. Especially when she learns that pretty young redheads are his weakness…

Secret Obsession by Olivia Linden 
Sylvia is a 19 year old college drop out. She moves back home, her grades failing after her parents divorce, only to find her father remarried. The real problem is the insane attraction she has to her new step-brother, 21 year old Finn. Once Sylvia discovers the feeling is mutual, their lust takes over. How far will they go to indulge their Secret Obsession?

Lock & Key by R.S. Grey
Journalist Kate Winters is on assignment in Kosovo when she’s captured by rebel forces. She’ll be tortured and beaten until they’re done questioning her… but she soon learns that it’s not the low-ranking guards she should fear. They’re nothing compared to their leader—dangerous, sinfully sexy, Adham, whose main purpose is to extract information from her by any means possible.

The Naughty Au Pair by Janice Baker
Angelina left her small town in France to become Senator Lauren Winchester’s Au Pair. She never expected to fall in love and have an affair with the Senator’s husband, Gordon. Angelina expected Gordon to keep his promise to leave his wife for her. When Gordon fails to finally tell his wife, Angelina decides to have a night to herself. A tryst to rid herself of Gordon’s hold on her. But that hot fling happened to be with Conner, the Senator’s older son from a previous marriage. When Angelina and Conner realize their true identities, Conner must have her. But is Angelina willing to give up her feelings for Conner’s step dad? Or will she wait for Gordon to finally make up his mind and sweep her off her feet?

Strictly Off Limits by Jessica Hawkins
Alexandra James gave up her spring break for an offer she couldn’t refuse: a week-long job that would earn her enough money to buy her way out of a broken heart. But if she thought her new boss would let her off easy because he’s her father’s best friend, she couldn’t have been more wrong. Dean Brittany demands perfection from his employees—but none more so than his new temp, since correcting her mistakes seems to fuel his unexpected attraction to her. Unfortunately for him, eighteen-year-old Alexandra is strictly off limits.

Try Me by Stacey Lynn
When Marcus Whitmore finally realizes he isn’t going to get the only girl he’s ever loved and his family isn’t going to be together, he decides it is time to move on. After all, the best way to get over a woman – is to get another woman under you. Which is exactly what he does, thinking that a night of passion will ease Emma from his mind. What Marcus doesn’t plan on is waking up to an empty bed and the memory of a woman he can’t forget.
Weeks later, when Marcus runs into Tabby again, he is determined to have her back in his bed. The problem? Tabby is his son’s teacher. And if anyone finds out that Tabby is involved with Logan’s dad, she could lose her job.
Is Marcus worth the risk? Are the best things in life really worth fighting for?

One Hot Summer by Lisa M Harley

AnaBelle Mason knew when she married an older man he might die before she did, she just didn’t realize it would happen so soon. Less than five years after her fairy tale wedding to the man of her dreams, she was left all alone to run the ranch that had been in her late husbands family for years. 

Tray Thompson lives the life of a carefree college student. He spends his day coasting through classes, and his nights working his way through the female population of Walker University. 

When Tray’s best friend Jason asks him to help him work at his family farm for the summer, Tray doesn’t want to go, but he owes Jason so much. He reluctantly agrees to help his best friend out.

What will happen when a lonely widow woman, bound and determined to make it on her own meets her stepsons best friend and sparks fly?

Will she be able to tame the young mans playboy ways or will he help her remember she lost her husband, not her life?

Inadmissible Attraction by Rebecca Brooke
Nineteen year old Nora Willson has spent the last five years refereeing for her parents, while trying to hide the deplorable state of their marriage from her younger siblings. When she goes to their custody hearing to offer moral support, she never expects her father’s attorney to notice her in more ways than one. Will that one moment make Nora see what she’s been missing, or will fear cause her to step away from the gorgeous Mr. Garnes.

In Too Deep by Morgan Jane Mitchell
25-year-old Loraine Wynter’s has always been in control. She takes what she wants, from a new man every night, and leaves. Too bad this has cost her her last job and landed her in the local sex addict’s anonymous group where she is certain she doesn’t belong. Within this group of weirdos and degenerates, she sees a familiar face.
Richard Mahoney may be the gorgeous 30-year- old, successful owner of Table 21, but he has lost more than Loraine could ever imagine because of his obsession. After learning all her secrets, Loraine’s new boss Rick is determined to fix her with his own brand of therapy. After digging deeper, Loraine finds that her boss needs more than just physical healing.
Can they repair each other so they can be with other people?
With both Loraine and Rick longing for a normal life, will a pact between them be the answer to both their problems? Or are they getting in too deep?

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Volume Two – April 2014

Dancing with Desire by Kasey Millstead
The rules are clear:
No sex with the patrons.
Dance like no one’s watching.
Fuck them with your eyes.
Make love to them with your moves.
But, no sex with the patrons. Ever.
Why is it, when someone tells you not to do something…or someone…you immediately want to do what they told you not to?
In Ana’s case, that someone is Ethan Faulkner. Rich, sexy and confident, and a patron of the exclusive gentleman’s club where she works as a dancer.
Will Ana play by the rules, or will Ethan have her Dancing with Desire?

Sins of the Flesh by Adriane Leigh
She walked into his church wounded and seeking solace, what she didn’t expect to find was temptation so sharp and sweet under one snow-white collar.
Their relationship was never innocent.
From the beginning, their attraction was combustible; the magnetism all-consuming; the sexual tension explosive, begging them to succumb to their dark desire in . . . sins of the flesh.

Tempted by Roxie Queen

Avery has one summer to clean out her parent’s lake house and move forward with her life. She can’t do it alone so her best friend of thirty-five years volunteers her son for the job. Bev’s worried about Tyson after discovering he’d spent his senior year of high school bedding any and every female that crossed his path. Fresh air and manual labor may help him gain a little perspective and responsibility.
Spending her life alone has made Avery independent and strong. She’s got her job, the cabin and her occasional standby lover. As they work side by side, Tyson helps her reclaim her home by encouraging her to let go of the past. Avery shows him that a woman is more than just a sexual object. She can be a friend, a companion and as they learn one fateful night, lovers.
Lessons go beyond painting walls and sanding floor as Tyson and Avery explore a dangerous relationship that changes everything about their lives and betrays the people they love.

Surrendering Her Innocence by Amelia Silver

After her divorce ten years ago, Christine Cole took sole custody of her son, Jake, and hasn’t looked back since. Now a proud member of the PTA, and fresh-baked cookie extraordinaire, her mundane routine and naivety has sufficed—that is until she meets Watson, her son’s best friend. The forbidden pull they have on each other is unthinkable, and his desire for her only seems to grow stronger every time they meet, in turn increasing her own erotic craving for him.

Needing a distraction from her wicked thoughts about a boy she could be a mother to, she begins a sexual transformation to get herself back into the elusive dating game and to curb her wayward fantasies. But one sexual disaster after another only drives her desires for the eighteen-year-old boy to flourish.

Can Christine resist the temptation of her raw, carnal appetite? Or will she give in to a young man who should be off-limits?

Duty of Care by Lisa Edward
For Toni Masters, moving from a small country town to the city, to pursue her nursing career, is a dream come true. But her first day on North Ward is not what she had hoped for.
Toni’s first patient encounter is with twenty-six year old Michael Davidson, or Harley as he is known to his friends. Harley is difficult and miserable being stuck in a hospital bed, and only seems happy when he has the nurses running in circles. But all Harley’s efforts to antagonize the new nurse, only make Toni push back and give as good as she gets.
A mutual respect is born along with a growing attraction, and Toni vows to do all she can to make Harley’s stay in North Ward as comfortable as possible.
But how far will Toni take her duty of care?

Her Secret Service by Liv Morris
Cammie Douglas is a spoiled and promiscuous beauty who’s completely out of control. She attends the University of Texas where her life revolves around finding her next hook-up. Her father, Senator Anthony Douglas is a candidate for President and fears his “little” girl’s reckless lifestyle could damage his campaign. He persuades Secret Service agent Jude Warner to watch-over Cammie and try to rein in her careless behavior.
Jude is dark and handsome, the silent-type, trained to live a life of control and regiment. When he meets and begins to guard Cammie, Jude fights a raw sexual attraction to her making his life both heaven and hell. Naughty Cammie is determined to have him join her on the wild side by playing a game of sexual seduction. Can Jude resist his desire to possess Cammie? Or will he sacrifice everything to be with her?

What Mother Doesn’t Know by Nikki Worrell

Gabriella Tuttle is a 19 year old girl who works for her step-father’s construction company. She lives at home with her mother and step-father, Sofia and Rick Jameson. They were a happy family until 2 years ago when Sofia fell in with the wrong crowd in an effort to recapture her youth.

At the age of 37, Rick has had enough. He’s done with Sofia’s abusive behavior. He’s done watching her lying around the house, strung out on the drug of the week. But he is not willing to leave Gabriella alone with her. As wrong as he knows it is, Rick has had an unhealthy attraction to his step-daughter from the time she started high school.

Now that Gabby’s an adult, and Rick’s ready to get Sofia out of his life, dare he make the move to become something other than a step-father to Gabby? His mind isn’t so sure, but his body has been ready for years.

Burning Desire by Vicki Green
A young eighteen year old Riley Morris has been in a nursing program for almost a year now but little did she know she would soon be living in a mansion with Parker Wright, a thirty five year old sexy man and taking care of his dying bedridden wife. Parker has made it no secret to Riley of his desire for her once she moves in but she’s trying not to give in to her own desire for him with the guilt of situation that has her there but can she? Will she?

The Taste of Mr. Davenport by Jessica Ingro
Carter Davenport has watched his daughter’s best friend Claire come out of her shell over the last two years. And what has been exposed has him more than intrigued. He’d like nothing more than to peel back her layers and devour what’s underneath, but Claire is officially off limits to him.

When Claire Reynolds met Elisa Davenport during her first year of college, she never dreamed she’d one day find herself having an illicit affair with Elisa’s unbelievably sexy father. Now that she’s had a mouthwatering sample, she wants more. After all, one taste is never enough…

One promising summer vacation leads to stolen glances, erotic touches and steamy encounters neither can forget. Like all things taboo, will their relationship have an expiration date? Or will Claire show Carter they are more than just a forbidden romance?

Wicked, Wicked, Wicked Witch, by Penny Reid 
High school senior, Maleficent Taylor, has a problem, she’s a witch who is infatuated with a prince. She’s not a real witch, but she does play one at Disney World in the evenings and on weekends. In life and in the movies, everyone knows that the beautiful princess always ends up with the handsome prince, and the witch always loses. But, much to Maleficent’s surprise, she soon learns Phillip isn’t a run-of-the mill prince. Sure, he may dress country club casual and appear clean cut; but he’s got a dirty mouth, tempting tattoos, and magic hands. Maleficent discovers that sometimes, if she’s wicked enough, the witch wins.

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Goodreads Link Volume One

Goodreads Link Volume Two