Leo ( A Sign Of Love ) – Mia Sheridan

 

 

 

Book Descripton

Evie and Leo met in foster care as children and formed a bond of friendship. As they grew, their bond turned to love, and they vowed to make a life together when they turned 18 and were no longer a part of the system.

When Leo unexpectedly gets adopted as a teen and he moves to another city, he promises Evie that he will contact her as soon as he gets there and come back for her in a few short years. She never hears from him again.

Now eight years later, in spite of the odds, Evie has made a life for herself. She has a job. She has friends. She’s content. Then a man shows up out of the blue, claiming that her long lost love, Leo, sent him to check up on her. The attraction between them is undeniable. But, should she trust this sexy stranger? Or is he keeping a secret about what his connection to Leo is really all about and why Leo disappeared all those years ago?

Divas Thoughts

Maybe I´m analyzing this book too much. But maybe not. But let me tell you that this story didn´t do it for me. After reading so many promising reviews I thought I´d hit the jackpot with Leo. Uuhm….the story wasn´t awful. It was predictable and at times cute. But where were those emotions I crave while reading a book? Puff! Vanished into thin air before I was able to feel them…that´s where they were.

I mean…it was kinda cute and sad to read about 2 orphans and their promise to stay with each other ( or better find each other again and live happily ever after). The story was, up until the main characters were torn apart, believable. After that…I just wasn´t convinced anymore. Call me a partypooper….but I just can´t seem to get my head around 22-23 year olds who´ve gone through more crap than I have with nearly 10 more years of experience on my back. It´s not realistic for me. As a romance reader I tend to watch out for ANYTHING that will tear at my heartstrings. Not here. Not with Leo. And the sex? Well, there was enough sex for 2 books in this one. I didn´t find it it any way sexy, sensual or even close to great. Besides…..oh, forget it. It´s not worth mentioning.

Let´s not forget the speed of Jake and Evie´s relationship. Evie found out Leo died in a car accident through Jake…then she cried a bit and it didn´t take her long to hop on the Jake train. I mean….COME ON! She waited for, what….8 years(??!!) for Leo and then Jake strolls along and then BAM! MY first thought was: „ Damn girl, are you on some time-limit? It´s okay to start having kids when you´re 30.“. And then the end…..I actually saw it coming.

BUT….despite my dislikes…I´m still giving this book a fairly good rating. Like I mentioned before….it wasn´t awful…I just expected a whole lot more of the important matters ( such as emotions, relatable characters, etc) and a whole lot less drama themes ( and there were plenty of them )

There was indeed one major plus point regarding this story. It was a stand-alone. I´m getting more and more fond of those lately.

Would I recommend this book?

Not sure. For hardcore romance fanatics, no. For anyone who likes an OK read for inbetween, sure.

Would I re-read this book?

Probably not.

The Divas are giving Leo ( A Sign Of Love ) by Mia Sheridan 3 out of 5 champagne glasses

Hardline ( #3 Hacker Series ) – Meredith Wild

 

Book Description

Software mogul Blake Landon has met his match in headstrong Erica Hathaway. While his controlling nature and her independent spirit continue to battle, Blake has no intention of letting her out of his life again.

Erica has given Blake her trust and her love, determined that they will conquer any challenges together. But when he demands more and tests the boundaries of her commitment, she is forced to face the dark desires he’s kept hidden.

As their bonds grow tighter, their enemies close in. With Erica’s start-up in danger, Blake’s frustration grows as he tries to protect her from those who would ruin her only to get to him. Can their relationship survive when Blake’s enemies cross the line and threaten more than her livelihood?

Divas Thoughts

We just love it when a story gradually gets better after every book. This third installment topped the first two books easily. The story was well paced. The characters were stubborn and heartbreaking. Blake and Erica´s story was so good that one of us even chewed on the tips of my hair! ( which is nasty….but she couldn´t help herself. Better than chewing on the kindle, right?)

Meredith Wild has a way to make her characters and readers go through hell. As most of you know, we´re not the type of women to get all anxious or jumpy over a character or a situation the characters had to deal with. With Blake and Erica….we were constantly sitting on the edge, wishing for the characters to finally get their chickens in a row. We were more than ready for those 2 figures to find their ULTIMATE HEA.

Not only did the main characters leave a fab impression on us. Nope. Every other fictional figures had an important role to play in this book and we were more than happy to see how the lives of others were connected to Blake and Erica. Absolute fabulous storytelling!

All we can say about this story is that we were 100% satisfied. Everything was perfect. It was just a totally enjoyable, sexy, steamy, swoon worthy read with a touch of excellence.

Another wonderful thing about this story is…..it´s not over yet! * squee *

Hard Limit ( #4 Hacker Series ) is due for Fall / Winter 2014.

Would we recommend this book?

Hell yeah!!

Would we re-read this book?

Anytime!

The Divas are giving Hardline ( #3 ) by Meredith Wild 5 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.

 

Ruining You ( Ruining #2) – Nicole Reed

 

Book Description

 

For a girl who dared to tempt death, living is the only promise that matters now. 

Jay’s life almost came to a forced end when her darkest secrets were revealed and the one who she chose to give her future to was ripped away. Now, everything she kept hidden is the topic of everyone’s conversation, and not all are sympathetic. Someone wants her horrific past to dictate her future, and another is determined to help her choose a different path.

In conclusion to Ruining Me, Kane and Rhye know that Jay is worth the fight, but waiting for her to find herself may ruin them all.

Divas Thoughts

Ruining You is the second installment in the Ruining series. After book #1 ( Ruining Me ), I was a total mess. Now, after book #2 ( Ruining You ) I´m an even bigger mess, but I feel better. Just when I thought the sobbing was over (for me) I was sent through more tears. No bueno.

These two books / this author is the reason I keep reading. Even though this story was more heart shattering and made me ball my eyes out I still believe the story worth totally worth it.

It´s really hard not to talk about this story without giving anything away, but I strongly feel the need to force this emotional read ( book #1 and #2!!!) onto everyone. I might never EVER read these books again ( I just can´t handle a second round of an emotional meltdown ), but I want the whole world to read this story at least once so everyone can go through what I did.

There was nothing that made me dislike anything in this book. The story was ( as mentioned before ) devastating, painful, and totally heartbreaking. But I also felt the love, compassion and and devotion.

How does life get better? Where do you start and when does the struggle end? Can someone, who has gone through the worst, ever find happiness again?

The characters, despite their hard paths, were intelligent! I loved the dialogue so much. These fictional people were pretty young and yet the author gave them the right portion of brains. Loved it! But my favorite of all characters was Eli. Bless him. I want somone like that in my life. He helped Jay in the best way ever, showing her life is worth living. And Kane and Rhye. Dear God…..it was a beautiful mess. Lots and lots of heavy, well written drama which I couldn´t get enough of.

The end didn´t make my sobbing stop. My sadness was just replaced by happy tears and relief for Jay. I´m glad the author chose to give these characters a HEA. I mean….after so much darkness there has to be a light somewhere at the end of the tunnel, right? But the big question is…..who did Jay pick? Kane or Rhye? Who was the one who could give her everything she needed, including more? All I can say about the end and Jay´s decission is that I am 100% satisfied.

If you want to read this book…go ahead. I´m not stopping anyone. Just be prepared to have a box of tissues. You will constantly feel the up´s and down´s and you will be exhausted from all the smiling, and ugly crying.

Would I recommend this book?

Totally!

Would I re-read this book?

Nope. * laughing* It´s enough that I have the books on my shelf. Don´t need to torture myself again. 🙂

The Divas are giving Ruining You ( Ruining #2) by Nicole Reed 5 out of 5 champagne glasses

 

Unravel by Calia Read Review

Synopsis

Calia Read breaks the mold in this explosive novel that grabs hold and doesn’t let go until the shocking truth is revealed.

One month ago I was admitted to a psych ward. Yesterday, Lachlan told me I’m losing my mind. But I know what I saw. Will you believe me?

Behind the walls of a mental hospital, Naomi Carradine feels her world breaking to pieces. She’s starting to believe all the voices questioning her sanity. Only visitors from the outside world keep her tethered to reality. But deep in her thoughts, Naomi is haunted by memories of a golden summer that twisted into a waking nightmare of obsessive love and fractured truths.

Just home from college, Naomi moves in with her best friend, Lana, the daughter of a Virginia senator. At a lavish party thrown by Lana’s father, Naomi meets a sexy stockbroker named Max and finds herself unable to resist his charms. One fiery kiss and she’s going back for more, beginning a terrifying descent. After Naomi witnesses the unspeakable, she has only one hope of escape: unraveling the devastating secrets of her past.

Unravel is intended for mature audiences.

Review

This is probably one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to do simply because there’s nothing I can write that won’t, even in the slightest, give the ending away!

So, I suppose I will just tell you that Calia Read really did a fantastic job at writing this book although I definitely questioned it as I was reading.  At times, I was very confused and thinking she either missed some things in the editing process or I’m just not getting it.  Okay, to be perfectly honest I just thought it was her fault…hehe 🙂 but I was nicely surprised when I realized there was a method to her madness so to speak!

The story did captivated me enough to not have been able to put it down essentially making me completely useless to my family all day but hey, it’s good for them to fend for themselves occasionally, right?! I loved how this story plays out! Unravel by Calia Read gets 4 out of 5 champagne glasses from us! Make sure to put this one on your TBR list, in fact go click on the link below and get it now!

Amazon link

Barnes and Noble link

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unravel-calia-read/1118633994?ean=9781495300974&itm=1&usri=calia+read

Ruining Me ( Ruining #1) – Nicole Reed

Book Description

Eighteen year old Jay Stevenson is living a horrible nightmare.

Two years ago, she had the world in the palm of her hand, but in one moment, it was ruined. Secrets, lies, and the worst imaginable betrayal haunt her new reality. Burying her problems under a cold façade seems to be the only way to cope until it all catches up with her. Soon, she loses control of the lonely world she built around her, and the past, present, and future collide.

Three guys are there when it all comes crashing down: JT, the perfect boyfriend she never wanted to give up; Rhye, the local bad boy “rock star” who made her forget the past; and Kane, the funny and sweet tattooed bartender who wants her future.

Secrets must be kept. Choices must be made. Is it possible to move forward while still chained to the wicked vices of the past?

Divas Thoughts

Nicole Reed is a rockstar in the book world! I usually don´t cry when reading a book because there´s always a little voice inside my head that reminds me that what I´m reading isn´t true. That small voice kind of disappeared while reading Ruining Me. I cried so much. Even my sleeves from my shirt had wet spots with black smears from my mascara. Sheesh. I can safely say I loved this book but I never want to read it again. Lol. Seriously, I don´t do books that beat me up so badly. It was gut wrenching, and soul wrecking. Why did I put myself through such a book? Well, it was recommended to me. I was asked if I wanted a darker kind of read, or something funny. I wanted the darker one, BUT NO ONE TOLD ME I`D CRY!!

Ruining Me ruined me. How am I supposed to read another book now? Everything was fine until I started to read. Someone shoot me now and put me out of my misery!

I felt it all. I felt the pain Jay went through ( even if I never walked down the same road ) and I was silently hoping for her to break free from her locked up state and return to what she was before she went through hell. I was broken-hearted that she struggled ( boy, did that girl struggle! ) to make it all go away. In short: That girl was pretty screwed.

And then…to top it all off… her broken, dark world became a little colorful when 3 guys entered the picture. What these guys did for Jay was unbelievable. I loved how each of them wanted to help her and all would have done anything if they could´ve. Each of them couldn´t have been more different from one another, yet they somehow all mached perfectly to Jay.

This book wasn´t completely to cry for. There were a few moments when I ( not so lady-like ) snorted while laughing. The Dialogue was great and some lines really cracked me up. But the rest….OMG….NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! * sob * No no no no. So awfully devastating * more sobbing *

The end ruined me even more and I thank my lucky stars that there´s another book to this story. How couldn´t there be?

This is the kind of story that gets your hopes up and then crushes you again and again and again. Once you believe you, and the characters, are going to be OK, another event knocks everyone over even harder than the last one did.

Even though I will probably never read this book again I still highly recommend it to anyone who craves a fabulous emotional read. If you appreciate crying and hugging a box of kleenex then this book is definitely for you! If you´re a person who doesn´t like deep, heavy, dark emotional stories…..and if you still chose to read this book….don´t say no one has warned you. You will ball your eyes out. I will forever keep this book in my heart and mind and hope this author never gives up writing.

The Divas are giving Ruining Me by Nicole Reed 5 out of 5 champagne glasses

This book can be bought through Amazon.com

Underestimated Too ( Underestimated #2) – Jettie Woodruff

Book Description

WARNING. This book contains: explicit sex scenes (some forced, some not), intense situations not meant for the faint of heart, abuse, adult language and content.

Money is not the most important thing in the world; love is – so they say anyway. Fortunately, Drew loves money. He wasn’t capable of loving anything else. The more money he made, the more he needed to make. Always chasing a deal, that was the most important thing in the world to him. 

You rode Morgan’s side of the tracks. Now ride Drew’s. You know the things she went through, things nobody should go through. Is Drew sorry for his part in that? Probably not. He’s not sure things would have turned out the way they did had he been the cute little husband the critics expected him to be. He did do things that hurt her and regretted a lot of his choices, but he tortured himself, wanting to do them still. 

You think you know Drew? You don’t know squat. You know what his wife has told you. She couldn’t tell you more than that, she doesn’t know that part of Drew. You want a sappy cliché romance? Move on, this isn’t the story for you. You want all the gruesome details? Stick around, and then you can judge Drew.

Divas Thoughts

When I found out Jettie Woodruff was about to publish Underestimated Too, I admit I was excited and totally frightened. Underestimated ( book #1) was beyond a perfect read ( for me at least ) so I wasn´t so sure what would happen in book #2.

Well, I had all kinds of stuff running through my mind. Will the author do a 1:1 copy just in the hero´s POV? Or will she add a few things to the previous story? WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!!?? Please understand that I am not a huge fan of his and her POV´s. I´ve reached way to many times in a shit hole when wanting to read both characters perspectives.

Three words come to my mind after reading this book. HOLY FUCKING HELL! If the author wouldn´t have a life of her own and I wouldn´t be planning to plant an apple tree next week in my garden for my kids….I would hunt that author down and give her a big fat hug! I loved Underestimated Too. If I could give that book more than 5 out of 5 champagne glasses I would.

Everything that happened in book #1 was tough enough, but reading about how the characters relationship continued was AWESOME! The authors ability to shock the crap out of you is so cool. Never would I have thought Drew and Morgan´s story would go in THAT direction…( haha…now you´re wondering what happened, aren´t you? :-))

The story shows the couple who live a somewhat normal life if it weren´t for Drew´s screwed up ways. The abuse continues but Morgan stays with him!!! Can you believe it? I couldn´t! I would have packed my undies and kids and left! He was still the professional who loved his wife and his son, but the outbursts he had were getting worse, not to mention the reasons for his outbursts. GOD….he would flip for the stupidest reasons. I feared for Morgans life throughout the whole story.

What really happens in this book? Do they get professional help? Does their relationship stand a chance? Can Morgan handle Drew and his dark secrets?

I couldn´t handle his bundle of screwed-up-ness. I mean…it´s a miracle the guy didn´t shoot himself after what he went through. I felt sorry for him one minute, and then a few pages later I wanted to kill him myself. The truth that was revealed evoked all kinds of ugly emotions in me. I loved the bastard…and I hated him. It was frustrating. But in a good way.

What´s kind of interesting is that some parts ( if not all ) in this book come pretty close to reality. That´s a creepy just thinking about that. And I believe Jettie Woodruff did a fantastic job in writing about another taboo-ish subject and make a lovestory out of it.

The end was more than I could have asked for. I was 100% satisfied with the way things ended. I can die a happy person right now..:-)

It was a nasty, dark, painful, torturous, delightful rollercoaster ride! I am so happy and honored to have this book on my bookshelf! A total MUST READ for anyone who loves non-cliché lovestories!

 

The Divas are giving Underestimated Too 5 out of 5 champagne glasses

 

 

Beautiful Ink ( Forever Inked #1) – Nicole Reed

Book Description

Family.

I have tattooed that single word on more skin than I care to count. It elicits powerful thoughts and emotions for most people. 
Loving. Caring. 
Supportive. Togetherness. 
Forever.

But not for me. The word family means so much more. 
Vicious. Harmful. 
Dangerous. Corrupt. 
Deadly.

You can’t run forever from the ones who love you.



NOTE: This novel is not a cliffhanger and can be read as a standalone.

WARNING: This book is real, beautifully raw, and not for the faint of heart. It is the story of a young girl’s loss of innocence while growing up around a motorcycle club. It is not suitable for children under the age of seventeen due to language, sexual content, and intense subject matter. Based on true events

Divas Thoughts

What an outstanding read! I can´t get over the fact that this book totally blew my mind. Beautiful Ink was more than I expected and definitely more than I could ask for. It´s very simple:

You take a young pretty girl…add some bad-ass bikers, and mix that up with fear, angst, love, hate, confusion, desperation and compassion….and VOILÀ! You got yourself a perfect book.

Seriously…..how could I not fall in love with this horribly brutal yet artistically beautiful story? I´ve read my fair share of MC books and I was only half pleased because there was always something missing, or I would visualize toothless MC members with glittery leather cuts. Authors tend to try too hard to pull off serious, mean as shit, biker bastards and never achieve that level because they are….sweet. Well, not this book/author. Beautiful Ink makes you fear what MC´s are actually capable of. Betrayal? Ha! You´re dead. Look at someone´s wife? HAHA! You see the carrots grow from beneath. Did I forget to mention the murders in this book?

Helen is born into a life she never wanted. After she witnessed events that shattered her young life she wanted nothing more than to run far away from the danger surrounding her. As the horrible events add up really fast Helen decides it´s time to run.

But can she just leave the one person who always protected her? Is Hold reason enough for Helen to stay and torture herself with a life she doesn´t want?

Questions after questions….Hmm…I´d say that one part of the book really had my stomache in knots because I could actually feel Helen´s fear and her pain. But I also felt for Hold, her life long friend who was always there by her side. Even when his own life changed for the worst…I could still see the good in him.

When Helen ran from her old life, she also ran FOR her life. You just don´t say you don´t want to be apart of a MC anymore. Blood in – or Blood out. Once you´re marked, that´s it, babe…Enjoy!

But Helen did it and made something out of her life despite what was after her. Ink was what saved her sanity and ink became her passion.

What happens after she ran away is for you to find out. 🙂 There is so much going on that you want to jump into the story and either beat the shit out of some characters, or you want to fall hopelessly in love with them.

You can tell that each character was carefully colored out and created to make a reader easly visualize them. I loved the guys at Screaming Ink, I wanted Vin to love me like he loved Helen/ Keller, and I totally loved Hold ( even if he was on the wrong side )

Another great thing about this book is the detail on tattoos. Holy cow! I have a good number of tattoos myself so I know the drill. From taking a machine apart to explaining each step before, while, and after getting a tattoo were 100% on the spot! ( how I love it when authors go into accurate detail )

You just don´t get more angst and other God-awful emotions than in this book. You feel it all and you will feel bad for not helping any one of them out! You will cry and you will root for the characters!

Perfect story!

Would I recommend this book?

• Fuck YEAH!

Would I re-read this book?

• I most definitely will! I´m even buying the paperback because a Kindle copy isn´t enough! The story and cover should be on my bookshelf!

 

The Divas are giving Beautiful Ink ( #1 ) by Nicole Reed 5 out of 5 inked champagne glasses!!

This book can be purchased through Amazon

 

Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother – Amy Chua

Is it possible to dislike a person as much as I do right now? In all honesty….I have never in my life been so aggressive towards a book before. Now, I am. I know I might piss on some peoples legs with this review, but I could care less. If a mother is allowed to publish her gruesome ways of raising kids, then I sure as hell can give my 2 cents on the subject.

 

Let me start with some boring info about myself. I am, like the author, a mother of 2 girls ( 7 &3) and my heritage is a mix of everything. BUT….I was raised the good ol´ american way with a tad of everything from other cultures ( basically the stuff from others that was good ). I was raised to be independent from early on and I had to follow rules. Now, I´m 32. Which means I survived the good and bad ( yes, there were those awful parts of life even I had to go through, but hey! I´m still here :-)) I don´t live in a country where parents try to make little soldiers out of their kids. We let our kids be kids because let´s face it….time passes way to fast and before we and our kids know it…they have to work and real life begins. Is it bad to give a child rules? Of course not. Hell, if I´d let my girls do what they want I might never survive the next day.

 

Anyways….when I heard about all the fuss regarding this book I was more than curious to know what everyone was bitching about. I started and after a few pages I wanted to take the book and hit the author on the head with it. I don´t care if it was all true or not. But what I do care about is why the author thought it would be a great idea to publish something she knew would piss other people off? I mean, there are people out there who are probably still suffering from mothers like her.

Through out the complete book I never once felt that the mother felt it was her duty to give her kids a hug or just cuddle with her kids. Her main purpose was to basically make perfect little kids and think the worse of every other culture. I live in Germany, and germans are known to be driven as well. We´re puntcual, hard workers and guess what? A whole lot of intentiones came from germans. What we´re also very good at is making sure that we LIVE inbetween. Same goes for kids. If a child wants to play the piano, GREAT! I´m all for it. But I would never push a child if it didn´t feel like practicing. And why? Because it´s not important! Playing the piano is ( in my eyes ) a hobby, unless the kid wants to go professional, but that´s a whole different subject. The author mentioned so many things in her book that went against any belief of mine. I´d even go so far and say her methods are pedagogically irresponsible. Lets´s take a scene from the book, shall we?

The Tiger Mother actually set her youngest out in the cold because the kid was being stubborn. I don´t know about you guys…..but if it´s freezing outside I wouldn´t even want my dog to go out. Every mother knows that children can be stubborn as hell. Jeez, has anyone ever tried nailing pudding against the wall? No matter how hard you try it never works. So why go to extremes? Why believe freezing some sense in your small child works? I find it brutal and unacceptable.

 

Failure was not an option for the Tiger Mother. That could have brought disgrace upon the WHOLE FAMILY!! I think we live in a time where being a disgrace isn´t an option anymore.

And yet, the author always said she loved her children. I don´t doubt that for one second….The author mentioned more than once that she wanted to be proud of what her girls accomplished. I just missed the emotions that usually come along with being a proud mother. Gosh, if my 3 year old comes to me and shows me a picture she colored, and she stands infront of me with huge eyes waiting for my reaction, how could I not tell her that the picture is pretty? I want to see my baby smile and feel good. I want my baby to hug me and for her to tell me she´s gonna color another green horse for me! I would never- and I mean NEVER tell her to re-do the picture because it was crap. Why? Because she´s 3, for crying out loud! ( BTW…that´s what Tiger Mom did because you shouldn´t lie to your kids and let them believe they did well when you think they didn´t. Push those kids to their limits so they can be better than others. Pfft.) The author even mentioned that the reason why other cultures ( or parents in general ) aren´t successful is because they aren´t strict and they don´t stick to their standards, and/ or they don´t have standards at all. That alone would be another reason to force the author to eat her own book! I feel offended. I am not raising idiots just because I´m not strict enough or because I let my girls know how pretty they are. I´m not raising failures because I´m satisfied if my kids don´t make the first 3 places in a run.

 

Just like the Tiger Mother, I want my girls to be good people. I want them to fulfill their dreams and most of all, I want them to be happy. But, who am I kidding? That´s what every mother wants. And I´m talking about the over-Scheduled moms, the liberal parents, the strict one´s….everyone wants the best for their kids. Just not in a brutal way. The author gave „ strict“ a whole new meaning. She took it to a non existing level where not even I can see any good from it.

 

This book is in my opinion definitely something people, especially mothers, can argue about. No matter where you come from ( or from where you came from, for that matter ) it is your duty to show little human beings love and compassion. To show them the difference between right and wrong.

 

But in the end….everyone should raise their kids how they want. Just don´t expect a warm welcome when your methods come close to a dictators.

 

This book was not worth my time. And I would never recommend it to any parent, EVER.

But I will keep it. Who knows…it might come handy when my girls become teenagers. I can then shove the book under their noses and tell them that they should be happy to have me as their mother. 🙂

 

The Divas are giving Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother 1 out of 5 champagne glasses

 

 

Underestimated – Jettie Woodruff

I purchased this book for my own enjoyment

Book Description:

Warning! This is not your everyday fall in love romance. This book contains disturbing situations, strong language, graphic, sexual content, some forced, some not. If it’s your happily ever after love story that you are looking for, you should probably move on. If you are up for the ride, stick around and it may just turn into a love story after all.

Morgan starts her life in a bad situation, she doesn’t really know what she wants out of life. She’s never had anyone to look up to, or help guide her in the right direction. She had it rough, and never dreamed that it could get worse, however she finds that it can, and does.

She learns what real hell is when she meets the husband that she doesn’t want to marry, but isn’t given a choice. Can she escape? She can, and does only to wake up and find herself right back at square one.

My Thoughts:

This book was recommended by a person on Facebook. She described it as ” disturbing, awful, partly disgusting, and over all not a good book. Now, that got my attention rgith away! I love to read those kind of books. ANYWAYS….one click, and the book was mine to read.

I´m gonna just be very blunt about this: OH MY FUCKING GOD! That person was right! Underestimated was totally disturbing and I just loved it. I loved reading every page from this 500 page book. I couldn´t put this book down even if my life had depended on it. Here are a few words to discribe this awesome piece of story:

SHOCKING, RUDE, CRUEL, DEVASTATING, ABUSIVE, UTTERLY INTENSE, CREEPY, SCREWED UP, WILD, SEXUAL, INSANE.

…but then again, this book had:

LOVE, COMMITMENT, TRUST, ANGST, DEVOTION

How does all that fit into this book? Hmm….no freaking clue. But it was all in Underestimated and I loved every minute of it. This book started out dark and as the hours passed…I started seeing rainbow colors ( the light at the end of the tunnel….etc )

This story is about a young woman, Morgan, who was bought by a man named Drew Kelley. I mean….he wanted her, so he paid her family money so he could have her. How creepy is that? Drew didn´t want Morgan in the classical way a man would want a woman. Nope. He wanted her as a slave. To use her as he pleased. And in my humble opinion…that sick son-of-a-bitch really treated her like shit. It was awful and shocking and evoked feelings in me I would rather keep to myself. My mind was constantly seeking for ways to kill the bastard. I even would have gladly gone to jail for killing him. * nodding * BUT….Drew married the scared 18 year old and saw his plan through to make her his ( again creepy and insane )

As the years ( which mainly included brutal mind-fucks and physical abuse ) went by, Morgan found herself hating Drew and decided to run away. (Haha…I was really rooting for that woman when she left.) Morgan was finally free. She found enough courage to leave that beautiful hell hole and start a life she never thought she´d live.
After her escape, Morgan found herself in Maine with a new identity. But could she live a normal life? Was Morgan able to leave her past behind?

Nope…..and nope.
Even living in Maine…Morgan ( now Riley ) couldn´t shake off the feeling that Drew might find her and kill her for leaving him. She made friends and even fell for Dawson ( a cop ) who was the exact opposite of Morgan´s husband. All Dawson wanted was to love Riley the way she deserved. What more could a woman (who was constantly beaten and sexually humiliated to no end ) want more? Morgan wanted all Dawson was willing to give but she wasn´t sure how to handle the love Dawson offered. He wanted her, but she wanted him to run away from her. After almost 2 years, their relationship became somewhat normal until one fine day….Morgan / Riley was on a trip and had an accident….and….and….well, that´s where the awful feelings end and the better ones flow into the story.

I refuse to continue to tell you more about this story because I DO NOT want to give anything else away! Up until the accident, Morgan´s life was a dirty bitch. She fought to keep Drew ( her abusive asshole husband ) as far away as possible and fought even harder to love Dawson( the nice guy ) the way she was supposed too. One small accident changed everything.

Would you like a shorter version of my thoughts on the events that happened in this book Enjoy the list:

– ” WHAT THE FUCK? “
– ” You have got to be fucking kidding me?! “
– ” Jesus H…….You stupid motherf****r!”
– ” Die, bastard, DIE! “
– ” What? You did not do that! Stupid son-of-a-bitch! BURN in HELL!”
– ” Dumb ass woman….What the hell?”

I found myself shouting alot and earning myself some dirty looks from my better half.  THATS how intense this story was for me. I hated and loved it.

Now…to the characters:

I really enjoyed Morgan´s character. She was this poor broken / beaten young woman who didn´t have much of a saying in any matter when it came to her life. From the moment she was sold off to Satan himself, she had the ” poor bastard ” card and had to make the best of her situation. I also enjoyed to see the development ragarding her role. It was a joy to see how she went from scared / brave slave to bold & beautiful with a good head on her shoulders. There were a few scenes where I  couldn´t stand her….but I guess that her character couldn´t be 100% perfect, right? At least she wasn´t your typical heroine who did nothing but bitch.

Drew….oh dear God, I have no idea what I should say about his character. That guy was on my shit-list until he had Morgan once again in his dirty claws. I hated him so much….and then all of the sudden..POOOOF! .I saw the beauty in his character. Just like THAT…he was the perfect guy. That sick stupid ass was so damn lovable. I loved him and alone that feeling screwed with my head badly because I had every right to hate him. * confused *

Dawson was a different story. His character was great….but I didn´t see Morgan with Dawson at all. Their relationship was sweet and kind….and sweet…and normal….it just didn´t fit. Dawson was the perfect guy who had the looks and always the right things to say. And when all three characters ( Drew, Dawson, Morgan/Riley) were caught in one scene….Dawson still wasn´t the man he should have been ( that´s how I felt ) He was still sweet, even when he had his little fits. That made me think he really was too normal for someone like Morgan.

The sub characters were also wonderfully displayed. I really enjoyed the Maine gang, but my heart was stuck with the characters from Nevada. 

Let´s move on to the sex. It was fantastic! I loved how the author didn´t over do those scenes but at the same time….gave a reader enough input on what was going on. Most scenes were smoking hot ( !!! ) but a few didn´t do anything for me. Let´s just say I was positively surprised and thought about sticking my head in the freezer a couple of times ( Not kidding, people!! ) And not to forget the sad sex scenes. No wait….not sad, AWFUL sex scenes.

I wouldn´t say that this book was enjoyable because having thoughts of killing someone isn´t something I enjoy. Lol. What I did enjoy was the angst in this book. It was exciting to think about Drew and how he´d react next. He was one crazy ass dude with a twisted mind.
The author did a fabulous job in creating a story that was dark, edgy, painful, and yet loving, caring, and sensual.
Underestimated was well written and I had no troubles at all while reading this book.

It´s true that this book isn´t your typical love story. And you should definitely take a deep breath before you read Underestimated, because you sure as hell will be keeping the air in your lungs alot while reading this book. I´m pretty sure anyone who loved Consequences by Aleatha Romig will adore this book. I know I did.

Would I recommend this book?
– FUCK YES! This book will blow your mind and twist your panties til they turn red!

Would I re-read this book?
– Yes. This book was so wonderfully screwed up….I have no other choice than to read it once again.

The Divas are giving Underestimated by Jettie Woodruff  5 out of 5 spanktastic champagne glasses!.

Purchase Link:

Amazon US -http://www.amazon.com/Underestimated-Jettie-Woodruff-ebook/dp/B00DOH9WR8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393202268&sr=8-1&keywords=underestimated

Goodread Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17913288-underestimated